Monday, March 19, 2012

Monday, March 19 2012

This has been a Merchant-of-Venice-week, with just a few other things.

From the Shakespeare Almanac:

  • On March 13, 1609, Richard Burbage died. A superstar of the day, he was mourned by thousands. He was considered the greatest actor in England. Shakespeare wrote the rolls of Richard III, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear for him.


Shakespeare sightings (again, almost none):

  • A review in DN of a play called “Pre-study for Hamlet” which is about, if I have interpreted it correctly, tearing apart the play Hamlet which is worthless, to built it up again in a relevant version. The critic didn't like it. I probably wouldn't either.
  • In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Shakespeare sneaks in once in a while but very discretely. For example, one of the characters quotes Richard III but Dickens doesn't tell us what he said.


Further, this week:

  • Watched: the Al Pacino and the Trevor Nunn versions of Merchant of Venice.
  • Finished writing: the rough draft of my text on it.
  • Read aloud with Hal: some the many analyses of it, including Bloom's.
  • Still waiting from Amazon for : In the Bleak Midwinter.
  • Received: Shakespeare Wallah.
  • Received: email from James Harriman-Smith with the information that the introduction to The Comedy of Errors has been posted on Open Shakespeare http://openshakespeare.org/ 
  • Received: my first issue of the magazine from Shakespearesällskapet, which for you non-Swedes means the Shakespeare Society. This issue deals with Coriolanus, the DVD of which is to be released on May 2. It seems there's no modern translation of this play into Swedish.
  • Started reading: Shakespearean Negotiations by Stephen Greenblatt. It's not a thick book but it's going to take me awhile to read it because it's so interesting that I have to keep stopping to think about what I've just read and digest it.

Posted: only this.

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