38:38 The Two Noble Kinsmen

Day 38 of 38:38
The Two Noble Kinsmen

Will I make it by midnight??? Yes, play finished at 11:39 PM. Two Noble Kinsmen felt similar to me with the other plays we have been reading recently. There is a sort of randomness and almost ridiculousness to the plot that we also see in Winter's Tale and Cymbeline and Pericles. But I did like Two Noble Kinsmen better than Henry VIII or The Tempest.

The one thing that really reveals to me the fact that this is a collaboration (and same with Henry) is the sudden appearance of massive amounts of stage directions. I mean, it's certainly not Shavian, but compared to the dearth of stage directions Shakespeare normally uses, it certainly sticks out.

I wonder how much Shakespeare was hearkening back to Midsummer as he was working on this play (presumably with Fletcher). We've got Theseus and Hippolyta, but I don't think we are supposed to think of them as the same characters. But we do have this silly men fighting over women plot, which echoes both Midsummer and Two Gents. The difference being that in this play someone actually dies.

So there it is. I made it through the challenge. 38 Shakespeare plays in 38 days. I'm going to extend this challenge for myself and over the next couple of days read Edward III, Sir Thomas Moore, and Double Falsehood (though for the record, let me state that I think the advertising of Double Falsehood as by William Shakespeare is more than a little questionable). I feel like I should have some deep over-arching thoughts, but I will save those for another post.

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Favorite Female Character:
Jailer's Daughter (at least until she goes all Ophelia on us)
Favorite Male Character:
Palamon (simply for the "I saw her first!" line)

Laugh out loud:
Jailer's Daughter I can tell your fortune.
You are a fool.

Famous Last Words
Palamon I do not think it possible our friendship
Should ever leave us.

"That's what she said!":
Jailer's Daughter My Palamon, I hope, will grow too, finely,
Now he's at liberty. Alas, poor chicken,
He was kept down with hard meat and ill lodging,
But I'll kiss him up again.

How insulting:

Shakey loves his meta:
There is a prologue and epilogue directly stating that the audience is about to see a play

Oh, misogyny:

Boys are silly:
Emilia Men are mad things.

Favorite Moment/Line:
Palamon Were I at liberty I would do things
Of such virtuous greatness that this lady,
This blushing virgin, should take manhood to her
And seek to ravish me.