I think the Beeb productions are available for download through TiVo; my father's been getting some that way lately, IIRC.
Catching up on Shakespeare
- Thread starter S. Gomez
- Start date
The TiVo thing just hooks into Amazon's Unbox, so everything there is also available on their site downloadable to a PC: from here
Thanks for the replies on the BBC Shakespeare.
My Oxford Shakespeare (2nd ed.) reconstructs Shakespeare's first six as Two Gentlemen of Verona, Taming of the Shrew, the three history plays now collectively Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. Marlowe had Dido and Aeneas, Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, Edward II, Jew of Malta and Massacre at Paris. As I recall we don't have a decent copy of Faust---the saggy middle section in one version may not even be Marlowe's work. Nor is Massacre complete if I remember. Yes, I'd say Marlowe "wins."
PS Re Marlowe and Shakespeare---anyone read Bruce Cook's Young Will: Confessions of William Shakespeare? Cook wrote the Sir John Fielding mystery series as Bruce Alexander. (That was historical fiction---this man was not only a blind judge who set up the famous Bow Street Runners but novelist Henry Fielding's brother.)
My Oxford Shakespeare (2nd ed.) reconstructs Shakespeare's first six as Two Gentlemen of Verona, Taming of the Shrew, the three history plays now collectively Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. Marlowe had Dido and Aeneas, Dr. Faustus, Tamburlaine, Edward II, Jew of Malta and Massacre at Paris. As I recall we don't have a decent copy of Faust---the saggy middle section in one version may not even be Marlowe's work. Nor is Massacre complete if I remember. Yes, I'd say Marlowe "wins."
PS Re Marlowe and Shakespeare---anyone read Bruce Cook's Young Will: Confessions of William Shakespeare? Cook wrote the Sir John Fielding mystery series as Bruce Alexander. (That was historical fiction---this man was not only a blind judge who set up the famous Bow Street Runners but novelist Henry Fielding's brother.)
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Well I think we just don't have a large part of it---I think Park Honan guessed a third was missing?
The thing that was so interesting about Massacre was the effort at something like objectivity. As I recall, Bosworth (forgot his first name) thought that Marlowe had government intelligence at hand when he wrote the play, suggesting official input, which makes the treatment of Guise especially interesting.
The thing that was so interesting about Massacre was the effort at something like objectivity. As I recall, Bosworth (forgot his first name) thought that Marlowe had government intelligence at hand when he wrote the play, suggesting official input, which makes the treatment of Guise especially interesting.
There's very little doubt that he worked as a spy of some sort. He apparently worked for Thomas Walsingham, nephew of Francis Walsingham (the Geoffrey Rush character in the ludicrous Cate Blanchett Elizabeth movies.)
And there's very little doubt that his murder had some connection to political intrigue of some sort. Charles Nicholl's The Reckoning is an excellent starting point. Nicholl's leaps to the conclusion that Marlowe was a provocateur, or projector as they called them, that is, an informer.
But he doesn't really have any evidence, like a denunciation of someone by Marlowe, or people around Marlowe being arrested. Well, Thomas Kyd was arrested and apparently tortured. His early death maybe due to the ordeal? But Kyd denounced Marlowe, who was then ordered to report daily to the Star Chamber at the time of his death.
Shakespeare in As You Like It apparently refers to the official verdict of a brawl over the bill ("great reckoning in a small room...") He apparently also refers to the School of Night, a supposed nefarious clique of wizards and subversives centered on the Duke of Northumberland which allegedly included Marlowe.
I have a fondness for mysteries and history. Marlowe's life plays into both.
Of course, nothing quite holds a candle to the question---Where did Shakespeare get his money?
And there's very little doubt that his murder had some connection to political intrigue of some sort. Charles Nicholl's The Reckoning is an excellent starting point. Nicholl's leaps to the conclusion that Marlowe was a provocateur, or projector as they called them, that is, an informer.
But he doesn't really have any evidence, like a denunciation of someone by Marlowe, or people around Marlowe being arrested. Well, Thomas Kyd was arrested and apparently tortured. His early death maybe due to the ordeal? But Kyd denounced Marlowe, who was then ordered to report daily to the Star Chamber at the time of his death.
Shakespeare in As You Like It apparently refers to the official verdict of a brawl over the bill ("great reckoning in a small room...") He apparently also refers to the School of Night, a supposed nefarious clique of wizards and subversives centered on the Duke of Northumberland which allegedly included Marlowe.
I have a fondness for mysteries and history. Marlowe's life plays into both.
Of course, nothing quite holds a candle to the question---Where did Shakespeare get his money?
I'm writing a paper on the poetry of John Keats (wonderful writer, by the way) and I came across this little gem:
On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again
O golden-tongued Romance, with serene lute!
Fair-plumed syren, queen of far-away!
Leave melodizing on this wintry day,
Shut up thine old pages and be mute.
Adieu! for, once again, the fierce dispute
Betwixt damnation and impassion'd clay
Must I burn through; once more humbly assay
The bitter-sweet of this Shakespearean fruit.
Chief Poet! and ye clouds of Albion,
Begetters of our deep eternal theme!
When through the old oak forest I am gone,
Let me not wander in a barren dream:
But, when I am consumed in the fire,
Give me new pheonix wings to fly at my desire.
'Bout sums it up, although I was wondering one thing: numerous adaptations of Shakespearean texts were being done in the previous century (Keats wrote this in 1818)...so whose play was he reading?
On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again
O golden-tongued Romance, with serene lute!
Fair-plumed syren, queen of far-away!
Leave melodizing on this wintry day,
Shut up thine old pages and be mute.
Adieu! for, once again, the fierce dispute
Betwixt damnation and impassion'd clay
Must I burn through; once more humbly assay
The bitter-sweet of this Shakespearean fruit.
Chief Poet! and ye clouds of Albion,
Begetters of our deep eternal theme!
When through the old oak forest I am gone,
Let me not wander in a barren dream:
But, when I am consumed in the fire,
Give me new pheonix wings to fly at my desire.
'Bout sums it up, although I was wondering one thing: numerous adaptations of Shakespearean texts were being done in the previous century (Keats wrote this in 1818)...so whose play was he reading?
^^I'm surprised a professional poet like Keats wrote that, since it has numerous metrical problems. Words like "serene" and "humbly" are accented on the wrong syllable, some lines lack an initial unaccented syllable, and the last line has an extra iamb as well as an accent problem on "Give me." Was that kind of irregularity common in Keats's day?
^I honestly don't know. Scansion isn't one of my stronger suits, nor was I going to talk about it in my paper (actually, this particular poem isn't really in my paper at all). I should also note that it wasn't published until years after his death, so it's possible he never actually intended to print it once he saw its technical flaws.
Two more plays under my belt (textually, that is), both of them comedies.
As You Like It: Not bad. I can tell it’s better in performance, though. Several years ago a college friend of Mom’s came to visit--huge Shakespeare fan. We ended up going to see an amateur group of acting students performing this play in an outdoor theatre; the stage was set at the foot of a grassy hill, and the other side of the hill acted as backstage, so the entrances and exits were all done by running up and down it. The foresters all wore tye-dye shirts, with Duke Senior bespectacled in rose-coloured glasses. In my memory, it remains the most entertaining live production of Shakespeare I’ve ever seen. It was fun rediscovering the plot. I’ve got the Kenneth Branagh movie (in which he doesn’t act?!?) on hold from the library.
The Comedy of Errors: A single word: hilarious! I’ve never seen it performed in any way, but I can tell it would be a hoot. Shakespeare’s poetry is terrific here, and very lyrical, with most of it being in rhymed couplets. Beautiful.
As You Like It: Not bad. I can tell it’s better in performance, though. Several years ago a college friend of Mom’s came to visit--huge Shakespeare fan. We ended up going to see an amateur group of acting students performing this play in an outdoor theatre; the stage was set at the foot of a grassy hill, and the other side of the hill acted as backstage, so the entrances and exits were all done by running up and down it. The foresters all wore tye-dye shirts, with Duke Senior bespectacled in rose-coloured glasses. In my memory, it remains the most entertaining live production of Shakespeare I’ve ever seen. It was fun rediscovering the plot. I’ve got the Kenneth Branagh movie (in which he doesn’t act?!?) on hold from the library.
The Comedy of Errors: A single word: hilarious! I’ve never seen it performed in any way, but I can tell it would be a hoot. Shakespeare’s poetry is terrific here, and very lyrical, with most of it being in rhymed couplets. Beautiful.
One of my favourites, probably because it's principally a tribute (and is heavily inspired by) the plays of Plautus and Terence. So a similar reason for my fondness of Titus Andronicus, which is quite the ludricously absurd satire - intentionally or otherwise - of Senecan tragedies.
The plot of the play also has a resemblance to Plautus' Amphityron, in which both a man and his servant have a double. Of course, in that case it was Jupiter and Mercury pretending to be human beings, so Menaechmi is a bigger influence overall.
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^"Not my favourite of his plays, but What You Will."
No, wait. That's a different play...
Ah, Twelfth Night. It's my second favorite comedy after Much Ado About Nothing. Have you ever seen the Helena Bonham Carter version? Ben Kingsley gives an inspired performance as Feste.
I can't decide who my favorite Shakespearean fool is. Touchstone or Falstaff?
I started re-reading the Second Tetralogy today (also known as the 'Henriad', though I think that's unfair to Richard II).
I neglected to mention the Shakespeare films I've been watching. Mostly Olivier (in the order: Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III). Man, the guy's good. I confess to preferring Branagh's Henry (which I also watched this week), but Olivier's film is quite an achievement given the circumstances and context. It also looks quite beautiful, which is a definite plus. The audio commentary on Richard III was absolutely fascinating, and I thought a bit more interesting than the one on Henry V. Does anyone know if Criterion plans to reissue Hamlet at some point so it can get some special features?
I neglected to mention the Shakespeare films I've been watching. Mostly Olivier (in the order: Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III). Man, the guy's good. I confess to preferring Branagh's Henry (which I also watched this week), but Olivier's film is quite an achievement given the circumstances and context. It also looks quite beautiful, which is a definite plus. The audio commentary on Richard III was absolutely fascinating, and I thought a bit more interesting than the one on Henry V. Does anyone know if Criterion plans to reissue Hamlet at some point so it can get some special features?
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