Comments on: Time for Everything in the World

By: Polaris

Polaris — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:10:23 +0000

Coming to this late BL, but just wanted to say that “Shakespeare in the Park” is doing the rounds of the Bay Area. “A Comedy of Errors” was playing in Cupertino last week. It was here in Boston too, but I missed it .

I *love* Shakespeare in the Park. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each and every play I’ve seen, including:
A Comedy of Errors
As You Like It
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Romeo and Juliet

Also saw an opulent and wonderful production of Hamlet in Minneapolis many years ago, and a really weird rendition of Julius Ceasar in which the characters and stage props were as if from a gangster film!

By: bloglily

bloglily — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:40:43 +0000

Jana, Both — in fact, I just posted about the experience of seeing a production of a play in which the production is really not true to the play.

I’ve never thought of listening to an audiobook — what a great idea! I find that reading a plot summary, and then reading the play from a good, but not overly annotated, edition, usually gets me engaged enough in the play to then enjoy a production of it.

By: Jana Bouc

Jana Bouc — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:10:54 +0000

Do you find reading the plays or hearing them read aloud or performed is the most enjoyable way experience Shakespeare? I somehow managed to never take a class that required the reading of Shakespeare and have attended few Shakespearean plays, but recently heard a small portion read aloud and for the first time, I’m embarrassed to admit, really got it and am now prepared to finally explore Shakespeare. I’m thinking a well read audiobook might be the way to go. What do you recommend?

By: bloglily

bloglily — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:57:45 +0000

Joseph. How lovely that your first date was to a play! And, as jokes go, bald guy jokes seem to be ever-current.

Ms. Shoreacres — hip hop midsummer night’s dream?!! wonderful.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:24:28 +0000

Talking of time…

ANTIPHOLUS
Well, sir, learn to jest in good time: there’s a time for all things.
DROMIO
I durst have denied that, before you were so choleric.
ANTIPHOLUS
By what rule, sir?
DROMIO
Marry, sir, by a rule as plain as the plain bald pate of father Time himself.
ANTIPHOLUS
Let’s hear it.
DROMIO
There’s no time for a man to recover his hair that grows bald by nature.

I took my wife to see this play (The Comedy of Errors) at Stratford-upon-Avon. It was our first date and this was the only joke in the entire play that made her laugh.

By: shoreacres

shoreacres — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:48:36 +0000

I hadn’t read a lick of Shakespeare for years until I bumped up against a hip-hop version of Mid-Summer Night’s Dream on the web.

The first thing I heard was the scene where Puck is recognized by the fairy and begins to brag about his exploits. It was wonderful! Most interesting is that the experience sent me in two directions – toward hip-hop and poetry slams, and back to the printed texts.

I’ll bet Shakespeare would have been really good at playing the dozens!

By: bloglily

bloglily — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:02:01 +0000

Ben, Why have I never heard of Christopher Moore? This book sounds really good — and Moore is quite prolific, Shakespearean even in his profligacy. Thanks for mentioning it.

By: Ben Daniel

Ben Daniel — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:13:02 +0000

The closest I’ve come to reading Shakespeare this summer is “Fool” by Christopher Moore. It’s a retelling of King Lear, but from the Fool’s point of view. In Fool the Tragedy becomes a comedy, but without losing some of the darker themes from “Lear.” A good summer read, though I’ve liked other Moore books more.

By: bloglily

bloglily — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:23:44 +0000

Charlotte — My feeling is that we should do what we can to get our creative work done, and make sure we don’t exploit or hurt anyone on the way there. This is a non-gender specific idea, and although there’s no way to know if S followed it, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Mari, He appears to have had a lot of help and also he borrowed from other sources. Plus plays are way, way shorter than novels. We aren’t slackers. (And don’t forget, we live a lot longer.)

Ms. HMH — unbridled ambition = not so good sometimes, especially when you find yourself unable to say no.

By: mari

mari — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:31:59 +0000

Twelve comedies in 16 years. I feel like a total slacker. I’m glad people like the comedies. I read most of them, respected the work but just couldn’t get into them.

By: healingmagichands

healingmagichands — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:27:47 +0000

Hmm. Not only does he address the issues of family and love, but a common thread through many of both the Histories and Tragedies is the way a fatal flaw can ruin the whole house of cards. Usually the flaw is ambition, but pride comes in there too. MacBeth and Lady MacBeth were ambitious, too ambitious — and eventually it destroyed them both. Unfortunately for MacBeth, he was not as ambitious as his wife, but he was able to overcome his distaste for murder long enough to get sucked into the maelstrom created by her ambition. Eventually his real humanity and his shame about what happened to provide the fruits of her ambition destroyed him.

Ah, Shakespeare. Even 400 years after he wrote them the plays are still full of Truth and depth. I guess that’s what made him a genius, eh?

By: charlotteotter

charlotteotter — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:20:14 +0000

Fabulous output, but, as I am reading A Room of One’s Own, I can’t help thinking, “Twenty-three hard years’ work for Mrs Shakespeare.”

By: bloglily

bloglily — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:00:42 +0000

Cam, They ARE slim, aren’t they? A play doesn’t take long to read. I particularly like reading and then going to a production. In a few weeks, I’m going to Ashland where I’ll see All’s Well That Ends Well, a very late comedy, darker and more problematic than earlier ones. I can’t wait.

Dear Ella, That sounds like a really fine paper! And I do think that moving backward could be very interesting. I hope you’re having a great summer. xoxox

By: Cam

Cam — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:35:20 +0000

I was going to read the comedies last year, but I’ve yet to do so. Several slim volumes sit atop bookcase. You’d think I’d have read at least one in the last several months. Hmmm…maybe I’ll start with a reread of one of my favs (As You Like It). Or I could go with one that I’ve never seen performed or read, like A Winter’s Tale.

By: Ella C

Ella C — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:17:22 +0000

For my Shakespeare: Tragedies and Romances class, I wrote my term paper on how Shakespeare’s attitude towards women in power – Lady Macbeth, Cleopatra, the Queen from Pericles and Imogen – gets more positive as he continues writing. It’s interesting to think about how Shakespeare’s changing attitudes over time are reflected in his writing, and to daydream, a la Shakespeare in Love, what precipitated those changes.

Hearing about you reading the comedies makes we want to take the other Shakespeare class so I can round out my Shakespeare exposure – I guess I’m going about it a little backwards, starting with the second half of his career, but I’m hoping it will give me a different, interesting perspective on his more youthful writings.