April 2019

‘Such groans of roaring wind and rain’ – it’s been a turbulent month, both the weather and life but now April has arrived, and one hopes that it will put a spirit of youth in all of us.

This will be a short report, and first, as always, I appeal to visitors of this blog to note that Shakespeare Calling – the book is available for purchase. Please help promote the book by buying it, of course, and telling your friends about it, by liking and sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Bokus…. And please encourage your local book shops and libraries to buy it. Thank you! Your support is needed to keep this project alive.

Available for those of you in Great Britain and Europe on this site:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/9163782626/ref=tmm_hrd_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1514378301&sr=8-1

Also available on http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Calling-book-Ruby-Jand/dp/9163782626/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436073737&sr=1-1&keywords=Ruby+Jand+shakespeare+calling

Or in Sweden

http://www.bokus.com/bok/9789163782626/shakespeare-calling-the-book/

or Adlibris. Or contact the publisher info@vulkan.se

Shakespeare sightings:

• Existence by David Brin has quotes from the ‘To be or not to be’ monolog as an introduction to each part. Very appropriate in a novel about humans’ first encounter with space aliens.
• The Human Stain by Philip Roth is full of Shakespeare references. The father of the main character Coleman Silk taught his children that no one could take the language of Shakespeare away from them and quoted frequently from the plays.

Further since last time:

• On a very serious note I feel obligated to comment on the developments at the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden. In the aftermath of the #metoo movement it has been revealed that the atmosphere of the workplace has been bad for a long time, with abuse, offensive behaviour, even violence, especially from one of the actors who has been kept on because he is regarded by some as an acting genius. This man was sentenced lightly some years ago for the physical abuse of his then girlfriend, who has since died. It must be emphasised that abusers are often charming and likeable publicly, but in this case, when the identity of the actor was revealed, my first thought was, ‘I knew it.’ Of this actor, who played Prospero in a production we saw some years ago, I wrote in Shakespeare calling, that he ‘was dreadful’ (page 654 in Shakespeare calling – the book.) In all the plays I’ve seen this actor I have found him arrogant, offensively macho and as far from an acting genius as can be.  It is very possible that actors I admire and like are also guilty of abuse and if such is revealed my reaction must be the same: Prospero, The Tempest, Shakespeare, theatre in general, the world deserves so much more. Violence, and most certainly the violence of men against women, is just not acceptable. We must stop accepting it.

Posted this month

• This report 

Shakespeare Calling – the book is promoted by

http://shakespearesallskapet.se/

Read more about my alter ego’s books on:

·       https://themerlinchronicles.wordpress.com/ruby-and-shakespeare/shakespeare-calling-the-book/

·       https://themerlinchronicles.wordpress.com/ruby-and-shakespeare/spoiler-merlin-and-shakespeare/

March 2019

This time it’s been Love’s Labour’s Lost that has highlighted our Shakespeare month. My text is called ‘Mockery and Merriment’(see below).

But first, as always, I appeal to visitors of this blog that Shakespeare Calling – the book is available for purchase. Please help promote the book by buying it, of course, and telling your friends about it, by liking and sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Bokus…. And please encourage your local book shops and libraries to buy it. Thank you! Your support is needed to keep this project alive.

Available for those of you in Great Britain and Europe on this site:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/9163782626/ref=tmm_hrd_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1514378301&sr=8-1

Also available on http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Calling-book-Ruby-Jand/dp/9163782626/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436073737&sr=1-1&keywords=Ruby+Jand+shakespeare+calling

Or in Sweden

http://www.bokus.com/bok/9789163782626/shakespeare-calling-the-book/

or Adlibris. Or contact the publisher info@vulkan.se

Shakespeare sightings:

• The City of Silk and Steel by Mike, Linda and Louise Carey doesn’t really have a Shakespeare reference but almost a quote: Villain Jamal to his enemy Zuleika, ‘How goes it with you, Lady?’ Close enough!
• Dagens Nyheter has had reports on the new productions of Hamlet, at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, for example.
• On TVs Kulturnytt we were informed, in connection with the abovementioned production, that Hamlet was the first Shakespeare play performed in Sweden and that was 200 years ago. This is the seventh time (at this theatre I assume they mean) and the first time it’s directed by a woman, Sofia Jupither. The reviewer Anna Hedelius liked it.
• In Practicing New Historicism Stephen Greenblatt and his co-author Catherine Gallagher refer many times to Hamlet.

Further since last time:

• Watched: the Globe version of Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Posted this month

• ‘Mockery and Merriment’ in Love’s Labour’s Lost. https://rubyjandshakespearecalling.blogspot.com/2019/03/loves-labours-lost-mockery-and-merriment.html
• This report

Shakespeare Calling – the book is promoted by

http://shakespearesallskapet.se/

Read more about my alter ego’s books on:

·       https://themerlinchronicles.wordpress.com/ruby-and-shakespeare/shakespeare-calling-the-book/

·       https://themerlinchronicles.wordpress.com/ruby-and-shakespeare/spoiler-merlin-and-shakespeare/

Love's Labour's Lost - Mockery and Merriment

Mockery and Merriment

in

Love’s Labour’s Lost

     Shakespeare has a lot of love stories in his plays but many of them are filled with cruelty. Orsino threatens to kill Viola. Claudio accuses Hero of being a whore. Demetrius and Lysander insult, threaten and abandon Helena and Hermia. Et cetera.

     But in Love’s Labour’s Lost the men are quite sincerely and kindly in love and the women, well, they are too, though they mock and ridicule their wooers and do very little passionate swooning. When it comes right down to it, they make demands on their men – a year of various sacrifices – before they will consider marriage.

     The exchanges between the four pairs of lovers and the triangle of Armado, Costard and Jaquenetta, are merry enough and the mocking is gentle and humorous. But the mockery of the women for the men is nothing compared to how the play itself mocks love – oh, these silly young men and their love!  Mocks oaths – Shakespeare is filled with broken oaths but rarely so humorously as here. Mocks scholars and ivory tower learning and passionate poetic pedants.

     All in the warmest tone of merriment. Words piled on words, tongue-twisting tirades and joyful punning. The characters themselves repeatedly mention the mocking and the merriment. It’s almost as though they know that Shakespeare is having great fun writing the play, and they’re having great fun living in it.

     And so, though we breathlessly fail to keep up with the exuberant loquaciousness, it is great fun both reading and watching this play.

     Oh, Hamlet, words, words, words can be so wonderful!

Film seen this time:

 ·       Globe version, 2010.  Director: Dominic Dromgoole. Good cast led by Michelle Terry as the Princess. Very enjoyable.

Read ‘Finding a Few Things’ in Shakespeare calling – the book available here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeare-Calling-book-Ruby-Jand/dp/9163782626/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1543817692&sr=1-1&keywords=Ruby+Jand