Day 181: What I (Eventually) Learned From Henry IV, Part 2

Falstaff and his comically tiny companion, from Henry IV, Part 2 (from wsu.edu)

I learned quite a lot actually. First of all, I think Falstaff talks about narcolepsy at one point! That's particularly exciting for me because I have narcolepsy, as does my sister and our late father (and also Jimmy Kimmell, apparently). I don't see it mentioned much in popular culture, so that was pretty cool. Plus it makes Gus Van Sant's choice to have River Phoenix fall into a "narcoleptic fit" in My Own Private Idaho make more sense, even if that part of the movie was RI-DIC-U-LOUS. But I'm not sure if the character of Falstaff actually has narcolepsy or if it's just one of his many, many excuses to avoid facing charges by the Chief Justice for crimes he definitely did commit. But he describes it as "apoplexy, a lethargy disease, a kind of sleepiness in the blood" which definitely sounds like narcolepsy!

I also found it interesting that the character of Northumberland, upon hearing about the death of his son, has a shit-fit, and appropriately so. One thing Shakespeare knew how to write was the agony of a parent losing a child, especially a father losing a son (sadly, he had personal experience). But it's the specific thing that Northumberland says that strikes me. He says:

 "And let this world no longer be a stage 

To feed contention in a lingering act"

That reminds me of a twisting of the famous line, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players" (from As You Like It). Shakespeare has his actors say a lot of things that reference the stage they're on and the play they're in, a sort of self-awareness that breaks the fourth wall, if you will. Northumberland's line both does this and rejects it at the same time. His agony over the loss of his son makes him want to reject both his life as a soldier in a war AND his life as a character in a play. Interesting.

And speaking of Northumberland, how PISSED is his wife going to be when he gets home? The only reason their son is dead is because HE failed to back the right side. The Duchess of York from Richard II would NOT have put up with that shit AT ALL.

Day 180: Ooh! Here's another Minimalist Shakespeare graffiti!

Day 179: Okay, here's the new plan...

So after falling hopelessly behind, I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel and I think  I can catch up. But I need a plan.

Here's my plan:

I'm going to skip The Taming of the Shrew for now and read it later. I've just finished Henry IV Part 2 (thoughts and comments to come) and I've started The Merry Wives of Windsor (which stars Falstaff but otherwise isn't part of the histories). After that, I'll read Henry V and then straight on to the Henry VI plays. I'll come back to The Taming of the Shrew later.

So that's it. Hopefully I'll catch up. Stay tuned for a lot of "What I Learned" posts in the next few days (fingers crossed)!

(from memegenerator)

Day 178: The Taming of the Shrew Sock Monkey

The Taming of the Shrew sock monkey by David Jones (fineartamerica.com)

It's amazing how expressive little sock monkeys can be! I don't know...do you think it looks like Elizabeth Taylor?

Day 177: The Taming of the Shrew word cloud

The Taming of the Shrew Wordle from SCC English

Day 176: New Play Tuesday! The Taming of the Shrew

Source: zazzle.com

When I first devised my reading schedule for the year, I figured I would need to break up the histories by interspersing other plays throughout. Of course, that means it'll be even longer before I finish the histories. And the histories aren't so bad, anyway. Maybe I should just be reading them all in order. Oh well. The problem with my schedule isn't the histories. It's the fact that I haven't been reading anything for a couple of weeks now and I'm hopelessly behind.

So here I am at The Taming of the Shrew. It's one of the more famous ones, so I'm looking forward to it. Sort of. It's also very...uh...anti-woman, isn't it? I might hate it. I know Laura Bates used it as a way to talk about domestic abuse with her Shakespeare students in prison. Maybe I should re-read that part of her book. 

Oh and speaking of women named Laura Bates, you should check out this blog by (a different) Laura Bates called The Everyday Sexism Project. It's sort of on topic actually.

Day 175: What I Learned from Henry V, Part 1 of...Sigh...I don't know anymore

What have I learned? I'll tell you what I've learned. I've learned nothing because once again I haven't read the play. I'm hopelessly behind now and I think the real question is fast becoming, "How QUICKLY can I read Shakespeare, especially if I want to accomplish this goal?"

This is me in the coming days/weeks/months:

via

Note: I got the above image from memegenerator.net but I don't know who created the original image (if it's you, and you'd like me to take it down, please let me know), but it sort of reminds me of Kendall's artwork from thisisnotthatblog.com, which is a fantastic blog and you should totally check it out.

Day 174: RSC does A Midsummer Night's Dream entirely on Google+ and it looks predictably awful.

Apparently the Royal Shakespeare Company has been doing a weird live-streaming concept version of A Midsummer Night's Dream on Google+ for the past three days. It relies heavily on user interaction and the assumption that anybody at all uses Google+. It looks fucking awful. The good news is that it's on Google+ so literally no one will see it.

via mashable

Day 173: New book claims Elizabethan children were kidnapped and forced to perform as child actors

source: The Independent

According to a new book by Oxford academic Dr. Bruce van Es, some Elizabethan children were kidnapped and forced to perform as child actors in the Queen's theatre company. He cites the case of Thomas Clifton, a 13-year-old boy who was snatched from his school and dragged away by a gang of men, according to court documents. 

Dr. van Es claims that William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was opposed to the use of kidnapped child actors but that the practice was prevalent at the time.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (source: BBC)

Other academics refute van Es' claims, including Professor Michael Dobson, the director of the Shakespeare Institute, saying that the Thomas Clifton case was not enough evidence to claim child abduction was a widespread problem in the Elizabethan era.

You can read more about it in these articles:

New book claims child-catchers kidnapped boys for the Elizabethan stage (independent.co.uk) 

Elizabethan child actors 'kidnapped and whipped' (bbc.co.uk)

Day 172: This is going terribly

Sigh.

I have definitely hit a wall.

I'm two plays behind. Two and a half really since I haven't even started Henry V, not to mention Henry IV Part 2 or The Merry Wives of Windsor.

I've even put my other blog on hold in an attempt to catch up on my Shakespeare reading.

I don't know. I guess with the summer weather, I just don't want to curl up and read about English wars in iambic pentameter as much as I used to.

I'm almost halfway through the year. I don't want to give up just yet.

Time to rally.

Day 171: Henry V Lego

Here's another Lego Shakespeare vignette from brickshelf, this time a scene from Henry V.

Unlike the Sock Monkey Shakespeare from yesterday, this one doesn't look like the men with swords are attacking him, just waiting for his command. Hmm...maybe I'll have to actually get around to reading the play to find out which it is.

Is it just me, or do those soldiers look a little bit like Mounties?

Day 170: Henry V Sock Monkey

Sock Monkey Henry V by David Jones (fineartamerica.com)

Oh noes! They've got plastic swords! You're trapped, Sock Monkey Henry V!

Day 169: New Play Tuesday! Henry V

Henry V Wordle on SCC English

Well Henry IV is dead and Prince Hal--now King Henry V--is in charge. What could possibly go wrong? I wonder if "Pistol" is a person or if there are just a lot of people shooting pistols at him. Also, who's Fluellen? It's like someone was named "Llewellyn" but they had the flu all the time so people were making fun of him.

Day 168: What I Learned from The Merry Wives of Windsor...part 1

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Well, as you can see, it's blank. I haven't read it yet. I am now TWO plays behind, which is the most I've lagged since I started this project. This isn't a good sign. Is this the end of My Year of Shakespeare? I hope not.

From "The Simpsons" Treehouse of Horror III, "Dial 'Z' for Zombies"
Episode #64 (Season 4, Episode 5), Original Airdate: October 29, 1992
gif source: tumblr.com

Day 167: Wisdom from Magda

Happy Father's Day to Will Shakespeare and all the other dads out there!

Day 166: French and Saunders do Shakespear's Sister - Destiny

If you don't remember Shakespear's Sister, here's their video for "Stay"

Day 165: 40 Shakespeare-Themed Father's Day Gift Ideas from My Shakespeare Year

Do you have a bard-loving man in your life who would love a Shakespeare-themed Father's Day? Here are some ideas! (You'll need to turn off your ad-blocker to see them) Check out the Shakespeare Star Wars tackle box...for the dad with a lot of different interests I guess.

Day 164: Live in New Orleans? You can go see 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' RIGHT NOW

Photo credit: John Barrois -- Starring in Tulane Shakespeare Festival's production of 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' are Anne Page, played by Susan Lanigan, and Fenton, played by Joey Pilka. Source: The Advocate

If you're anywhere near New Orleans this month, you can check out "The Merry Wives of Windsor" as part of the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane University. It opens today for a total of 11 performances over three weekends, ending on June 29.

For more details, check out this article in The Advocate:

http://theadvocate.com/utility/homepagestories/6171843-129/merry-wives-of-windsor-kicks

Day 163: Merry Wives of Windsor word cloud

I can't get enough of these Shakespeare word clouds! I like how this one is arranged all helter skelter. It reminds me of a bunch of dropped sewing needles. MISTRESS must be said a lot!

Day 162: New Play Tuesday! The Merry Wives of Windsor

I think I'll take a break from the heavy histories* with another comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor. It couldn't be more appropriate, since the character of Falstaff, introduced in Henry IV (possibly a combination of the real Sir John Fastolf, who appears in Henry VI, and John Oldcastle, who had living relatives at the time of Shakespeare that apparently stopped him from writing about their beloved buffoon of an ancestor) has a starring role in this one. Rumour has it Queen Elizabeth I herself requested Shakespeare write the play, so as to give Falstaff a love life. Fantastic! 

Serena Evans, Christopher Benjamin and Sarah Woodward in The Globe Theatre's 2008 production of The Merry Wives of  Windsor
via

How can you not love a play that has reindeer antlers? (Not to mention multiple female roles, which not every Shakespeare play does)

*It's not REALLY a break, since I'm still behind on the histories and have to finish Henry IV Part II.

Day 161: What I Learned from Henry IV, Part II...Part 1

Sigh. I'm tired this week. And I just discovered a new TV show that I love (Rizzoli and Isles), and I'm trying to reorganize the house, and I still haven't come up with a Father's Day present for Mike, and... Bottom line: I haven't read this play yet.

I'll get back to you. In the meantime, here are some pictures of Angie Harmon, my TV girlfriend.*

*p.s. Yes, I know she's a right wing, Christian, Republican, conservative in real life, but I don't even care. 

p.p.s. Also, I know this has nothing to do with Shakespeare. I also don't even care. 

Day 160: Well, it's happened

Yup. This Shakespeare project has finally turned me into the sort of person who posts cat pictures on the internet. I'm so, so sorry. In my defense, it's totally on topic!

Though can I just say, it's "Henry IV Part II" not Part III. There is no Part III to Henry IV. But Henry VI does have 3 parts. I know, I know, it can be confusing. And it is just a little cat after all. It's okay if he got confused.

Day 159: The Hollow Crown

Hey, did you know there's a BBC show based on Shakespeare's Richard & Henry plays (Richard III, Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, Henry V)? But Jeremy Irons plays King Henry IV so I'm guessing they've added a creepy sexual predator element to the original material. I'm not saying that Jeremy Irons is secretly a sexual predator. I'm saying that all of his characters are, whether it's in the script or not. 

Here's a clip:

Day 158: Henry IV, Part II, a la Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Oops! I forgot to write a post AGAIN today. So instead, here's a post I'm sharing from BardFilm about the "Subtitles for People Who Don't Like Film" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which are actually just lines from Henry IV, Part II. See? Topical!

You can read it here.

Day 157: Minimalist Shakespeare

I've started a new series of Shakespeare drawings using Facebook Graffiti called "Minimalist Shakespeare." So far I have illustrations for the 22 plays I've read this year. What do you think? If you like them, feel free to share them, just please credit and link back to me.

Day 156: Summer Reading Schedule

If any of you would like to follow my reading schedule, here's what I'll be reading this summer:

May 28-June 3: Henry IV, Part I 
June 4-10: Henry IV, Part II 
June 11-17: The Merry Wives of Windsor
June 18-24: Henry V 
June 25-July 1: The Taming of the Shrew
July 2-8: Henry VI, Part I
July 9-15: Henry VI, Part II 
July 16-22: Henry VI, Part III 
July 23-29: Measure for Measure
July 30-August 5: Richard III 
August 6-12: Henry VIII
August 13-19: Much Ado About Nothing
August 20-26: Timon of Athens
August 27-September 2: Troilus and Cressida

As you can see, it's a LOT of histories. Wish me luck. Or better yet, join me! We can all be reading buddies!

Day 155: New Play Tuesday! Henry IV, Part II

Henry IV Part 2 Wordle via SCC English

Henry IV Part II picks up right where Henry IV Part I left off. From what I understand, the battle scene concludes and Falstaff is promoted, even though he only survived at all by playing dead and avoiding any fighting. I'm assuming the King dies at the end (just a guess).

Day 154: What I Learned from Henry IV, Part I

I admit I was apprehensive about the histories and so far I have found them a little intimidating, but it's almost impossible not to see the appeal of Falstaff and Prince Hal in Henry IV. Most of their scenes take place in a pub, either drunkenly planning or drunkenly recounting all manner of petty crimes unbefitting the heir to the throne. It's no wonder why King Henry wishes he could trade his son in for a better one.

Matthew Macfadyen as Prince Hal and Michael Gambon as Falstaff in Henry IV, National Theatre.
Photo: Catherine Ashmore (via guardian.co.uk)

Falstaff and Prince Hal have been interpreted a number of ways, including as a street hustler and pimp in My Own Private Idaho. But as I was reading it I kept picturing them as the sort of characters who could be played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Sure, there isn't the age difference between them that there is between Falstaff and Prince Henry, but that same sort of slacker/wastrel/bad influence/best mate relationship is totally there. Can't you just picture Simon Pegg as the reluctant heir to the throne who spends all of his time at the pub with his up-to-no-good best friend who brings out the (hilariously) worst in him? If you've ever seen ANYTHING with the two of them in it, THEN OF COURSE YOU CAN.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead (2004) (via downwithfilm.com)

There's even a scene at the end of Act III in Henry IV Part I in which Prince Henry realizes that he has to get up off his bar stool and actually go to war that reminds me of Simon Pegg's "this shit just got real" moment in Hot Fuzz. 

Prince Henry declares:

The land is burning. Percy stands on high,

And either we or they must lower lie.

To which Falstaff responds that he will gladly go to war with his friend...after a good breakfast.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg (with a swan) in Hot Fuzz (2007) (via fanpop.com)

If Simon Pegg were a Shakespeare geek (which, FYI, he TOTALLY IS) he could definitely do justice to Henry IV. And maybe even have time for a Cornetto (which I just realized sounds like 'crown'--OH MY GOD IT'S SO PERFECT!). 

Day 153: Finally! It's time to talk about My Own Private Idaho

via

I've been waiting to talk about this movie since I first started the Shakespeare project in January. As I was searching for more things to say about Henry IV Part I this week, it hit me: that's the play My Own Private Idaho is based on! Sort of. It's more like a sleepy version of Midnight Cowboy with a slight dash of Scotland PA thrown in. 

And speaking of sleepy...

River Phoenix, seen here not demonstrating how narcolepsy works (via)

I would just like to, once and for all, call bullshit on River Phoenix's character's "narcoleptic fits" in the movie. Let me tell you, I have narcolepsy. My father had it. My sister has it. I know whereof I speak on this one (despite what they show in the movies). You don't have a "fit" followed by an elaborate dream sequence that results in you waking up in another state! NARCOLEPSY IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH RUFIES!

Glad I cleared that up.

And since we're talking My Own Private Idaho...

Has anyone seen James Franco's "personal director's cut" remake of the original Gus Van Sant movie that highlights River Phoenix's performance, called My Own Private River? I'm guessing no one has ever seen this, ever. BUT IF YOU HAVE PLEASE TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT IN THE COMMENTS!!!

via

Day 152: Cute Little Cartoon Animals Make Shakespeare Way More Adorable

I don't really feel like blogging tonight (I'm sorry) so I'm going to share a nicer, better post from a much cuter blog. It's Cute Animal Shakespeare Theatre from Squid Bits!

Cute Animal Shakespeare Theatre!

Adorable!