New Quote!

So... I changed my mind. Initially, I had planned on memorizing Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech (which I still love!). But another one of Henry's speeches really struck out to me (we mentioned it briefly in class on Wednesday), a speech about ceremony and the responsibilities of a king. I think it is a very well written (I mean, this is Shakespeare, so that's probably a given ;)), and very thought-provoking and, in my opinion, an accurate discussion of leadership and roles, etc. And not only do I find this fascinating, but it fits right in with my paper topic, which I am just getting more and more excited for! So here it is, straight from Act IV, Scene I:

"Upon the king! let us our lives, our souls,
Our debts, our careful wives,
Our children and our sins lay on the king!
We must bear all. O hard condition,
Twin-born with greatness, subject to the breath
Of every fool, whose sense no more can feel
But his own wringing! What infinite heart's-ease
Must kings neglect, that private men enjoy!
And what have kings, that privates have not too,
Save ceremony, save general ceremony?
And what art thou, thou idle ceremony?
What kind of god art thou, that suffer'st more
Of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers?
What are thy rents? what are thy comings in?
O ceremony, show me but thy worth!
What is thy soul of adoration?
Art thou aught else but place, degree and form,
Creating awe and fear in other men?
Wherein thou art less happy being fear'd
Than they in fearing.
What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet,
But poison'd flattery? O, be sick, great greatness,
And bid thy ceremony give thee cure!
Think'st thou the fiery fever will go out
With titles blown from adulation?
Will it give place to flexure and low bending?
Canst thou, when thou command'st the beggar's knee,
Command the health of it? No, thou proud dream,
That play'st so subtly with a king's repose;
I am a king that find thee, and I know
'Tis not the balm, the sceptre and the ball,
The sword, the mace, the crown imperial,
The intertissued robe of gold and pearl,
The farced title running 'fore the king,
The throne he sits on, nor the tide of pomp
That beats upon the high shore of this world,
No, not all these, thrice-gorgeous ceremony,
Not all these, laid in bed majestical,
Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave,
Who with a body fill'd and vacant mind
Gets him to rest, cramm'd with distressful bread;
Never sees horrid night, the child of hell,
But, like a lackey, from the rise to set
Sweats in the eye of Phoebus and all night
Sleeps in Elysium; next day after dawn,
Doth rise and help Hyperion to his horse,
And follows so the ever-running year,
With profitable labour, to his grave:
And, but for ceremony, such a wretch,
Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep,
Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king.
The slave, a member of the country's peace,
Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots
What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace,
Whose hours the peasant best advantages."

Memorization from Othello and Henry VI

This is from Othello Act V Scene II where Othello kills Desdemona.  I chose this mostly because my husband is black so I thought it would be fun to perform and I finally convinced him!!  There are 38 lines here of Desdemona, who I will be playing as you can see in the purple.  For the rest of my memorization there is more towards the bottom of this post (after the Othello scene) which also has an explanation so make sure to take a look at that!  We will be performing this by making a video recording and posting it for all to see.  

OTHELLO

Kissing her

Ah balmy breath, that dost almost persuade

Justice to break her sword! One more, one more.

Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,

And love thee after. One more, and this the last:

So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep,

But they are cruel tears: this sorrow's heavenly;

It strikes where it doth love. She wakes.

DESDEMONA

Who's there? Othello?

OTHELLO

Ay. Desdemona.

DESDEMONA

Will you come to bed, my lord?

OTHELLO

Have you pray'd to-night, Desdemona?

DESDEMONA

Ay, my lord.

OTHELLO

If you bethink yourself of any crime

Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace,

Solicit for it straight.

DESDEMONA

Alas, my lord, what do you mean by that?

OTHELLO

Well, do it, and be brief; I will walk by:

I would not kill thy unprepared spirit;

No; heaven forfend! I would not kill thy soul.

DESDEMONA

Talk you of killing?

OTHELLO

Ay, I do.

DESDEMONA

Then heaven

Have mercy on me!

OTHELLO

Amen, with all my heart!

DESDEMONA

If you say so, I hope you will not kill me.

OTHELLO

Hum!

DESDEMONA

And yet I fear you; for you are fatal then

When your eyes roll so: why I should fear I know not,

Since guiltiness I know not; but yet I feel I fear.

OTHELLO

Think on thy sins.

DESDEMONA

They are loves I bear to you.

OTHELLO

Ay, and for that thou diest.

DESDEMONA

That death's unnatural that kills for loving.

Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip?

Some bloody passion shakes your very frame:

These are portents; but yet I hope, I hope,

They do not point on me.

OTHELLO

Peace, and be still!

DESDEMONA

I will so. What's the matter?

OTHELLO

That handkerchief which I so loved and gave thee

Thou gavest to Cassio.

DESDEMONA

No, by my life and soul!

Send for the man, and ask him.

OTHELLO

Sweet soul, take heed,

Take heed of perjury; thou art on thy deathbed.

DESDEMONA

Ay, but not yet to die.

OTHELLO

Yes, presently:

Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin;

For to deny each article with oath

Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception

That I do groan withal. Thou art to die.

DESDEMONA

Then Lord have mercy on me!

OTHELLO

I say, amen.

DESDEMONA

And have you mercy too! I never did

Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio

But with such general warranty of heaven

As I might love: I never gave him token.

OTHELLO

By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in's hand.

O perjured woman! thou dost stone my heart,

And makest me call what I intend to do

A murder, which I thought a sacrifice:

I saw the handkerchief.

DESDEMONA

He found it then;

I never gave it him: send for him hither;

Let him confess a truth.

OTHELLO

He hath confess'd.

DESDEMONA

What, my lord?

OTHELLO

That he hath used thee.

DESDEMONA

How? unlawfully?

OTHELLO

Ay.

DESDEMONA

He will not say so.

OTHELLO

No, his mouth is stopp'd;

Honest Iago hath ta'en order for't.

DESDEMONA

O! my fear interprets: what, is he dead?

OTHELLO

Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge

Had stomach for them all.

DESDEMONA

Alas! he is betray'd and I undone.

OTHELLO

Out, strumpet! weep'st thou for him to my face?

DESDEMONA

O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not!

OTHELLO

Down, strumpet!

DESDEMONA

Kill me to-morrow: let me live to-night!

OTHELLO

Nay, if you strive--

DESDEMONA

But half an hour!

OTHELLO

Being done, there is no pause.

DESDEMONA

But while I say one prayer!

OTHELLO

It is too late.

He stifles her

This is from Henry VI part i and it is Joan la Pucelle which is Joan of Arc as we know her.  I chose this because I stumbled across a recitation of this on youtube that really caught my attention and Joan of Arc is one of my favorite historical heroes so I was excited to be able to do a monologue that is coming from her point of view.  I will probably be performing this as a video as well.  This is 18 lines long which puts me at 56 lines but I figured this would be okay because some of Desdemona's lines are pretty small and pathetic.

First, let me tell you whom you have condemn'd: 

Not me begotten of a shepherd swain, 

But issued from the progeny of kings; 

Virtuous and holy; chosen from above, 

By inspiration of celestial grace, 

To work exceeding miracles on earth. 

I never had to do with wicked spirits: 

But you, that are polluted with your lusts, 

Stain'd with the guiltless blood of innocents, 

Corrupt and tainted with a thousand vices, 

Because you want the grace that others have, 

You judge it straight a thing impossible 

To compass wonders but by help of devils. 

No, misconceived! Joan of Arc hath been 

A virgin from her tender infancy, 

Chaste and immaculate in very thought; 

Whose maiden blood, thus rigorously effused, 

Will cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.

Not sure who to root for

The play I've been studying, measure for measure, is perfect for my topic : the morals and motivations of characters and whether the heroes are really acting valiantly. Like most comedies, the morals and verdicts are funny on at face value, and sketchy once you start pondering what their actions mean. No one in this play is really perfect, which is nice because it's true to life, but the Duke let his kingdom live in debauchery for years and then used a scapegoat to take the heat for being the bad cop. The person he chooses is also someone he knows will be too harsh, which is irresponsible let in itself, and he takes advantage of this so he comes out looking like the merciful, just hero and leader. Angelo of starts the play with righteous motives, he wants to get rid of all the brothels, protect the women in the city, and reclaim the importance of virtue. He perhaps hands out too harsh a punishment for claudio, but he only wishes to make an example of him so that the city will rethink their values. He does end up being a hypocrite but most of the characters are. There is no black and white in this play which I like, there is no clear good or bad, hero an d villain, and this ties in perfectly with my paper.

And now, the Fool

Twelfth Night is perfect for where I'm gearing my research. I want to explore how the Fool is exempt from the social order, how the role is still respected despite flouting the societal norms. Feste is an excellent example of that. I'm considering incorporating Hamlet into my research since he dons the guise of a Fool in order to circumvent the expected behaviors of his station, but I don't want to overburden my project. Once I explore Feste and establish the role he plays within the social hierarchy, I want to discuss the role of the Fool in contemporary culture, specifically TV and movies. I have a few ideas, but I think narrowing in on one will allow me to really explore the idea. I hope to spark discussion on my personal social media accounts to get perspectives on how the Fool has translated to the 21st Century. I mean, there still exists characters who seem to operate outside any social norms and yet they are treasured for that or at least rarely deal with consequences. Maybe the fool is a psychological manifestation of society's id, or maybe it's the objective commentary on norms. I'm excited to delve into the theories.

Music in Shakespeare

My thesis is still being developed but I have a lot more resources to draw on now. The idea that I have is to focus on how music is used in Shakespeare, and a short browsing of papers and theater reviews using the libraries Shakespeare guide revealed a wealth of information on the subject,
I also decided to call my sister, who graduated with a Piano major, to talk about focusing on Shakespeare's music. She got excited and talked about the Renaissance and how there was a distinct social duality in music during that period. The courts had their own forms, mostly dance music, and the lower classes had their own, ballads and folk songs. She emailed me several websites with more information on the subject and I learned that Shakespeare has over five hundred references to music in his plays!

Henry V had a couple of references to music, but I did not find much to work with. Rather, I think I will begin exploring Twelfth Night, partly because I know it contains both references and lyrics. In viewing some of the websites my sister I felt my thesis narrowing a little. They reported that at the time of Shakespeare music and drama had not yet begun to draw apart into separate arts. They were very closely related. As such, musicians played for most Elizabethan plays and Elizabethan theater goers could recognize different instruments with different emotions and effects. This music that was played functioned as a sort of soundtrack that would enhance the drama going on onstage.
My thesis will probably focus on how music was viewed in that time and what would be the most equivalent musical adaptation of that effect in a modern Shakespeare adaptation. I want to study different productions of Shakespeare's plays and see which most effectively mirror the qualities of music in the Elizabethan era, but which are modernized for our more modern views on music. If you guys find any cool music quotes in your plays, be sure to send them my way! Thanks.

My Soul is Better than your Life

Comparing Mormon doctrine to Measure for Measure is very interesting, especially as far as chastity and virtue are concerned. Isabella is by far the most virtuous in the play. The most interesting conversation in the play is the one that takes place between Isabella and Angelo. Isabella calls on the eternal nature of the soul as the reason that she should not sleep with Angelo. Isabella proclaims that her soul, which is eternal, is worth more than her brother's temporal life. This completely agrees with Mormon doctrine.
Though Isabella could technically save her brother's life by sleeping with Angelo, she knows that the act would tarnish her soul, while Angelo's soul is already tarnished. Elder Uchtdorf said, "We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation--worlds without end--within our grasp." Isabella seems to believe in that, because she is unwilling to lose that promise, even if it means that her brother will die and leave his future baby fatherless. It is a very complex issue, because in her eyes she sees her soul as worth more than her brother's life. It also raises a complex issue in all or morality and religiousness because it implies that there is a hierarchical structure of morality. This is problematic in light of decisions that we all must make as a moral and religious society. Is it okay to steal if you're feeding your family? Is it okay to lie if you're trying to protect someone's feelings? Is speeding okay because it doesn't really count as "the law?" Shakespeare brings this idea to the extreme as Isabella refuses to save her brother's life in order to protect her own virtue.

Viola's the Man

My paper is still going to focus on the millennial generation's influence on Shakespeare. The reason I chose to read Twelfth Night was so that I could better understand one of pop culture's finest Shakespearean twists-- She's The Man. Now that I understand the work that inspired the movie, I plan on rewatching it in order to pick out specifics of how modernity remixed Shakespeare into something even just as culturally relevant, albeit for a younger audience, as the original. (I may read Taming of the Shrew if I have time, too, so that I can also include 10 Things I Hate About You.

One concept that Twelfth Night plays with is gender. Much of the humor comes from characters mixing up their genders or overstepping the boundaries of their sex. However, gender roles are not just laughed at, but legitimately blurred. (Think Orsino liking Viola's Cesario disguise even once he finds out she's a woman.) I'd like to look up recent papers discussing gender conflicts in Twelfth Night and see if any commentary has been made that connects the gender issues of Shakespeare's Illyria with current LGBTQA gender and sexuality issues.

The idea that clothes determine who you are (Viola dressed as a man making her a man, etc.) is something that holds weight in the millennial generation today. I'd also like to see if that's a theme that carries weight in modern twists on Shakespeare. It's definitely relevant today.

Ideas

So I'm still trying to refine my idea for my paper, but I know that it is going to involve kingship - the moral ground that does or does not belong to royalty, the historical context of Shakespeare's plays, the characteristics that he seems to consider important for a king. I think what interests me the most out of that list, though, is the idea of a king's moral high ground, and discussing whether or not that should be so. This was something that I had on my mind the whole time reading Henry V. As a young boy he was a rascal and irresponsible, but one the crown is on his head he starts to act differently, he even refuses to show mercy to some of his previous friends when they transgress the law, showing where his priorities now lie... which I admire his dedication to the law, but someone who can change colors so easily (and Henry does this multiple times in the play) is worrisome... So it just makes me wonder if Shakespeare is trying to portray this as a good thing or not, whether he believes the moral standards are higher for a king or not, etc. Basically, like I said, this topic needs a little fine-tuning, but I am just excited for it! Also, even better, the St. Crispin's Day speech that I've decided to memorize goes right with this! :)

To Die Upon a Kiss

The end of Othello gave me a lot of material for my paper, because there are an abundance of deaths for me to analyze! What struck me at first was that even though Iago is the main cause of all of the deaths in the play, he doesn't actually die in the play, although it's implied that he will. So none of the deaths in Othello are really about justice. Everyone who dies is in some way a victim of Iago's manipulation. Roderigo (Iago's henchman of sorts) is the first to die while trying to kill Cassio on Iago's orders. In a way he dies for love, since he is helping Iago in the hope that Desdemona will end up with him. Desdemona is next to die after being suffocated by a jealous Othello. She dies bravely, refusing even to accuse Othello of being her murderer. Emilia, Iago's wife, is next when Iago kills her for revealing his secret plot. She dies for remaining loyal to Desdemona. Both she and Desdemona are completely innocent and loyal to the end. In contrast, Othello's death is much more complicated, since he commits suicide due to the guilt of killing his innocent wife and probably also because of the pain of being separated from her (Romeo and Juliet style). His suicide is also likely motivated by a desire to maintain some sort of honor, as evidenced by the way he reminds everyone of his achievements on the battlefield right before he stabs himself. All of these deaths are a culmination of themes that run throughout the play such as jealousy, loyalty, identity, reputation, and love.
After reading the end of Othello, I watched a few different performances of the ending scene and also watched several performances from the ending scenes of other tragedies. There were some very striking similarities. King Lear, Hamlet, and Othello all ended with multiple bodies lying on the stage after several characters died in sequence throughout a single scene. The final lines of Othello and Romeo were also very similar, as they both died kissing their dead (or supposedly dead) wife. Also, both Othello and Hamlet pleaded for someone to tell their stories as they died. All of this gives me a whole lot to dig into and explore further for my paper. I'm not sure yet exactly what my thesis will be, but I think I have a lot to work off of.

New Essay Ideas

My reading of Othello was very enjoyable, but also a little frustrating.  There seems to be so many themes that you could look at in this play and so I have easily gotten distracted from my original ideas of my essay and am feeling urged to create new ones out of the themes and ideas that have sprung from Othello.  There are themes of jealousy, race, sex, marital relationships, honor, class, deception, heroism, death and love, solitude, blindness, temperance, and patience.  There is so much pack into that play that it is really cool to read it, and I highly recommend that you do.  But with all of this I looked into a couple more of themes that came out in this play by looking at the Shakespeare Bibliography, select google searches, and even an audio version of Othello.  By doing this I found some essay topic ideas that got me a little more excited than the ones that I had mentioned before.

One of those is going with the race theme in Othello and looking at how his character is developed similar to the character that W.E.B. Dubois places on African Americans in his The Souls of Black Folk.  I am taking an African American Literature class right now and so that's probably another reason why this is really interesting to me.  I can sort of see how Othello would have internal pressure to become something under the speculation of all the white people, and therefore is constantly worried about whether people are doing things dishonorable to him behind his back.  The way people treat him is very important to him.

The other idea that I found was really interesting was the idea of heroism.  There are questions in this play along with King Lear that ask what makes a hero?  And as I thought about how Othello willingly kills himself in the end because he realizes what horrible thing he has done in accusing Desdemona and strangling her to death.  Is this heroic because he dies to pay for his sins.  It's sort of a repentance thing, which by repenting he displays his utmost honor.  Likewise, King Lear dies after his daughter has died due to everything that he had caused to happen, so is his repentance honorable enough to be heroic?  Explaining it like that seems like it is. But then I thought about a school shooting and how generally the people who shoot out the school commit suicide in the end.  Is that then, by my definition, heroic?  I don't think we want to believe that would be an heroic act just because of everything that happened before.

As You Like It

When it comes to my paper topic As You Like It is one of the best examples of Shakespeare not supporting the idealistic love that everyone thinks he does. Many times during the play cliches like dying do to a broken heart are explicitly argued against. "and in all this time/ there was not any man died in his own person,/ videlicit, in a love-cause." Those who are in love are over the top when it comes to expressing their feelings and even do crazy things like giving or receiving lesson about love and how to woo someone. Everything pertaining to love is exaggerated in the most hilarious ways. There are other times where a kiss is compared to an orator spitting when he has nothing else to say. This play is a great play. It is a satire on the cliches of love and truly an entertaining play. I highly recommend giving this one a chance.

 

CHECK IT OUT!

I found this link where you can find Shakespeare quotes from all of his plays by way of theme. Maybe it will help you with your paper or your memorization piece?

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quotes/quotesbytheme.html

As You Like It

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this play. There are so many clever moments in the dialogue, and it's just nice to read a comedy after reading King Lear. (I love King Lear, I promise). In terms of my paper, I think that if I focus on the settings theme I've got a great source on my hands. The court is a deadly and dangerous place to be while the pastoral scenes are lively and fun. This is similar to King Lear, with the forest/storm scene and the ensuing chaos, The Winter's Tale, with the literal passing of time and location change that made for a polarized play, and Midsummer Night's Dream with the fairies and their dark side in the woods. I especially think that one is perfect because the further away from the court you go the more juxtaposed it is. This actually makes me think of my reading for my American Literary History class. We read a piece by Crevecouer, who talks about the three different places in the burgeoning American landscape. The city folk, the more working class, and the backwoodsmen. It fits into this mindset very well. Perfect for my assertions. If I go with language however, I think I would be better-suited to looking into the more oft-read plays, because those are the ones that younger readers are more exposed to. I have a feeling I'll go with setting just because we've gone over it so much already. 

Anybody looking for anything in regards to gender roles might like this play. Rosalind has quite a bit of power, yet she is also dressed as a man while she gains that power. So is this female power, or male power? And her power is specifically over a man, so that is even more interesting. 

Back to my topic, after my experiences working on A Midsummer Night's Dream, I find that these setting changes have a great effect on the audience. In particular, the younger set. They most definitely notice the difference. 

I looked up information on the settings in Shakespeare, and in the blogisphere I didn't dig deep enough to find anything about rural settings, but I did find something interesting about the settings in general. The author delved quite deeply into the fact that Shakespeare lived in England but often set his plays elsewhere. This makes me wonder if perhaps he was using the rural/city contrast to amp up his knowledge of other places, because that's an aspect of culture that can be seen everywhere. 

http://calshakes.org/blog/2014/06/shakespeares-settings/

Players and Lovers

I want to address two different quotes from my play. One is wholly more self-aware, and one is just an entertaining and clever ploy that I can't help but draw attention to. The first is the classic, "All the World's a Stage" poem in Act II Scene VII, from Jacques.

  All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

It's long, I know. But there are just so many different angles to look at this from! First, there's the context in the play, which is that we play roles--that of the baby, the teenager, the adult, the old man, etc. This is important in and of itself because we already know Shakespeare addresses issues of old age and senility. Is this perhaps another jab at the old age that admittedly plagues every person, but is still reprehensible to the youthful characters of the plays? Another angle is that of the performance aspect. Jacques speaks truth when he says that we are all players, on a stage. But this goes deeper than simply our position in life--these are literal roles and we are performing for the world as we go through the necessary roles in life. 

The other quote is from Rosalind in disguise to Orlando, when she tells him he cannot possibly be in love. 

Act III Scene II

A lean cheek, which you have not, a blue eye and
sunken, which you have not, an unquestionable
spirit, which you have not, a beard neglected,
which you have not; but I pardon you for that, for
simply your having in beard is a younger brother's
revenue: then your hose should be ungartered, your
bonnet unbanded, your sleeve unbuttoned, your shoe
untied and every thing about you demonstrating a
careless desolation; but you are no such man; you
are rather point-device in your accoutrements as
loving yourself than seeming the lover of any other.

So in this scene Orlando asks Rosalind in disguise why she doesn't believe he can be in love with Rosalind, and despite knowing full well his complete devotion, she still goes into this lengthy description with him. I find this rather characteristic of this play in general, and of this character. It's cunning and witty, and she manipulates him in the kindest way to get what she wants. 

Twelfth Night

If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken and so die.
That strain again, it had a dying fall.
O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour. Enough, no more,
’Tis not so sweet now as it was before.
O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou
That, notwithstanding thy capacity
Receiveth as the sea, naught enters there,
Of what validity and pitch so e’er,
But falls into abatement and low price
Even in a minute! So full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high fantastical.
      -Act 1 Scene 1, Lines 1-15

This opening speech by Duke Orsino is beautiful right? Orsino asks his servants to give him excess music to cure his obsession for love, just like giving someone an excess amount of food will cure their obsessive hunger. Its like when you eat way to much ice cream, and you binged for an hour, and then you don't want any more ice cream for 100 years. Orsino is saying that if they keep playing the love music than he might get so sick of it that he will finally be over his love-obsession. He is comparing love to a physical appetite too which is interesting.

          There is no woman’s sides
          Can bide the beating of so strong a passion
          As love doth give my heart; no woman’s heart
          So big, to hold so much. They lack retention.
          Alas, their love may be called appetite,
          No motion of the liver, but the palate,
          That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt.
          But mine is all as hungry as the sea,
          And can digest as much. Make no compare
          Between that love a woman can bear me
          And that I owe Olivia.
               -Act 2 Scene 4, Lines 91–101

Another quote by Duke Orsino. Here he is saying that the love a woman feels for a man can not be compared to the love that a man feels towards a woman. He calls his love strong, passionate, and constant....while a woman's love is wavering and lacks retention. He says that woman love superficially and momentarily, while men love longer and more genuinely. 
Pretty weird though because Orsino changes his love from Olivia, who he is obsessed with, to Viola. And Viola is the one who stays in love the entire time. So Orsino's has these theories about love which are proven wrong by himself and Viola.

To quote or not to quote, that is the question (not Hamlet, but it fits)

Here are a few quotes that stood out to me as I read Acts II and III of Twelfth Night:

1. In Act II, Viola exclaims, "O time! thou must untangle this, not I; It is too hard a knot for me to untie!" This idea of time clearing up all confusions or injustices shows up again and again in Shakespeare's works. Ultimately, some characters just decide to go with the flow and let fate figure everything out because Fate was considered to dictate how events played out. (This attitude definitely shows up in Winter's Tale and Midsummer Night's Dream!)
2. Sir Toby greets Feste who comes in to perform by saying, "Welcome, ass." Such a succinct way to showcase Toby's incompetence-- by calling a person such a name, Sir Toby only makes himself sound like one. His nobility is the only reason no one's calling it out, though! Anyway, that's the one sentence that gives the rest of you an understanding of his character without reading the play.
3. Viola makes an excellent analysis of Feste in particular, but of the fool trope that shows up in many of Shakespeare's plays (Rosemary, you may want to look at this quote for your research!): "This fellow is wise enough to play the fool,And to do that well craves a kind of wit. He must observe their mood on whom he jests, The quality of persons, and the time, And, like the haggard, check at every feather That comes before his eye. This is a practise As full of labor as a wise man’s art, For folly that he wisely shows is fit. But wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint their wit."

Obviously, the lines above are some of the most famous in all of poetry... and literature. I chose these because I want to understand these lines completely and I want to understand what it is about them that make them so well known.

I will perform one of these in class and the other through YouTube video. They are both less than 50, so I will end up doing both.

From Hamlet:

To be, or not to be- that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep-
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die- to sleep.
To sleep- perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death-
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns- puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.- Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia!- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins rememb'red. 

__________________________

From Romeo and Juliet:

He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
[JULIET appears above at a window]
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!

A Motley Fool

I remember that in class we had talked about the role of fools in Shakespeare's plays. We had said that they are usually the characters that say what needs to be said but can get away with it because they are the fools and are not taken seriously. In As You Like It, the fool, Touchstone, is the "wise fool" that we had talked about. In Act 1, scene 2, he is talking to Celia and Rosalind, telling them about a knight who swore on his honor. When Touchstone makes the comment that the story is related to Celia's father, Duke Frederick, Celia becomes angry and tells to stop or he will be punished. Touchstone's response is an amazing one. "The more pity, that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly." This line is the ultimate statement of what we had talked about in class. What makes this even more interesting is that Celia agrees with him when she says "By my troth, thou sayest true."


The next quote is from Act 2, scene 7. Jaques, who earlier was brooding, comes back to Duke Senior at camp much more happy than before. When asked why, Jaques gives his monologue about meeting a fool (Touchstone) and reiterates what the fool said. Part of what he said was, "Tis but an hour ago since it was nine,/ and after one hour more 'twill be eleven;/ and so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe/ and then, from hour to hour, we rot  and rot;/ and thereby hangs a tale." Jaques sings the fool's praises, even going as far as wanting to be a fool. Little did he know that Touchstone was really mocking/ commentating on Jaques brooding.

Quote

     Looking over the quotes in the play, I really do love the St. Crispin's Day speech, one of the most famous of all of Shakespeare's plays. It is really beautiful and passionate and moving, and I think that it would be really worthwhile to memorize. And I think that I will be performing it through video... :)

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Heaven is My Judge

In looking at famous lines from Othello, I was surprised to find that almost all of the most famous lines are spoken by the villain Iago. Like Edmund from King Lear, he has a lot of great soliloquies that touch on important themes of the play. In Act I he speaks a lot about his hate for Othello and his desire to bring him down while pretending to be loyal. In one famous soliloquy he says:

"Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, 

But seeming so, for my peculiar end: 

For when my outward action doth demonstrate 

The native act and figure of my heart 

In compliment extern, 'tis not long after 

But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve 

For daws to peck at: I am not what I am."

This touches on the common themes of identity and loyalty throughout the play. This quote also touches on the idea of divine justice, although in this case it seems to be an excuse for Iago to do whatever he wants and just accept the punishment later. His motivations are very interesting because he doesn't seem to care much about what God or men think about him so long as he gets what he wants. He knows that what he's doing is wrong, but that will never stop him from doing it. As the play goes on, other characters are faced with moral dilemmas but don't respond as unfeelingly as Iago does. Cassio, Othello's lieutenant that Iago frames in his plot against Othello, pleads to God a few times for forgiveness. Unlike Iago, he cares a lot about what both God and men think of him, which interestingly allows Iago to manipulate him. Iago's own messed-up morality and two-faced nature

remain interesting throughout the play, especially in comparison with the moral dilemmas of other characters.

Envoys and Permissions in Twelfth Night

I am struggling to express this articulately, so please challenge me as needed for any clarification.

There are three or four characters that spend the play alternating between speaking on behalf of themselves and speaking on behalf of a patron. What's interesting to track, however, is who does it with permission (such as Feste and Viola) and who does it without permission (lookin' at you, Malvolio). Speaking on behalf of a powerful social figure such as Orsino or Olivia kind of gives these envoys exception to the social order, and the complicated messes that ensue are direct responses to this disruption of power.

For example, Malvolio crosses a line (in the minds of Sir Toby Belch, Maria, Feste, and Sir Andrew Augersomething) in act 2 scene 3 when he interrupts their merrymaking by claiming Olivia's authority.

Malvolio: My masters, are you mad? or what are you? Have ye no wit, manners, nor honesty, but to gabble like tinkers at this time of night? Do ye make an alehouse of my lady's house, that ye squeak out your coziers' catches without any mitigation or remorse of voice? Is there no respect of place, persons, not time in you?

Malvolio: Sir Toby, I must be round with you. May lady bade me tell you, that though she harbours you as her kinsman, she's nothing allied in your disorders. If you can separate yourself and your misdemeanors, you are welcome to the house; if not an it would please you to take leave of her, she is very willing to bid you farewell.
Act 2 scene 3

In return, Sir Toby Belch and company claim Olivia's voice  in order to teach Malvolio a lesson by writing letters in her voice to lead Malvolio into a net made by his own ambition and social offenses.

Viola, acting even more completely as proxy for Orsino, gets herself into trouble as Olivia uses her imagination to create a Cesario that rivals Orsino's vision of Olivia.

Olivia    Here, wear this jewel for me, 'tis my picture;
              Refuse it not; it hath no tongue to vex you;
              And I beseech you come again to-morrow.
              What shall you ask of me that I'll deny,
              That honour saved may upon asking give?
Viola     Nothing but this; your true love for my master.
Act 3 scene 4

Viola     The honourable lady of the house, which is she?
Olivia    Speak to me; I shall answer for her.
              Your will?
Act 1 scene 5

Eventually characters speak on behalf of each other without even realizing it, i.e. Sebastian for Cesario/Viola, Cesario/Viola for Sebastian. Additionally, Sir Toby fabricates on behalf of Olivia, Feste on a priest, etc.

A Few Othello Quotes

"I kissed thee ere I killed thee.  No way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss."  (Act V Scene II lines 420-421).  This is a famous line from when Othello is about to kill himself.  It leads to the idea that if he never would have loved Desdemona, he never would have killed her. And he had kissed her right before he killed her, so he kisses himself before he kills himself. It sort of alludes to Christ being betrayed by a kiss before He dies.

"I am not sorry neither.  I'd have thee live, For in my sense 'tis happiness to die."  (Act V Scene II lines 340-341)  I thought this was interesting because it goes along with what I've posted before but with King Lear with the idea that maybe death is considered a merciful ending.

"O, devil, devil! If that the Earth could teem with woman's tears, Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile.  Out of my sight!" (Act IV Scene I lines 273-276)  When I read this line it made me laugh because I'm sure we've all seen Tarzan where Jane tricks the baby baboon and then she says, "Don't give me those crocodile tears."  Maybe this is where that saying comes from?

And here is the famous jealousy line that Professor Burton said in class on Wednesday.  "O beware, my lord, of Jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.  That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves!" (Act III Scene III lines 195-200)

The Quoting Game's Afoot!

You can guess which Shakespeare play Sir Arthur Doyle stole from for Sherlock's famous line. Besides this one, I complied a list of other quotes that I feel capture some of the main themes of Henry V.

As I've read further on one theme comes up constantly; British men are better than French. This makes a great deal of sense given the patriotic nature of the play. Even the French themselves, when they insult the English end up praising them and demeaning themselves, as in the following line given by the Constable in the French court:
"Dieu de batailles! where have they this mettle? Is not their climate foggy, raw and dull, / On whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale, / killing their fruit with frowns? / Can sodden water, a drench for sur-rein'd jades, their barley-broth, / decoct their cold blood to such valiant heat? / And shall our quick blood, spirited with wine, / Seem frosty?"

One key theme in Henry V concerns the hypocrisy of kings and war. Are kings, even those that are more courageous and strong, truly good? Are wars, even those fought for legitimate causes, worthwhile? One situation highlights this. A man in King Henry's army is going to be hung for stealing from a French church. When Henry is told about this, he replies:
"We would have all such offenders so cut off . . . for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the / gentler gamester is the soonest winner."
This all well and good advice and the respect for the French is to be commended, but at the same time he is killing one of his own men for stealing. The "gentler" treatment that he gives the French comes at a harsh cost of ruthlessness to his own men. He cannot have it both ways.

Similar to the theme of hypocrisy in the play is a theme of leadership. Who makes a good leader and who should one follow? There is a boy in the play that observes the three men that he has been following since leaving England for the French battlefields. He makes this comment about them after seeing them show their unwillingness to be brave and fight:
"As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to all three: but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for indeed three such antics do not amount to a man."
Because their words do not amount to good actions, the Boy decides to find other role models. This comment can also apply to the king, who has moments of doubt about whether his words and actions line up in best serving the people. This is a continuation of the theme of leadership that started with Richard II.

Memorization and Performance Assignment - Shakespeare

Shakespeare can be understood on a level otherwise unknown if students memorize and/or perform his words. As part of the final exam for this course, we'll enjoy one another's memorized words from Shakespeare. However, I will require the selection and memorization of passages earlier than the final so that the final is more polished (see calendar of deadlines below).

Students can choose from among these options:

1. Memorize 50 lines (give or take a few) of Shakespeare. This can be in the form of
1. a monologue (Hamlet's "To be or not to be"; Kate's final soliloquy in Taming of the Shrew; Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech; etc.)
2. four sonnets (two of which must come from this set: 18, 29, 116, 130)
3. a set of important quotations of your choice from across Shakespeare's plays (from at least four separate plays or sources)
4. a scene performed with other students where each student has about 50 lines
2. Perform the above in one of the following ways
1. Private recitation to the instructor in his office
2. Video (posted either privately or publicly on YouTube - Doesn't have to be fancy)
3. Classroom performance

Deadlines:

• Nov 2 (Mon) - Create a blog post indicating your selections for memorization. Quote the lines to be memorized in their entirety, preceded by a short explanation of why these were chosen and how they will be performed (from the choices listed above)
• Nov 11 (Wed) - 25 of 50 lines must be memorized and recited in class this day (emphasis on retention, not performance)
• Nov 23 (Mon) - last 25 of 50 lines must be memorized and recited in class this day (emphasis on retention, not performance)
• Dec 9 (Wed) - Dress rehearsal for final exam performance
• Dec 18 (Fri) 3-6pm (Final Exam performance)

Research Parer Idea

For my paper I've been thinking about exploring the moral perspective and code of the antagonists and protagonists to see if their actions are justified or not and if they really deserve the title of 'hero' or 'villain'. We might view the actions of the antagonist as bad but if we saw the protagonist doing the same action, we might think it justified or excusable. Justice can be a matter of perspective and I'd like to study the motivations and fates of Shakespeare's main characters to figure out if the 'good' are really good, and the 'bad' are really bad. I'll be studying the play Measure For Measure, which should provide very good examples and subjects for this topic as it involves corrupt judges, charismatic pimps, and hypocrisy abound.

Foolin Around

I've really latched onto the language structures that Shakespeare uses for different characters. Specifically, noble, supernatural, or isolated characters are distinguished often by their poetic forms. Overlapping with my interest in the Fool trope, I would love to explore the Fool and how he is distinguished from society and from the sphere of knowledge in each play one appears. Maybe Twelfth Night or As You Like It. Hamlet also pretends to the role of the Fool in order to shortcut the niceties that bind him. There's a lot here to explore, and I still am obsessed with the Joss Whedon connection, but I'm not sure that will fulfilled the parameters of this project.

A Midsummer Night's Rave

I saved this article a few weeks ago-- the idea of modernizing Shakespeare so that he's accessible to a new generation intrigues me. One can argue that Shakespeare will always be relevant in his purest forms (and I do fall in that camp) but I love watching the permutations of Shakespeare throughout pop culture-- not just adaptations of Shakespeare with popular actors (cough, Mel Gibson, cough), but ways that Shakespeare is tweaked to intrigue new generations or to mirror their values. Right now, creating social media interactions between Othello and Desdemona or condensing Romeo and Juliet into one IM conversation allows Shakespeare's plays to become accessible and more relatable to teenagers in a way that the old English can't be. I want to explore how Shakespeare reflects different generations based on when it's produced or remixed (or mauled), with an emphasis on the Millenials' influence on his works.

I'll probably read Twelfth Night, As You Like It, All's Well That Ends Well or Taming of the Shrew.

Shakespear the Anti-Lover

I want to explore the cynicism of Shakespearean romances. When it comes to Shakespeare's romances, they are always either unbelievable or they end in tragedy. I want to argue that Shakespeare is not the romantic that many people believe he is but one who does not believe in the idealistic love that many people hope is out there. He shows this through the romantic relationships in his plays.

I would like to read Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and Twelfth Night.    

Possible Themes

I have really enjoyed all of the plays we have read by Shakespeare so far, so picking even just a few themes that I found interesting has been hard... But there have been a few that stuck out:

For one thing, I really found it fascinating learning about political events of Shakespeare's own time and how his plays act as commentary on that in many ways. I think examining a play with that in mind could be neat.

I also liked how often Christian themes (redemption, etc.) and figures came up in his plays. I don't know how much is known about Shakespeare's religious views, but I think examining Christianity's influence on his works would be a good topic.

Plays I would like to read that I haven't yet:
Henry V
Julius Caesar
Antony and Cleopatra
(And I am open to other suggestions :))

Perhaps...A Mormon Reading?

As I thought about what I wanted to do for my term paper, I started thinking about feminism. I have written many papers about feminism in literature, and I feel fairly well equipped to write a paper from this perspective. However, nothing would be new about my paper--I do not really know if I would have anything legitimate to add to the conversation that already exists. Some research paper topics are easy, but it's ultimately unchallenging to repeat or barely change what someone else has said.
I want to try a new approach, or at least one that is not used as often. I want to do a Mormon reading of a Shakespeare play. I'm not sure if there's a play that would be best suited for this, but I feel like there are definite undertones and overtones of Christianity, but I would like to look for doctrine and evidence of specifically Mormon beliefs. I know there will not be a lot of scholarly info to cite in my paper, so I do not know if I could do this for my paper. Just a thought.

Here are some plays I would like to read:
Much Ado about Nothing
Antony and Cleopatra
All's Well That Ends Well
The Tempest

Themes and Plays

Honestly, it's been pretty tough to figure out which themes I want to expand on. There are so many! I liked talking about jealousy, and about the written asides in King Lear. And I also think that within those there are still so many different things I can talk about.

I suppose though that one of the themes I explored that I think I can expand on quite a bit would be the idea of the setting changing the behavior of the individuals. This was a big part of Midsummer, and I think that it played a role in most of what we've read. In Lear, being in the woods and in the storm brought about this madness. In The Winter's Tale, being outside of the palace and in the woods made a light and festive experience for the audience. Etc. I'd like to see how this plays out in other texts.

Another theme I think that I could look into would be the representation of darker and more carnal selfs throughout the works. Again, a big player in Midsummer, but possibly in other plays as well.

I think as for reading, I'd like to try The Taming of the Shrew, or Love's Labour's Lost. And maybe Julius Caesar. I've never read any of those and would like to finally experience them.

Ideas for Paper and the Plays I Would Want to Read

Something that really interested me in the different Shakespeare productions that I have seen in this class so far is their use of music. It has a great tendency to change the dynamics of the scenes. I think it would be a neat idea for a paper to focus on how music is used in Shakespeare productions and what effects that has on changing the different plays.
Another area of interest that I have is how these plays where performed during certain time periods. Professor Burton mentioned about how they where performed in Nazi Germany before the war. That sounded very interesting. I am not sure what period I would like to study. Studying the historical plays during the 1600s and seeing how the execution of the king and the attempted establishment of a republic changed how these plays were performed is one idea.
The plays that I want to read are Henry V, Merry Wives of Windsor, and Measure for Measure.

And They (Almost) All Died . . . The End

Ever since I was introduced to Shakespeare in high school, I've always wondered about the sheer number of characters that die in his plays, especially when you're looking at tragedies like Hamlet and King Lear where most of the characters die in the final scene. I suppose classical tragedy probably has something to do with it, but it makes me curious, not only about why he chose to kill off so many characters, but also about the way he chose to do it.
So, for my paper, I'm thinking that I'll compare a few different tragedies and compare how the deaths of the characters work rhetorically within the play. I could also talk about how different performances use the character deaths differently to achieve different effects, but I suppose that might be a separate topic. A couple plays that I haven't read but think might apply are Othello and Antony and Cleopatra. I've already read Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar and I think those also might work well.

God King Lear vs. Human Lear

When Lear gives his daughters stewardship, he assumes that they will respect the divine right of rulership that he has not abdicated. No, he never actually abdicated. He is still referred to as the King and still refers to his places as appointed by the gods.

However, Lear has the foresight to see bureaucratic complications due to his age. I imagine the revelation that he needed help to run his kingdom wounded his pride, and I assume much of his anger latched on to the realizations that Goneril and Reagan discounted any divine right Lear believes he has.  I mean, as he loses his faculties and thus his grip on power due to age--the reason for his retirement in the first place--how can he handle that gracefully? A decision he didn't want to make backfires. How bittersweet is it that Lear foresaw the conflicts of his aging mind ruling the kingdom, and yet as his worst fears become validated by his inability to handle power dynamics or control his own family (although, granted, two of them are devil spawn).

I think that Sir Ian McKellan has a point (see video below). Lear's rage is in part due to the conflict of his faith in his kingship and the removal from his humanity that belief instills. If we say Lear loses his faith by the time he is happily and briefly reunited with Cordelia in prison, it seems that giving up pretensions of godliness in exchange for humanity is a central arc to Lear's character. I don't know if that's redemption or just the tragedy of learning a vital lesson too late.

Term Paper Ideas

I have a few ideas that I really thought were interesting and I'd like to think about a little bit more. The first one that I like the most, is how people choose to react to sorrow.  We talked about that mostly in Lear, but it is something we could also look at when talking about A Winter's Tale.  So I'm sure that's got to be a theme we could look at in some of his other plays as well.  I read a book a while ago called "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" which really delves into the different ways that people react to and deal with their sorrow and so when we talked about it a little bit in class it really caught my attention.

Another idea is that of identity.  It is so interesting in these plays how people are identified by themselves (like how they perceive themselves) and then how other people perceive them.  That is how we get the idea of who the character is.  But then we know that the characters' perceptions are affected by their own experiences and judgments.  So I think that we can learn a lot about how people in general gives themselves identity and how that identity changes when things come up in their lives.

Lastly, the effects that take place because of a choice.  Usually in his plays we see that the effects often make the character wish he would have chosen differently thus making him choose to do something next.  So there are a lot of choice leads to effect which leads to choice.  And since all of us have to make a million choices everyday, it makes his plays so relateable to everyone.

Some of the books I have not read yet but I would love to read are:

Hamlet (yeah, can you believe I haven't read or seen it?)
Othello
The Taming of the Shrew