The Bookcast : The Shakespeare Wars

Ok, download this interview with Ron Rosenbaum right now.  I haven’t read “The Shakespeare Wars”, but even listening to the man speak makes my face hurt because I’m smiling from ear to ear and nodding my head up and down furiously at my computer speakers.  From his personal explanation that seeing Peter Brooks(?) production of Midsummer’s “changed his life….made him into a Shakespearian, like a secret society…people who are forever forlorned, forever seeking an experience to equal it,” to his simply exquisite description of the two endings of King Lear, and how a simple reference to a feather is what makes the play truly Shakespearean.  Even without seeing the entire play, somehow he manages to convey something that in just one line could still bring tears to your eyes. I am deeply and truly fascinated.  Go now.  Listen.  

Romeo and Juliet … as a Disney(*) Cartoon!

(*) sort of

I’ve said before, many times, that I think The Tempest is ripe for Disney picking.  Little girl living with her Dad (note no mother figure?) on an island with her playmates, a sprite name Ariel (have to change that to avoid Mermaid confusion) and the mischievous sea monster Caliban.  Enter Prince Ferdinand, with whom she falls madly in love.  Throw in a couple of bad guys Stephano and Trinculo, in league with Caliban, who are easily dispatched, a few other bumbling cast of characters to round it out.  Little girl learns that she’s actually a princess (or close enough, she’s whatever she is when she’s the daughter of the Duke of Milan) and everybody sails home for a wedding and a happy ending.  Perfect.

Until I get that, be sure to check out Sealed with a Kiss, a new animation by former Disney guy Phil Nibbelink (Fox and the Hound, Black Cauldron…).  He’s done his own thing here, a 2D Flash animation with hand-drawn art that depicts Romeo and Juliet as…seals.  Get it?  The big downside is that it’s a highly limited release, strictly in a few California theatres.  If you’re in the neighborhood, though, go see it and tell us how it is!  This is the sort of thing that the second it appears on video, I’m getting it for my kids.  Disney should do more Shakespeare.  Yes, yes, I know it’s not Disney doing it, but I’m sure he’ll keep the flavor and style that we all know and love.

More Animated Shakespeare…

Shakespeare Prequels!

Dinosaur Comics has got a great idea for a new series of books — Shakespeare Prequels!  I love it.   “It’ll be Hamlet, only he’s happy and well-adjusted, walking around saying ‘I certainly hope my father doesn’t get murdered!’ and then Ophelia says ‘Thats right, baby!  I, incidentally, plan to remain sane.” and then there’s IRONY!  Shakespeare fans love irony!   Don’t we just, though? 🙂

Elizabethan Food

Elizabethan.org has several pages up on what “we” eat.  I’m going to assume that “we” means “people of Elizabethan society” given the context. The information is quite extensive, including information on how things were measured, when and what meals were eaten, and so on. Over at a site called Seat of Mars you can actually buy Elizabethan food for yourself.  I may have to try that.  “Mixed sweet spiced nuts” sounds good.

Technorati tags: Shakespeare, Elizabethan, food

Pericles, or, Hey! The King is having sex with his daughter!

For those of you that have wondered what “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” is all about, check out Heaneyland’s hysterical recap:   PERICLES: Hello, king. I’d like to marry your daughter. ANTIOCHUS: Well, first you have to answer this riddle. Answer incorrectly, and you die:
My first is in Paris, my second in France,
The rest is…whatever, I’m having sex with my daughter. PERICLES: Uh…how about if I answer that tomorrow? ANTIOCHUS: Oh, sure, think about it as long as you like. PERICLES: (aside) I suspect he’s having sex with his daughter. I probably shouldn’t say anything about it. Maybe I’ll just go back home to Tyre. (he exits)   I also love the fact that he belongs to a Shakespeare reading group that is going through every single play, reading them aloud.  Nice.  Which I could find the time to do such a thing!  

Technorati tags: shakespeare, pericles