Shakespeare

[Karl Henning]

The Tempest, the 2010 movie with Helen Mirren as Prospero. 

[JBS]

A slight byway.

In 1599, a bookseller named William Jaggard published a collection of 20 poems under the title The Passionate Pilgrim, naming Shakespeare as the poet on the title page. In actual fact, only five are by Shakespeare: three are songs from Love's Labour Lost, and two are variants--possibly early drafts--of sonnets later published in the full collection of 1609. Many of the rest can safely be attributed to one of three poets--Thomas Heywood, Bartholomew Griffin, and Richard Barnfield--because they were published elsewhere under those poet's names (often by Jaggard himself). The rest are anonymous, and don't sound very Shakespearian.  Two further printings are known, one in 1599 and the third in 1612. Most collections of Shakespeare's poems include all twenty, with editorial notes sorting out the true poets.

One of the poems by Barnfield has a musical point of interest--
If music and sweet poetry agree,
As they must needs (the sister and the brother)
Then must the love be great 'twixt thee and me,
Because thou lov'st the one, and I the other.
Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch
Upon the lute doth ravish human sense;
Spenser to me, whose deep conceit is such
As passing all conceit needs no defense.
Thou lov'st to hear the sweet melodious sound
That Phoebus' lute (the queen of music) makes;
And I in deep delight am chiefly drowned
When as himself to singing he betakes.
One god is god of both (as poets feign)
One knight loves both, and both in thee remain.


As far as I remember, that's the closest Dowland comes to appearing in anything by Shakespeare.

[Karl Henning]

A slight byway.

In 1599, a bookseller named William Jaggard published a collection of 20 poems under the title The Passionate Pilgrim, naming Shakespeare as the poet on the title page. In actual fact, only five are by Shakespeare: three are songs from Love's Labour Lost, and two are variants--possibly early drafts--of sonnets later published in the full collection of 1609. Many of the rest can safely be attributed to one of three poets--Thomas Heywood, Bartholomew Griffin, and Richard Barnfield--because they were published elsewhere under those poet's names (often by Jaggard himself). The rest are anonymous, and don't sound very Shakespearian.  Two further printings are known, one in 1599 and the third in 1612. Most collections of Shakespeare's poems include all twenty, with editorial notes sorting out the true poets.

One of the poems by Barnfield has a musical point of interest--
If music and sweet poetry agree,
As they must needs (the sister and the brother)
Then must the love be great 'twixt thee and me,
Because thou lov'st the one, and I the other.
Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch
Upon the lute doth ravish human sense;
Spenser to me, whose deep conceit is such
As passing all conceit needs no defense.
Thou lov'st to hear the sweet melodious sound
That Phoebus' lute (the queen of music) makes;
And I in deep delight am chiefly drowned
When as himself to singing he betakes.
One god is god of both (as poets feign)
One knight loves both, and both in thee remain.


As far as I remember, that's the closest Dowland comes to appearing in anything by Shakespeare.

Most interesting, thanks!

[Karl Henning]

The Tempest, the 2010 movie with Helen Mirren as Prospero.

I was sure I knew the actor playing Ariel: Daniel Craig's "Q."

[SimonNZ]

I was sure I knew the actor playing Ariel: Daniel Craig's "Q."

Ben Wishaw.

He's also Richard II the The Hollow Crown version of that play. Recommended.

[Karl Henning]

The Tempest, the 2010 movie with Helen Mirren as Prospero.

Well, last night I enjoyed the making-of featurette. And there are two commentary tracks. 

[Karl Henning]

Well, this RSC production of Merchant of Venice is most aptly appointed with Venetian Baroque music. I'm sure I have nothing new to say about the play. Shylock's villainy is substantially provoked by perfectly un-Christian provocation. For all that Portia severely teases Bassanio about the ring, I love the romantic plot. On balance, one of my favorite plays.

[Karl Henning]

I've enjoyed the introduction. I don't feel I'll be able to engage with the "Kings" chapter without watching more of the Histories first, so I've decided to start with "Prospero's Staff."

[SimonNZ]

Upgraded to the Criterion edition of Olivier's Henry V to get film historian Bruce Eder's excellent commentary track, which I listened to last night.

I'd only seen the film once before 14 years ago and I'd completely forgotten how long they spend in the recreated Globe and how the middle section had the look and design of 14th century paintings, with deliberate lack of depth of field and crazy perspectives.

I still have to keep the old dvd as its part of a three-disc set that includes the 1954 Romeo and Juliet with Laurence Harvey and Susan Shentall (which I've yet to watch).

[San Antone]

Of the three classifications of the plays, Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories, I discovered that I was more engaged with and intrigued by the Histories.  Those are the ones I find myself drawn to re-read more often than the others.

The only explanation I can come up with is my interest in history, in general, and of course the quality of the writing (which includes drama, suspense, comedy, intrigue, romance, physiological conflict, etc., i.e. the gamut of characters and behavior).

[SimonNZ]

Of the three classifications of the plays, Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories, I discovered that I was more engaged with and intrigued by the Histories. Those are the ones I find myself drawn to re-read more often than the others.

The only explanation I can come up with is my interest in history, in general, and of course the quality of the writing (which includes drama, suspense, comedy, intrigue, romance, physiological conflict, etc., i.e. the gamut of characters and behavior).

I've found over time that's true for me also. And for exactly the reasons you list.