Month: March 2009

I just saw a reference to this book on Twitter, and while I don’t have it personally, I like the idea and think it merits a post for those who might be interested.  Shakespeare mentions flowers.  A lot.  Who can forget Ophelia’s violets “that all withered when my father died”, or Oberon’s “bank where the wild thyme blows”? A Gathering of Flowers from Shakespeare looks to provide visual images to go with the mental picture you already have.  I wish somebody would show inside the book!  I can’t find sample pictures at all, and that seems a tremendous lost opportunity.  Anyway, sounds like a potential great idea if you or someone you know is into nature, flowers, gardening… that sort of thing.  Heck, I’d get it if I didn’t already have a stack of Shakespeare books as tall as my kids.

http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2009/03/the_bard_of_the.html A very good mapping of Merchant of Venice onto the current financial crisis beleaguering the US economy. When all Antonio’s "argossies" reportedly wreck at the same time — a wildly improbable event predicted by none of Antonio’s complex statistical models and, as we have seen, completely discounted by him — his over-leveraged balance sheet sends him spinning into bankruptcy and ruin.

I was wondering last night, has anybody done a meaningful version of Midsummer Night’s Dream that focuses entirely on the Mechanicals?  Imagine just cutting out all everything having to do with the young Athenians and you’re left with simple entertainment – they rehearse their play for the wedding of the Duke, the fairies interfere, all is resolved, and we get the climax / happy ending when they do it fact get chosen to perform for the Duke. Not saying it would be a great show on its own, but I could see it having some legs.

http://www.starobserver.com.au/entertainment/2009/03/25/shakespeares-daughter-accused/5084 Interesting play about a case in 1613 that saw one Susanna Hall, eldest daughter of William Shakespeare, accused of adultery and having a venereal disease. Always interesting to see stories involving Shakespeare’s children, we don’t hear much about them after they’re grown and on their own.

Last night I’m busy putting the girls to bed, so my wife’s got the boy.  I hear from down the hallway, “I sang you all the songs!  Mommy doesn’t know Shakespeare, Daddy sings that one!” 🙂