Just a quick post: I haven't started reading the play yet, but I did check out the Wikipedia page and look at the critical history. I'm worried about the misogyny in the play, because nothing cheeses me off like chauvinists, but I know that my roommate who loves the play (hi, Sarah!) wrote an essay last semester about how the play is actually not misogynistic at all, so I'll bug her until she lets me read it.
Beyond that, I'm not sure what I want to do with the play. I'll probably do more Thought posts because making lists of comments as I read is a good way to come up with questions and avoid dozing off. I may compare the play to 10 Things I Hate About You, because I've seen that movie several times and wouldn't mind seeing it again. I doubt I'll watch a more faithful adaptation unless someone else in the class really likes one.
I should also begin looking into academic criticism, because despite my disdain for academic conventions, there's a wealth of information to be found there. Perhaps I'll spend some time perusing the Shakespeare subject guide on the library website. I also need to look through my class notes again and see what suggestions of Dr. Burton's that I haven't looked into yet.
So much time and so little to blog! Wait, strike that, reverse it.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Henry V, Act One
I've read several classmates' posts about Henry V, but I didn't do any additional research before beginning to read (mostly because holy cow, how is it Thursday already??). Much like Cara did in her post, I'm just going to list the thoughts that occurred to me as I read through Henry V, act one. Maybe some of these will turn into questions that I research in depth later on.
THOUGHTS:
Prologue
THOUGHTS:
Prologue
- Hey, there's a chorus. That's...Greek. Okay.
- Shakespeare, you and your words. Why are you so excellent? "the very casques / That did affright the air at Agincourt," beautiful. Affright the air, affright the air. I think I'll just say that over and over and make my roommates wonder what's wrong with me.
- "For ’tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings, / Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times, / Turning th' accomplishment of many years / Into an hour-glass" So, Shakespeare totes wrote this after he met the Doctor, didn't he? (Sorry, non - Doctor Who fans, all my references are probably annoying. You can solve this problem by watching some Doctor Who.)
- So, wait, why is there a chorus? Is it a history-play convention? Would it have made the audience of the time think the play was more genuine?
- Canterbury's comments about Henry (or Harry, I guess. So why isn't this play called King Harry?) are quite interesting. It's an easy way to transition from Henry's behavior in Henry IV to his more kingly behavior here, but it's sloppy as far as character development goes. Tsk, tsk, Shakey. Still, it sounds like I'll be rooting for this guy.
- Seriously, Shakespeare and his WORDS. How does everything sound so sonorous?
- Canterbury: "It must be so, for miracles are ceased, / And therefore we must needs admit the means /
- How things are perfected." That's a pretty grim view! Is this a commentary on the kind of man Canterbury is, or was this an everyday view?
- BORING HISTORY IS BORING
- Canterbury, this sounds like a terrible argument. "The Bible says you can have the throne!" Would the audience have thought this was legitimate and rousing, or would they have been skeptical about all this sophistry?
- Ely: "You're strong and young and powerful, you should go kill people." Exeter: "That's what kings are 'post to do." THANKS DUDES.
- Henry, I think you should probably focus on the Scots thing and forget the France thing. ...No? Okay, so no. Maybe I'm just not very patriotic...to England...six hundred years ago.
- On the upside, at least they don't want to invade Russia.
- Canterbury, are you like the Polonius of this play only not funny? I AM DISAPPOINT.
- Ambassador, I appreciate your brevity, but did you decide that tact wasn't part of your job that day? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Decide to TRY to incite a war?
- TENNIS BALLS ROFL BRB DYING FOREVER
- Henry, you rock. I'm not sure I believe you about the whole "mingling with the common people totes on purpose" thing, but you sure know how to deliver a stinging retort to this ambassador, who should probably be fired. Or, more apropos of the times, beheaded.
- Wait, so is all of this happening because the Church doesn't want this bill to go through, so they're directing the king to get money by invading France instead? SCUMBAGS. What would the audience of the time have thought of this?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Blargh
I haven't posted since Wednesday, so I thought I'd pop in and say that I do not have anything to post. I have not yet started reading Henry V. I have five essays to write by Thursday and I just took on two freelance editing jobs, so my enthusiasm for Shakespeare is less than, erm, enthusiastic. I plan to do the bulk of my reading on Thursday, after the essays are all turned in, and then post on Thursday and Saturday. Hopefully next week will be better than this one, which can essentially be summed up with BLARGH.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Calling All Whovians
David Tennant has played both Hamlet and the Tenth Doctor, and this video combines the two to flesh out the Doctor's tragedy with Shakespeare's words. It couldn't be more appropriate in describing the struggles of Tennant's Doctor, who both fights to preserve himself in his current incarnation and yet also puts his life at risk on purpose many times because he keeps losing everything.
I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired; tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything you love turn to dust. If you live long enough, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone.
Monday, January 17, 2011
To Be or Not to Be
I'm fascinated by this soliloquy. I love the heaviness of emotion tempered by logic. I appreciate how Hamlet weighs his options, level-headed but in so much pain. He tries so hard to justify taking his own life, but cannot, and with weariness returns to struggling with the mission of revenge that he undertook against his will.
I've watched the Gibson, Branagh, and Tennant versions over and over. Probably all of you have seen the first two, but if you haven't seen Tennant, you should watch his rendition.
It's trimmed down a bit from the original, which I didn't notice the first time I watched it because it still flows seamlessly. Actually, I like the cut better than the original: it leaves out the long, repetitious list of ills that makes the speech lose forward momentum.
I also like his exhaustion. Tennant's Hamlet yearns for sleep, a symptom of his depression. I love the way he says "awry," and how he's cut off by Ophelia's entrance: maybe Hamlet really did have more to say on the subject.
I watched a few other versions and mostly didn't like them: Lawrence Olivier's was stilted, Kevin Kline's was underwhelming (although his little smile after "to sleep" was cute), and Richard Burton's was unnatural. Derek Jacobi did a good job at a frenetic, hysterical Hamlet, which isn't my preferred interpretation but mixes things up interestingly:
[For all you Whovians out there, a fun bit of trivia: Derek Jacobi played the Master in the episode "Utopia," and in his version of Hamlet, Ophelia was played by none other than Lalla Ward, known best as Romana.]
I think that before the death of his father Hamlet was a happy person. He was friends with hilarious people at school and he loved to watch players. This speech may be the first time that he seriously contemplates the idea of suicide. Some readers/viewers complain that Hamlet is "emo" and teenager-ish in his constant complaints, but one must appreciate how good his life probably was before his father died: he had friends and a loving family, and he was a prince secure in his future. Claudius destroyed every aspect of his happiness, rending his family apart and even preventing him from returning to school. Then his father's ghost laid the task of revenge on him, making it impossible for Hamlet to grieve normally and rebuild his life. No wonder he desperately grasped for an easier option.
Of course, you can argue about whether or not he's sincere. If he knows he's being watched by Polonius and Claudius, he may just be acting to the full extent of his grief for their benefit, playing the madman. If he knows he's being watched by Ophelia, he may be pleading for sympathy or trying to renew their love. But if he believes that he's alone, then his speech is a cry to the universe:
And by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.
I've watched the Gibson, Branagh, and Tennant versions over and over. Probably all of you have seen the first two, but if you haven't seen Tennant, you should watch his rendition.
It's trimmed down a bit from the original, which I didn't notice the first time I watched it because it still flows seamlessly. Actually, I like the cut better than the original: it leaves out the long, repetitious list of ills that makes the speech lose forward momentum.
I also like his exhaustion. Tennant's Hamlet yearns for sleep, a symptom of his depression. I love the way he says "awry," and how he's cut off by Ophelia's entrance: maybe Hamlet really did have more to say on the subject.
I watched a few other versions and mostly didn't like them: Lawrence Olivier's was stilted, Kevin Kline's was underwhelming (although his little smile after "to sleep" was cute), and Richard Burton's was unnatural. Derek Jacobi did a good job at a frenetic, hysterical Hamlet, which isn't my preferred interpretation but mixes things up interestingly:
[For all you Whovians out there, a fun bit of trivia: Derek Jacobi played the Master in the episode "Utopia," and in his version of Hamlet, Ophelia was played by none other than Lalla Ward, known best as Romana.]
I think that before the death of his father Hamlet was a happy person. He was friends with hilarious people at school and he loved to watch players. This speech may be the first time that he seriously contemplates the idea of suicide. Some readers/viewers complain that Hamlet is "emo" and teenager-ish in his constant complaints, but one must appreciate how good his life probably was before his father died: he had friends and a loving family, and he was a prince secure in his future. Claudius destroyed every aspect of his happiness, rending his family apart and even preventing him from returning to school. Then his father's ghost laid the task of revenge on him, making it impossible for Hamlet to grieve normally and rebuild his life. No wonder he desperately grasped for an easier option.
Of course, you can argue about whether or not he's sincere. If he knows he's being watched by Polonius and Claudius, he may just be acting to the full extent of his grief for their benefit, playing the madman. If he knows he's being watched by Ophelia, he may be pleading for sympathy or trying to renew their love. But if he believes that he's alone, then his speech is a cry to the universe:
Shall I go on?
Must I go on?
And by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.
The Weirdest Hamlet Video You Will Ever See
Surprisingly, Hamlet's ordeal would probably transfer well into Klingon culture. They wouldn't be very sympathetic to all his waffling or to his "Am I a coward?" soliloquy, but they'd love the end.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
THE PLAN
Okay. So I have to figure out this whole self-directed learning thing. Here's what I have so far for how I plan to fulfill the class goals.
Reading
I've already got a decent handle on the tragedies, so I want to focus more on the comedies and histories. For the comedies, I want to read Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, and Pericles.
I still haven't figured out which histories I want to read because I don't know anything about them--I'd appreciate some guidance. Maybe Richard II and both Henry IVs? That would make sense for getting the beginnings of the full story, but I don't know which plays are the kindest to beginning readers.
Perhaps I'll also throw in some more of the sonnets. Sonnets are fun.
Watching
Ideally, I want to watch at least one production, either stage or screen, for each play that I read. Where possible, I'd also like to watch a modern adaptation: for Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You; for Twelfth Night, She's the Man, etc. I think it would be interesting to look at which elements of Shakespeare's plays easily translate into the modern world, which seem forced, and which need to be discarded in a modern retelling.
Creating
It would be nifty to get together with a group of fellow classmates and read a play out loud together. Would anyone like to join such an endeavor?
I might also write an imitation sonnet or soliloquy. I've written sonnets before, but never blank verse soliloquys. Or maybe I could make something cool in InDesign and post it here. Possibilities are endless!
Writing
Obviously, I will be posting things here. For as long as possible, I want to stay away from scholarly research. I had to do four research papers last semester and I wrote about 35 essays total, and two weeks of Christmas vacation was not enough to get me over the burnout. Frankly I'm not excited to write anything about literature ever again, but since I'm about to graduate with an English degree, it's a bit late to start stewing over my educational choices.
So! My goal in writing this blog is to HAVE LOTS OF FUN. I will be posting stuff about Doctor Who. I'll make lots of commentaries about the stuff I think is awesome. Hopefully I will write at least one of my famous-among-my-roommates BREATHLESS PARODY ABRIDGMENTS. Above all, I will strive not to bore myself or my audience.
Sound peachy?
Reading
I've already got a decent handle on the tragedies, so I want to focus more on the comedies and histories. For the comedies, I want to read Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, and Pericles.
I still haven't figured out which histories I want to read because I don't know anything about them--I'd appreciate some guidance. Maybe Richard II and both Henry IVs? That would make sense for getting the beginnings of the full story, but I don't know which plays are the kindest to beginning readers.
Perhaps I'll also throw in some more of the sonnets. Sonnets are fun.
Watching
Ideally, I want to watch at least one production, either stage or screen, for each play that I read. Where possible, I'd also like to watch a modern adaptation: for Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You; for Twelfth Night, She's the Man, etc. I think it would be interesting to look at which elements of Shakespeare's plays easily translate into the modern world, which seem forced, and which need to be discarded in a modern retelling.
Creating
It would be nifty to get together with a group of fellow classmates and read a play out loud together. Would anyone like to join such an endeavor?
I might also write an imitation sonnet or soliloquy. I've written sonnets before, but never blank verse soliloquys. Or maybe I could make something cool in InDesign and post it here. Possibilities are endless!
Writing
Obviously, I will be posting things here. For as long as possible, I want to stay away from scholarly research. I had to do four research papers last semester and I wrote about 35 essays total, and two weeks of Christmas vacation was not enough to get me over the burnout. Frankly I'm not excited to write anything about literature ever again, but since I'm about to graduate with an English degree, it's a bit late to start stewing over my educational choices.
So! My goal in writing this blog is to HAVE LOTS OF FUN. I will be posting stuff about Doctor Who. I'll make lots of commentaries about the stuff I think is awesome. Hopefully I will write at least one of my famous-among-my-roommates BREATHLESS PARODY ABRIDGMENTS. Above all, I will strive not to bore myself or my audience.
Sound peachy?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Branagh, Gibson, and Tennant
My focus so far in reading Hamlet has been to look for a diversity of interpretations. I'm reading the full text along with the "No Fear Shakespeare" translation and watching excerpts of three different versions--Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson, and David Tennant.
Thoughts:
Thoughts:
- Although NFS clarifies the more difficult passages, it makes the easier ones quite ridiculous and saps the life out of Shakespeare's verse. "About, my brain" is translated to "I need to get myself together here!"...*sporfle* I'm digging the exclamation point.
- With the exception of NFS, I like all the versions of "to be or not to be." I love the setting of Gibson's and the way he interacts with the objects around him to bring more feeling and depth to his rendition--actually, the entire Gibson production does this marvellously. I wasn't convinced by Branagh's version at first, but by the time he got to "When he himself might his quietus make / With a bare bodkin?" I was completely enraptured. Tennant's, however, is my favorite. His sheer exhaustion makes me believe that Hamlet is depressed and ready to give up. What's the point of going on when everything is pointless and draining? When nothing good can possibly happen? He finds no hope, only resignation.
- All three interactions with Ophelia are played very, very differently. Gibson acknowledges that he's being watched the earliest (immediately before "Are you honest?"), while Branagh seems to be somewhat aware throughout yet doesn't acknowledge the possible viewers until before "Where is your father?"; Tennant seems to be completely unaware that he's observed until just before "Where is your father?" Also, Branagh, while the least "mad" throughout, is the most violent; Gibson is the most sane and also the most genuinely angry; Tennant plays Hamlet as insane throughout, despite not believing he's being watched. (Maybe this is just because Tennant is so darn good at playing crazy.) Of the Ophelias, I think I believe Helena Bonham Carter the most and Mariah Gale (in Tennant's version) the least.
- The scene with Polonius is one of my favorites, in any version. I love Tennant's especially--both Tennant and Oliver Ford Davies have brilliant comedic timing. Oh, here, just watch it:
It's a little confusing trying to find the parallel parts of all these versions because Tennant's has changed the order of many scenes. I'm not sure if Branagh's and Gibson's do. I think I'd like to watch all three versions all the way through, back to back. Maybe I can persuade my roommates to have a Hamlet Saturday.
First post
Yeah, Shakespeare, woohoo! I'm not sure yet what I want to focus on this semester or even what I want to read. I've had only limited experience with the Bard, and it's been a mixed bag.
Plays I've Read
Romeo and Juliet: read it in ninth grade, hated it except for Benvolio
Julius Caesar: read it in eleventh grade, was ambivalent
King Lear: read it in twelfth grade, thought Cordelia was the bomb-diggety
Much Ado: read it on my own after seeing the film, loved it
Othello: read it sophomore year, thought it didn't measure up to Lear
Hamlet: read it sophomore year, thought Hamlet was an emo poser
Films I've Seen
Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann): saw it in ninth grade, thought it was terrible
King Lear: FOREVER SCARRED by the eye-gouging scene
Much Ado (Kenneth Branagh, of course): thought it was hilarious, minus the part in the beginning with all the butts--seriously, what is that?
Hamlet (David Tennant): BEST PLAY EVER. This view was probably influenced by my love of Doctor Who, but I thought Tennant absolutely nailed Hamlet, the production was clever, and to my surprise Hamlet is actually a pretty funny play!
Performances I've Seen
A Midsummer Night's Dream: saw this when I was six and had no idea what was going on
A Comedy of Errors: saw it in ninth grade; again, it was funny, but I really couldn't understand what was going on
Macbeth: saw it in Cedar City, thought it was boooooring
Merchant of Venice: saw it in Cedar City, was completely blown away by the moral complexity of the characters
So that's my direct Shakespeare experience in a nutshell. I think I'd like to read Taming of the Shrew, because it's my roommate's favorite, and The Tempest, because I'd like to go see the film and I think I should read it first, and probably one of the Richard or Henry plays, because I feel like I'm 'post to.
Plays I've Read
Romeo and Juliet: read it in ninth grade, hated it except for Benvolio
Julius Caesar: read it in eleventh grade, was ambivalent
King Lear: read it in twelfth grade, thought Cordelia was the bomb-diggety
Much Ado: read it on my own after seeing the film, loved it
Othello: read it sophomore year, thought it didn't measure up to Lear
Hamlet: read it sophomore year, thought Hamlet was an emo poser
Films I've Seen
Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann): saw it in ninth grade, thought it was terrible
King Lear: FOREVER SCARRED by the eye-gouging scene
Much Ado (Kenneth Branagh, of course): thought it was hilarious, minus the part in the beginning with all the butts--seriously, what is that?
Hamlet (David Tennant): BEST PLAY EVER. This view was probably influenced by my love of Doctor Who, but I thought Tennant absolutely nailed Hamlet, the production was clever, and to my surprise Hamlet is actually a pretty funny play!
Performances I've Seen
A Midsummer Night's Dream: saw this when I was six and had no idea what was going on
A Comedy of Errors: saw it in ninth grade; again, it was funny, but I really couldn't understand what was going on
Macbeth: saw it in Cedar City, thought it was boooooring
Merchant of Venice: saw it in Cedar City, was completely blown away by the moral complexity of the characters
So that's my direct Shakespeare experience in a nutshell. I think I'd like to read Taming of the Shrew, because it's my roommate's favorite, and The Tempest, because I'd like to go see the film and I think I should read it first, and probably one of the Richard or Henry plays, because I feel like I'm 'post to.
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