Monday November 10 2014

This morning I finished the rough draft of my text about The Tempest.  I have discovered that I really love this play.  I didn’t so much before. But oh, there is much to be explored in it! But it will probably be another couple of weeks before it’s on the blog. It will take quite a lot of revision, I’m afraid. Inspiration doesn’t necessarily lead to completely coherent writing.  So for now, just this report.

From Davis and Frankforter’s The Shakespeare Name Dictionary.

• Plantagenet is the name of the royal family that ruled England from 1154 to 1485, Henry II to Richard III. The name comes, possibly, from a plant that Geoffrey, Duke of Anjou and father of Henry II, liked to wear in his hat.  They didn’t start calling themselves Plantagenets until Richard of York needed something posh to call the family in the War of the Roses.  Shakespeare used the term a bit loosely but he did use it, in all of the history plays.
• Pluto is the Roman name for the Greek god Hades, lord of the underworld. He should not be confused with Plutus, a minor god of riches and agricultural wealth, but Shakespeare often confuses the two, using them in many of the plays.

Shakespeare sightings:

• In the novel The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes, young Tanzi, mathematical genius, understands the renewal theory and uses the example of monkeys writing Macbeth, given enough time for chance to do it, to show that she understands.
• Dagens Nyheter had in one of its crosswords the clue “Prince on stage.”  
• Malala Yousafzai tells us in her autobiography I Am Malala that she once in school in Pakistan wrote a parody of Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo was a corrupt bureaucrat.  Cheeky kid.

Further since last time:

• Watched with Hal: Julie Taymor’s version of The Tempest.
• Watched four episode of Season Two of the Canadian series Slings and Arrows, received from friends KJG and JG, about a theatre troupe putting on Shakespeare plays. This time they’re doing Macbeth and true to the myth about the Scottish play, things are not going well.
• Finished writing: the rough draft of “Ariel’s Freedom” in The Tempest.

Posted this week:

• This Monday report
• Report on
• Shakespeare and the American Musical by Irene G. Dash
• Shakespeare and Film, a Norton Guide by Samuel Crowl