Shakespeare

[sodascouts]

I thought of another one that might possibly be at least inspired by Shakespeare: Perhaps the description of Othello as "One that loved not wisely but too well" influenced the choice of words for "You didn't love the boy too much - You just loved the boy too well" in "Wasted Time."

[EaglesKiwi]

I thought of another one that might possibly be at least inspired by Shakespeare: Perhaps the description of Othello as "One that loved not wisely but too well" influenced the choice of words for "You didn't love the boy too much - You just loved the boy too well" in "Wasted Time."

I think that one is very likely.

Loving this topic, will be back in to post more. Off the top of my head, my favourite play to read was Merchant of Venice, I also like Othello.

The Kenneth Branagh version of Much Ado About Nothing was wonderful - the opening scenes did a fabulous job of both setting context and establishing that this was meant to be a bit of fun. Emma Thompson made a wonderful Beatrice. Some nice eye candy in that too.

[UK TimFan]

I have to be honest. It was mandatory that I take a Shakespeare class in high school. It was at a snooty "Academy" for fine young ladies where I learned lots of stuff (bad, fun stuff) -- but not a lot about Shakespeare. Honestly? I don't get it! BA-HOR-RA-HING. Sorry ladies, I know that's blasphemous. It goes right over my pointy little head. Whoopsie!

Know what you mean, HH.
Shakespeare leaves me cold. I don't know why - perhaps it was just the obligatory 'you have to study Shakespeare' at school.

Though I have to agree about the difference that seeing a play performed, as opposed to just reading it, makes. Reluctantly, I was dragged with my classmates to see 'As you like it' at the theatre, and was astonished to find that it was quite funny with some laugh aloud moments.

Some years later, after reading the excellent reviews, I went to see Zeferelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. I was doing quite well until near the end when Romeo finds Juliet presumably dead and he says 'Here's to my love' and drinks the poison. I cried from then until I got home. As I was travelling by bus in central London, for once I was so pleased that the British reserve stopped people asking me if I was OK. Can you imagine their reaction if I'd replied 'I'm crying because Romeo died'?

Soda will probably cry 'a plague a'both your houses' for the the liberties Zeferelli took with the text (omitting quite large chunks at times, some of which people consider almost vital to the play), but the fact remains that so many people simply love this version, and more than one admits that it was this film which was the start of a love affair with Shakespeare in general.

Also worth a watch for non-Shakespeare fans is Zeferelli's 'The Taming of the Shrew' with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

Have to add that much as I love the two films I've mentioned, that apart from the The Merchant of Venice which we did at school, I still haven't read any other Shakespeare; I'm a Robert Burns girl.

ETA: Though I used to hate Robert Burns' 'My love is like a red red rose' with a passion, and used to cover my ears every time it was played on the radio. Then I saw on TV a one-man play starring John Cairney (who bears an uncanny resemblance to portraits of R. Burns!) called 'There was a man' about the life of Robert Burns. The main props were a table, chair, bed, and a hatstand, and possibly pen and paper and food utensils (cup, plate) but it was absolutely engrossing, and several years later I had the good fortune to see John in the play in London.

[Glennsallnighter]

Do you think so?!

As I said above, that is my favourite piece of literature. I would also say 'possibly'.

Another interesting reference is in Don's song Building The Perfect Beast where he sings 'sharper than a serpent's tongue'.

The lines from King Lear are:

How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child (Act 1, Scene 4)

I must remember that next time Laura starts moaning about something trivial.

[EaglesKiwi]

I noticed when flicking through the sonnets that there are some common themes repeated over and over again - he seemed quite enamoured of the idea that his work would endure. Fair enough too.

Yet do thy worst, old Time; despite thy wrong;
My love shall live in my verse, ever live young. (from 19)

For an expression of love, I like this one [91]:

Some glory in their birth, some in their skill,
Some in their wealth, some in their body's force,
Some in their garments, though new-fangled ill,
Some in their hawks and hounds, some in their horse;
And every humour hath his adjunct pleasure,
Wherein it finds a joy above the rest.
But these particulars are not my measure;
All these I better in one general best.
Thy love is better than high birth to me,
Richer than wealth, prouder than garments' cost,
Of more delight than hawks or horses be;
And, having thee, of all men's pride I boast -
Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst take
All this away, and me most wretched make.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I enjoyed studying Shakespeare in school, and I also enjoy occasionally watching some of the plays/movies. However, I must admit that I'm not one that can really discuss them in any detail because there's so many of them that I get them all mixed up. In order to contribute much to this discussion, I'd have to refresh my memory a LOT.

However, I do recognize a lot of Shakespeare's sayings that are now commonplace in every day speech because I had a professor in college that spent time in class discussing this. Another Eagles' reference that no one has mentioned yet is "every dog will have it's day" from Waiting In the Weeds. I knew it was Shakespeare, but I couldn't have told you which play or sonnet it was from without looking it up ... so I did, and it turns out it is from Hamlet - one of my favorites.

[Freypower]

I thought of another one that might possibly be at least inspired by Shakespeare: Perhaps the description of Othello as "One that loved not wisely but too well" influenced the choice of words for "You didn't love the boy too much - You just loved the boy too well" in "Wasted Time."

I thought about that later on; it's obvious, in my opinion. Love Othello but it's so sad.

I don't want to overdo 'misattribution' but another Eagles line which many people may think is Shakespeare is actually Sir Walter Scott:

'What a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive' (from Marmion).

[Freypower]

Know what you mean, HH.
Shakespeare leaves me cold. I don't know why - perhaps it was just the obligatory 'you have to study Shakespeare' at school.

Though I have to agree about the difference that seeing a play performed, as opposed to just reading it, makes. Reluctantly, I was dragged with my classmates to see 'As you like it' at the theatre, and was astonished to find that it was quite funny with some laugh aloud moments.

Some years later, after reading the excellent reviews, I went to see Zeferelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. I was doing quite well until near the end when Romeo finds Juliet presumably dead and he says 'Here's to my love' and drinks the poison. I cried from then until I got home. As I was travelling by bus in central London, for once I was so pleased that the British reserve stopped people asking me if I was OK. Can you imagine their reaction if I'd replied 'I'm crying because Romeo died'?

Soda will probably cry 'a plague a'both your houses' for the the liberties Zeferelli took with the text (omitting quite large chunks at times, some of which people consider almost vital to the play), but the fact remains that so many people simply love this version, and more than one admits that it was this film which was the start of a love affair with Shakespeare in general.

Also worth a watch for non-Shakespeare fans is Zeferelli's 'The Taming of the Shrew' with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

Have to add that much as I love the two films I've mentioned, that apart from the The Merchant of Venice which we did at school, I still haven't read any other Shakespeare; I'm a Robert Burns girl.

ETA: Though I used to hate Robert Burns' 'My love is like a red red rose' with a passion, and used to cover my ears every time it was played on the radio. Then I saw on TV a one-man play starring John Cairney (who bears an uncanny resemblance to portraits of R. Burns!) called 'There was a man' about the life of Robert Burns. The main props were a table, chair, bed, and a hatstand, and possibly pen and paper and food utensils (cup, plate) but it was absolutely engrossing, and several years later I had the good fortune to see John in the play in London.

I completely agree about the Zefferelli films, both R&J & Shrew. Taylor & Burton were at their best in Shrew, comparable to their efforts in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

My favourite Shakespeare films are still Olivier's Richard III & Hamlet, though.

[Freypower]

I enjoyed studying Shakesphere in school, and I also enjoy occasionally watching some of the plays/movies. However, I must admit that I'm not one that can really discuss them in any detail because there's so many of them that I get them all mixed up. In order to contribute much to this discussion, I'd have to refresh my memory a LOT.

However, I do recognize a lot of Shakesphere's sayings that are now commonplace in every day speech because I had a professor in college that spent time in class discussing this. Another Eagles' reference that no one has mentioned yet is "every dog will have it's day" from Waiting In the Weeds. I knew it was Shakesphere, but I couldn't have told you which play or sonnet it was from without looking it up ... so I did, and it turns out it is from Hamlet - one of my favorites.

As I'm being so precise with the references, here it is:

Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew and dog will have his day." (Act 5 Scene 1)

although apparently the first use in English was by Richard Tavener in 1539.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...2103110AAZSBkl

[Lisa]

"Julius Caesar," by a thundering mile.

From Shakespeare's Sonnet 18:

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temporate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date."
(...to end sonnet 18...)

From the Renaissance, not Shakespeare, not sonnets:

the Pastoral Poems,
"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe.

"The Canonization" by John Donne, (a Song) from "Songs and Sonnets" by John Donne.