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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Why then, 'tis good to post: ye Shakespeare threade
 
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ziasquinn
Jan 1, 2006

Fallen Rib
I took a Shakespeare course last year and my readings of the plays was greatly enhanced by either a stage recording (the 1930s othello) or audio drama. It's fun to follow along, especially if you get an unabridged version.

I find the way Richard in Richard III loses his power over the meta of the play really interesting. The beginning of the play had a lot of asides and almost every scene ends on a monologue from Richard, but after he assumes the throne this drops off, and he loses all mystic and power until you get his awful awful speech to his troops, highly contrasted by the end of the play. This is a pretty basic reading though.

As for Hamlet, it was probably the fourth time going through it in my academic career but it all clicked. Anyway, I've been slowly going through the four hour film by Braghman and was really struck by this exchange:

quote:

HAMLET
For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion— Have you a daughter?

POLONIUS
I have, my lord.

HAMLET
Let her not walk i' th' sun. Conception is a blessing, but, as your daughter may conceive—Friend, look to ’t.

fantastic. Implication that women give birth to dead things (as everything will die) a follow up on the sun/son pun from the beginning (I am too much in the sun) and a grotesque idea that while the woman gives birth to dead things, what does that imply about the man?

Now, it's fun to compare this layered and fascinating exchange to the "NEVER FEAR SHAKESPEARE "translation":

quote:

HAMLET
Since if the sun breeds maggots on a dead dog, kissing the corpse—by the way, do you have a daughter?

POLONIUS
I do indeed, my lord.

HAMLET
Then by all means never let her walk in public. Procreation is a good thing, but if your daughter gets pregnant … look out, friend.

Butchered. Absolutely, slaughtered. Abysmal. Awful.

The thing that interests me the most is how grotesque the tragedy plays' worlds are. Denmark is basically bathed in blood and decaying, and you only get these small slivers of information about them through characters description or subtext. Obviously tragedies won't have fun worlds, but it really helps set the mood for them.

Something something about the ghost telling hamlet about the ghost saying

quote:

Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear.
'tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forgèd process of my death
Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth,

It feels more like Hamlet's ear is being abused here, being fed what it wants to hear.. Rankly abused indeed

ziasquinn fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Jun 10, 2016

* # ¿ Jun 10, 2016 04:27
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# ¿ May 16, 2024 12:35
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ziasquinn
Jan 1, 2006

Fallen Rib
That's tight

* # ¿ Jun 12, 2016 23:15
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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Why then, 'tis good to post: ye Shakespeare threade