Oh no! I'm back at the histories!

It was the histories that killed me. I couldn't get through Henry IV Part 2 and I just stopped altogether. Now I've read almost everything else and I just have to power through them. Next up: The Merry Wives of Windsor. Not strictly a history, but more of a spin-off from the Henry IV plays. I hope it's delightful at least. Here I go.

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 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 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 151: Whither Day 151?

I just now realized that I never published my blog post for Friday, May 31st (Day 151). I must have hit "save" instead of "publish." It's that sort of inattention to detail that tells you how little to expect from this blog. However, here it is. It's about the character of Falstaff and it's called "Whither Falstaff?" Enjoy.

Whither Falstaff?

As I previously mentioned, the popular character of John (or Jack) Falstaff from King Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 was not an historical figure but was based on at least two different people, Sir John Fastolf and Sir John Oldcastle. But just who were they?

Eduard von Grützner:
Falstaff mit großer Weinkanne und Becher (1896)
(Falstaff with big wine jar and cup, 1896)
(via wikipedia)

Sir John Oldcastle

Sir John Oldcastle was a friend of Henry V and a famed English Lollard who long escaped prosecution for heresy because of his royal connections. Eventually though, he was brought to trial and executed for his Lollardy beliefs in 1417. It is believed that William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham and a direct descendant of Oldcastle, opposed Shakespeare's characterization of his relative and blocked him from using the name in his plays. In the published version of Henry IV, Part 1, Falstaff's name is always unmetrical, suggesting a name change after the original composition; Prince Hal refers to Falstaff as "my old lad of the castle" in the first act of the play, which further suggests that the character was originally called "Oldcastle."

Sir John Oldcastle burned for heresy (via wikipedia)

Sir John Fastolf

Sir John Fastolf was an English knight during the Hundred Years War, fought--and lost--against Joan of Arc, and was charged with cowardice for fleeing from the Battle of Patay, though he was later able to clear his name of that charge. Also, he was the owner of the real Boar's Head Inn, the favourite haunt of Shakespeare's Falstaff. John Fastolf appears as a character in the Henry VI plays, which were written earlier than the Henry IV plays.

Sir John Fastolf (via all-generals.ru)