Be warned: today’s post has little to do with Shakespeare per se, except as an example of my own peculiar insanity, and a way of getting rid of an ‘ear-worm’ that has been plaguing me since May.
Category: Everyday Shakespeare
Girdling the earth …
‘Most students away from these UK shores adore Shakespeare.
In his homeland, unless you catch them young, a dislike gets deep under the skin and stays engrained, enduring wind and weather.’ Ben Crystal [a]
Welcome to my world …
Claiming some kind of unanswerable ownership of Shakespeare based on his nationality is the last thing on my mind, akin to the idiocy of him being some kind of class signifier (or adopting the Turkish hero, St George, as England’s patron). There’s a frustrating, illogical irony to these bigoted attitudes which I have blogged before about. And, bear in mind, I was not born in England.
PTS 014/089: The Merchant of Venice Soundtrack Album
Every play needs a proper send-off as I amble through the PonyTail Shakespeare read-through – bearing in mind my current pace, there’s no telling when I might read them again.
As ever, the selection is a little, erratic, and I’m already feeling the need to disown any implied connection to number 3 …
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2018: Shakespeare’s Lepidopterist
“There is differency between a grub and a butterfly;
yet your butterfly was a grub.” (Coriolanus, V, iv [a])
It would be too easy to blame my changed reading habits in 2018 on professional busy-ness, or on my health, but there’s no escaping a startling and depressing fact …
PTS 11/070: The Richard II Soundtrack Album
And so to our traditional end-of-play knees-up.
The usual defiantly embarrassing mix-tape, in no particular order, with the usual plea: if I’ve missed anything, please let me know!
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Quote of the Week: 21 May 2018 (#42)
Let battle commence: Shakesparring was the highlight of last week …
In the ‘Marxist’ corner – Mr G
In the ‘Feminist’ corner – Miss C
Friday found myself and a colleague sacrificing a precious free period (one of only four per week) for the opportunity to Shake-spar … and what fun it was.
Let me set the scene – one of our colleagues in the department was unwell. She also teaches A Level Lit to Year 12, and would have done so in period 2, when I’m free. Two of the students in that class are in my form, so I casually said to them in the morning that if there were ‘any problems‘ relating to that lesson, they ought to come and see me.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find about a dozen girls at my door at about 09:55?
My Work Here Is Done …
I’ve learned to celebrate the occasional small victory …
Remember my Shakespeare-hating GF? She Who Must Be Obeyed?
She who mocks my enjoyment of the plays – actually, scorns every single mention I make of him?
It’s not even Shakesphobia – more Shakesloathing …
A Prince amongst men …
Nothing compares to WHO?
Today marks two year since Prince died. It’s not that long ago that I confessed that his was one of the very few celebrity deaths that have personally touched me. Step aside, Princess Diana! People have got tired of me saying he was the ‘effing Mozart of his age‘, I think.
This weekend is a busy one – or should be. One of my favourite watering holes, Beerwolf, are hosting a live music tribute on Sunday afternoon, marvellously entitled ‘Prince you’ve been gone‘. I suspect this might put a dent in my Sixth Form marking – sorry, people.
Whilst there’s an argument to be made that Shakespeare himself was a multi-faceted genius, you know me by now: I started thinking about who the Shakespearean ‘Prince’ might be. These were my criteria …
What’s in a name, Google?
She sounded unimpressed. Hurt, even. I backtracked swiftly.
I live alone, and lead quite a solitary existence, truth be told.
But, and I suspect it’s a sign of madness, like JF Sebastian in Bladerunner, I have a number of inanimate buddies who I’ve named. I even say hello to them when I get in, sometimes, in a post-post-post-modern, ironically jovial way. Take my fridge, for example …
PTS 08/050: The Comedy of Errors Soundtrack Album
Another selection of songs curated with the characters in mind …
As usual, the PonyTail Shakespeare read-through of a play ends with a ‘Soundtrack Album’.
As usual, it probably says a lot about my poor taste in music.
As usual, I’d love you to let me know what’s missing …
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The Boar's Head, Eastcheap 