Day 105: What I Learned: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, or Goddammit! This play has rape in it too? I'm so freaking sick of this!

Luigi Schiavonetti, “Valentine, Proteus, Silvia and Julia”
from “Two Gentlemen of Verona” (1852)

Oh come on, Shakespeare! Can't a just read a play that doesn't condone rape? Apparently not this month, I can't. After the horror that was Titus Andronicus, I was looking forward to a light comedy in the form of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. 

Be careful what you wish for because Shakespeare's "light" comedies usually involve something horrific.

What would it be this time? Racism? Anti-Semitism? Physical violence? Well, yes, to an extent. All of the above. Oh and rape.

One of the "gentlemen," Proteus, is "in love" with Silvia (he's "in love" with all the female characters at one point or another, not that there are very many of them) and if she doesn't feel the same way, why he'll just "woo you like a soldier, at arms' end, and love you 'gainst the nature of love,--force ye...I'll force thee yield to my desire." Charming.

But never fear! Valentine is here! He "saves" Silvia. I say he "saves" her in that he stops the rape, but then Proteus apologizes--more to Valentine than to Silvia--and how does Valentine respond? He basically says, "Aw shucks. That's okay. As long as WE'RE still friends." And then he gives Silvia to Proteus as a sign of their friendship! 

Oh and did I mention that Julia, another woman that Proteus has claimed to be in love with, sees this and freaks out because she wanted Proteus to herself? HOLY SHIT.

You know, plays like Macbeth and King Lear and Othello make me appreciate just how wonderful and timeless Shakespeare's words can be. But honestly, if he were only famous for plays like Titus Andronicus and Love's Labour's Lost and The Two Gentlemen of Verona...well I doubt he'd be famous at all. 

If you're looking to read ALL of Shakespeare's plays because, like me, you're on some sort of personal Shakespeare-based mission, then yes, you'll have to read these ones. But if you're just looking to get better acquainted with the bard to find out why he's still talked about and studied over 400 years later, then move on. These are not the plays you are looking for. 

Go back to the ones that are really, really famous. Turns out people like those ones best for a reason.

Day 42: What I Learned: Othello

Above: Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh in Othello (1995)

A lot of words and phrases that we use today have their origins (or earliest extant examples) in Shakespeare, and there are some great ones from Othello:

• "making the beast with two backs"
• "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve"
• "the green-eyed monster" (jealousy)
• "pomp and circumstance"
• "a foregone conclusion"
• "'tis neither here nor there"

I also learned that the difference between a Shakespearean comedy and a tragedy is the ending. If there's a lot of murder, it's probably a tragedy. All of the "relationship misunderstandings" that lead up to it are similar to the set ups of comedies, except fewer people die by the end of it. Othello is definitely a tragedy.

Day 41: More Lego Shakespeare!

Othello

Here are some more Lego Shakespeare, this time from brickshelf. Enjoy!

Day 40: Othello in Film

Othello (2008) TV movie, starring Carlo Rota as Othello.

This CBC TV movie starred Carlo Rota, who many viewers know from his roles on Little Mosque on the Prairie, Nikita and 24.

O (2001) Starring Mekhi Phifer and Julia Stiles

Setting Shakespeare in high school is a common adaptation and one that often works well, particularly for dramas. Who's more dramatic than teenagers? In O, Othello is Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), Desdemona is Desi (Julia Stiles), Iago is Hugo, Roderigo is Roger, Emilia is Emily, and Michael Cassio stays the same. Instead of the Venetian army, most of the characters are on the high school basketball team. It was originally slated to be released in 1999 but was postponed after the Columbine High School shooting.

Othello (1995) Starring Laurence Fishburne

It's hard to believe that this movie marked the first major motion picture adaptation of Othello which featured an African American actor in the lead role. It came out the same year as the infamous O.J. Simpson trial, causing critics at the time to draw parallels between the real life case and the movie about a black man accused of killing his white wife.

Othello (1952) Starring Orson Welles

And then there were the racist adaptations of Othello featuring white actors in blackface, most notably Orson Welles (above) and Laurence Olivier (below). It seems neither Welles nor Olivier was willing pass up an opportunity to show off their skills at making terrible Shakespeare movies, especially if the other one had done it first (they were a competitive pair). They were also not willing to pass up an opportunity to wear blackface in order to play the part, it seems. *shudder*

Othello (1965) Starring Laurence Olivier

Day 39: Sock Monkey Othello and more!

Sock Monkey Othello, by David Jones (fineartamerica)

I love these Sock Monkey Shakespeare designs by David Jones! He has a whole bunch of them (I previously posted his Sock Monkey Merchant of Venice, which is beyond awesome). I'll post more very soon, but in the meantime you can check them out at FineArtAmerica.com.


And as promised, here are two more Sock Monkey Shakespeare pictures from David Jones (check out his other work at FineArtAmerica.com). Look at the scene from Macbeth above. SMM (Sock Monkey Macbeth) is so scandalized by the sock monkey witches! Sooooo good! Hit the jump to see them.

Day 38: Othello Word Cloud

Ooh! This one is all dark and brooding. I'm guessing the play is too. Can't wait!

From what I've read so far, though, I'm surprised the word 'honest' isn't bigger. If the play were a drinking game, you could get drunk just by taking a shot every time someone (mostly Othello) refers to "honest Iago" or "Iago's honesty." Oh the irony!

Day 36: New Play Tuesday! Othello, the Moor of Venice

Laurence Fishburne as Othello (1995)

I'm excited to read this one for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it'll give me an excuse to finally see Othello (1995) and O (2001). I've never read this one, but it looks complex and sexy and scary. Yay!

Plus, my partner Mike is very excited to read this because he did not like The Merchant of Venice very much, so he's planning to imagine all of the action of Othello happening in a different, less whiny region of Venice.

Day 32: Shakespeare Lego!

I'm still slogging through The Merchant of Venice. "Slogging" is a terrible word. I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit, I'm just having trouble staying as motivated to read quickly as I had been. Maybe it's because Mike is a play behind and I can't talk about Shylock with him. Or maybe I'm just like the hare in that parable, lounging around because I feel I'm so far ahead in the race.

Either way, here, enjoy some Shakespeare lego, courtesy of mocpages.com:

Macbeth Act V, Scene 8