“COOL: SAN FRANCISCO & SHAKESPEARE”

Of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, the first 17 are oft referred to as the “procreation sonnets.” The reason being is that in them, the speaker addresses a youth who, in the speaker’s mind, should be preserved. While Time eventually steals away beauty and spirit, a “copy” of the young man could help carry on his legacy.

A copy could be achieved through procreation, hence the grouping’s title: the procreation sonnets. The following, Sonnet 12, begins with the speaker ruminating over various things that change with time, such as daylight, a tree’s leaves, and the passing of summer. The speaker then turns his attention to the youth, who too will face the demands of Time. He ends his address with a bitter truth:

“And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence”

Yet, possible solution:

“Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.”

When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

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Take up the body. Such a sight as this
Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss.¹

More than any other play, Hamlet contemplates death and all that is connected to it, including atonement and heaven. The subject matter, though grave, is dealt with in various ways, from humor and fear to resentment and philosophy. Characters question the nature of death and wonder about its implications for the person who has died, as well as for those who are left behind. What happens to a person after their last breath is spent? Do unresolved issues affect a person post-death? And if so, is a peaceful afterlife possible in spite of this?

Death is woven into the plot of Hamlet from the very start, with a secret fratricide being the reason for royal disorder and family disunity. Indeed, the power of death reverberates throughout the play and its presence sets the stage for a great many questions, led by the most famous of all: “To be or not to be, that is the question” (3.1.58). Read the rest of this entry »

Born on April 23, 1564, William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer in history. To this day, his works remain fresh and relevant, quintessentially “timeless.”

His plays read like this: Hamlet, King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Othello, Macbeth, Henry V, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado About Nothing… and 24 more. In a writer’s lifetime, he/she hopes to write one masterwork. Who could possibly write 37? William Shakespeare.

Ever wonder what this genius looked like? In 1998, Shakespeare in Love gave us an interpretation with Joseph Fiennes playing a roguish Shakespeare. It’s possible. But, for more authenticity, it’s better to look to history than Hollywood.

Yet even still, it’s difficult to find a true portrait of the Bard. According to the National Portrait Gallery, London, the only true painting of William Shakespeare — in which he sat for, is the “Chandos” portrait. It dates to c. 1610. Read the rest of this entry »

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”

“The St Crispin’s Day Speech” as heard in William Shakespeare’s Henry V is the standard by which military leaders have measured their own words of motivation. Yet, it’s also a truly beautiful and powerful piece on its own, to simply read or in the case of the play, to watch performed.

The speech prepares the men of England for their fight ahead: the Battle of Agincourt. Written in 1599, it debuted 184 years after the battle. A battle England won, despite the odds (outnumbered 10-1). But how? Shakespeare helps us understand by giving King Henry a speech like no other, one that could have very well willed England to victory against the formidable French.

So powerful is this speech, that actors are often judged by their delivery of it. Can they stir the emotions of the audience? William Shakespeare had provided the words. Now, could the actor do them justice? Read the rest of this entry »

“Angels and ministers of grace defend us.” — Hamlet, 1.4.39

First performed in 1606 for King James I, the tragic play Macbeth is more than 400 years old, yet its impact, like most all of William Shakespeare’s plays, resonates for the modern audience.

Still performed regularly by theater companies, the play packs a good deal of power, atmosphere, and theme into a rather short drama. It is in fact Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and is believed to have been shaved to please the king (who wasn’t fond of epics).

Scholars have pored over its every line, dedicated years to the dissection of characters and motives, yet there’s always something new to learn of Macbeth. Indeed, from high school to West End to Broadway (see the 2008 adaptation from Chichester Festival Theatre), it remains one of the Bard’s most well-known and complex plays. It’s also cursed. Read the rest of this entry »

I remember this sonnet above all others. It was high school and I had to take a placement test for AP English (sophomore year). This was the poem we had to analyze.

It wasn’t until after we got the results back that the poem became clearer: Love can make everything seem better. Envy goes out the door and in its place, contentment: at the memory of a one true love.

Let’s take a closer look at this sonnet, line for line now. This is something I’d like to do with all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, beginning with Sonnet 29: “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” — how sad it starts. Analysis will follow the poem, after the jump. (I did get into the class by the way, *g*.)

When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf Heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least:
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee,–and then my state
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings’.

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