The Happy Hour Eulogy

In the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 2 opens on Claudius tapping his champagne glass to get the attention of his company. The king’s court, in this case, is presented as a cocktail party. He speaks briefly (a whole seven lines) about his brother’s passing and then moves onto other matters. His lack of grief is not only presented in the brevity of his eulogy but also in the setting the director creates. The fact that the king is serving champagne while speaking about his brother’s death is significant because of the opposing connotations of the two actions. Claudius drinks something that signifies celebration while speaking about a tragedy. 

The casual setting of what would normally be a solemn occasion highlights the fact that Claudius is unwilling to grant the event the gravity it is due. The director presents us with the idea that Claudius’s intent is not optimistic, but rather deceptive. Without the setting, his scantiness on the topic can be perceived as not wanting to dwell on the negative, but the setting creates an air of Claudius just keeping up appearances. It gives us the idea that Claudius does not actually care much about his brother’s death and therefore would prefer to change subjects. 

The fact that they serve champagne is especially interesting because I find it to be the director’s way to subtly show us that Claudius is actually glad to have his brother out of the picture. It amplifies his inner emotions without showing them outright. This keeps his intentions hidden from the rest of his court while discreetly hinting his excitement to us. In place of a heavier alcohol, the director chooses the most festive to show us that the new king is not as melancholy as one would expect after the passing of his brother.

The director also uses blocking to convey underlying meaning to the audience. While a traditional court would have the king sitting in the throne with everyone around him but easily visible and below him, the cocktail party puts him in the center of a circle. He is also on the same level as everyone. This indicates that, though he is the center of attention as the middle of the circle, he is still yet to ascend to the same level of power and respect his brother once held. He has to turn in order to address people rather than the traditional idea of staying static in his throne while the members of his court work to get his attention. His constant turning to face different people highlights that he still has to work to earn the same respect they accorded his brother.

The men's costumes (more specifically, Claudius's costume) in this scene are also notable. Everyone except for Claudius here dresses in mourning--black suits, long black ties, etc. Instead he wears a 3-piece suit including a white vest and bow tie. In the same way the service of champagne does not fit, such celebratory dress is a bit surprising for such a somber event. The white accessories to his otherwise black outfit represents the hidden elation he feels with King Hamlet out of the way.

The Incompetent Mechanicals

Act V of A Midsummer Night's Dream features the 'Rude Mechanicals' as they present their rendition of Pyramus and Thisbe in front of Theseus and Hippolyta. During the play, it becomes apparent to everyone present that the 'Rude Mechanicals' are wholly incompetent in their attempt at acting. This incompetence is put on full display when Quince practically describes the entirety of the play before it has even been acted out in front of the audience. This flies directly in the face of one of the most important rules of acting: make your audience feel like the play is real. Their incompetence is further highlighted by their constant mispronouncation, such as referring to Leander as Limander. It is in taking this incompetence and increasing it to hilarious proportions while also revealing interesting aspects of the 'Rude Mechanicals' personalities that the performance I viewed truly shines.

The performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe takes the comedy of Act V to new heights. Of particular interest in this performance were the additions made to Bottom's part and Flute's part. Bottom's lines in the play have him often forgetting his lines to the point where he has to have Peter Quince verbally remind him in front of his audience. To add to this, Bottom delivers the majority of his lines in a rather monotonous tones while yelling lines that should seemingly be delivered at a low tone such as the lines where Pyramus is supposed to be dying. In another hilarous scene, Bottom forgets to bring a sword to stab himself with to the stage despite Quince's incessant reminders at the beginning of the play. All of these scenes involving Bottom culminate to present a much different picture of Bottom than what he tried to present throughout the play. Bottom attempts to portray himself as some sort of master actor who is guaranteed to impress all in attendance. He exudes an aura of confidence in himself that borders on arrogance. The additions made by the director served to tear this facade down and depicted Bottom as being just as inadequate as the rest of his fellow actors.

In contrast, Flute's performance as Thisbe turns the way he acted in Act I on its head. In act I, Flute seems to be uncomfortable and unsure of having to play as Thisbe in the play. However, on the stage, he plays his role with complete confidence and does not make too many of the same errors Bottom made. He was by no means a good actor, but he was at least much better than one might have expected from the doubts he showed in himself in previous sections of the play. With this, Flute adds a sense of modesty to his personality that, I would assume, is meant to counteract the reinforcement of Bottom's arrogance.

Overall, Act V of A Midsummer Night's Dream serves mostly as a comedic denoument after what could have been a decent conclusion in Act IV. Part of the purpose of this comedic act seems to lie in the similarities between the situations Thisbe, Pyramus, Hermia, and Lysander all faced. It serves to highlight how easily the tale of Hermia and Lysander could have ended in tragedy while giving the audience a good laugh. The performance shown at the Globe highlights the comedic portion of this scene while also taking the opportunity to add some more personality to Flute and Bottom. It will be interesting to see how this act is handled in the performance the class will be seeing soon.

Bottom's Up

Act IV Scene I

Act IV Scene II

Act IV Scene I of A Midsummer Night’s Dream strings along the newfangled—and far-fetched—romance between Bottom the Horse-Headed and Titania the Queen of the Fairies. Disclaimer: The video I selected was obviously a low-budget ensemble, and though at times the shoddily built scenery and drabness of the costumes detract from the sensory experience, it still accurately captures the essence of the text.

Compiled of cardboard planks, the scenery portrays the woods in a rather two-dimensional way. Interestingly, the director cast children as the barefoot fairies Peaseblossom, Cobweb, and Mustardseed, not adults as one would assume. Whether the director decided this for practical purposes or mistakenly overlooked details, these children were also girls—even though Bottom refers to each of them as “monsieur”. 

As in many instances throughout, the visual medium clarifies scenes that seemed unmerited or misplaced in the text. Take, for example, the point where Bottom has the fairy Peaseblossom scratch his head; in the video, the fairy runs her hand down his whole head, reminding the audience that he is still befallen by the donkey head debacle. By just reading the text, one may mistake this for a pointless request and miss its playfulness. Tragically, this version misses a great opportunity, brushing over some of Bottom’s wittiest and most inept lines. In one particular series, Bottom should have stated, “I must to the barber’s, / monsieur, for methinks I am marvels hairy about / the face. And I am such a tender ass, if my hair do / but tickle me, I must scratch.” (4.1.24-27) Coupled with the fluffy horse’s head and his drowsy drawl, this moment certainly would have sent the audience reeling.  

What this rendition lacks in wise verse selection it compensates for with the addition of previously unincluded bits. Bundles of unintelligible gabble follow many of Bottom’s extended speeches as if to add to his sleepy bliss. For instance, Titania and Bottom have sequence that Shakespeare originally wrote only for Titania (bolded):

 Titania: “Oh how I love thee!”

 Bottom: (Affectionately mutters, “Uh...”)

 Titania: “Oh how I dote on thee!”

 Bottom: (Ecstatically and loudly replies “Uhhhuhuhhuuh!”)

After watching these scenes, it is difficult to discern if the director planned the interjections or if the actors threw them in to get a rise out of the crowd. Either way, they add an unexpected and enjoyable facet of humor.

The director chooses, and rightly so, an emotional and sensitive depiction of Oberon’s soliloquy. Filled with great pity and remorse, the actor drops his voice and gazes fondly upon his wife from afar. His passionate words evince this, as he proclaims, “And may all to Athens back again repair / And think no more of this night's accidents / but as the fierce vexation of a dream.” (4.1.6-70) Following this moment of pause and deep regret, he applies nectar to Titania’s eyes and she awakes, no longer under the spell. Whereas a reader may regard Oberon’s next line as plain fact, the actor delivers it as a backhanded jab to Titania’s blindness. His snide comment, "There lies your love", almost takes a proud stance against Titania's usual position of authority (4.1.79). Fraught with her own missteps, Titania affirms, "O, how mine eyes do loathe his visage now," confessing the deception that eyes often emit (4.1.81) In closing, Oberon orders Robin—depicted by a woman, not a man—to whisk away Bottom's donkey head, returning the scene to past normalcy.

In the next movement, Egeus, Theseus, and Hippolyta stumble upon the lovers, shocked to see those once filled with "hatred" and "jealousy" calmly sleeping beside one another. (4.1.150) They make amends and depart for home. Much to his chagrin, Bottom awakes alone, reaffirming his cluelessness and his role outside the circle of four main characters.

Marking the change of scene, flute notes resound until the proper characters (Quince, Flute, and Snug) enter the center of the stage. The dialogue that ensues laments the loss of Bottom, whom they presume dead. Just as the actor that plays Flute begins to cry, the entry of Bottom interrupts and shifts the tone from sorrow to jubilation. Ending on a light note, Bottom inspires his fellow "rude mechanicals" with a light-hearted remark: "Eat no onion nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath...No more words. Away!" (4.2.42-45) Crucially, this reinforces the distinction between comedy and tragedy, where disorder eventually ends in serenity and progress—not death and pain.  

The Strange, Mystical Dream Continues

In Act Three, we see many different storylines continuing to intertwine. As the 'rude mechanics' continue working on their play, Bottom's head turns into one of an ass(ironic being that is name is Bottom), and all his other partners in crime leave him. This leaves him alone with Titania, who falls in love with him despite his strange appearance, due to the magic petals we were introduced to in Act 2. At the same time we have the ongoing love affair between Helena, Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander, while Titania and Oberon continue to fight for power, however Titania becomes sidetracked. As the magic petal is used on Titania, Demetrius, and on Lysander for a second time, we see how different things have become outside of Athens. In the patriarchal society of Greece, we saw that the fathers determined what was law, and Egeus wanted his daughter, Hermia, to marry Demetrius. In the woods, however, we see a distinct contrast, where that law is now disregarded and both Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena. There is a very similar situation with Titania, who falls in love with Bottom. Titania, who is a queen, would normally never be associated with a peasant such as Bottom, let alone be in love with him. However, in this mystical dream-like state, anything goes. The only semblance of normality that remains is Helena, who despite all the magic sees clearly and notices that all that is happening around her is strange.

    The clip above depicts the scene where Titania wakes up and sees Bottom with the head of an ass, and she instantly falls in love with him. I would like to point something out about Bottom however. Before Titania even wakes up, Bottom is walking very joyfully, swinging his body back and forth as he walks. At the same time, he his singing to himself in a very upbeat manner. That subtle action shows how oblivious Bottom is to what's around him. Despite having the head of an ass, he still seems very optimistic being that he is unaware of his change in appearance. This sums up not just Bottom's personality, but the woods as a whole. It represents how the woods are not nearly as strict as Athens, and things seem to be much looser and there is more freedom among its inhabitants. This also becomes very clear with many of the changes in gender role, such as Titania being dominant over Oberon, and the change in love affairs between Helena, Demetrius, and Lysander.

I've a feeling we're not in Athens anymore

Act 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream introduces another narrative; a narrative that heavily contrasts the setting surrounding the previous two. Set in the woods outside of Athens, there is a hidden fairy kingdom run by Oberon, king of the fairies, and Titania, queen of the fairies. It is in this act that the supernatural aspect of the play comes into existence. With fairies that roam the forest and magical flowers that act as love potions, the whole setting can certainly be perceived as a dream, something touched upon in class. Despite the contrasting setting, however, several themes of the previous scenes do present themselves. For example, the quarrel between Oberon and Titania regarding how Oberon demands that Titania give him an Indian boy she is sheltering brings up the theme of how men want to control women and influence their decisions, as seen with Hermia and her father. One critical aspect of dreams that seems to come alive in the character Robin Goodfellow is how dreams often times play tricks and can be misleading or irrational. Mentioned by one of the fairies in Act 2, Robin is a mischievous and malicious hobgoblin, who represents the more shrewd side of dreams. While Robin does take on one specific characteristic of certain dreams, he certainly does not embody dreams as a whole, for the tranquil setting of the forest also presents characteristics of peaceful and relaxing dreams.Continuing on the theme of dreams, Act 2 also presents nightmares, the dreams that induce dread and anxiety. Towards the end of Act 2 Scene 2, once Lysander has fallen for Helena due to the nectar of the flower, Hermia awakens from a nightmare pleading that Lysander "pluck this crawling serpent from [her] breast" only to find him gone and not by her side (2.2.153). In her dream, Hermia recalls Lysander merely watching as the serpent attempted to eat her heart. The serpent, a sign of betrayal and malignity, represents the magic stealing away her love, as seen in its attempt to eat her heart. Throughout Act 2, multiple aspects of dreams are presented: those that are misleading, those that are tranquil, and those that strike fear. Once again, the contrast of the forest is evident through these dreams.

One of the main themes of A Midsummer Night's Dream is love and the power it exerts on the characters. Within Act 2, the characters realize the consequences when an external force tries to intervene with love's path, as seen with the flower. In Act 1, the eyes of a person serve as the windows to the inner love going on within that person. The eyes act as true testaments for the love between two people. Yet within Act 2, the eyes are influenced by the power of the love flower, which greatly affects the love inside a person. Lysander, for example, is destined to be with Hermia but once his eyes feel the nectar of the flower, they are manipulated into falling for Helena. 

Finally, after watching a performance of Act 2, it definitely helped paint a picture of what a supernatural forest would look like, The director of this specific performance chose to illuminate the set with various purple and pink lights, contributing to the tranquil and mysterious feel of the forest. Through the use of these lights as well as music, the director was able to capture the feeling of being within a mystical forest inhabited by supernatural entities. The body language of each actor expertly portrays the emotions of the character, especially during Oberon's argument with Titania. One decision that interested me the most was the choice of costumes for the four lovers who find themselves in the forest. While Oberon, Titania, and the other fairies dress accordingly with makeup and bright robes, the four Athenians are dressed in modern, everyday clothes. As a result, the characters look out of place in the magical forest, which contributes to the contrast between the lifestyle of the woods and the lifestyle of Athens, the contrast between irrationality and reality. 

Can One Truly Love A Deceiver?

Although it was not my first time experiencing a work of William Shakespeare, Othello managed to greatly surprise me by how well the plot hooked me. My only other exposure to the playwright until that point had been Macbeth, and an unconvincing junior high school performance of Romeo and Juliet. However, I swallowed Othello hook, line, and sinker for one reason: the character of Iago, the primary antagonist whom Shakespeare brought to life even more vividly than the title character.

"Lying through my teeth
 at my sadness... behind a smile."
- "All the Time" by Spirit Club

I immediately fell in love with Iago because he is a lying, two-faced hedonist who serves no master but himself. To be clear, I don't idolize Iago or wish to be like him; rather, I love his character because he is one extreme that all humans have the potential to become, but that mercifully few people do. Most people want to be perceived as good in the eyes of their peers, and they act in a way that fosters that perception. However, Iago realizes that he does not have to behave in a good manner for others to think he is good - he simply needs to appear good, even while he is doing evil. As such, he acts upon almost every evil impulse, provided that he is confident that he can get away with his conduct (a hallmark characteristic of a true sociopath). He contrasts sharply with to all the other characters in Othello who, while possessing their own vices, are essentially genuine and honest (and gullible) people.

Shakespeare's talent in creating and exploring interesting and complex characters like Iago makes me want to experience more of his works, starting with A Midsummer Night's Dream. Even more exciting is the prospect of seeing these works performed live. If these performances stay true to the spirit of Shakespeare's plays, I am confident that they will be a delight to watch.

Shakesprouse: How Zack and Cody Introduced Me to Shakespeare

I first experienced Shakespeare while watching an episode Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. The two brothers had recently out that their middle school would put on a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (the episode was aptly named Midsummer's Nightmare). Cody reacted excitedly and signed up for auditions without hesitation meanwhile Zack was not nearly as quick to join the production. Cody put Shakespeare on a pedestal as one of the greatest playwrights in history while Zack saw the metaphorical pedestal and figured that Shakespeare was only meant for English teachers and theater majors. He had the same fundamental misunderstanding of Shakespeare going in as many do, myself included.

Zack and Cody prepare for their roles by practicing mirroring techniques

I found myself in between both of the brothers' positions. In one hand, I highly respected Shakespeare for the place he made for himself in history yet my inexperience with the text kept me from fully appreciating his work. My freshman and junior year English classes, in which we read Macbeth and Othello, respectively, have since changed my views and allowed me to revere Shakespeare for his work instead of his status.

Macbeth's Murderous Machinations

           Growing up I had always heard the name Shakespeare and how his plays were unbelievably spectacular. I was never truly able to experience any of Shakespeare's work, however, until reading Macbeth in my freshman year. Despite extreme difficulties understanding the language and picking up on many symbols, I enjoyed it very much due to both its uniqueness compared to anything else I had ever read and a very intriguing, conflicted character in Macbeth. Although Macbeth is willing to kill many people including Duncan and Banquo due to an "air drawn dagger" to obtain power, he quickly starts to feel extreme guilt that manifests itself in the form of a ghost that Macbeth sees. In Othello, a play I read last year, Othello exhibits a very similar guilt after killing his wife Desdemona, which leads him to commit suicide.

The picture depicts a conversation between Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Power hungry just like her husband, Lady Macbeth differs from Macbeth in that she feels no guilt in committing these murders until much after her husband. She plays a significant role, convincing Macbeth to continue on with his murderous plot when he shows signs of hesitation. It is only towards the end of the play when Lady Macbeth feels remorseful. This tragedy ends with blood, a symbol that is seen throughout the play whenever Macbeth murders someone, when Macbeth is killed in battle by Macduff. Guilt eventually gets the best of Lady Macbeth, and after her husband's death she too dies, but by her own hand instead.

While Macbeth is my first and favorite of all Shakespeare's works, that very well may change after reading many more plays, and even seeing one throughout the trimester.

Green Thumbs: Car"tuning" Me In

He's having fun

      A go-to for filmmakers aiming to paint schoolwork as dull exercise, Shakespearean plays have been depicted as pure drudgery. It’s as though directors have deliberately gone out of their way to push students away from appreciating works of genius. Before the classroom, Shakespeare (for me) drifted in and out of movies: typical images of kids with their heads hung over textbooks, drool pooling from their lips, and eyes covered in a fog. Listening to humdrum recitals, they seemed tired, bored, and totally uninterested. Not a single word resonated, and how could it possibly—the teachers often spewed verses in a monotonous, lifeless pitch. As could be expected, those attitudes and portrayals affected my approach to Shakespeare's works. Luckily, before this, a childhood cartoon—Jimmy Neutron—convinced me to be more skeptical.

Green thumbs

 As many probably recall (though you may shy away from the embarrassment of publicly saying it), Jimmy Neutron once aired its own rendition of Macbeth. A contrived and laughable spin, the cast of characters transported the play to outer space, meant mostly to entertain. They dressed in astronauts’ apparel, painted their faces green, and brandished laser sabers—a far cry from the real deal. Some operated robots, others chanted a rap-infused spiritual. George Lucas meets 16^th century England, in a sense. Brilliantly, under the guise of cute theatrics, it found a way to still hone in on the hallmarks of Shakespeare. The show’s makers sprinkled hints of love, antiquated jargon, dramatic tension, irony, and death throughout. Never mind that they confused countless lines with parts from other Shakespearean masterpieces:

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” (Actually from Romeo and Juliet)

AND

"I've come to bury Caesar, not to praise him." (Actually from Julius Caesar)

Perhaps the only thing more shocking than the show's inaccuracy is the fact that I’ve remembered this (barring those quotes I found while re-watching some scenes). While I doubt many over the past decades will remember a word from their run-of-the-mill Shakespeare course, this single—often goofy—episode impressed an intrigue for the art of acting and the craft of Shakespeare. Encouragingly, then, it seems that filmmakers and TV show juggernauts have a unique chance: if they improve the details, kids may walk away with a healthy dose of The Bard. Beneath wackiness of green people and play, you can insert something of consequence. Parents pureeing broccoli into a toddler's soup, if you will.

Shakespeare's Plays

Everyone has heard of Shakespeare. It is impossible to not have heard of at least one of his works considering the popularity of Romeo and Juliet. However, despite Shakespeare’s fame, most students never actually bother to try and grapple with one of Shakespeare’s works outside of assigned schoolwork. I am not ashamed to admit that I would include myself in that group of students that cared little for Shakespeare until I was forced, in my first year at Regis, to meet face-to-face with one of his plays: Julius Caesar.

My experience with Julius Caesar was wholly disappointing at first considering some of my grammar school English teachers seemed to worship Shakespeare as if he was some sort of deity. I recall being very confused throughout the majority of my first reading of Julius Caesar and I found myself constantly looking back and forth from the notes on the side of the book to the actual text. However, as part of an assignment, I was required to memorize a passage from the play and recite it as best as I could in front of the class. It was with this assignment that I came to the full realization that Shakespeare's works are truly best experienced as plays. While trying to memorize my passage, I found myself picturing the tone of the excerpt and how an actor might interpret their lines to breathe life into the play. After I succeeded in committing my lines to memory, I saw the entirety of the play in a different light and I found myself appreciating the text more when I opened up my mind and stopped thinking of it as a book. Shakespeare truly is meant to be taken in as a play and I cannot wait to compare how I picture the various scenes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream playing out to how the scenes play out during an actual performance.

Romeo and Juliet's Hidden Gem

The death of Mercutio in the 1996 film, Romeo + Juliet

After finishing Romeo and Juliet for my eighth grade English class, of  course there was a project accompanying the completion of the play. You could sense the disappointment and frustration once the teacher announced we would need to act out one scene from the play, followed by the sound of heads hitting the desks once she said she would be picking the scenes and roles for each person. Naturally, everyone shuddered at the thought of having to act out a scene with Romeo and Juliet due to the awkward moments that would ensue between the male and female leads. After receiving the role of Mercutio during his death scene, it gave me the opportunity to look deeper into a character that seemed hidden behind the scenes. After rereading the first few acts that Mercutio had been in, it occurred to me that Mercutio appeared to be the hidden gem of the play. His quick thinking and clever remarks instantly made him my favorite character in a play with many serious and intimate characters. The contrasting personalities of Mercutio and Romeo contributed to the humor that Mercutio brought with him. While Romeo is a more poetic and charming character who truly believes in true love, Mercutio often pokes fun at this notion of true love, looking at the more physical form of love rather than romance. The friendship the two share with each other thrives on the basis that they look out for each other and stand with each other when facing adversity. While many may see Mercutio's mocking of Romeo's beliefs as insensitive and callous, it is simply his own unique way of showing Romeo that he cares for him and wants to ensure that his friend's heart doesn't get broken.

The most interesting part of Mercutio's character, as mentioned before, is his quick and impulsive nature along with his constant use of puns. Upon first glance at Romeo and Juliet, it would seem the play is a comedy rather than a tragedy due in part to Mercutio and his comedic attitude. Through it all, however, Mercutio is still a loyal companion that stands by his friend, especially when Tybalt begins threatening Romeo. Mercutio's eventual death is both saddening and influential as it triggers Romeo into killing Tybalt and unleashing a domino effect of tragic events. Even in death, Mercutio is still one of the most prominent figures of the play as his survival could have changed the outcome of the play.

Sometimes it's the minor characters that make all the difference. Shakespeare definitely has his share of memorable characters throughout all of his works but hidden behind these major characters are the smaller, less important characters that seem to bring life into the play and provide huge plot changes. Mercutio provides the comedic genius and personality that make for more lighthearted moments within a very serious play. Despite his absence in the latter acts of the play, Mercutio makes his presence known throughout the beginning acts and with his death, he ultimately impacts the rest of the story, making the tragic tale known everywhere.

A Fresh Start to Shakespeare

         My first encounter with Shakespeare took place during my freshman year english course when we studied Macbeth.  Oftentimes while reading through the play the first time I would find myself extremely confused, but with help from footnotes and class discussion I slowly warmed up to the play.  However, it wasn't until we began to watch clips of the play being acted out, in full costume that I began to genuinely enjoy Shakespeare.

        The clip above, of Macbeth absolutely loosing his sanity is the culmination of weeks of guilt.  Macbeth is an extremely insecure person, and has his friend killed in order to protect his throne.  However, Banquo's son, Fleace, escapes with his life, which makes Macbeth extremely worried.  His insecurities boil over, and he begins to talk to himself, at the same time he talks to a ghost that nobody else is able to see.  

      In Junior Year, we studied Othello, another drama that I enjoyed reading and discussing in class. Once again, seeing this play in its natural form, being acted out, certainly was much better than simply reading it.  The use of different symbols in Othello such as Othello's handkerchief made me to appreciate Shakespeare's genius.

Othello's Handkerchief

      This year I look forward to studying some Shakespearean comedies, and am extremely excited to go see multiple performances.