Shakespeare at Night

Taming Revisited

Be literary for 3:33. Check out the following:

NightShakes revisits Taming of the Shrew

A few of you have asked

McDonald, Russ. The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents. New York: Bedford 2001.

Janet Adelman. Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal Origin in Shakespeare’s Plays, Hamlet to The Tempest. New York: Routledge, 1991.

Titles

Titles, Titles, Titles. Don’t forget to give good thought to the title of your final essay. #NightShakes

Where the bee sucks

Two versions:

Older

Newer

Which one works better in the play?

Ariel’s Song

“Ariel’s Song,” especially the second portion that begins “Full fathom five,” has often been set to music (as of course it was in Shakespeare’s time, probably set to the lute by Robert Johnson, composer for Shakespeare’s acting company).

Here are some newer efforts:

Dan Adams’ “Ariel’s Song”

Ariel’s Song with with Kambole

Sibelius Tempest Suites No. 1 op.109-2

Reminders

Folks, I should have reminded you of due dates tonight, but in the throes of cookie-eating and Lear, I forgot.

The Hamlet quarto comparisons are due Monday the 26th when we return from the break:

Hamlet Quarto Comparisons — write a four to five page discussion
comparing a limited number of selected passages from the early Hamlet quartos
(available at the British Library Shakespeare in Quarto page). You are not being asked to
speculate on the authority of any particular edition, rather to discuss the dramatic and
aesthetic impact of various versions. Start with the 1603 version and compare any of the other versions to it.
Feel free to select several passages to compare (or one long one):

Find the quartos below:

http://special-1.bl.uk/treasures/SiqDiscovery/ui/search.aspx

The Second Shakespeare Newsletter Item is due the next Monday on the 3rd.

Just like the first newsletter item, only better. Remember, you are writing for an audience who may shy a bit away from Shakespeare. Make the item intelligent but fun.

The final essay is due Monday the 10th:
As I have said — pick a topic that cuts across all the plays. It may not cut as deeply in every instance, but you should deal with every single play (and the sonnets).

PLUS, please consider answer the on-line IDEAS.

The Trial Scene Performed

Several versions of Lear 3.6

I am the Walrus

Snow and Electronics

We held class last night — about 13 or 14 of us made it through the snow (or waited until class and dealt with the snow after class). By my count we already have more snow this winter than last.

Among other discussions points, mostly on Women and Hamlet, I asked that everyone send electronic versions of their first Newsletter item to me. Thanks.

For Wednesday Night Class Please reread

Hamlet’s soliloquy after the first player and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have left him, Act II, scene 2 (49-50).

“To be, or not to be . . .”, Act I, scene 3 (53-54). Work through this speech and then the following passage where Hamlet and Ophelia speak.

We Will Hold Class on Wednesday November 7th

After a long day of precepting on the 7th, we will hold a rousing class on Hamlet. Please prepare yourselves accordingly.