Shakespeare!

[Speed Tracer]

Yeah, whenever I use those four words ("Keanu Reeves is excellent"), NOBODY believes me. Absolutely nobody. But they haven't seen it.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Hmmm, sounds interesting! I did greatly injoy the little bit of Shakespear I read in high school. Alass, apart from Romeo and Julliet, Authelo, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and McBeth, I am rather ignorant of his work. Oh, and Taiming of the Shrew, but only by way of Kiss Me Kate.
Would you please give me a discription of Henry Viii, in the hopes that I might see how it might work in scifi?

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Yeah, whenever I use those four words ("Keanu Reeves is excellent"), NOBODY believes me. Absolutely nobody. But they haven't seen it.

Oh I gotta see this.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Oh I gotta see this.

The Criterion Collection put out a nice 2-DVD set. My Own Private Idaho is directed by Gus Van Sant, who also made the notorious Psycho remake (see the Worst Movies thread for more on that).

 

[Winslow Leach]

Would you please give me a discription of Henry Viii, in the hopes that I might see how it might work in scifi?

Okay, here are the plots of Henry IV Part One and Henry IV Part Two in a nutshell...

King Henry IV (formerly known as Henry Bolingbroke) has taken the crown from Richard II, with the help of the Earl of Northumberland and the Earl of Worcester (the heads of the Percy family). Henry's reign is turbulent, and he wishes to heal his guilt at taking the kingdom by journeying to the Holy Land to fight the Moslems. However, war between Scotland and Wales at the King's borders prevent the trip. The King takes out his anger on the two Earls who helped him gain the throne. To add to the King's troubles, he must deal with Mortimer, who was proclaimed by Richard II as his rightful heir.

Meanwhile, King Henry's son Prince Hal doesn't want to have anything to do with the kingdom. He's a wastrel who would rather spend time drinking in taverns and hanging around lowlifes. Hal's best friend is the corpulant, heavy-drinking, corrupt and crude old man Sir John Falstaff, a colorful, larger-than-life streetwise rogue.

King Henry is now at odds with the Percy family, because the young Harry Percy (son of Northumberland, nephew of Worcester) refuses to give the King the prisoners he has taken at the Battle of Humbleton Hill. Harry wants the King to ransom his brother-in-law, who was captured by the Welsh. The stubborn King refuses to give in. As a result, Harry, Northumberland, Worcester and Mortimer side with the warring Welsh and Scots, in an attempt to overthrow King Henry.

Because of the brewing rebellion, Prince Hal finally decides to grow up and act accordingly. King Henry gives Hal a high command, and Hal, in turn, orders Falstaff to organize a group of soldiers and to meet at Shrewsbury, where the upcoming battle will take place.

Although the rebels are outnumbered by Henry's men, a desperate Harry Percy leads his troops into battle. Hal and Harry meet and engage in a vicious one-on-one battle for the kingdom. Hal slays Harry, and is victorious. Meanwhile Falstaff robs the corpses of their valuables, and even stabs the corpse of Harry, claiming the kill for himself, which Hal allows.

After the smoke has cleared at Shrewsbury, King Henry is victorious. The rebels have given up after the death of Harry. The King has Worcester executed. But the fight is not over. Richard Scroop, Archbishop of York, has joined with Northumberland and Mortimer. End of Part One.

Part Two picks up with Prince Hal, resuming his life as a wastrel, much to the disappointment of King Henry, who after the battle of Shrewsbury, thought his son would give up his wayward ways. But Hal cannot see himself as royalty, much less a king. After a second rebellion against King Henry is thwarted (by Henry's more responsible son Prince John), the monarch falls ill. Hal returns to the palace, and takes the crown from his father. But the King is not dead, and assumes Hal only wants to become king without taking responsibility. Hal assures his father he has matured, and will be a responsible ruler. The contented King Henry IV dies, and Hal becomes King Henry V.

Meanwhile, Falstaff has been weaving in and out of the play. When he learns of the second rebellion, he raises an army, but his men are less than enthused about actually fighting.

Once Falstaff gets word that his old tavern buddy Hal is now King, he and some of his followers arrive at the palace. Falstaff assumes his old friend will reward him for being a loyal sidekick, and that London will become a "paradise for thieves," because Hal was such a lazy, inexperienced excuse for royalty. Instead, the new Henry V looks the old man in the eye and says, "I know thee not, old man," turning his back on his former friend. Henry orders Falstaff and others like him imprisoned.

Thus, the once irresponsible prince has become a no-nonsense ruler.

The two historical Henry plays are part of Shakespeare's so-called "War of the Roses" saga, dealing with the English civil wars between the Lancaster and York dynasties. Scholars say that Shakespeare had no intention of writing the plays as one epic cycle (several were written out of order). In fact, it wasn't until the 20th century that 8 history plays were produced in historical order, over a course of several evenings. Here are the plays that comprise the War of the Roses:

Richard II
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 2
Henry VI, Part 3
Richard III

In 1966, Orson Welles made a film called Chimes at Midnight (a.k.a. Falstaff), which combined Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and some scenes/sequences from Richard II and Henry V.

The film was based on an aborted 1939 stage production that Welles wanted to produce, an epic called Five Kings, which would be staged over two nights.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Wow, thanks.

 

[Speed Tracer]

Y'know, Winslow, I was going to do all that!

Thanks.

 

[Speed Tracer]

My favorite Shakespeare play of all-time is probably Antony and Cleopatra. Just a wonderful story, especially Octavius Caesar (my role!) and Mark Antony's relationship. It's defined as being a partnership more than anything, one that goes sour, but it's clear reading the play that it goes much deeper than that. Caesar and Antony's friendship is one of the most sadly touching in all of Shakespeare's works... some compare Antony to John Lennon, Cleopatra to Yoko Ono, and Octavius to the other three Beatles. (There are two other members in their little gang of ruler guys, Lepidus and Pompey, but their relationship towards Antony is more professional than Octavius'.) It's a wonderful play, and every time I read it, I cry when I read Octavius' reaction to his friends' death.

I must perforce
Have shown to thee such a declining day,
Or look on thine; we could not stall together
In the whole world.

 

[Speed Tracer]

At camp I had the chance to play Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus. What a wonderful role.

Also, this fall, we'll be doing Macbeth at my local theatre. I'm playing the roles of the Porter and Hecate, both being favorites of mine.

 

[Winslow Leach]

At camp I had the chance to play Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus. What a wonderful role.

Also, this fall, we'll be doing Macbeth at my local theatre. I'm playing the roles of the Porter and Hecate, both being favorites of mine.

I'd love to be involved in a production of Titus. I'd go for Saturninus.

I have yet to do "the Scottish play," but the Porter is an excellent role!