Taming of the Shrew: Shakespeare as Open Text

What’s it about?  Petruccio, who desperately wants money, meets some gentlemen who are in love with a beautiful young lady named Bianca. However, Bianca’s father will not allow her to marry until her older sister, Katherine, is married. The problem is that Katherine is so strong-willed and “shrewish” that nobody is interested in her at all. The gentleman convince Petruccio…

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Why do people think that Iago is in love with Othello? I’ve read the play multiple times and I’m still very confused by this.

penfairy: uuuuUUUUGghghghgh I hate that theory so much, firstly because it blames Iago’s horrendous, despicable actions on homosexuality, but principally because it blames them on love. Iago is generally considered to be Shakespeare’s most terrifying villain. He’s fantastically complex. He’s charming. He’s manipulative. He is cruel and obsessive. He lacks empathy. He’s jealous. He’s two-faced, he’s honey-tongued. And do you…

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Another note on Romeo and Juliet: I think it is very interesting that the play kind of shows that both living for something and dying for something both take courage. What do you think?

Romeo and Juliet: Embracing the Inevitable

And so the Year of the Bard begins! Today, I have for you a summary of, some of my thoughts about, and some of my favorite bits from Shakespeare’s iconic romance, Romeo and Juliet! Yay! Here we go… What’s it about?  Meet Romeo, a young man who is trying to recover from heartbreak. Enter Juliet, a beautiful young woman ready…

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goodticklebrain: Happy New Year everyone! As the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, 2016 promises to be a year rich in Shakespearean adventures and excitement. These are hilarious. My own Shakespearean resolution? To finish Shakespeare’s complete works this year and write about my experience at Finding the Bard! First post goes up tomorrow!

Never been able to understand why Hamlet is such a big deal? Struggled to understand what Shakespeare’s characters are saying at all? Wondered what wist and wont and wherefore even mean?  I’ll be talking about each of Shakespeare’s plays over the course of the year, starting with Romeo and Juliet next Monday! (For more info, see my About page.) See you then!

Welcome to Finding the Bard! Join me as I honor William Shakespeare throughout 2016, which marks the 400th anniversary of his death. I will be spending the year reading and writing about his plays to try and understand why exactly Shakespeare is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. First post of the year will be…

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