Category: Shakespeare Plays

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the most influential playwrights in history, and his plays have been performed and studied for centuries. From the timeless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to the hilarious antics of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s plays continue to captivate audiences around the world. Whether you’re a fan of tragedy, comedy, or romance, there’s a Shakespeare play for everyone. So why not revisit these timeless classics and discover the magic of Shakespeare for yourself?

Browse the entire text of Shakespeare’s plays right here on Shakespeare Geek.

Our Newest Shakespeare Resource

~ duane ~ 2 Comments

As a computer programmer, one of the things that drew me to Shakespeare so many years ago was that it’s just an extensive public-domain database. Likewise, as a web developer, I’ve always had ideas for what kind of interface I would make for browsing Shakespeare’s work. My favorite’s always been the MIT site. I like the idea of having the entire play on one page so I can easily search for a word or quote to ensure I’m not about to say something wrong. Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but the MIT site went down at some point several months ago and … stayed down. Just like that, a daily Shakespeare resource that had been around for 30 years (one of the few that can say it’s been around longer than me!) was gone, with no word about what happened.

That sounds like motivation to me! With absolutely fascinating help from the various AI tools now available, I am exceedingly proud to present my latest contribution to the Shakespeare Universe…

The Complete Plays of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is watching you.

Feel free to go check it out! But then come back so I can tell you what it’s got.

Behold The Latest Searchable Shakespeare Resource Site

  • Each entire play is available on a single web page, so we keep that search ability I love.
  • Each line tells you context. One of my biggest problems with the MIT site is that I’d find the line I wanted and say, “Ok, where did this occur so I can cite it properly?” Now we know. Each line tells you.
  • Better – the reference is a link. You can jump right to that line and save that URL. Perfect for sharing, which I hope people do!
  • Summaries! I wanted to consider the possibility that some visitors may need help understanding what they’re looking at. This is one place the AI helped. Every play, act, and scene has an AI-generated summary. They are hidden by default to stay out of the way, but if you hit that button in the footer, you can check them out. Let me know what you think!
  • Quick links to each act so you can bounce around the play easily without having to scroll all over the place.
  • This new resource can also be found in the main menu under Plays, so you never have to go hunting for it.

Feedback Wanted

I hope everybody enjoys this new Shakespeare resource! Please let me know what you think. This is the initial launch, so I am sure of two things:

One, there will be bugs. I have not been through every line of every play yet. I wrote code to generate this, obviously. If there are places where the text formatting went off the rails a bit, my version probably does as well.

Two, I will keep changing it. Whenever I poke around, I think of something else I want to add. Most importantly, I plan to add a “Download Printable Version” button to each play. Because printing a web page never really works how you want it to. I also wonder whether I could add some “resources” type thing. Scenes would come with links to watch their performance on Youtube or something. I don’t want it too dense. I think the simplicity of the “entire play searchable on one page” is most important. But it’s fun to explore what will make it the most helpful resource it can be.

So, there you go! Take it for a spin, and let me know your feedback. Did you break it? What should I change or add? I can’t wait to hear from everyone! Tell all your friends! Shakespeare makes life better!

P.S. – Oh, the MIT site then went ahead and stole my thunder by coming back online. *shakes fist* I could have left that part out of the story but that’s not what we’re about here people. The more Shakespeare resources the merrier!

Caliban’s Conclusion

~ 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.

Starring Richard Pryor As Hamlet?

~ 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!

Al Pacino As King Lear. Again?

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AI's idea of Al Pacino as King Lear
Al Pacino as King Lear (AI version)

If Collider is to be believed, Al Pacino as King Lear is coming sometime in 2024. Normally I’d be excited by this. But, you see, you get jaded when you’ve been doing this for nearly twenty years.

You remember when you first heard about the idea…in 2009:

https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2009/02/al-pacino-as-king-lear.html

Seriously, has Pacino ever had it in him to play Lear?  He’s been a great actor, no doubt – but has he ever really had that kind of range?

I guess I wasn’t too keen on the idea back then. But in fairness, I was still pretty new to the game.

Random references to this movie haunt my archives, such as this one from 2011:

https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2011/09/look-at-all-shakespeare-movies.html/

Which I like, in hindsight, because at least 4 of the movies mentioned did eventually come out.

How did I feel about it in 2015, where Pacino plays an actor performing King Lear?

https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2015/04/pacino-as-king-lear-why-else-would-i.html

I’m ok with that, though, because it means we get to watch Al Pacino perform some of King Lear.

Apparently, in those intervening years, I started to look forward to Pacino doing King Lear

So here we are looking ahead to 2024, thirteen years after the rumor started. Will this be the one? Will we finally see Al Pacino’s version of King Lear? Time will tell!

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Guest Post : Zounds, A Rat!

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Dana Gower has been a follower of ShakespeareGeek for years, mostly via Facebook, and often sends me interesting links and curiosities. He runs his own page ShaksperFauxFest. Ask him his thoughts on Sonnet 136 if you get the chance. When he sent me his thoughts on an interesting Mercutio/Marlowe connection I offered him the opportunity for a guest post!

Did William Shakespeare publicly accuse Queen Elizabeth and her advisers of ordering the murder of Christopher Marlowe?

On May 30, 1593, Marlowe died after being stabbed at a Deptford inn. The London theaters were closed at the time due to the plague, but shortly after they reopened, Shakespeare presented a new play. Not everyone may agree, but it appears fairly certain that “Romeo and Juliet” was presented in 1594 (not 1597), and that the character of Mercutio was included in order to allow Shakespeare to mention Marlowe’s death.

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe
Mercutio? Is that you?

There are a number of hints throughout the play tying Marlowe to Mercutio, but there is one stunning phrase that makes Shakespeare’s intent clear. It tends to be overlooked by, and can be confusing to, modern audiences, but it would have been clear to many of Shakerspeare’s own. Early in the play, Tybalt, the character who will kill Mercutio, has been called “more than the prince of cats” and the “king of cats.” The reference is to a series of animal tales, still popular in Shakespeare’s time, that included a cat variously named Tybalt, Tybert, or Tibert. Shakespeare clearly has named Tybalt as the cat. As he dies, Mercutio calls out, “Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death.” That phrase is a reference to a piece of doggerel from the time of King Richard III, which would have been well-known to Shakespeare, writer of the English history plays, and to many in his audience:

“The Rat, the Cat, and Lovell, our Dog
Rule over England under the Hog.”

The Hog, of course, was Richard, whose personal badge was the white boar. The Rat, the Cat, and Lovell, the Dog, represent Richard’s closest advisers. The Rat is Sir Richard Ratcliffe. The Cat is William Catesby. A descendent of Catesby’s, Robert Catesby, would one day become a leader in the Gunpowder Plot against King James the First and members of Parliament. Francis Lovell, First Viscount Lovell, was a longtime supporter and close friend of Richard’s. His heraldic device was the white wolf, but the poem probably was referring to him as Richard’s lapdog. These men were the closest of Richard’s inner circle.

If you move these positions up to Shakespeare’s own time, you have Queen Elizabeth and her own inner circle of advisers, with Queen Elizabeth taking the part of the Mouse. I don’t know which of her advisers were meant to take the place of the Dog, the Cat, and the Rat, but it really doesn’t matter. By having Mercutio label Tybalt, his killer, as the Cat, Shakespeare clearly is laying Marlowe’s death squarely at their feet.
Shakespeare’s response to Marlowe’s death, an act of incredible courage, had no immediate effect. Marlowe, of course, was still dead. None of the men said to have been with him at the time were ever held to account, and no one else dared, as far as I can tell, to publicly tie his death to the queen. Still, Shakespeare had made his point: “We are watching.”

I’ve borrowed most of this from a very short book I just self-published on Amazon, “Remembering Mercutio: Some thoughts on Michael Hastings’ death.” This is the only part about Shakespeare, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to mention, “Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat…” The connection between Marlowe and Mercutio is well-known, but I think the meaning of that line has been forgotten. I’d love to hear what everybody thinks.