William Shakespeare

[Count Comfect]

Sweet! Guess that means you were right...

[Elanor the hobbit]

Originally Posted by Fat middle

She usually used her other username "Elanor" so when we moved to vBulletin we set the Elanor's date an post count to their true values, but didn't chage the "Elanor the hobbit" one. The process was not automatic.

In fact she joined the moot before me. October or november 1999, I think.

*waves to Elanor* Hi again. It seems you found your way to the thread

Yeah, I can't find the password for Elanor anymore. I posted a lot! I joined back in November 99, a month or two after Entmoot was created. My freshman year at college. Bmilder almost made me a moderator but I chickened out. Then I went to Europe for a year and a half, and when I came back Entmoot was this huge thing and I was intimidated.

Count Comfect, I meant Lear is not as well known to most people as, say, Hamlet, MacBeth, or R&J. At least it seems that way to me. But I think it's the best tragedy.

BeardofPants, that's an interesting nickname. Wow, I'm happy you read the archives! Those were the days... Did you ever read the thread called How to cook a Hutt? It was the most hilarious thread ever. I think it's the seventh earliest one in the archives. Since it was transplanted from ezboard, we all show up as guests. I was both Elanor and CantinaCreature.

[Count Comfect]

Lear doesn't seem as widely read, you're right. But most people who have read it seem to rate it most highly. Interesting, that. I mean, if everyone who reads it likes it, why don't more people read it?

Maybe it is because it confuses people - I know it confused my Drama class last week...

P.S. Read the How to cook a Hutt thread. Hi-larious!

[Forkbeard]

Originally Posted by Count Comfect

Lear doesn't seem as widely read, you're right. But most people who have read it seem to rate it most highly. Interesting, that. I mean, if everyone who reads it likes it, why don't more people read it?

Maybe it is because it confuses people - I know it confused my Drama class last week...

P.S. Read the How to cook a Hutt thread. Hi-larious!

I think because its subject matter requires some maturity and life experience to appreciate. Most people, certainly not all and present company excluded, read Shakespeare in high school and college and then never again--they can't quite appreciate Lear yet at that point. Least that's my take.

[Khamûl]

That's exactly what my lit professor said. He said that he won't teach King Lear to a bunch of 20-somethings. He said that it's something that you don't really understand until you've become an old man yourself.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Khamûl

He said that it's something that you don't really understand until you've become an old man yourself.

Alas, then I fear I'll never really understand it....

[Count Comfect]

LOL.

But then, it wasn't written by an old man... which begs the question of whether Shakespeare himself "understood it" as a modern critic would put it.

[Forkbeard]

Originally Posted by Count Comfect

LOL.

But then, it wasn't written by an old man... which begs the question of whether Shakespeare himself "understood it" as a modern critic would put it.

Depends in what you mean by old........

I noted that one needs some life experience and maturity...not necessarily to be an elderly male.

[Count Comfect]

I wasn't arguing with that - I think it is probably true, although I am not certain (I think I understand it, after all, and I really don't have that much of either)... I was more commenting on Khamul's prof who mentioned "old men."

[Khamûl]

Well, since he's an old man himself, I guess he was speaking from experience.

[sun-star]

A writer doesn't have to have experienced something to write about it. Shakespeare wasn't ever a teenage girl in love, but he got Juliet down right As Forkbeard said, it's about 'life experience' - though I'm not sure what that means when you apply it to Shakespeare. How varied was his experience, and does it matter if the answer is we don't actually know? What does constitute life experience, anyone who's got it?

(I have bad memories of a teacher who told me you can't understand Emma unless you're over the age of 21 - I was a cocky 14-year-old at the time and this naturally enraged me )

[Lenya]

The fact that he got Juliet right just shows he is a good writer, and good writers don't need to have experienced something to write about it - like Tolkien

[Elfhelm]

In college I "taught" Lear to the class. The professor gave us extra credit if we picked a major work and lead the class one day. I spent most of the class talking about image patterns, the concept of nothingness, the idea that troubles in the kingdom are reflected in the weather, etc. With about ten minutes to go, my teacher raised his hand, and I of course said sure, Mr. C., what's up? He asked, "So did this guy have any children?" ...

[Count Comfect]

That's his problem for being unspecific about whether he wanted themes or a summary

I went to a bookstore the last 2 days (same store both days). They have 4 shelves of commentary on Shakespeare. I bought my mom's birthday present there! It was a happy Shakespeare search.

[Rían]

Am continuing to work my delighted way thru The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - just finished "Much ado" and "Merchant of Venice"

[Rían]

Originally Posted by Elfhelm

In college I "taught" Lear to the class. The professor gave us extra credit if we picked a major work and lead the class one day. I spent most of the class talking about image patterns, the concept of nothingness, the idea that troubles in the kingdom are reflected in the weather, etc. With about ten minutes to go, my teacher raised his hand, and I of course said sure, Mr. C., what's up? He asked, "So did this guy have any children?" ...

Hee hee! That's funny!

Did anyone talk to you afterwards and appreciate your slightly more deep analysis of the work?

[Count Comfect]

I got out a First Folio reprinted edition for work in my Drama class today! And I read all the way through Twelfth Night... my precious... *gollum*

[zephyrgirl]

At the moment I am studying Macbeth, I used to really like it! I love all the prose in Shakespeare, I love how poetic it is.
I just hate when you are writing an essay about a piece of literature it often feels like you are ripping it to shreads, piece by piece.

[Lenya]

I loved Macbeth! We did it last year in school. And I loved pulling the story apart. I haven't read all of his plays but Macb is deffinately the best so far. Mid summer night's dream is second. (That's the wierdest one)

[Count Comfect]

I just saw the BEST production EVER of Love's Labours Lost, at the Seattle Shakespeare Company. Just a brilllllliant cast, spoke the verse perfectly, emoted wonderfully. Made me tingle. Wanted to hug them all and sing their praises, but I think they'd have been a little creeped out, except for the ones that know me

*sigh* Makes me miss acting Shakespeare.