Having just watched The Hollow Crown, this play was much easier to listen to. The audio alone can be quite confusing, but a familiarity with the play Having just watched The Hollow Crown, this play was much easier to listen to. The audio alone can be quite confusing, but a familiarity with the play helps. I love this whole cycle of plays. Shakespeare's ability to mix pathos and humor hits its stride in this cycle of plays.
The Arkangel recording is excellent, as expected....more
This was the last play of Shakespeare and the last one on my 2015 list. My holidays were so busy I did not have time to finish this in 2015 but overalThis was the last play of Shakespeare and the last one on my 2015 list. My holidays were so busy I did not have time to finish this in 2015 but overall I am surprised I stayed on track as well as I did. I have learned to never quit something just because I fall behind. My life motto is:plod on. Not the stuff of poetry but helpful to me. I enjoyed this final play and especially noted Shakespeare's own strong desire that his play should be liked in the Epilogue. Even Shakespeare suffered from fear of failure. If only he knew.......more
Cymbeline, is not one of Shakespeare's best known plays but it certainly one of the easiest to read.
It mostly takes place in Roman-ruled Britain. It Cymbeline, is not one of Shakespeare's best known plays but it certainly one of the easiest to read.
It mostly takes place in Roman-ruled Britain. It has an evil stepmother and her unworthy son, a princess, and prince and two lost princes. It has weird medicine, intrigue, and battles. It is full of interesting characters and happenings.
But most of all it is satisfying in the way it handles sin and repentance. Where there is repentance there is forgiveness for even the most heinous crimes. Where there is lack of repentance there is death and agony. Many of the characters make mistakes and most of them acknowledge them.
We are nearing the end of Shakespeare's plays as we reach this play. It comes on the heels of that terror of a play King Lear. I like to think Cymbeline shows a depth of understanding of the wages of sin and the availability of forgiveness in Shakespeare's own life.
It would be fun to translate all the Roman names. I am sure they are all purposefully named beginning with the orphan Posthumous....more
This was a reread for me so I knew what I was getting into. In my efforts to read the whole of Shakespeare's cannon I made the mistake of trying to reThis was a reread for me so I knew what I was getting into. In my efforts to read the whole of Shakespeare's cannon I made the mistake of trying to read this out loud to the kids several years ago. The first scene put an end to that as it is about incest. The rest of the play reads more like a lesser Winter's Tale. I often wonder how these things came about in Shakespeare's mind. It appears he only collaborated on this one so maybe A Winter's Tale was his own improvement minus the incest.
As to the incest-It is not dealt with gratuitously at all. It is told with a blatant moral underpinning. Certainly not something to be read aloud to children but not entirely without merit if you don't count that it is not that great of a play altogether.
2018: This play has grown on me as I age. I am moving my rating from 2 to 3.5. There is the possibility that this play may be the most moral of all Shakespeare’s plays, after all he was aging when he wrote it late in his career....more
Hmmm. A virtuous maid falls for a rogue and manipulates a marriage. The rogue continues to behave abominably until the maid tricks him into getting heHmmm. A virtuous maid falls for a rogue and manipulates a marriage. The rogue continues to behave abominably until the maid tricks him into getting her pregnant and somehow through all this he falls in love with her. The ever faithful Helena says several times during the play, "All's well that ends well." Truly she has remarkable, if misplaced, faith.
A couple of social comments. The mores of this play are interesting. It is pro-marriage. It is pro-chastity. It is negative towards youthful indiscretion. The only answer to the title is that the preservation of marriage trumps all.
While it is hard to fathom how Helena could find this satisfying, Shakespeare seems to imply that marriage is the foundation of society and I am sure he was on to something :)
I skimmed a study yesterday that claimed 50% of divorced people regret getting a divorce. Maybe Helena was right after all. ...more
Shakespeare's longest play and it shows. He seems to get caught up in the history in the early acts. The history happens to be very confusing and we dShakespeare's longest play and it shows. He seems to get caught up in the history in the early acts. The history happens to be very confusing and we do not come to it with a lot of background. We have to scramble around figuring out that there are two Caesars mentioned-Octavius or Augustus and Julius Caesar the father of Cleopatra's children. To add to the confusion there is Octavia, Augustus's sister who marries Mark Antony after his first wife dies. Add in the fact that it is hard to figure out if the triumvirate is fighting Pompey or each other. I suppose it is as confusing as real history sometimes.
The play does end well. I mean it is exciting in the end. Will Cleopatra die or be carried off to Rome to be humiliated? So many characters in Shakespeare kill themselves, it is interesting to watch Marc Antony botch the act and fear it.
Marc Antony so brave and faithful in Julius Caesar appears to be made entirely of clay here. Alas, he is only a man who will not resist the idea of having a woman Julius Caesar had....more
(Update: I listened to the Arkangel recording in November of 2018. I liked the play better this time around and so I am upping my stars from 2 to 3.)
T(Update: I listened to the Arkangel recording in November of 2018. I liked the play better this time around and so I am upping my stars from 2 to 3.)
This is one of my least favorite plays. I am not sure why but maybe it is because I did not like the video we watched of it years ago. It was very true to the play with Timon wearing very few clothes.
Once again, a lot is going on here and I did not read the play as well as I should have. It could have easily ended happily or at least positively, but instead it only ends in more bitterness. It is a cautionary tale, reminding me of the Bible passage about the unworthy servant who had his owner's clients write out lesser amounts on their bills so that he would have a place to go when he was let go. Timon was not quite as fortunate in his friends. Even when he finds a stash of gold it gives him no joy since he knows now that money cannot buy friends....more
Hmm, this one leaves you with much to think about including what were Shakespeare's own prejudices. I think I will pull out Asimov on this one. Hmm, this one leaves you with much to think about including what were Shakespeare's own prejudices. I think I will pull out Asimov on this one. ...more
Shakespeare answers the question: what is self-righteousness and how do we deal with it? He answers the question with grace and humor.
The plot revolvShakespeare answers the question: what is self-righteousness and how do we deal with it? He answers the question with grace and humor.
The plot revolves around this good and "just" man who signs up for Ashley Madison never realizing his employer is monitoring his computer. In the end he is punished by having to marry his betrothed. Fair dealing for the betrothed in that culture. It always seems to me that Shakespeare has a fair amount of respect for women and even goodness and a fair assessment of humanity to boot....more
This is one of the plays with uncertain attribution. The language was, indeed, unsteady but there were highlights when Thomas More spoke in iambic penThis is one of the plays with uncertain attribution. The language was, indeed, unsteady but there were highlights when Thomas More spoke in iambic pentameter. I take those to be Shakespeare's words....more
This is Shakespeare's look at the Trojan War and a play I will probably do more research on. It is a very odd play. Perhaps it is a farce. It is a bitThis is Shakespeare's look at the Trojan War and a play I will probably do more research on. It is a very odd play. Perhaps it is a farce. It is a bit cynical. The main characters are not really the thing and in the end it seems that Cressida is unworthy of Troilus's love. Besides the obvious source of the Iliad it appears this story of Troilus and Cressida comes from Chaucer. I can only wonder how many inside jokes I missed by not being an Elizabethan....more
It's Hamlet. The height and glory of Shakespeare. I get something new out of it each time I read it. Perhaps its time to rewatch David Tennant in the It's Hamlet. The height and glory of Shakespeare. I get something new out of it each time I read it. Perhaps its time to rewatch David Tennant in the lead....more
One of the shorter plays. I wonder why. I often find myself wondering if Shakespeare had a theme and he just liked to work it out in different ways. TOne of the shorter plays. I wonder why. I often find myself wondering if Shakespeare had a theme and he just liked to work it out in different ways. This play is one of his more notable themes-lost twins. It may just be it made it easier for male actors. It also comes on the heels of Hamlet and Much Ado and As You Like It so maybe he just needed a short play to finish out the season.
It is a light romp and easy read with several silly character and several memorable lines such as, "If music be the food of love, play on." Also we find “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” But it feels like Shakespeare is quoting something already known to his audience....more
This is one of my favorites. It is a hymn to marriage with much poetry, song, and general fun.
I also LOVE Kenneth Branagh's film version-one of my faThis is one of my favorites. It is a hymn to marriage with much poetry, song, and general fun.
I also LOVE Kenneth Branagh's film version-one of my favorite adaptations of all time.
Coming on the heels of Much Ado, you can see that Shakespeare is writing in a time of his life when word play, wit and romance figure greatly.
Of course, the next play is Hamlet-not quite so airy.
UPDATE on AUDIO: Don't listen to the audio if you do not know the play. Because of the girl playing boy parts it is hard to follow the plot if you don't know if the girl is, for instance, Rosalind or Ganymede at any moment....more
Following on the heels of Much Ado we can see that Shakespeare's powers are at their zenith during this time period. I love Henry V and have read it sFollowing on the heels of Much Ado we can see that Shakespeare's powers are at their zenith during this time period. I love Henry V and have read it several times out loud to the children and we have watched several versions. It is also a wonderful play for boys who love the St. Crispin's Day Speech on the fields of Agincourt.
One of my favorite cinematic scenes of all time is Kenneth Brannagh's Dona Nobis scene after the battle where he carries the little boy killed by the French. Perhaps it is the music which makes it so powerful.
We also like to recite The St. Crispin's Day speech with Amy Grant's Highland Cathedral playing in the background.
The rich layering of the play-the class and race relationships, the humor and pathos, the love story, the underdog victory, all make this play one of Shakespeare's best....more
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