Henry V begins in a very different way from the previous 5 plays we’ve read: there is a prologue to the play (type of introduction), and a Chorus, that marks the beginning of each act. The use of Chorus dates back to the times of the Ancient Greeks, who, in their dramas, used a group of people to comment on the action, or in some cases, interact directly with the characters. Why might Shakespeare have decided to use a prologue in Henry V, and not, say, Richard II, or any of the previous plays for that matter? What about a Chorus? So far, the use of the Chorus in Henry V, can only be compared with Puck’s speech at the end of Midsummer; they both communicate directly to the audience. Does the use of these theatrical mediums have something to do with the resonance of Henry V with the people of the time? Is their inclusion an artistic or practical choice?

Richard’s return from from Ireland in Act 3, scene 2 marks a transformation in his character. Whereas in Act 2, scene i, in which he confronts his dying uncle, the king’s language is callous and brusque, on the Welsh coast it soars while his while his spirit seems to sink. Given that his endeavors in Ireland were largely successful, why the metamorphosis?

I suspect he knew his days were numbered. On borrowed money he prosecuted the Irish wars as a final wielding of the absolute power with which he grew up and returned resigned to his demise.

The Cork Shakespeare Theatre Company is located in Ireland.  It is known as ” one of the oldest and longest serving theatre Companies in Ireland.” They have performed some of Shakespeare’s works which include Macbeth, Hamlet, As You Like it, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night- and wouldn’t you know it, The Merchant of Venice. I have included the link to, what I believe is, the climax scene in the play. This is the court scene in which Shylock is about to take his payment, but is stopped by Portia citing Venetian law.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNSVNsDBNNQ

Did this visual of the play match the image that you had in mind while reading or was it completely different? If so, in what way was it different? Did it create a better understanding of the play/scene?

 Also the link below will take you directly to CorkShakepeare’s page on youtube.com where the works named above can be viewed.

 http://www.youtube.com/user/CorkShakespeare

Enjoy!

PORTIA

If to do were as easy as to know what were good to
do, chapels had been churches and poor men’s
cottages princes’ palaces. It is a good divine that
follows his own instructions: I can easier teach
twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the
twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may
devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps
o’er a cold decree: such a hare is madness the
youth, to skip o’er the meshes of good counsel the
cripple. But this reasoning is not in the fashion to
choose me a husband. O me, the word ‘choose!’ I may
neither choose whom I would nor refuse whom I
dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed
by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard,
Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?

Is Portia suggesting that she wants the responsibility of choosing a husband or is she rejecting the method in which her husband is to be chosen? The method being the will of her father contained within one of three chests. I pose the question because Portia seems to want to reject her father’s will but out of respect, honor and ritual she must abide by it.

Hey guys!  The link:

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac/calendar/event.php?id=507

At first thought when reading the story, you think this is a love story.  But after further consideration, is it really?  Is this a love story or is this a story about love? We go through this journey with the 4 main characters as their on this inproportionate love coaster but we don’t ever really get too attched to any of the characters.  Why does Shakespeare keep us at a distance as to avoid creating a personal attachment with any of them? I feel that because this story is so light hearted and we almost know for sure that it’ll have a happy ending, that this is more about the perils of being in love; having to deal with rejection.  Helena has to deal with rejection as her love no longer loves her and Hermia gets to choose who she loves.  This is such an imbalance amongst the 4 of them that one really has to wonder, is that the point? Is Shakespeare trying to say that even once you’ve found “true love”, as the 4 of them did in the begining, that it can still go wrong?  Is there even such a thing as true love if it any given moment the feelings can change?

This is a picture I found depicting some of the characters of  “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

The question I pose is this: Is it love or lust that the men feel towards the women? Demtrius was engaged to Helena, why did he change his mind when he met Hermia? Is Shakespeare trying to convey a message that no matter how much one might vow to love someone else, that the feeling of  “Love” can and might change if it is not based on something deeper than just looks?

Here is the drawing by Peacham (c. 1594) that we discussed in class.

Now that you’ve read Acts I-III of Titus Andronicus, what do you make of Peacham’s drawing? We talked a bit about the hybrid costumes. What about the weapons? What scene is being pictured? How is it being re-imagined?

We’ll be taking a look at scenes from Julie Taymor’s Titus in class (and asking a similar set of questions about them), but in the meantime, here is a link to the trailer on Youtube and a publicity photo of Anthony Hopkins in the title role:

During Shakespeare’s lifetime, England experienced war, outbreaks of plague, terrorist attacks, unprecedented prosperity and the growth of conspicuous consumption, religious conflict, and—for the very first time—contact with the New World. These events vitally shaped Shakespeare’s plays. Reading a selection of his comedies, histories, tragedies, and tragicomedies, we will consider these works within their historical and theatrical contexts. Who went to which playhouses, and why? What did the stages look like? What sort of sound-effects did they use? We will also ask questions about Shakespeare’s continued cultural relevance, focusing on the topics of globalization, sex and gender, and race. Readings will be supplemented with film.