Recalling William Shakespeare

This year is the 450th birth anniversary of the Bard. Ardent students of English Literature ought to do something about it. 

Some suggestions from me: discussions on 

Shakespeare’s sonnets

Shakespeare’s villains

Shakespeare’s Clowns

Shakespeare’s heroines

Any new trend, usage etc that’s credited to Shakespeare 

Quotations fom Shakespeare

I’ve heard that the usage-Jealousy, the green-eyed monster- is credited to Shakespeare.

I remember the term ‘motiveless malignity’ which was attributed to Iago’s character. I loved the hindi film ‘Omkara’ which was a desi version of “Othello’ and Saif Ali Khan was a revelation as Langda Thyagi( desi Iago) and stole the show from the rest of the cast. I say, Iago and Shylock can give any other character a run for their money.

While on Shylock, I recall a scene from the movie ‘To Be Or Not To Be’ the 1983 Mel Brooks film about a Polish drama troupe staging Hamlet to keep their freedom alive in Nazi occupied Poland. They stage TMOV in the climax as an escape manouvre.Shylock’s defence -

Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, heal’d by the same means,
warm’d and cool’d by the same winter and summer
as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,
do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.
If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility?
Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his
sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge.
The villainy you teach me, I will execute,
and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.
(Act III, scene I)

gave me goose bumps.

I recall ‘Tarry a little, Jew!’ (Portia in disguise); ‘Pound of flesh‘; and ‘ Daniel has come to judgement!’ as quotes that are etched in my memory from TMOV.

Tho’ I endorse the view that we don’t need special designated days for celebrating, sometimes I do need them to focus on things and people who I might otherwise take for granted. On that note, thank God for 23rd April!

A teaser with the titles of Shakespeare’s plays as answers:

1. Who were the bride and bridegroom?

2. Who gave the bride away?

3. Who solemnised the wedding?

4. Who were the best men?

5. What was the ceremony like?

6. How did he reply to her demands in the beginning?

7. When did things start to go wrong?

8. What was life like thereafter?

9. What were  his manouvres all about?

10. What did she give him?

11. When they decided to make up, what did eveyone say?

-well, this quiz didn’t come from my backyard-it is a vague recollection of one hosted by our senior Janaki (chubby, fair and curly haired) while we were in our second year. 

I feel almost all of Shakespeare’s characters were ‘flat’ and ’round’and the women were strong more or less.

I remember Lady Macbeth’s sleep- walking and hysterical bouts of guilt:

 “What, will these hands ne’er be clean? … Here’s the smell of the blood still: All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” 

 The quality of Mercy is not strained…when Mercy seasons Justice-from TMOV

 All the world is a stage...from AS You Like It

 And -

“When shall we three meet again-in thunder, lightning or in rain?” by the witches in Macbeth.

Shakespeare’s sonnets are a separate topic altogether

 Answers to the quiz:

1.Romeo & Juliet/ Antony & Cleopatra

2. King Lear/TMOV/HenryV/RichardIII….

3.Any of the remaining from 2 above

4.Three Gentlemen of Verona

5.A Midsummer Night’s dream

6.As You Like It

7. Twelfth Night

8. Tempest

9. Taming of the shrew

10.Measure for Measure

11.Much Ado About Nothing/ All Is Well that ends Well