Only a Part of My Heart

This stems from a discussion that occurred in Denmark last week, sorry it's a bit late.
We were talking about how Lear is so ungrateful for Cordelia's love. Andrew also talked about this and shared the song 8% Of My Love. It made me think of another related song. Half Of My Heart by John Meyer. Even though I hate the song and the sentiment, here it is.
These both connect to-

"Haply, when I shall wed, That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry Half my love with him, half my care and duty."

I thought of another song that relates to another point that someone brought up in class. Most likely, Cordelia, as the unmarried sister was living with  Lear and helping to take care of him and the estate. If this is the case it furthers her point that she loves him because she has shown him. Kind of like in Fiddler On The Roof in the song "Do You Love Me?" This is a great one!

While searching for this I also stumbled upon a Japanese version! Weird right? I watched it and loved the acting. There is more humor in this version and I really loved hearing the conversion of the song into another language. I have been thinking about looking into the Japanese Shakespeare world and have been trying to get my hands on "Ran" which is one of the earlier covers of King Lear, so there might be more of this to come if you guys like the idea.
So here you go if you are interested. I really liked the acting, and the humor is a little different.

Shakesbear!!

King of Hearts, King of Spades, Kings of Nothing

First to explain my title:

Lear is the King of Hearts because he seeks for public love and is all tied up with his daughters.

Richard II is the King of Spades because he seeks money and land to wage war with Ireland and because he does some back stabbing and is then stabbed (literally and figuratively) in return.

Both kings loose their kingship, they both loose someone dear to them, and they both loose their lives and are therefore left Kings of Nothing.

2nd, the comparison:

I wanted to compare these kings because I found so much that they had in common. As I started to look more closely at their characters and the plot surrounding them I found many things that are similar.

Both kings loose their kingship

Richard II looses the throne to Bolingbrook who becomes Henry IV (Henry V father). Bolingbrook claims back lands and money that were rightfully his inheritance that Richard had seized to help fund his war. Other enraged nobles support Bolingbrook in farther claiming the crown and they put Richard in prison as a criminal.

Lear plans for his daughters to take over because he is on his way out, but then he not only looses his kingship, but his parenthood also when Goneril and Regan abandon him. 

Both kings loose a loved on            

Richard II, when being sent to prison must say goodbye to his queen. First he shows anger at being separated, "Doubly divorced! bad men, you violate a twofold marriage twixt my crown and me and then betwixt me and my married wife." He then turns to her and asks her to remember him and to tell his story. She asks to be banished with him, but is not permitted. "Must we part? Ay, hand from hand, my love, and heart from heart."

Lear also anguishes over his beloved daughter Cordelia. They are taken away as prisoners together and he says, "He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven and fire us hence like foxes." Lear also kills the assassin from Edmond that we sent to kill them both and cries and basically dies over her death. 

Both kings loose their lives

Richard is stabbed by a Exton, a nobleman who was over zealously loyal to Bonlingbrook.

Lear, though not killed in the end, could be debated as being cause by the assassin sent after him and Cordelia.

Third, similar themes:

I also found that there were some themes that linked these two plays. Both would come back to the same ideas. I found many parallel quotes and figured that a table might just do the trick.

	Comparing Man and Animal	Eyes and Sight	Wrongfully Accused	Broken Family Ties	Murder	Heaven Destined
King Richard	"Horse, why do I rail on thee since thou, created to be awed by men, was born to bear? I was not made a horse and yet I bear a burden like an ass, spurred galled and tired by jauncing Bullingbrook." (5,5,90)	"Mine eyes are full of tears; I cannot see. And yet salt water blinds them not so much but they can see a sort of traitors here." (4,1,243)	"Nay, all of you that stand and look upon me whilst that my wretchedness doth bait my self, though some of you with Pilate wash your hands, showing an outward pity, yet you Pilates have here delivered me to my sour cross and water cannot wash away your sin." (4,1,236)	"Good sometime queen" (5,1,37) - He is saying this as a goodbye to his wife out of love and sadness	"Villain, thy own hand yields thy death's instrument. Go thou and fill another room in hell. That hand shall burn in never-quenching fire…" (5,5,106) - He says this to his murderer	"Mount, mount my soul. Thy seat is up on high whilst my gross flesh sinks downward, here to die." (5,5,111) - About his own death
King Lear	"Is man no more than this? Thou art the thing itself; unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art." (3,4,109)	"A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears. See how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief." (4,6,165)	"I am a man more sinned against than sinning." (3,2,62) "We are not the first who with best meaning have incurred the worst." (5,3,4)	"My sometime daughter" (1,1,133) - He is saying this to denounce his  daughter Cordelia, out of anger	"A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all!" (5,3,325) - He says this about Cordelia's murderer	"Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so that heaven's vault should crack… She is dead as earth." (5,3,309) - About Cordelia's death

What say you? Do you have any analysis you would lend me in comparing these two plays? Maybe something about the parallel quotes that got you thinking?

Richard and Hamlet: thoughts on church

I though I would share a little taste of Richard II, as it was my individual reading assignment.
Richard says to his wife, anticipating his own death,

"Hie thee to France and cloister thee in some religious house." King Richard II Act 5, sc. 1

Sound like anything else we have read?
It's pretty much a more elegant way of saying,

"Get thee to a nunnery." Hamlet Act 3, sc. 1

Though the context is a little different and the emotion of the quotes are definitively different, I think that this little comparison is quite indicative of Richard II overall. The language is especially beautiful in this play. The England speech ("This sceptred isle, this other Eden, demi-paradise...") that we analyzed in class is of course a perfect testament to the play's language. Shakespeare really pulled out all the stops with this play.

Also, I have this thing for cat humor so this had to be part of my nunnery post. Enjoy!

Famus English Actors

Just thought I would share.
Michael Gambon AKA Dumbledore started his acting career with Shakespeare in Othello and Much Ado About Nothing.

Strangely enough both were with Maggie Smith AKA Professor McGonagall.

Final Project: a video diary

OK, who has seen Avatar??
I was thinking about the documentary style final project. Most of the documentary could be done in video diary format. This is where Avatar fits in. If you have seen the movie that you probably remember how the main character, acting as a scientist, makes note of his observations in video format. He sits in front of his computer camera and just talks. We could basically do the same thing as we show what we are finding with this "New-Found Shakespeare play". It would be easy to say something like "This passage sounds like Act. 2 sc. 2 of such and such play, also by Shakespeare." We could also have quick little check-in's during the creative phase in this style where we say something like, "today I started drawing the story board for Act 3" or "today we started to collaborate on the soundtrack for the fight scene."

It is a really easy way to do filming. It doesn't need to be polished or edited very much because it is in diary format. Of course when it came down to the trailer part at the end of the documentary then we would need someone to make a really polished film to make it look like a real movie trailer, but this would alleviate some of the work for the earlier part of the documentary. And I think it would make it look more realistic and believable. And it fits right in with the documentary idea.
What do you think? Do you like this idea? Is there something that you would like to do that I haven't mentioned, but you would like to fit in the final project?

Final Project Ideas

For the final project in this Shakespeare endeavor, I really like the idea of doing a small documentary about a "new-found Shakespeare play."
The outline of the documentary would look something like this:
1- Show the finding of a forgotten play.
2- Show some credible analysis to prove that it is real Shakespeare.
3- Show the decision to make it into a movie.
4- Show the preparation for the movie.
5- Show the finished trailer.

I think this would be a really good group project because it has so many different things that we could do with it. There would be some Iambic pentameter writing, critical analysis, filming, editing, and acting. There would of course be plenty of room for creativity in step 4 where we show the preparation for the play. This is where story boarding, music, casting, costuming, etc. would happen. This way, there is some real acting for those who are comfortable and some behind-the-scenes work for others. We can show people drawing the storyboard or writing the music, and others can actually act as a Shakespeare character for the trailer in step 5.
Please look forward to a more in depth post to come about how this will actually brake down. I'm hopping I can explain this well and show you some brief ideas about what I have in my head.
Please also feel free to comment with anything you think I could add, especially if it is something you would like to do personally.

Hamlet vs. Hamlet, again

I thought I would give this title another go because I had a new idea. This title drives home what happens when Hamlet pretends to be mad in order to get closer to getting revenge on his uncle. He becomes almost bipolar; therefore Hamlet vs. Hamlet. You could argue that he is becoming mad while playing mad. He is not quite as far gone as Gollum vs. Smeagol, but still pretty crazy.

I was thinking that Gollum saying "where would you be without me?" reflects how Hamlet is driven by his revenge and nothing else. He stops caring about his own life (like moving forward with Ophelia or interacting with his friends) and obsesses over his uncle. If only Hamlet had been able to move passed that like Smeagol at the end of this clip (though of course we know that he reverts back to Gollum before the end)

Hamlet vs. Hamlet

I watched 2 versions of Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant or Royal Shakespeare Co.) with Anne and Marina. I really agreed with what they shared, but there was a couple of things about the RSC version that I want to add.

Braking The 4th Wall

Hehe, I broke it!

In the RSC with David Tennant they had a habit of braking the 4th wall. This is a performance technique where the actors actually speak to the audience. It was a very interesting way to do Shakespeare. Some of the soliloquies where done this why where they were talking directly to the audience (in which case, it is not really a soliloquy is the true sense.

This was a very interesting way to deliver the lines of Shakespeare. It was something I did not expect at all, so the first time it surprised me and I had to stop and ask myself "wait, is he talking to me?" Still, I think they had a legitimate motivation to have the lines said that way. In real life, no one really talks to themselves (I love talking to inanimate objects, but that is another issue entirely :) we talk to the people around us. I though it was especially good when Polonius turned and told us how strange Hamlet was acting when he asked for a speech from the players.


The modernization
Anne and Marina both talked about this a little. The RSC set the play in the 21st century with, specifically, modern fashions and technology. Both of these I believe had a similar effect as the 4th wall technique; they were a bit surprising at first and seemed a little out of place, but once you got used to it it added an interesting and beneficial element to the film.

The wardrobe
Familiar clothing was worn and right from the beginning you could tell that the characters were all upper-class. The men were all in suits and the queen was wearing a dress of very high fashion. This is something that would not be quite as obvious if you had everyone in period costumes, because you would have to be very familiar with history to spot the difference right off.
They also made use of the consume changes at scene brakes. The difference was  clearly highlighted in the To be or not to be speech for Hamlet and when Ophelia go mad.

To be or not to be was spoken in a graphic tee. He was alone, in comfortable clothing with his hair undone from the gelled, formal look he had earlier. These all added to his crazy (besides the fact that David Tennant is great at acting like a mad man). This clear informality also added to the intimacy of the soliloquy and allowed him to ask the very personal, probing questions.
Ophelia has some great costumes. She starts out in formal dress as well, but when she goes mad you can tell right away. She emerges with only her underwear! Her hair is also loosed in the true sense of the word.
One thing I missed in the RSC version was a straight jacket for Ophelia. Though it was styled period fashion, you could tell that that is what they had her wear in the Kenneth Branagh version.

The technology
The RSC decided to farther modernize the film by using security cameras. I thought it was very effective in the opening sequence with the ghost encounter. You could not see the ghost in the shot, but you could tell that the characters could. This was very interesting and grabbed my attention right away. It was a great way to introduce a ghost. It was also used later when Hamlet gets crazy and Polonius and the King spy on him. I loved the part where Hamlet takes the camera down and says "now I am truly alone" before going into "to be or not to be". (This sequence was done in the Branagh version with one-way mirrors, which I thought was also phenomenal, but less modern of course.)
Hamlets handheld camera is another modern touch that added to the movie. He uses it more and more as he looses it more and more. The irony is that he uses it to document his spying on his uncle the king during the play that he has performed for that very cause. It is parallel to them spying on him through the security cameras.



Overall I loved the RSC version. It was more true to the theater and closer to what Shakespeare would have been like even though it was modernized. I think the choices to they made in the wardrobe and the technology were logical and creative. They were also effective in getting my attention. The only thing I missed was the very clean, professional and highly edited cinematography of a good film like the Branagh version. But RSC is supposed to be more theater, less movie. And I think that they pulled it off well.
I might be biased though, because you know how I love David Tennant :)


PS. I also found a post on Bardfilm about the Branagh movie. It talked about Ophelia's character and the theme of winter in the film. For example; where did she get the flowers in her bouquet and how did she drowned in the brook in the middle of winter?? If you are interested here's a link: Bardfilm.

Coined by Shakespeare

Back to my interest in Shakespeare's original words, I read a book from the library about the words that he invented and some were quite interesting; "Coined By Shakespeare".
Alligator - This was used in Romeo and Juliet. It is an example of him twisting the spelling/pronunciation of the word, lagarto or aligarto that was used to name the animal that we are familiar with today.
The be-all end-all - Used in Macbeth. It was written as "be the be-all and the end-all" and has sense been used so much that it has become almost a cliche.
Bedroom - Used in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It originally meant the space in a bed as opposed to a room with a bed in it.
What the dickens - Used in The Merry Wives of Windsor. It means "what the devil" and was not a reference to Charles Dickens.
Green-eyed - Used in The Merchant and Othello. It could have meant originally the green of immaturity of a plant or the color of sickness, but now it is used, like he used it; as a modifier for jealousy.
Skim milk -  Used in 1 Henry IV and Midsummer and others. It is used as a figurative expression for a weak character. Of course, you know what the term has morphed into.

Wild-goose chase - Used in Romeo and Juliet. It originally referred to a game like follow-the-leader on horseback which resembled the flying pattern of  geese. The idea of a pointless pursuit developed more after the game was no longer played and people thought that it was talking about actually chasing a wild goose.

Pretty interesting huh? I'm really fascinated by phrases and idioms that have come into English from Shakespeare. It's like all the famous quotes, but it is actually applied, and everyone knows it. I might look into this more and see if there are any onomatopoeia that have come from Shakespeare.

Global Shakespeare

I was just thinking back on all the plays I've read. I think it's very interesting that you can pull so many hidden messages from the lines of Shakespeare. He talks about his passions in the plays; words, education, writing in general, play writing specifically, proforming arts, theater, etc...

Because of this I was remembering that Shakespeare references the Globe theater itself in many places.

The Tempest Act 4, sc 1.

"These are actors as I fortold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air; and like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself...."

Merchant of Venice Act 1, sc. 1
"I hold the world by as the world Gratiano, a stage, where every man must play a part, and mine a sad one."
 As You Like It Act. 2, sc. 7
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."
Richard II Act. 5, sc.2
"As in a theater, the eyes of men,
After a well-grac'd actor leaves the stage,
Are idly bent on him that enters next,
Thinking his prattle to be tedious."

It is also cool that because the theater was named the Globe you could have a double meaning; you could be talking about the theater or the entire world.

Twisting Shakespeare

I came upon a cool blog called Bardfilm. Their most recent post was very funny. It was an old literary find about Hamlet for children; Hamlet in the manor of "Fun with Dick and Jane". Oh the crazy things people will do with Shakespeare.
For Dr. Burton: I thought it was very cool to find another professor with his own blog.
Enjoy!
http://bardfilm.blogspot.com/
Also, I was reading a little bit about the author and the blog itself and found this quoted (and corrected).
"'That very instant that I saw you did/ My heart fly to your service: there resides, / To make me slave to it; and, For your sake, / Am I this patient [b]log-man.' - The Tempest"
I thought it was very clever. :)

Dating Shakespeare

In this modern world, with our instantanious communication, people's opinions and ideas can be shared with no time at all. If there is some schandal or movement starting, everyone knows about it. This was no the case in Shakespeare's time. It is because of this that plays and the like were so important. They served as a common medium for people to share their ideas and opinions. Funny enough, my date last night talked about this. He said that this is why Shakespeare's plays are so interesting to him. He said he likes to read them for the surface layer with the plot and characters that are entertaining, but he also likes to read deeper and find the issues and hidden themes that Shakespeare discusses as well. It was also really cool for me to see that you can run into Shakespeare everywhere, even on a casual Friday night date. Haha, I wonder if being able to talk Shakespeare made me more attractive?? :)

Yes, I am a "Psycho"

I know I am a TV gunky, but here is another one!
PSYCH! The Episode is called "Romeo and Juliet and Juliet". It features feuding Chinese gangs and for bidden love that works it's way into Kong Fu. You should check it out.  

Nerd, in the most affectionate way

I am sitting in class today, watching Dr. Burton pull one bad joke after another. I really wonder what his wife would say about him.
"Words, words, words."
"How are you doing hun?" "Oh, I am in poor humor today. It was a bad day at work."
"King Richard feeding off himself is like twilight!"
Anyone got any other funnies?

Midterm Status Update continued

Here are some things I missed when I did my update.
Blogging in general
I think I really started out pretty strong in this. I was really interested to learn about how to blog, and I found that I had a lot to share. However, when I started to have tests in other classes, and a heavier work load, I honestly dropped the ball a little. I need to get back on track with posting frequently. I need to post more to fill in my weak spots concerning the learning outcomes. I believe that I am in need of more social proof, but I know that I cannot expect this without giving it myself. I will just be more diligent in my frequency for my own blog and others' as well.
Self Directed Learning
I believe that it is not too hard to see that I am motivated and learn on my own through my posting. Still, I know that I need to improve here as well. I have gone forth and read the plays, making sure that I am solid in the plot and characters by using outside tools. I have also watched some movies of said plays (especially Hamlet). I have visited the library and looked at what has been published on the subject (posts to come). I have also been able to find something about each play that I was personally connected to (The Tempest = music, Henry V = humors, Merchant of Venice = Christianity, Hamlet = Symbolism). Still, sometimes I think that it is not really evident on my blog that I am thinking about Shakespeare a lot outside of class. Also, I know that I need to be much more frequent in reading others' blogs.
Collaborative and Social Learning
I have found that Anne and Marina especially have helped me a lot, and we have discussed a lot. This is probably because we are roommates (or neighbors). in the blogging world, I have connected the most with Andrew, Chloe, Kim, and Sara. I also know however that this is no where near the connection that I should have by now. I have always thought that class was really enriching and awesome. I love the structure where we come together in class and are able to discuss. I do not know however how I should be applying Shakespeare to my life, except that I am reading it.

Midterm Status Update

How have I worked toward completing the learning outcomes in the last month?
What would I like to do to fill in my weak spots?

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy
I have added 4 plays and a brief dabble of sonnets to my arsenal of Shakespeare's works. A would also be comfortable discussing in depth about a handful of plays including these. I believe my understanding of The Tempest and The Merchant of Venice are the deepest. I have also watched a few performances of Hamlet and a stage production of The Merchant of Venice. I have also found some current references to Shakespeare in Dr. Who and in a children's book that are part of his legacy today.
To Do:
- I will post a comparison between the David Tennat and the Kenneth Branagh films of Hamlet.
- I need to do some close readings and analysis of the language.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically 
I found some connections with Shakespeare's themes or plots, specifically in The Merchant of Venice and twice in The Tempest (and here). I have found out a lot of the historical background and context for his works. Specifically about humorism, the stage, and about the many versions of the plays. I believe that I am strong in this contextual analysis.
To Do:
- I need to do some detailed textual analysis, like with my idea about researching what are truly Shakespearean words. I would like to find out what words and phrases that we use that are from him. (This would maybe count under #1 learning outcome as well.)
3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively
I picked a song that reminded me of The Tempest and explained how the lyrics connected with the characters and their feelings in the story: Heaven by Brian Adams.
To Do:
- I have decided to memorize and record the ending soliloquy from Midsummer Night's Dream. I believe that I will be able to do this well, because I performed it about 5 years ago. I am sad that I no longer have it memorized, therefore I would like to work on that again. Also I believe this is relevant to all Shakespearean works because it references play production in general.
- I would also like to record a scene with someone else. Maybe the scene from Henry V were the princes is trying to learn English? That could be funny.
- I am definitely keeping my eye open for song-writing opportunities as well.
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
I have talked a lot about Shakespeare outside of class. I have discussed it with many people, especially my roommates. I have also posted and read others' blogs. I have experienced a flow of ideas all about Shakespeare.
To Do:
- I would like to go around my apartment complex with a survey about Shakespeare. I have not be able to do this yet, but I plan on seeing what quotes are the most famous among BYU students and what they mean to people.
- I am also interested to see if Shakespeare is studies in other languages. Especially because of my connection with Japan, and because it is such a different language than English, I would like to look into that specifically.
5. Gain Digital Literacy
This blog and the amount of posts I have created and consumed are a testament to my digital literacy. None of this would have been possible before this semester. I have grabbed and tried to move forward with others' blogs by linking them with mine. (With this I have also made a trip to the library to read up on some research on Shakespeare as well as looking for online sources, which I will be posting about later.)
To Do:
- I will start using other outside sources for Shakespeare (like the ones we saw in class) and use them to learn and connect on my own blog.

Shakespeare Spies

Something Dr. Burton talked about today rung a bell. Years ago, I remember starting to read (but not finish) this little paper-back book set in Shakespeare's time. It's about a slave boy who is taught a super secrete shorthand writing language and is recruited to sit, watch and rewrite plays performed at the Globe. I guess this is one of the reasons why there is so much Shakespeare material; some of it is argued to not actually be his original work. Maybe I'll actually finish this navel one day, I just love the mystery of a book never finished.

To Laugh at a Stock Character

When I lingered behind to here a little of the discussion at the end of Merchant of Venice, the actors started explaining something that I had not considered. They said that many assume that Shakespeare was writing a "stock character" in to this play as Shylock. This means that he was writing a well-known and accepted stereotypical person that everyone would be able to laugh at (like the French in Henry V). By the time this show was in production, there were no Jews in England. So, if the person you are making fun of isn't there you can point fingers and laugh all you want. (Is that really alright though? And if you say no, how many times do you find yourself talking about someone behind their back? This whole play now makes me think of gossiping. I say don't do it, and don't be a hypocrite about it either!) It is possible that this fed into the comic ideas of this show originally, but it is the complete opposite now. We have already discussed how this play makes us think of racism and bullying. Interesting what time and history will do to shift people's perspective so that the same words make us think so differently.