Spotted on Yahoo! Answers : What did Shakespeare have to say about bullying in Hamlet, Act I?
I thought it an interesting question. I don’t think that Shakespeare was trying to make any particular statement on that subject. I think that “bullying” as we know it is a pretty new name for what’s a pretty old concept. Hasn’t the big and powerful guy always forced his will upon the littler guy, regardless of what you call it?
But part of the fun is in finding today’s issues in Shakespeare’s work, we know that. So who are the bullies in Hamlet?
I saw a production once where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were big skinhead dudes, like soccer hooligans, who made it perfectly clear that if Hamlet didn’t do what they wanted, he was in for a beating. I’ve always remembered that “Where is Polonius?” interrogation scene, because every time Claudius asked it, one of them bodily threw Hamlet across the stage.
What about the ghost itself? Isn’t there a case to be made that Hamlet’s only taken on this act of revenge because the ghost made him do it?
Then of course there’s Ophelia’s relationship with her brother and father. I wouldn’t say that Laertes is a bully, but Polonius certainly can be. Laertes’ “Watch out for Hamlet” is Polonius “I forbid you to see him.”
Discuss.

[UPDATED – Sorry if you saw the original, blank, post. ]

At a recent marketing and branding conference, “Chief Content Officer — and Shakespearean scholar” Brad Berens got up to speak about Shakespeare and branding:

Aside from all the obvious and enduring cultural references and adaptations of Shakespeare’s work over the centuries, we don’t typically think of Shakespeare as a successful brand story. But we should, Berens said, because the way he created, bonded with, and nurtured his customer base has valuable and highly applicable lessons for marketers today. In essence what he did back in The Globe Theater in the 1500s, Berens said, is move from meaning transmission to environment cultivation.

I’m curious whether others find deeper meaning in the examples the article provides, or if this is just another case of people using the magic word Shakespeare to make their point.  Do we think that Shakespeare was at all interested in “brand”, the way we know it today?  Do we think that he was pursuing it without ever realizing it?  Surely there was name recognition, at least.  But being recognized as good at your job, versus actively pursuing a strategy of getting your name recognized, are two very different things.

I’m not quite sure how to describe Sonnet 155, but I’m excited to have found it.
What if a musician went out to a variety of people, actors, fellow musicians, etc… and asked them about the most important themes in Shakespeare? Then our travelling musician combines all their answers with Shakespeare’s words and produces something very, very new. A fascinating combination of classical and rock music with spoken word performance is what follows.
It’s called an album, but on the web site it speaks of tickets and prices as if there’s a live show. I wonder if there is (or will be) video?
Check it out, let me know what you think.

On this the anniversary of his death, I went hunting for references to Shakespeare and Stanley Kubrick. What I found was a quote from the man himself (Kubrick that is – Shakespeare was relatively silent on his impressions of Stanley):

How do you explain the kind of fascination that Alex exercises on the audience?

I think that it’s probably because we can identify with Alex on the unconscious level. The psychiatrists tell us the unconscious has no conscience — and perhaps in our unconscious we are all potential Alexes. It may be that only as a result of morality, the law and sometimes our own innate character that we do not become like him. Perhaps this makes some people feel uncomfortable and partly explains some of the controversy which has arisen over the film. Perhaps they are unable to accept this view of human nature. But I think you find much the same psychological phenomena at work in Shakespeare’s Richard III. You should feel nothing but dislike towards Richard, and yet when the role is well played, with a bit of humour and charm, you find yourself gradually making a similar kind of identification with him. Not because you sympathize with Richard’s ambition or his actions, or that you like him or think people should behave like him but, as you watch the play, because he gradually works himself into your unconscious, and recognition occurs in the recesses of the mind. At the same time, I don’t believe anyone leaves the theatre thinking Richard III or Alex are the sort of people one admires and would wish to be like.

Emphasis mine. If you don’t recognize the context, they are speaking of the lead character in A Clockwork Orange.
Full interview (or, at least, the public excerpts) available here.

Last week I published my review of Pocket Posh Shakespeare, a collection of 100 Shakespeare-themed word puzzles from The Puzzle Society.

And now I’ve got three (3) copies to give away!

How Do You Enter?

First, let’s start with a puzzle. That is the theme, after all:

TW FGL SXWSJV; LZW AKDW AK XMDD GX FGAKWK,
KGMFVK SFV KOWWL SAJK, LZSL YANW VWDAYZL SFV ZMJL FGL.

You can start by attempting this cipher (link goes to a definition of this puzzle type, if you’re unfamiliar). As I mentioned in my review of the book, your knowledge of Shakespeare should help you solve the puzzle, otherwise is it really a Shakespeare puzzle?

Second, email me your answer. I’m just looking for the quote, you don’t have to send me the mapping of all 26 letters. (Even if you can’t quite solve it, see below….)

Optionally, follow me on Twitter and help me promote the contest. Remember, publishers give their products away as promotional items, and they want to see as many people as possible take part. Successful contests means more giveaways in the future!

Comment on this post if you want, but please do so only to talk about the game or ask questions. Do NOT post solutions (I’ll delete them as fast as I spot them) or consider a comment left here to be your entry into the contest.

How Do You Win?

Ok, I’m going to put a spin on this, so pay attention. I’ve got 3 copies to give away. *TWO (2)* copies will be given to randomly chosen entrants who provide the correct solution. *ONE (1)* copy will be given to someone randomly chosen from people who do *not* have the correct, complete solution, but instead provide only a partial one.

You heard that correctly. Even if you cannot solve the puzzle, do your best and send in an answer anyway! Part of the mission of this blog has always been to encourage people to learn more about Shakespeare, so it doesn’t seem right to punish people who may not yet be familiar enough with the topic to recognize the chosen quote. Entirely blank entries will not be counted.

When is the Deadline?

I’ll be collecting entries through end of day Thursday, March 10. Winners will be chosen as described above – 2 from among the correct solutions, 1 from the incorrect solutions. On the off chance that there are not at least 2 correct solutions entered, I’ll naturally have to adjust accordingly.

I will attempt to contact the winners beginning Friday, March 11. Please note that to receive your prize I’ll need to get your mailing address, which will then be sent along to the publisher. I say this in the interest of full disclosure, as I will not be the one doing the mailing.