tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.comments2023-06-02T16:36:37.494+03:00Shakespeare ExperienceAlan K.Farrarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-64355975771312406772008-11-23T12:46:00.000+02:002008-11-23T12:46:00.000+02:00Interesting link -thought of reviewing the book ov...Interesting link -thought of reviewing the book over on other blog.Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-50081112823291724402008-11-23T11:35:00.000+02:002008-11-23T11:35:00.000+02:00Shakespeare: From Page to Stage->http://www.you...Shakespeare: From Page to Stage-><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eelUZUvN8Cs&feature=channelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-48666825221191735482008-10-10T18:43:00.000+03:002008-10-10T18:43:00.000+03:00an excellent read. thanks!an excellent read. thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-54377867984192762312008-09-09T09:58:00.000+03:002008-09-09T09:58:00.000+03:00I highly recommend Lakoff's short read, "Don't Thi...I highly recommend Lakoff's short read, "Don't Think of an Elephant!"<BR/><BR/>It discusses how family values and structures are basically the deciding factor/crux of how people vote. :)Punchdrunkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06483920435035124913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-84683628593694129122008-08-05T08:38:00.000+03:002008-08-05T08:38:00.000+03:00Second part of that was complete twaddle - the fir...Second part of that was complete twaddle - the first relevant.Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-77506149856884842612008-08-05T06:56:00.000+03:002008-08-05T06:56:00.000+03:00Greene is saying that William Shakspere is like th...Greene is saying that William Shakspere is like the crow in Aesop's Fables, who steals feathers from other birds and dresses in them. His claims at having written the scripts he has piecemealed together are false (the lousy quartos). Greene is angry because he knows the real author, a courtier, who must use pen-name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-3873854290342959992008-07-24T03:26:00.000+03:002008-07-24T03:26:00.000+03:00There's always mis-information where translation c...There's always mis-information where translation comes in.<BR/><BR/>I remember throughout school learning about theatre and its origins, reading about Greek theatre and one of the main structures in the amphitheatre which was transliterated as "skene" and the teacher always pronounced "SKAY-nay." I was told that it was from this word that we get the word scene, and proscenium.<BR/><BR/>Later on I studied Greek theatre with actual Greeks, who pronounced it "skee-NEE."Gedalyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14062369041909869842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-23603440690817289222008-07-13T14:45:00.000+03:002008-07-13T14:45:00.000+03:00Not found the answer to that one yet ... but looki...Not found the answer to that one yet ... but looking.<BR/><BR/>I am reminded though of the mis-information circulating about the original Greek word for actor which wasn't 'Thespian' (based on the supposed name of the first actor to step out from the chorus and play a character) but ὑποκριτής (hypokrites) - from which we get our hypocrite!Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-79945406524722666352008-07-13T08:33:00.000+03:002008-07-13T08:33:00.000+03:00Interesting. I never realized that Hamlet's use wa...Interesting. I never realized that Hamlet's use was the first appearance of that word in reference to the audience in the "cheap seats."<BR/><BR/>Then what, I wonder, were they called during Shakespeare's life?Gedalyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14062369041909869842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-75097347645202084722008-07-12T12:40:00.000+03:002008-07-12T12:40:00.000+03:00wow... incredible how many details you remembered ...wow... incredible how many details you remembered from the performance: the cast, which actor played which 2 or 3 characters. Multi-tasking indeed. I could not have said more about it than "amazingly beautiful". I much enjoyed reading about the details that made it so "amazingly beautiful".Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07817245727893213531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-81576338639915331292008-06-30T18:33:00.000+03:002008-06-30T18:33:00.000+03:00Well, Romeo has always been a real crowd-pleaser, ...Well, Romeo has always been a real crowd-pleaser, and the poetry is just to die for--Shakespeare pretty much at the top of his game as lyric poet. Windsor? Not really my favorite, probably owing to a "Falstaff" almost completely devoid of the greatness in the H4 plays. I've only toured the new Globe--wish I could see a play there someday.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543729525469734022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-64585147020232266802008-06-14T07:27:00.000+03:002008-06-14T07:27:00.000+03:00Couldn't agree more - his use of 'type' in charact...Couldn't agree more - his use of 'type' in character, genre, language all allow him to move quickly on - and to ask not answer.<BR/><BR/>As I've read and re-read the induction (not seen it since a production when I was back in England many moons ago) I am increasingly convinced the characters improvised between the written scenes - my only question is - did Shakespeare play Sly?Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-50850371185769879082008-06-14T07:22:00.000+03:002008-06-14T07:22:00.000+03:00I suspect the ending was 'controversial' even then...I suspect the ending was 'controversial' even then - is the final line admiration or disbelief?<BR/><BR/>I see the cultural element always making a difference - there are some parts of the world where this view of marriage is the norm today.<BR/><BR/>And the final thing you've put in to my mind is the point that, until we accept people are allowed to have different views and different opinions from us - including religious and moral - then the ending is likely to remain unsatisfying for a large number of the modern audience.<BR/><BR/>As I've worked on the play this time I see Petruccio and Kate accepting the common humanity in themselves - of uniting in their difference - it's taken nearly half a century for me to actually understand that.Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-64400487957982142762008-06-14T00:07:00.000+03:002008-06-14T00:07:00.000+03:00I certainly think there is something to be gained ...I certainly think there is something to be gained by acknowledging Shakespeare's indebtedness to the <I>commedia dell'arte</I>-- in becoming aware of his roots, we better see how innovative he is, and we start to see that in combining these comic archtypes, with his great talent for linguistic invention, character observation, even transmuting comedy into tragedy and tragedy into comedy, we move away from the idea that Shakespeare is "advocating" anything.Ian Thalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15348768867561450314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-11011792709830991402008-06-13T23:50:00.000+03:002008-06-13T23:50:00.000+03:00I've seen a number of excellent productions of Tam...I've seen a number of excellent productions of <I>Taming of the Shrew</I> in that the actors who play Petruccio and Kate capture both character's delicious grotesque nature-- but it's this understanding of marriage (and love's) place in Elizabethean society that seems to be missing and always makes the ending difficult to stomach.<BR/><BR/>Is it possible that our era's expectations regarding love, marriage, and gender roles are such that even if the subtleties of marriage are made more explicit the end will still rankle us, or can our improved understanding make us better appreciate the resolution?Ian Thalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15348768867561450314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-1498016185886876932008-06-13T08:00:00.000+03:002008-06-13T08:00:00.000+03:00Shame - I liked it!Shame - I liked it!Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-36539102622179579612008-06-13T07:44:00.000+03:002008-06-13T07:44:00.000+03:00Many thanks for the mention. I corrected the typo....Many thanks for the mention. I corrected the typo. John LawrenceJohn D. Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04548265534780577045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-8259890480261368992008-06-11T06:13:00.000+03:002008-06-11T06:13:00.000+03:00Very quickly (I should be preparing some work):1. ...Very quickly (I should be preparing some work):<BR/>1. Equality in terms of standing before God (equal soul - not to be dismissed in the times written);<BR/>2. Equal in power, in strength in potential - Petruccio in his 'fire' cancelling fire speech;<BR/>3. Not equal in 'authority, but equal in all else - a judge is equal under the law, as is a king).<BR/>4. It is not Kate we need to look to - it is Petruccio: He is the one who expresses;<BR/>5. I don't go with the Great Chain - a male dominated construct: Greer (bbke) in her recent book demonstrates a much more complex situation;<BR/>6. The marriage service itself (still in essence used in the Anglican rite) demands the equality.<BR/>(Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go ...)Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-91751381662219618352008-06-10T17:04:00.000+03:002008-06-10T17:04:00.000+03:00Well, you're putting some interesting ideas into p...Well, you're putting some interesting ideas into play here, but I'm just not along for the ride. You write, "he is seeking an equal - who he is willing to treat equally," but I can not see it. I just can't. In which scene is Kate his "equal?" He names the tune, and she dances to it. Always. This is no equality that I can recognize. <BR/><BR/>(If Shakespeare had wanted to give us one scene, one speech, one line, in which Kate takes a stand or makes a decision or even proposes a jest and her hubby goes along with it, he could have. He didn't.)<BR/><BR/>That this is the vision of marital harmony in the England of four hundred years ago, I have no doubt. But "equality" doesn't enter into it--it's specifically about _in_equality. Men and women are different, and both have their place on the Great Chain of Existance, with prescribed duties and powers. <BR/><BR/>Kate certainly reminds her husband about his end of the bargain in that last speech, but that bargain clearly involves husbands being in charge and wives being submissive. It's nothing that speaks to me.<BR/><BR/>Well, once you're done exploring Shrew, you'll have tacked the two Shakespeare plays I find completely distasteful, so I can look forward with happiness to almost the entire remainder of the canon...there's one other play, The Merry Wives, that I don't care for, but only because Falstaff is such a disappointment in it. <BR/><BR/>Till then!Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543729525469734022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-13746117540714472172008-06-05T19:48:00.000+03:002008-06-05T19:48:00.000+03:00I think one interesting aspect I didn't explore (a...I think one interesting aspect I didn't explore (although thought about) was the 'irrelevance' to the modern world of several of the themes - or maybe not irrelevance, but distance: We don't have boys playing women; the 'natural order of things' has been 'turned upside down'; the loss of control through drink maybe connects - but in the society in which I live it is not such an issue.<BR/>I have seen productions with the Induction - but it didn't "Boing" in production the way it does when I read ... I understand the cutting of it ... although regret - and do think it might work better in the London Globe.Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-66052525275082354572008-06-05T16:33:00.000+03:002008-06-05T16:33:00.000+03:00Some people love that Induction...I can't really s...Some people love that Induction...I can't really say I'm among them. I acted once in Shrew in college, and we did the Induction--may be the only time I've seen it done. I don't think it added much. I think that one mangled quote from the Spanish Tragedy ("Saint Jeronimy") is pretty funny, but of course I'm one of about six people in North America who would say that.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543729525469734022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-58466799698936733202008-06-03T09:16:00.000+03:002008-06-03T09:16:00.000+03:00chutney - yes, I like that!Is Shakespeare an ingre...chutney - yes, I like that!<BR/><BR/>Is Shakespeare an ingredient rather than a dish?<BR/><BR/>Goodness - I feel some fermentation starting - a whole set of posts on which play = which dish!Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-66847749799957466462008-06-02T19:24:00.000+03:002008-06-02T19:24:00.000+03:00a very good idea. Infact it imparts a whole new pe...a very good idea. Infact it imparts a whole new perspective to Shakespeare.<BR/>Although i have used the example of "chutney" ( a spicy tangy paste popular in indian subcontinent and may be some other countries- a cousin of sauce) to describe Shakespeare. Each ingredient adds to the ultimate flavour and yet the connoisseur of arts and plays can differentiate and recognize every condiment. So you keep on tasting the parts and the whole at the same time.<BR/>Thank you for this info. I will certainly use it in my lesson plans.<BR/><BR/>warmly<BR/>Surbhi Goel<BR/>surbhi5276@gmail.comSurbhi Goelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13091436808625792235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-41327284310315476172008-05-27T21:10:00.000+03:002008-05-27T21:10:00.000+03:00Interesting idea--I think I'll have to steal it so...Interesting idea--I think I'll have to steal it some day.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543729525469734022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19238239.post-1060034015927280292008-05-27T08:12:00.000+03:002008-05-27T08:12:00.000+03:00Some people don't see a joke when it bites them!Th...Some people don't see a joke when it bites them!<BR/><BR/>There was no correct spelling in Shakespeare's time - and I am the World's worst spela!<BR/><BR/>(And the difference is really English English vs that trans-Atlantic mutation)Alan K.Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930353547190453742noreply@blogger.com