Interesting find here at “Dewey Dink” blog called, “Shakespeare, or, How To Destroy At Elizabethan Idol.”  It seems to start with the premise of “You think Shakespeare was trying to make a bold statement about what was wrong with his culture, but really he was just playing into what he knew would work.”  Which we’ve heard before – the whole “is Merchant of Venice anti-Semitic, or what?” argument. I’m linking it, though, for the emphasis that the author puts on messages left by Shakespeare in character names.  They include:

Othello –> a cross between “brothel” and “bordello” Desdemona –> contains “demon” right there in the middle Romeo –>  “Rome”, a symbol of the Catholic Church Juliet –> “J”esus Rosaline –> Rosa, the Rose, aka Virgin Mary Lear –> leer, a suggestive sidelong glance suggestive of sexual desire or malice Hamlet –> a small village without a church (emphasis his) Macbeth –> …beth –> Elizabeth, as in Queen Elizabeth Shylock –> wedlock / warlock Portia –> Porcius –> Pig

http://deweydink.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/shakespeare-or-how-to-destroy-an-elizabethan-idol/

Why did I never hear that Eric Harris, one of the Columbine school shooters, quoted Shakespeare all over the place? http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/keeping-kids-safe/200910/shakespeare-and-school-shooters-part-1

The first reference is a quotation from The Tempest: “Good wombs have born bad sons.” Eric wrote this in his school planner on the day marked “Mother’s Day” (he also reportedly recited the line on a video he made about the upcoming attack).

The article in general I think is a little weak, I’m more interested in the Shakespeare connection.  Oh, he has an overachieving brother so you think that maybe he’s referring to himself as the bad son, that maybe he’s got some image issues, feels like he disappointed his mother?  You need a degree to read that into it? Then the article takes a bit of a leap, though, with the second reference:

Eric also made another reference to The Tempest. He complained about people who “criticize anyone who isn’t one your social words, ‘normal’ or ‘civilized’ – see: Tempest and Caliban.”

  What the article does not mention (does anybody know the answer to this?) is whether, being a high school student, Harris had in fact just read The Tempest?  It’s not uncommon – just watch Twitter – for kids in the middle of their literature homework to identify with aspects of the particular story, whatever it may be.  If you tell me he was an overachieving kid in his own right who was never assigned Shakespeare, but who read it of his own accord and made the connections himself, I’ll find it fascinating.  But if he’s quoting The Tempest just because it was on his homework that week, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal any more than if he’d had Cheerios that morning and commented on those.

I don’t follow any of the late night talk shows.  I did notice, courtesy FeliciaDay on Twitter, that Jude Law, who is currently doing Hamlet on Broadway, was on Jimmy Fallon.  Normally that wouldn’t ping my radar at all, since rolling credits on people is common in such references.  I can’t tell you how many stories about Gwynneth Paltrow I’ve read just because she was in Shakespeare in Love.  Or Joseph Fiennes, now starring in the new series Flash Forward, for the same reason. But the story cropped up a couple of times, and I got some more information.  Not only does Law engage in a Nerf duel with Jimmy Fallon, but he “reads dramatically” from Lady Gaga’s hit(?), Poker Face. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/09/jude_law_takes_a_break_from_sh.html It’s a short clip, but if you’re interested in such things you might find it fun.  They don’t actually talk about anything in the 3 minutes of this clip, so I’m left wondering if this was like the closing portion of a longer segment or something.

Today (September 30) is my ninth wedding anniversary. My ever patient wife Kerry, bless her heart, knew I was a Shakespeare geek when she married me.  I even said, during my proposal, that there’ll be time enough for Shakespeare. Since then I’ve generally showered her with Shakespeare every time the opportunity presents itself .  I whispered Sonnet 17 in her ear during our wedding dance.  I made her a Shakespearean infinity bracelet.  I write stuff on Valentine’s Day cards. And much to her credit, bless her heart, she’s driven 100 miles to sit through King Lear with me, buys me Shakespeare toys, and kept me from making a translated Bottom of myself when one of our friends said that Taming of the Shrew is better than Hamlet.  Every now and then she surprises me, too. And let’s not forget that I’ve turned our beautiful children into raging geeklets as well.  She takes it all in stride. So for our anniversary this year I thought I’d introduce her to the site.  Or, rather, the site to her.  She knows I’ve got a blog.  I tell everybody that will listen.  She sees the steady stream of books, DVDs and the occasional t-shirt with a rubber chicken on it show up at the door.  But she goes to bed hours before I do, and the last thing she’ll often hear from me before drifting off to sleep is “Going to work on the blog.”  It only seems right to give her a peek at what that part of my life means. So.  Kerry, this is everybody.  Happy Anniversary, Sweetie.  O that thou didst know how many fathom deep I am in love! O know, sweet love, I always write of you, And you and love are still my argument; So all my best is dressing old words new, Spending again what is already spent: For as the sun is daily new and old, So is my love still telling what is told. We are in the very wrath of love, clubs shall not part us.  Haply I think on thee!  For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings that I would scorn to change my state with kings.   Everybody, this is Kerry.  Say hi, Geeks.   If you’ve got any good quotes to drop on us, let us hear it.