Halloween

October 30th, 2015 → 5:56 am

“What a fearful night is this!
There’s two or three of us have seen strange sights.” – Julius Caesar

Happy (one of my favorite holidays) Halloweeeeeennnnn!!!!!

Filed under: Blog & Other

Walls

October 25th, 2015 → 5:54 am

“You can never bring in a wall.” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Though you can beat your head against one.  Lesson of the day.

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Shakespeare Porn

October 20th, 2015 → 5:18 am

The following is ostensibly about a horse:  😉

“Imperiously he leaps, he neighs, he bounds,
And now his woven girths he breaks asunder.
The bearing earth with his hard hoof he wounds,
Whose hollow womb resounds like heaven’s thunder.
   The iron bit he crusheth ‘tween his teeth,
   Controlling what he was controlled with.
 
His ears up-pricked, his braided hanging mane
Upon his compassed crest now stand on end;
His nostrils drink the air, and forth again,
As from a furnace, vapours doth he send.
   His eye, which scornfully glisters like fire,
   Shows his hot courage and his high desire.  – Venus and Adonis
 

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art

Hillary Clinton

October 15th, 2015 → 5:30 am

“She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.” – Much Ado About Nothing

Nailed it!  What a performance at the Democratic primary debate on Tuesday night.  Maybe we really do have a chance at electing a female president in this country.  And I was starting to doubt it.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians

Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s English “Translations”

October 11th, 2015 → 5:54 am

“Mincing poetry.
‘Tis like the forced gate of a shuffling nag.” – Henry IV, Part I

Apparently the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has decided that Shakespeare is too difficult for most people.  So they have decided to “translate” all of his plays and perform them in modern English.  Can I barf now please?  The little that has been leaked about these translations is so far awful.  Why do we keep dumming down the world?  Let’s maintain higher standards, please, and have faith in the ability of our fellow human beings to understand verse with just a little bit of effort.

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art

ShakeDic: lethe

October 7th, 2015 → 5:25 am

“Here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand,
Signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.” – Julius Caesar

Lethe refers to the river of oblivion in the underworld.  In classical Greek the word means oblivion, forgetfulness, or concealment.  This comes up in the play just after the senators have murdered Caesar and are covered (“crimsoned”) in his blood.

What a great river to imagine: Lethe.  I wish I could take a dip in the river Lethe every time I do a stupid thing, or a stupid thing is done to me.  Whenever I can not sleep at night, fretting over something ultimately unimportant, I wish I could get up, sip from the river Lethe, and let it all slip away…

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art

A Biden Run?

October 3rd, 2015 → 6:14 am

“But what of [Biden]?
Shall we sound him?” – Julius Caesar

“sound him,” here means “find out his feelings.”  In the play it is Cassius that says these lines, referring to Cicero, a potential co-conspirator against Caesar.  So this quote really fits if you view Hillary Clinton as Caesar (a dictator currently on top?) and Biden as a potential turncoat (will he run)?  In the play the conspirators want Cicero to join them because he is old and wise (“for his silver hairs”) and his joining them will lend credence to their cause (i.e. murdering Caesar).  It is unclear, though, if Cicero in fact ever joins them.  What did he ultimately do?  And what will Biden end up deciding to do?

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians