Day 29 of 38:38
Julius Caesar
I love this play. Some people claim this play is "talky." I have always found it tightly plotted and very exciting both on the page and on the stage. I love the characters and their interactions. It would be incredibly hard to rank every Shakespeare play according to how I feel about them, but if I struggled through enough to create a top ten, Julius Caesar would for sure be on it.
But here's the aspect of Julius Caesar that gets lost for me in production -- the idea that these men of Rome, these Senators are highly invested in a equitable form of government. They believe it is better to give their lives than suffer tyranny. They are the American Revolution. Freedom is the word. This always sort of gets lost for me in performance. As an audience member I forget about this and get caught up in everything else. I would like to direct this play to see if I could keep that connection. But, I'm not sure if this idea gets lost in the play because of characters being played too nefariously, or if this, indeed, is the entire point. That these men start with noble ideas, and an iron-clad commitment to Freedom, and they lose this idea and themselves along the way. I suspect this is the case, in which case I would want to work to make that fall absolutely clear.
I just read this before heading off to SAA, so I was speaking to my travel mates about this play and specifically the character of Cassius. How interesting is it that Shakespeare gives Cassius the "who so firm but can be seduced" speech! This is the only moment in the play which reveals any sort of villainous and purposeful manipulation. Without it, Cassius is a man of strict principles, fighting to the death to defend those principles. This speech is what makes us Cassius's nobility. And for me, it someone questionably undercuts how deep the friendship with Brutus is. But as my friend Kavita pointed out, maybe it just demonstrates how much this means to him - that he is willing to use a friend, perhaps even sacrifice a friendship, and not just any, but his most important one, in order to achieve his goals.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Portia
Favorite Male Character:
Cassius
Laugh out loud:
Octavius You may do your will;
But he's a tried and valiant soldier.
Anthony So is my horse, Octavius
"That's what she said!":
Portia Dwell I but in the suburbs
Of your good pleasure?
How insulting:
Murellus You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!
Shakey loves his meta:
Cassius How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted o'er
In States unborn and accents yet unknown!
Oh, misogyny:
Cassius And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits;
Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.
Boys are silly:
Decius But when I tell him he hates flatterers,
He says he does, being then most flattered.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Everything that Cassius says
also
Brutus Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream:
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
21:38 Hamlet
Day 21 of 38:38
Hamlet -- The Bad Quarto
So, since I'm at the Shakespeare Association of America conference, I can't pull out my Arden edition of this play to consult, so forgive me if I misspeak (or just comment and correct me, or add things I'm missing ;-) ) For those of you who aren't scholars of the bard, just to catch you up, we have three texts of Hamlet: The first quarto (known as the "Bad Quarto"), the second Quarto, and the Folio. When you see Hamlet performed you are usually seeing a conflation of the texts from the Folio and the second Quarto. The first quarto edition of Hamlet is quite different from the other two texts and full of what seems to be textual mistakes and problems. This version, I would have said, does not get performed due to the "errors." But due to the academic interest in this version, there have recently been fully staged productions of the text of the first quarto Hamlet. The plots are practically identical between the different texts, what is different is the poetry and some of the ordering of the scenes.
Nearly all of the soliloquies are considerably shorter in the first Quarto Hamlet, and there will be a line that is identical to what we know, followed by a line that is completely different. For example, the line we know goes "To be or not to be; that is the question." The first quarto says "To be or not to be, aye there's the point."
Anyway, the first quarto is called the Bad Quarto for several reasons - it is a lot shorter, leading to the claim that things are missing, a lot of the logic of the speeches is missing, the syntax is weird, and the poetry many find to be inferior. Where did this text come from?
From what I recall there are two prevailing theories about the Q1. The first that it is a memorial reconstruction of the actual Hamlet play by Shakespeare. An actor with an apparently very bad memory tried to write down the entire play and had to approximate large chunks of it. The second theory is that the q1 is Shakespeare's first draft, based off of the Ur-Hamlet, or the name given to the supposed source play that Shakespeare based his Hamlet off of. Then, the theory says, Shakespeare rewrote the play entirely to what we know today.
But the Q1 Hamlet is ... weird. I know that's a completely subjective assessment. But the characters all seem underdeveloped. Their arcs don't make sense. The poetry is inferior. There is a lot of missing logic. Syntax is strange. Thoughts are unfinished. Several names are different.
So here's a totally crazy thought that I have no evidence for, and don't have the time to properly research. But what if the Q1 Hamlet IS the Ur-Hamlet? What if this text is not Shakespeare at all, but the text that Shakespeare based his version off of?
It's claimed that the Q1 version of Hamlet is some version of Shakespeare's writing, because, I suppose, there are many identical lines, and the plot follows the same trajectory. But Shakespeare's other plays also have extreme parallels with source material. But I would need to do further research on other source plays and Shakespeare's versions to see if there are direct line quotes as there are between the Hamlets.
One of the scholars at the reading noted that he thought the Q1 Hamlet was a superior text. I and my friends found this questionable. But, hey, to each his own.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Gertrude
Favorite Male Character:
uh... don't have one
Laugh out loud:
Hamlet There's never a villain dwelling in all Denmark,
But he's an arrant knave.
Horatio There need no Ghost come from the grave to tell you this.
"That's what she said!":
Hamlet Upon your lap, what do you think I meant country matters?
How insulting:
Ghost that incestuous wretch
Shakey loves his meta:
Gilderstone In Faith my Lord, novelty carries it away,
For the principal public audience that
Came to them, are turned to private plays,
And to the humor of children.
Oh, misogyny:
Hamlet Frailty, thy name is woman.
Boys are silly:
Corambis Sum men often prove,
Great in their words, but little in their love.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Hamlet Why what a dunghill idiot slave am I
Hamlet -- The Bad Quarto
So, since I'm at the Shakespeare Association of America conference, I can't pull out my Arden edition of this play to consult, so forgive me if I misspeak (or just comment and correct me, or add things I'm missing ;-) ) For those of you who aren't scholars of the bard, just to catch you up, we have three texts of Hamlet: The first quarto (known as the "Bad Quarto"), the second Quarto, and the Folio. When you see Hamlet performed you are usually seeing a conflation of the texts from the Folio and the second Quarto. The first quarto edition of Hamlet is quite different from the other two texts and full of what seems to be textual mistakes and problems. This version, I would have said, does not get performed due to the "errors." But due to the academic interest in this version, there have recently been fully staged productions of the text of the first quarto Hamlet. The plots are practically identical between the different texts, what is different is the poetry and some of the ordering of the scenes.
Nearly all of the soliloquies are considerably shorter in the first Quarto Hamlet, and there will be a line that is identical to what we know, followed by a line that is completely different. For example, the line we know goes "To be or not to be; that is the question." The first quarto says "To be or not to be, aye there's the point."
Anyway, the first quarto is called the Bad Quarto for several reasons - it is a lot shorter, leading to the claim that things are missing, a lot of the logic of the speeches is missing, the syntax is weird, and the poetry many find to be inferior. Where did this text come from?
From what I recall there are two prevailing theories about the Q1. The first that it is a memorial reconstruction of the actual Hamlet play by Shakespeare. An actor with an apparently very bad memory tried to write down the entire play and had to approximate large chunks of it. The second theory is that the q1 is Shakespeare's first draft, based off of the Ur-Hamlet, or the name given to the supposed source play that Shakespeare based his Hamlet off of. Then, the theory says, Shakespeare rewrote the play entirely to what we know today.
But the Q1 Hamlet is ... weird. I know that's a completely subjective assessment. But the characters all seem underdeveloped. Their arcs don't make sense. The poetry is inferior. There is a lot of missing logic. Syntax is strange. Thoughts are unfinished. Several names are different.
So here's a totally crazy thought that I have no evidence for, and don't have the time to properly research. But what if the Q1 Hamlet IS the Ur-Hamlet? What if this text is not Shakespeare at all, but the text that Shakespeare based his version off of?
It's claimed that the Q1 version of Hamlet is some version of Shakespeare's writing, because, I suppose, there are many identical lines, and the plot follows the same trajectory. But Shakespeare's other plays also have extreme parallels with source material. But I would need to do further research on other source plays and Shakespeare's versions to see if there are direct line quotes as there are between the Hamlets.
One of the scholars at the reading noted that he thought the Q1 Hamlet was a superior text. I and my friends found this questionable. But, hey, to each his own.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Gertrude
Favorite Male Character:
uh... don't have one
Laugh out loud:
Hamlet There's never a villain dwelling in all Denmark,
But he's an arrant knave.
Horatio There need no Ghost come from the grave to tell you this.
"That's what she said!":
Hamlet Upon your lap, what do you think I meant country matters?
How insulting:
Ghost that incestuous wretch
Shakey loves his meta:
Gilderstone In Faith my Lord, novelty carries it away,
For the principal public audience that
Came to them, are turned to private plays,
And to the humor of children.
Oh, misogyny:
Hamlet Frailty, thy name is woman.
Boys are silly:
Corambis Sum men often prove,
Great in their words, but little in their love.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Hamlet Why what a dunghill idiot slave am I
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
28:38 Macbeth
Day 28 of 38:38
Macbeth
What amazing timing. The day of this play happened to be the day I had an audition for this play, so I needed to re-read it anyway. This is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and I found it exciting to read. Shakespeare really had hold of dramatic tension here; you can't help but get swept up in the build to "Macduff was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped." Even when you know that's coming, it's still exciting.
I noticed reading the script that the only time Lady Macbeth speaks in prose is in the "Out, damned spot" scene. Everywhere else (except reading the letter -- not her words) she speaks in verse. This is very suggested of her as being a poised, intelligent, woman, knowing how to handle herself in court and public situations. She has truly gone mad, and we are seeing into her very soul in her final scene. There is no artifice left, she is simple herself, and as so, speaks in prose.
The one problem I generally have with this play when I see it in performance, is that productions tend to not do enough with Fleance, Banquo's son. Often when I see Macbeth performed, the audience is allowed to forget by the end of the play that the Weird Sisters promised Banquo that his children would be kings (But that myself should be the root and father / Of many kings). It is absolutely imperative for productions to not let us forget this -- after all, peace has been restored, Macbeth has been defeated, and the crown of Scotland is given to Malcolm. All is perfect in the world. Except not, because if we've been paying attention, we know this isn't the end of the story and somehow Fleance becomes king.
Finally, I found this passage of Macbeth's quite striking
Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, not poison,
Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing
Can touch him further!
It's a slight variation on the typical "It's not so great to be king" speeches we find in Shakespeare.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Lady Macbeth
Favorite Male Character:
Macbeth
Laugh out loud:
Macbeth O! yet I do repent me of my fury,
That I did kill them.
(okay, this isn't a comic line, per se, but it still makes me laugh)
"That's what she said!":
Malcolm I am yet
Unknown to woman
How insulting:
Macduff Not in the legions
Of horrid Hell can come a devil more damned
In evils, than Macbeth.
Shakey loves his meta:
Macbeth Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.
Oh, misogyny:
Macduff O! I could play the woman with mine eyes,
And braggart with my tongue.
Boys are silly:
Lady Macbeth When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Macbeth My dearest love,
Duncan comes here to-night.
Lady Macbeth And when goes hence?
Macbeth To-morrow, as he purposes.
Lady Macbeth O! never
Shall sun that morrow see.
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under ’t. He that’s coming
Must be provided for; and you shall put
This night’s great business into my dispatch;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
Macbeth
What amazing timing. The day of this play happened to be the day I had an audition for this play, so I needed to re-read it anyway. This is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and I found it exciting to read. Shakespeare really had hold of dramatic tension here; you can't help but get swept up in the build to "Macduff was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped." Even when you know that's coming, it's still exciting.
I noticed reading the script that the only time Lady Macbeth speaks in prose is in the "Out, damned spot" scene. Everywhere else (except reading the letter -- not her words) she speaks in verse. This is very suggested of her as being a poised, intelligent, woman, knowing how to handle herself in court and public situations. She has truly gone mad, and we are seeing into her very soul in her final scene. There is no artifice left, she is simple herself, and as so, speaks in prose.
The one problem I generally have with this play when I see it in performance, is that productions tend to not do enough with Fleance, Banquo's son. Often when I see Macbeth performed, the audience is allowed to forget by the end of the play that the Weird Sisters promised Banquo that his children would be kings (But that myself should be the root and father / Of many kings). It is absolutely imperative for productions to not let us forget this -- after all, peace has been restored, Macbeth has been defeated, and the crown of Scotland is given to Malcolm. All is perfect in the world. Except not, because if we've been paying attention, we know this isn't the end of the story and somehow Fleance becomes king.
Finally, I found this passage of Macbeth's quite striking
Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, not poison,
Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing
Can touch him further!
It's a slight variation on the typical "It's not so great to be king" speeches we find in Shakespeare.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Lady Macbeth
Favorite Male Character:
Macbeth
Laugh out loud:
Macbeth O! yet I do repent me of my fury,
That I did kill them.
(okay, this isn't a comic line, per se, but it still makes me laugh)
"That's what she said!":
Malcolm I am yet
Unknown to woman
How insulting:
Macduff Not in the legions
Of horrid Hell can come a devil more damned
In evils, than Macbeth.
Shakey loves his meta:
Macbeth Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.
Oh, misogyny:
Macduff O! I could play the woman with mine eyes,
And braggart with my tongue.
Boys are silly:
Lady Macbeth When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Macbeth My dearest love,
Duncan comes here to-night.
Lady Macbeth And when goes hence?
Macbeth To-morrow, as he purposes.
Lady Macbeth O! never
Shall sun that morrow see.
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under ’t. He that’s coming
Must be provided for; and you shall put
This night’s great business into my dispatch;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
27:38 Timon of Athens
Day 27 of 38:38
Timon of Athens
Here's another new one for me! And this one, unlike Troilus and Cressida and King John, I've never read any part of it before. I don't even know what this play is about, so here we go...
Wow. Who knew that Shakespeare wrote a play about economics and greed? You know how plays of Shakespeare's go in cycles? All of a sudden several productions of one play will happen in one year? Or how the lesser known works go through periods of time where they are popular? Well, I'm surprised that isn't happening right now with Timon. I found it very easy to read, perhaps because the issues of hypocrisy and greed are ones that have affected every culture in every time.
Luculius Thou knowest well enough, although thou comest to me, that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship, without security.
But why does Timon constantly have bad things to say about women, when it is his male friends that have brought about his downfall? When Posthumous rails against women, it's one thing. But Timon has no reason. It comes completely out of nowhere.
Maybe this play doesn't get pulled out because even though it could resonate strongly today, it is quite obviously a weaker work. I mean, the play's not very subtle. During act one I pretty much knew where it was going. It's also quite repetitive, in the things the characters say and the actions they take. Cutting could take care of that, but it's already a short play. Also, this play is quite depressing. I find it even more depressing than a lot of the tragedies. I mean, this play pretty much has nothing good to say about humanity.
I mentioned in my post on King Lear that a lot of plays we are reading right now have to do with madness. Little did I know that Timon would be a further example. But here is another aspect in which this play isn't quite as good -- Timon's descent from sanity is not as artfully demonstrated as Lear's or Macbeth's.
I also think we are going to notice a lot of resonating elements when we read Coriolanus next week.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
There are only about five lines in this entire play given to female characters. Thanks a lot, Shakey.
Favorite Male Character:
Apemantus
Laugh out loud:
"That's what she said!":
Timon An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger ladies.
Apemantus O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies.
How insulting:
Timon Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,
Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time's flies,
Cap-and-knee slaves, vapors, and minute-jacks!
Shakey loves his meta:
Timon Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth
That thou art even natural in thine art.
Oh, misogyny:
Apemantus What things in the world canst thou nearest compare to thy flatters?
Timon Women nearest.
(That's not very nice, Timon, considering it is entirely the male gender that is false to you.)
Boys are silly:
Apemantus I wonder that men dare trust themselves with men
Favorite Moment/Line:
Timon I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath...
I have a tree, which grows here in my close,
That mine own use invites me to cut down,
And shortly must I fell it: tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To stop afflication, let him take his haste,
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
And hang himself.
Timon of Athens
Here's another new one for me! And this one, unlike Troilus and Cressida and King John, I've never read any part of it before. I don't even know what this play is about, so here we go...
Wow. Who knew that Shakespeare wrote a play about economics and greed? You know how plays of Shakespeare's go in cycles? All of a sudden several productions of one play will happen in one year? Or how the lesser known works go through periods of time where they are popular? Well, I'm surprised that isn't happening right now with Timon. I found it very easy to read, perhaps because the issues of hypocrisy and greed are ones that have affected every culture in every time.
Luculius Thou knowest well enough, although thou comest to me, that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship, without security.
But why does Timon constantly have bad things to say about women, when it is his male friends that have brought about his downfall? When Posthumous rails against women, it's one thing. But Timon has no reason. It comes completely out of nowhere.
Maybe this play doesn't get pulled out because even though it could resonate strongly today, it is quite obviously a weaker work. I mean, the play's not very subtle. During act one I pretty much knew where it was going. It's also quite repetitive, in the things the characters say and the actions they take. Cutting could take care of that, but it's already a short play. Also, this play is quite depressing. I find it even more depressing than a lot of the tragedies. I mean, this play pretty much has nothing good to say about humanity.
I mentioned in my post on King Lear that a lot of plays we are reading right now have to do with madness. Little did I know that Timon would be a further example. But here is another aspect in which this play isn't quite as good -- Timon's descent from sanity is not as artfully demonstrated as Lear's or Macbeth's.
I also think we are going to notice a lot of resonating elements when we read Coriolanus next week.
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
There are only about five lines in this entire play given to female characters. Thanks a lot, Shakey.
Favorite Male Character:
Apemantus
Laugh out loud:
"That's what she said!":
Timon An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger ladies.
Apemantus O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies.
How insulting:
Timon Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,
Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time's flies,
Cap-and-knee slaves, vapors, and minute-jacks!
Shakey loves his meta:
Timon Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth
That thou art even natural in thine art.
Oh, misogyny:
Apemantus What things in the world canst thou nearest compare to thy flatters?
Timon Women nearest.
(That's not very nice, Timon, considering it is entirely the male gender that is false to you.)
Boys are silly:
Apemantus I wonder that men dare trust themselves with men
Favorite Moment/Line:
Timon I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath...
I have a tree, which grows here in my close,
That mine own use invites me to cut down,
And shortly must I fell it: tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To stop afflication, let him take his haste,
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
And hang himself.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
26:38 King Lear
Day 26 of 38:38
King Lear
I know this is somewhat blasphemous, but Lear's never been one of my favorites. I always find myself far more interested in the subplot -- Goneril, Regan, Edmund, the gouging of Gloucester, than with King Lear running around on the heath and the fool saying nonsensical things. But I don't think it's because the play isn't well written, or because Lear isn't an amazing character -- I just think it points to the difficulty of the play and the role. I've seen it produced several times, and so far Ian McKellan has been the only actor who managed to make me care about Lear. That production, directed by Trevor Nunn, was superb. It was long, long, long, but I was not once bored. The cast was nearly perfect. With the exception of Cordelia, every actor on that stage was remarkable.
Reading this plays in the ?order? they were written reveals that Shakespeare later in his career kept returning to the theme of madness. What could a person endure before he or she broke? We see this question explored in Hamlet, here in Lear, on day 28 with Macbeth, and a variation with the madness of jealousy with Othello and, coming up, Winter's Tale. Shakespeare humanizes madness, which seems quite remarkable in an era when mental illness was simply not understood or treated well.
As I was reading Lear this time around, a speech of Edgar's struck me as being somewhat similar to Richard II in the deposition scene. Through this speech, Edgar literally erases his identity and remakes himself:
While I may ’scape
I will preserve myself; and am bethought
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury, in contempt of man,
Brought near to beast; my face I’ll grime with filth,
Blanket my loins, elf all my hair in knots,
And with presented nakedness outface
The winds and persecutions of the sky.
...
That’s something yet: Edgar I nothing am.
In a way, Richard does the exact same thing:
Now mark me how I will undo myself:
I give this heavy weight from off my head,
And this unwieldy sceptre from my hand,
The pride of kingly sway from out my heart;
With mine own tears I wash away my balm,
With mine own hands I give away my crown,
With mine own tongue deny my sacred state,
With mine own breath release all duteous rites:
...
What more remains?
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Goneril
Favorite Male Character:
Edmund
Laugh out loud:
"That's what she said!":
Regan But have you never found my brother's way
To the forefended place?
How insulting:
Kent You base football player.
Kent A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a lily-livered, action-taking knave; a whoreson, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave.
Shakey loves his meta:
Lear When we are born, we cry that we are come
To this great stage of fools.
Oh, misogyny:
Fool For there was never yet fair woman but she made mouths in a glass.
Boys are silly:
Regan I pray you, father, being weak, seem so.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Edmund Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law
My services are bound. Wherefore should I
Stand in the plague of custom, and permit
The curiosity of nations to deprive me,
For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines
Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as generous, and my shape as true,
As honest madam’s issue? Why brand they us
With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?
Who in the lusty stealth of nature take
More composition and fierce quality
Than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed,
Go to the creating a whole tribe of fops,
Got ’tween asleep and wake? Well then,
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land:
Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund
As to the legitimate. Fine word, ‘legitimate!’
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall top the legitimate:—I grow, I prosper;
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!
King Lear
I know this is somewhat blasphemous, but Lear's never been one of my favorites. I always find myself far more interested in the subplot -- Goneril, Regan, Edmund, the gouging of Gloucester, than with King Lear running around on the heath and the fool saying nonsensical things. But I don't think it's because the play isn't well written, or because Lear isn't an amazing character -- I just think it points to the difficulty of the play and the role. I've seen it produced several times, and so far Ian McKellan has been the only actor who managed to make me care about Lear. That production, directed by Trevor Nunn, was superb. It was long, long, long, but I was not once bored. The cast was nearly perfect. With the exception of Cordelia, every actor on that stage was remarkable.
Reading this plays in the ?order? they were written reveals that Shakespeare later in his career kept returning to the theme of madness. What could a person endure before he or she broke? We see this question explored in Hamlet, here in Lear, on day 28 with Macbeth, and a variation with the madness of jealousy with Othello and, coming up, Winter's Tale. Shakespeare humanizes madness, which seems quite remarkable in an era when mental illness was simply not understood or treated well.
As I was reading Lear this time around, a speech of Edgar's struck me as being somewhat similar to Richard II in the deposition scene. Through this speech, Edgar literally erases his identity and remakes himself:
While I may ’scape
I will preserve myself; and am bethought
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury, in contempt of man,
Brought near to beast; my face I’ll grime with filth,
Blanket my loins, elf all my hair in knots,
And with presented nakedness outface
The winds and persecutions of the sky.
...
That’s something yet: Edgar I nothing am.
In a way, Richard does the exact same thing:
Now mark me how I will undo myself:
I give this heavy weight from off my head,
And this unwieldy sceptre from my hand,
The pride of kingly sway from out my heart;
With mine own tears I wash away my balm,
With mine own hands I give away my crown,
With mine own tongue deny my sacred state,
With mine own breath release all duteous rites:
...
What more remains?
-----------------------------
Favorite Female Character:
Goneril
Favorite Male Character:
Edmund
Laugh out loud:
"That's what she said!":
Regan But have you never found my brother's way
To the forefended place?
How insulting:
Kent You base football player.
Kent A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a lily-livered, action-taking knave; a whoreson, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave.
Shakey loves his meta:
Lear When we are born, we cry that we are come
To this great stage of fools.
Oh, misogyny:
Fool For there was never yet fair woman but she made mouths in a glass.
Boys are silly:
Regan I pray you, father, being weak, seem so.
Favorite Moment/Line:
Edmund Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law
My services are bound. Wherefore should I
Stand in the plague of custom, and permit
The curiosity of nations to deprive me,
For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines
Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as generous, and my shape as true,
As honest madam’s issue? Why brand they us
With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?
Who in the lusty stealth of nature take
More composition and fierce quality
Than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed,
Go to the creating a whole tribe of fops,
Got ’tween asleep and wake? Well then,
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land:
Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund
As to the legitimate. Fine word, ‘legitimate!’
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall top the legitimate:—I grow, I prosper;
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!
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