“COOL: SAN FRANCISCO & SHAKESPEARE”

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 »

“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 »