I do so love Shakespeare Day.

I try to get a little Shakespeare into all my days.  I can’t crank out the posts like I used to (once upon a time averaging more than two per day), both because life’s gotten in the way more often than not but also because it feels like we’ve done everything already.

But I’ve “decorated my life” with Shakespeare and it gives me no end of joy when somebody says to me, “I saw something about Shakespeare the other day and thought of you.”   In fact I ran into a new coworker in the company kitchen last week and I said, “I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet, I’m Duane.”

He shook my hand and said, “I don’t think we have, but I know you. You’re the Shakespeare man.”

Just one of the myriad ways Shakespeare makes my life better.

This year we’re doing a retrospective. It’d be impossible for me to link to the dozens upon dozens of marathon posts I’ve made on April 23 each year, but just like I’m doing now I like to kick it off the same way…

Shakespeare Day 2017

Shakespeare Day 2016

Shakespeare Day 2015

Shakespeare Day 2014

Shakespeare Day 2013

Shakespeare Day 2012

Shakespeare Day 2010

Have fun browsing through the years!

For those folks who follow on Twitter I’ve set up an extra special treat – all day long I’ll be retweeting some of our most popular jokes and hashtag games from across the years.  My very special thanks to Bardfilm and all my loyal Shakespeare geeks who’ve brought more Shakespeare into the world for everybody.

This year I am going to ask a favor. There’s going to be a bunch of links to all my latest merchandise, both on Amazon (where you can get t-shirts, both long and short sleeve, as well as sweatshirts and hoodies) and Red Bubble where you can get other merchandise (stickers, phone cases and so on).  If you’ve enjoyed Shakespeare Geek over the years and want to help it continue forever, I’d appreciate your support. Even if you don’t see anything that’s right for you, surely most of us have a Shakespeare friend that’s got a birthday coming up, don’t we?  Thanks so much for all you’ve done to keep the site running a remarkable soon to be thirteen years!

Know what I’m gonna say next?  It’s my favorite part. Ben Jonson was right. He was not of an age, but for all time.  I therefore will begin.

Soul of the age!

The applause, delight, the wonder of our stage!

My Shakespeare, rise!

Ok, how did I not know about this?  Google Arts and Culture has virtual tours (or, rather, panoramic images) of a number of Shakespeare locations including his birthplace, the Globe, Juliet’s balcony, New Place, and others.

 

I’d literally never seen Shakespeare’s birthplace in context before. The ability to simply turn my head and see what’s across the street (in this case, it appears to be some sort of cafe?) makes the whole thing real to me.  Can’t wait to get there one day.

Which one is your favorite? How many have you been to in real life?

It would be cliche for me to say, “You’re stranded on a desert island with just one book, what book do you want?” but I’ve always wanted to ask the question anyway.  I was almost interviewed for a podcast once (never happened) where the guy had a set of questions he asked everybody, and that was one of the questions, and I already knew that my was going to be, “The Complete Works, of course. Everybody says that.  But!  Which edition??”

However, that’s not my question today.  I’m stranding you with a First Folio. So it’s got no footnotes or glossary, you know exactly which plays are and are not in it, and no editors over the centuries have had a crack at changing around the spelling and punctuation as they saw fit.  You’ve got in your hands as close as you’re going to get to what Shakespeare (via Heminges and Condell) intended.

I’ll also allow you a writing implement of some sort, so you can take notes. You take with you to the island all knowledge of Shakespeare that you currently possess. You’ll be rescued at some point, it’s not like you’re going to spend the rest of your life here, but you have no idea when that will be.  Consider this just a forced vacation from life with nothing but Shakespeare to keep you company.

What do you do?  Do you read cover to cover? Do you go straight for your favorite play and read it over and over?  Or do you go to the ones you’re less familiar with?

For my part, I start with the ones that I’m somewhat familiar with, that I wish I was more so.  Richard III tops that list. Maybe Henry V. From there I work my way back to the other Henry and Richard plays, maybe eventually finding my way to King John.  I don’t know when I’ll ever get to Merry Wives of Windsor or Measure for Measure, but probably at some point if I’ve become bored with the others. I save my favorites like Tempest and Hamlet and King Lear as a treat, rewarding myself for progress through the other plays.

Who wants to go next?

 

So, what are you doing for Shakespeare’s Birthday (aka Shakespeare Day) this year, April 23, 2018?

Not so fast.

If you enjoy a good wild and crazy conspiracist theory (who doesn’t?), it looks like the world might end before we make it half way through our folios:

The world is going to end on April 23, according to terrifying new conspiracy theories.

It is the date when the sun, moon and Jupiter align in the constellation of Virgo, sparking the Biblical Rapture, it has been claimed.

On the same night, the rumoured death plant Nibiru will appear in the sky sparking a spread of madness, World War III and the rise of the Antichrist.

[Link: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/6031753/nibiru-planet-x-end-of-days-armageddon-rapture/ ]

My birthday missed Shakespeare’s by just five days, so I might as well die the same day he died.  Then again I’ll have to share that honor with 8 billion other people.Well, what can ya do?

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

*grabs popcorn*