Alan Rickman, You Were a Gift to Screen and Stage

A terribly sad thing has come to pass.

Alan Rickman has passed away at the age of 69.  I am not usually one to get wrapped up in celebrity deaths, though there have been a few that have hit me harder than expected.  But Alan Rickman's passing feels like a quiet injustice to the best faculties of my heart.

Antony in
Antony and Cleopatra

Aside from being a gifted actor in most every role he had, Alan Rickman was also an appreciator of the Bard.  All I can do, in my small way, is to pay tribute here to a man who furthered the rich culture of Shakespeare in our world.

Achilles in
Troilus and Cressida

Alan Rickman studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and there studied Shakespeare.  He was also a performer in the Royal Shakespeare Company, and appeared in adaptations of Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, Troilus and Cressida, as well as the 1978 TV movie of Romeo and Juliet.

If you are up for a good Alan Rickman binge-watch tonight (as I am), I also loved him desperately in Sense and Sensibility as the noble and quietly love-struck Colonel Brandon. And of course, there is Die Hard, Truly, Madly, Deeply, Love Actually and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, to name a few.

And for your enjoyment and reflection, I'll end with his moving reading of Shakespeare's 130th Sonnet - coinicdentally my favorite sonnet.  His distinct voice and impeccable diction draw such increased beauty from the words.  It is my favorite rendition of this poem.  Rest in peace; you were an incredibly moving performer, and you will undoubtedly be missed.

(I also fee the desire to note that David Bowie - who also passed this week - included in his final album [Black Star] a re-recording of "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore,"  which, while not Shakespeare, is taken from a play of the same name by his contemporary, John Ford.  I don't know why I feel the need to note this here, aside from the fact that I feel such a connection to these men through their love of 17th century playwrites; for me personally it deepends the chasm their passing has created in our culture.)

The Play's the Thing

Are any of you peeps out there from the NC area?  If so, have I got great news for you!

There are so many Shakespeare productions in the Triangle this Spring!  I'll share a few upcoming with you:

Romeo and Juliet at Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh.  I saw this one and it was phenomenal.  They aren't afraid to make the play less serious in its romantic endeavors, and Romeo and Juliet act like giddy, fools in love, rather than the extra-serious and overly dramatic renditions that come across nowadays as a bit archaic.  Plainly put, Juliet acts like an infatuated teenage girl and Romeo acts like a man in love with being in love - and bounds across the stage with the joy of it.  It's crucial for there to be a solid comic in Mercutio, and this one certainly has one.  I highly recommend - though the run is almost over.  Don't wait!

Much Ado About Nothing at Raleigh Little Theatre.

This is one of my favorite plays - who could keep from loving Beatrice and Benedick?  No one, that's who.  This show opened last night and I already have my tickets.  Check out their showtimes to see if you're interested in a Much Ado version set in post-WWII America.  I know I am!

The Tempest at Titmus Theatre at Thompson Hall - NC State University.
2/27/2015 ONLY

New York’s acclaimed Aquila Theatre - the foremost producer of touring classical theatre in the United States – returns to NC State with two new productions of classic works. "The Tempest" is Shakespeare’s famous tale of forgiveness and enlightenment. Believed to be his final play, it is imbued with magic, the supernatural, and a heightened sense of theatricality. DO NOT MISS THIS.

A Midsummer Night's Dream at Raleigh Little Theatre in the Rose Garden

Mischievous sprites, lost lovers, and bumbling rustics cross paths in a magical night under the towering trees, fairy ferns, and blooming roses of the Raleigh Rose Garden.  Bring your chairs, picnics, and the whole family for this fanciful 90 minute evening of Fun!  Can you imagine how fun it will be to see this story told with actual woods surrounding it?

Equivocation. n.

1. the use of ambiguous expressions, especially in order to mislead or hedge

2. Logic. a fallacy caused by the double meaning of a word. 

England, 1605: A terrorist plot to assassinate King James I and blow Parliament to kingdom come with 36 barrels of devilish gunpowder! 

Shagspeare (after a contemporary spelling of the Bard’s name) is commissioned by Robert Cecil, the prime minister, to write the “true historie” of the plot. And it must have witches! The King wants witches! But as Shag and the acting company of the Globe, under the direction of the great Richard Burbage, investigate the plot, they discover that the King’s version of the story might, in fact, be a cover-up.

Shag and his actors are confronted with the ultimate moral and artistic dilemma. Speak truth to power—and perhaps lose their heads? Or take the money and lie? Is there a third option—equivocation? 

Sounds good to me!

There are more coming up later in the spring, including Macbeth and Measure for Measure, but there isn't as much info about them as of yet.  Perhaps I'll have to do another extra post about them then!

Let's Play Another Round of Actually...

Today we shall talk about something that drives me crazy.  Yes, you guessed right.  It's another segment of my self-righteous, corrective diatribe,

ACTUALLY....

Should be fun?  Maybe?

Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Remake

Let's start at the beginning, with one of the most quoted lines of Shakespeare.  We turn to Romeo & Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2.

Juliet: 

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

O Romeo, Romeo, for the rest of my life I will have to listen to people assume that wherefore means where?  It does not.  So here it comes, y'all...

Actually...

Wherefore means why in this context.  Or 'for what reason.'  Which is something that can be discerned through the context and grammar of Juliet's speech.  If she were speaking directly to Romeo it would be "Wherefore art thou, Romeo" and there would be a comma, yes?  But there is not.  I know this is a minute detail, but context clues, guys!  I love them!

Additionally, why would she go on to lament his lineage after asking where he was?  "Where are you, Romeo?  Deny your heritage and refuse your own name" makes much less sense than "Why are you Romeo? Deny your heritage and refuse your own name."  She is implying that it is his name that tethers him to the Montagues - which makes a lot of sense in the worlds in which the play was written and set.  Your name was everything if you had a good one and nothing if you did not. And yet she tells him to cast it off and vows that if he can't, then he needs only swear to love her and she would be willing to swear off her own name.  Makes WAY more sense, right?

Which brings me to a concession/correction I must make.  I have... bemoaned the great adoration Romeo and Juliet have gotten culturally as lovers.  But only in so much as I think there are other great lovers in Shakespeare that I find more moving, and that I believe comparing yourself to them implies a less-than-full understanding of their predicament or the messages of the play itself.

None of that detracts from the beauty of the famous balcony scene.  Why, just look at this!  Juliet asks into the darkness that Romeo deny his name, and he agrees to so willingly that when she asks who it is that visits her in the darkness, he says, "By a name/ I know not how to tell thee who I am/ My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,/ Because it is an enemy to thee."  He takes her metaphor and runs with it, beautifully.

And she says, "Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?"  His reply: "Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike."  Which is not only lovely and ties in to the shirking of their names, but by referring to her as 'saint,' he has now twice referenced their first conversation, where they discussed what saints and palmers do to show affection. ("Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?")

Anyway. my point has been lost somewhere, but suffice to say, Wherefore means WHY and people perpetrate this misconception all. the. time.

Did this feel like a lecture?  My condolences.

From Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of R&J

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and MOAR Shakespeare

Guys!  Guys, guys, guys!

There have been TWO more reference to Shakespeare in my favorite show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine!  Do you know what this means?!  It either means A. The writers know I watch this show. Or B. Shakespeare permeates our society at a very deep level.

I'm just going to say it's both.

So this is what happened!

FIRST: Gina decided to get Amy drunk because she's never seen six-drink Amy.  She thinks she could be friends with this so-called six-drink Amy and refers to her as her Sasquatch.

Amy: Gina!  You got to see the Sasquatch.  Was it everything you drumpt?

Gina: It was the stuff drumpts are made of.

This is from The Tempest.  It's not word for word, but that's my favorite part.  The phrase "stuff dreams are made of" is a common enough phrase that it's just something people say.  Just something people say FROM SHAKESPEARE!  It gets me very excited.

The line is from a speech by Prospero in the tempest about fairies, pageants and visions.

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismayed. Be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air.
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself—
Yea, all which it inherit—shall dissolve,
And like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
Act 4 Scene 1

Prospero subtly references the very theater the original actors were performing in: "the great globe itself," as in the Globe Theater.  It's lovely and falls in line with the idea of "All the world's a stage."  We are made of such illusions.

What are your interpretations of the speech?

And SECOND: A phenomenal rethinking of the merits of having Romeo and Juliet as your romance role models.

 

Jake: We can make this work! We're Romeo and Juliet!

Sophia: It didn't work for Romeo and Juliet.  That play ends in a tragic double suicide.

Jake: That's how it ends?  Why do people like it so much?

Aaahh you speak my language, Jake!  [See my previous post on JUST THIS ISSUE!]

Anywho, it looks like this is what I do with my time now.  Here we are.


P.S. On a completely unrelated note, every since my grad class on Chaucer, I can't help but pronounce "two" the middle English way, if only to myself. (Chaucer's works are often misstated as being Old English - 'tis not so!)  So what would that sound like?  Well, like it's spelled, duh. Hint: it rhymes with grow.

Shakespeare and Tumblr Part 3

Hey-ho!

Today is a tumblr day again - do you love these?  I love these.  If you do, or don't, share your thoughts in the comments!  I plan to keep doing them, because I love sharing the relevancy of Shakespeare's plays.  There is something so enlightening about connecting with people and stories from over 400 years ago.

So let'd just do it!  I will provide explanations where I fear there may be a disconnect.  If I am mistaken and there is no disconnect and you are way smarter than that, then my B, yo.

Butthurt

That Escalated Quickly  

I cam out here to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now

Bitch I might

15 Minutes Late with Starbucks

Do it for the Vine

Doge meme

I hope you enjoyed thoses!  My favorite is by far the first one about Ophelia - "Does she have a boyfriend?" "Not a good one."  Ah, I laughed pretty hard at that.

Anyway, until next week, friends!

Shakespeare and Pop Culture

Okay so,

I am a day late (!!!!), which is not really like me.  But in my defense, I audibly gasped and nearly dropped my plate of dinner last night when I realized I hadn't actually posted this yet.  Thank GOODNESS there was no one there to rush over and say, "OH MY HEAVENS, WHAT'S WRONG?!" Because "I forgot to post in my Shakespeare blog today" would have been met with... sarcasm. Yeah, let's go with sarcasm.

So my profoundest of apologies, dearest readers, as I know you await these posts with avid anticipation.

Let's continue, shall we?

This is another tumblr post, where I share gems of funny Shakespeare conversations I've found on tumblr.  I  get so excited when I see Shakespeare referenced in pop culture today, especially with regard to new memes or sayings that are popular.

And as a pretext, I want to say that I know that humor is much like a frog: you can dissect it, but it will die in the process.  With that in mind, I don't want to belabor where these references come from, but I do want to provide some context for two hella important reasons:

1. Maybe not everyone spends as much time on the internet as me and doesn't get them.
2. In 3 years, there's a strong chance that I won't even remember what these jokes were referrencing.
3. In scholarly work (such as this blog), it's important to provide context and clarity.
4. For your very own pop culture edification?

That looks like four reasons.  Turns out I can't count.

Anyway, if you get them, cool.  Ignore the little explanation link.  If not, then you're welcome maybe?

Okay, I'm going to stop pre-apologizing/excusing what I do on this blog and just get on with it.

Yeah.

From Pitbull and Ke$ha's song, "It's going down"

"I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now" meme.

"You had one job" meme.

TV show "30 Rock" episode and ongoing joke.

"Bitch I might be" meme.

Hope you enjoyed!  I just love it when the youths talk about Shakespeare!

Shakespeare's Ladies Coulda Used a Sassy Gay Friend

Good dawning, sweet reader!

As you may or may not have noticed, I've reverted to Monday-Thursday updating.  Things are a little hectic right now and I need a teeny bit of a buffer.  So there.  I'm sure I'll go back to MWF as soon as things slow down in my work, personal and scholarly life.  But until then, I must regrettably offer you less Shakespeare than you have become accustomed to of late.  My deepest and most sincerest apologies.

Enough of that, let's go back to Shakespeare!

In case no one has shared this with you before, let me be the first.  The Second City Network on YouTube came out with a series of Sassy Gay Friend videos for a multitude of famous women, including a number of Shakespeare's heroines.  "This could have been prevented if she had a sassy gay friend."  Do enjoy.

Juliet, of Romeo & Juliet

Ophelia of Hamlet

Desdemona of Othello

Lady Macbeth from Macbeth

Honestly, it starts getting weird when they suddenly got sponsored by Mio, but I still dig it.  Hope you did too! 

Until next time, dudes.

Shake & Tumble

Greeting, travelers!

No time for a real post today... but I hope some of these gems from tumblr will make up for it.  I swear, tumblr is the weirdest, bestest place.

Next Time Think it Through, Romeo

I've shared this delightful image before, on my Facebook, but I think it will find itself more at home on this blog.

Ha! Literary put-down! Buuurn.

The great thing about Romeo and Juliet is that our culture is saturated with it - and I am all for that.  But if you ask me (and no one did), calling someone your Romeo is a bit like calling them your wishy-washy, whiny lover.  As they say, he is one that loves not wisely, but too well.  Wait, that's Othello.  Whatevs, my point still stands.

But Khaki!!  Star-crossed lovers!  That's so romantic!  Absolutely it is.  Just remember that star-crossed means thwarted by the stars, rather than destined to be together because of them. You will spend your entire relationship dodging pianos that are falling from the sky, and trying not to get hit by city buses in crosswalks.  Probably.  Point is, doom will follow you. DOOM, people!

Ah, but the course of true love never did run smooth.  Wait, that's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

I'm not saying it doesn't have it's upside.  Who wouldn't want to hear their lover say things like, "I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” Man... that's hella romantic.  Wait, that's from The Tempest.  Wow, all these love quotes from better love stories!  It's like Khaki is trying to push other plays on the romantically-inclined or something!  Well, except Othello... that was... well, let's just not talk about that right now.

So, in summation: I'd take white-bread romance over a guy who murdered my cousin any day. Maybe that's boring, but I just so happen to be close to my cousins.  And I don't see how I could ever invite my boyfriend to the family picnic after that.