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I was just in a production of Twelfth Night, after really not being into Shakespeare at all, but actually acting out the lines really gave me an appreciation for the art in them. Absolute pain the arse to learn it, and, being Feste, half my lines started off as incomprehensible nonsense that slowly took form throughout. One thing I had noticed since reading more of his work - The dude really really loved Shipwrecks and mistaken identities. Guy was crazy for that poo poo.
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Dec 8, 2014 17:06
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 13:00 |
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I mean, as much as I love the language in his work, the plots are pretty spotty. A huge number of the plots rely on people never questioning a single thing around them, or else not noticing very obvious signs of things going on. In Twelfth Night Olivia manages to marry a dude who she thinks is an entirely different person, with an entirely different name, without ever realizing its not Viola. Actually, maybe its just cause I spent like, 3 months of my life on that play, but lots of things jump out as kinda weird and nonsensical (Feste and Fabian switch places a handful of times for no real reason, there's clearly an unmentioned time skip somewhere between the shipwreck, Viola joining Orsino's court and Sebastian entering the city, among many others). I mean you'd find any of these weird things in any given work of fiction, but I guess it stands out more when you find them in what is supposed to be a legendary part of the canon. As a quick aside - My cast members and I had a brief chat during the play about how Twelfth can be read and played as a play that messes with gender and sexuality and queer issues. Orsino falls in love with what he thinks is a boy, and even continues to call him Boy even after Viola reveals everything and, similarly, Olivia falls for a woman whom she thinks is a man. What do you guys feel about applying modern political talking points to ole' Shakey? I feel like it helps the plays retain a certain connection with our world, but I found some of my cast mates genuinely wondering if it was author-intended to be questioning the morals of it's time, despite the fact that it's clearly supposed to be farcical.
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Dec 13, 2014 01:57
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Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm all about death of the author, I'm just saying its kinda neat how often these readings get applied to Shakespeare.
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Dec 13, 2014 02:40
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