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Caliban’s Conclusion

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023 ~ duane ~ 1 Comment

I asked an AI what happens to Caliban. Specifically, all I asked was this:

Write me a mysterious but thrilling 500 word story on what happens to Caliban after Prospero and Miranda leave him alone on the island. Write it for a fifth grade reading level. One element it must include is the return of Ariel.

AI-generated Caliban and Ariel having a chat — AI still can’t grasp that our Ariel isn’t a mermaid, but I think the Caliban came out pretty good.

I didn’t play with the prompt much, I think this is literally the first iteration. I was not ready for what I got back.

Once upon a time, on a mystical island, there lived a creature named Caliban. Caliban was a strange being, half-human and half-monster, abandoned and left to wander the island by his former master, Prospero, and Prospero’s daughter, Miranda.

As the days turned into nights and the years slipped away, Caliban found solace in the beauty of the island. He roamed freely, discovering hidden caves, glistening waterfalls, and mysterious creatures that called the island their home.

One moonlit evening, as Caliban sat by the shore, gazing at the shimmering waves, a familiar voice whispered in the wind. It was Ariel, the magical spirit who had once served Prospero. Caliban’s heart skipped a beat as he turned to see Ariel hovering before him.

“Caliban,” Ariel spoke, his voice as ethereal as the breeze. “I have returned to this island to guide you on a remarkable journey. Prospero’s magic has faded, and it is time for you to uncover your own destiny.”

Caliban’s eyes widened in awe and curiosity. He eagerly agreed to follow Ariel and discover what lay ahead. Together, they embarked on a thrilling adventure, braving treacherous mountains, crossing enchanted forests, and unraveling secrets hidden deep within the island’s heart.

As they ventured deeper, they encountered ancient spirits who shared tales of forgotten magic and the power that resided within Caliban. They revealed that he possessed an extraordinary gift, a connection to the very essence of the island itself.

With each step, Caliban felt a surge of newfound confidence. He learned to harness the elements, commanding wind and water, understanding the language of the trees, and befriending the creatures that dwelled in the shadows.

As Caliban grew stronger, the island responded to his touch. Flowers bloomed brighter, animals danced with delight, and even the trees whispered their secrets to him. Caliban felt a deep sense of belonging, knowing that he was an integral part of this magical place.

One fateful day, when the sun kissed the horizon, Caliban stood atop a cliff overlooking the vast ocean. He embraced his newfound powers, calling upon the winds to rise. His voice echoed across the island as he chanted ancient incantations, commanding the ocean to reveal its secrets.

With a mighty roar, the sea complied. From its depths emerged a magnificent ship, guided by the very currents that Caliban had summoned. On the ship stood Prospero and Miranda, their eyes filled with wonder and astonishment.

Prospero’s face softened with remorse as he realized the incredible growth and strength Caliban had achieved in his absence. He approached Caliban with humility, acknowledging his former servant’s newfound power and the greatness that resided within him.

And so, Caliban and Prospero reconciled, forming a bond built on respect and understanding. Caliban chose to remain on the island, to protect its enchantment and continue his magical journey, guided by Ariel’s wisdom and the love of the island that had become his true home.

And as the ship sailed away, carrying Prospero and Miranda into the horizon, Caliban embraced his destiny. He stood tall, a guardian of the island’s magic, ready to write his own tale of mystery, adventure, and the power that lies within the heart of a forgotten soul.

Not bad! It went to “Caliban had the magic of the island in him the whole time” all by itself, and threw in a reconciliation with Prospero even though I didn’t ask for that. Sure, it doesn’t exactly map to any character development within the original, but I don’t pose these hypotheticals for accuracy, I do it for creativity. I mean, come on … the power that lies within the heart of a forgotten soul as we leave Caliban on the island? That’s pretty good stuff coming from a computer.

Best Of Not By Shakespeare

May 29, 2023May 27, 2023 ~ duane ~ Leave a comment

A significant portion of my traffic – I’m talking strong double digits here – is related to my collection of Not By Shakespeare posts. Once upon a time, I started collecting those social media posts that you see all the time with quotes like “When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” And they’re attributed to Shakespeare, and you know perfectly well they’re not by Shakespeare. You can never find a reference to what play (or sonnet or poem) the original came from because there isn’t one.

Then again, traffic’s traffic, so I might as well lean into it!

Follow My Mother

May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 ~ duane ~ Leave a comment

Hamlet is typically seen as a study of father/son dynamics. You’ve got Hamlet avenging his father, Laertes/Polonius, Fortinbras, and his father. However, my interpretation of the play has always been more concerned with his relationship with his mother. “It’s oft been my contention that was ultimately spurs Hamlet to action is the death of his mother. “Mother, you have my father much offended,” might be my favorite line in the play. It truly captures his anguish at the position in which he finds himself. But when he tells Claudius, “Follow my mother,” what exactly is he thinking?

Follow My Mother

Recently, however, a different line caught my eye. In the final scene, when all is revealed, Hamlet knows that Claudius poisoned Gertrude. We’ll set aside for the moment the fact that Hamlet has also proven that Claudius murdered his father, too. Pouring poison down the dying king’s throat, Hamlet says, “Follow my mother.”

Here’s my question. Hamlet knows where his father is and why:

I am thy father’s spirit,
Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confin’d to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purg’d away.
Act I Scene v

Without a chance to confess his sins and cleanse his soul, Hamlet’s father doesn’t get his ticket into heaven. This is the whole issue of why he didn’t kill Claudius when he had the chance:

Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;
And now I’ll do’t. And so he goes to heaven,
And so am I reveng’d. That would be scann’d.
A villain kills my father; and for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.
Act III Scene iii

Hamlet’s already made clear that he doesn’t think Claudius deserves to be sent to Heaven. So when he says, “Follow my mother,” where does Hamlet think his mother has gone? Does he believe that his mother’s sins have damned her?

Hamlet’s been concerned (some might say overly so) with Gertrude’s sinful behavior throughout the play. The word incestuous appears five times in the play (twice said by Hamlet’s father, three times by Hamlet). But when he confronts his mother in her bedroom, he still feels that there must be an opportunity for redemption because he tells her not to let the “bloat King tempt you to bed.”

Still, she’s sent to the undiscovered country with no opportunity to confess her sins, just like her first husband. Will she, too, be doomed to walk the night? Does this thought even cross Hamlet’s mind? The ghost did tell him, “Leave her to Heaven,” so she doesn’t get to escape judgment.

I don’t know if there is an answer. If I found a half dozen actors that have played Hamlet and asked them, they may never have thought of it. That’s part of the fun of Hamlet, that you can read it dozens of times and constantly find something new. Even researching this post, I found something else I’d never spotted before, which will probably become a new post on its own.

Starring Richard Pryor As Hamlet?

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023 ~ duane ~ Leave a comment

Bardfilm and I have something of a game we like to play of looking for “could be Shakespeare” references in old movies. Not cases where people randomly quote Shakespeare, that’s easy. I mean moments that, in context, have nothing to do with Shakespeare but that we as Shakespeare geeks recognize could have been.

Recently I’ve been on a Gen X / 80s / Retro kick, going through the movies of my teen years, and I stumbled across Brewster’s Millions starring Richard Pryor and John Candy. Remember it? Pryor’s character finds out that he’s inherited $30 million, but if he gives it all away in a month, he’ll inherit $300 million. Of course, he can’t tell anybody (among other rules). Which leads to this scene where he tries to explain to his best friend, John Candy:

I’m gonna go crazy for a little while. People are going to think I’m crazy, but I’m not. Sound familiar?

Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on),
Hamlet

It’s exactly what Hamlet says to Horatio,

By itself that would just be a weird coincidence. But, dig this. He’s *just* been given the news by … a ghost. In this case, a great uncle that died and left a video-taped last will and testament. So, he’s still getting his marching orders from someone who has gone off to the undiscovered country. That’s two!

That’s still pushing it a bit, though, you say. I hear you. Then explain this? Pryor, a mediocre baseball player, makes his first phone call to his coach, played by Jerry Orbach, to tell him that he’s going to buy the team and arrange to play the New York Yankees. What does Orbach tell him?

He tells him “Nighty-night, sweet prince.”

Seriously? That’s a direct Hamlet reference (“Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest”) It has no reason to be there. Orbach’s got no context to call Pryor sweet prince. I honestly believe that the director was a Shakespeare geek who recognized the similarity in the “I’m going to pretend to be crazy but I’m not” plot and threw in an easter egg for us. Found it!

Words, words, words, words, words…

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 ~ duane ~ Leave a comment

This is a fun one. I asked ChatGPT to create a word search using words Shakespeare invented. Like most queries, no matter how convoluted or unusual, it happily says, “Sure! I can do that.” It even corrected my assumption, saying “credited with inventing” rather than “invented.” Nice. Here’s what it gave me:

T Y O R T E R W E R T Y U I O P L O I R W E A R T H Y T R I N E S T P A R T H Y L T E A M N U E N C E H O U R G L A S S E D A M N A T I E A R L O B E F U L L O M E L E T T Y B A L T S A S S I A D I A L E A L A R U M T O A D Y L A D Y B I B E S T S E L L E R A U G M E N T L U N A C Y O R G U L L E R Y O U E V E R M O R E R E F U S E F L O S T O R M Y C O N T R I V E L Y A S C U L L E R Y S H O R T C A K E S E L F L O V E V A N I T Y F A I E N A M O R E D F O O T F A L L S A N N O Y A N C E F R O W N I N G S L E E P L E S S S W A S H B A L M O O N B E A M S T A L K I N G H I N V E N T E D A R C H A I C O A L I L Y - L I V E R E D F R A N K

I don’t know about anybody else, but my first thought was, “How did Tybalt’s ass get in there??”

Spend a few minutes looking at all the prominent and primarily Shakespearean words you can find. I see sleepless, self-love, enamored, and moonbeam, to name a few.

Ready, though? Here’s the challenge. Here are the words that ChatGPT claims it hid in the puzzle. I don’t think I can find any of them:

Amazement Bedazzle Champion Eventful
Fashionable Inherit Manager Obscene
Perusal Scuffle Swagger Torture
Unaware Undress Worthless

When I asked it for an answer, it told me some words can be found in row 24. This puzzle appears to be 17×19.

I still like it for its uniqueness. It’s like refrigerator poetry. Evermore refuse, scullery shortcake. Moonbeam stalking, invented archaic. Lily-livered Frank.

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Follow My Mother