Martin Green's WRIOTHESLEY'S ROSES IN SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS, POEMS AND PLAYS adds significantly to our information about Shakespeare, of whom few have been able to tell us very much. The book captures the social milieu of the times, mentioning almost everybody who was anybody. It focuses on the well-educated, politically active, and sexually ambiguous coterie surrounding the Earl of Essex and their influence on Shakespeare's knowledge and concepts. Green's thesis is that the third Earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley (pronounced Rose-ly) was the "thou, my Rose" to whom the sonnets were addressed, the inspirer of Shakespeare's red and white and Rose imagery. One cannot but be impressed by the amassed evidence, starting with the Wriothesly coat-of-arms and the architectural particulars of H.W.'s Titchfield home. For all who love sleuthing, this book is a must. Stylistically a delight, partly because of Green's ready, wry humor, the book argues its case with the cogency of a skillful lawyer, anticipating and covering all points of view. In his insightful interpretations of Shakespeare's writings, Green highlights the puns and dark conceits that he says were there for artistic reasons and not out of legal necessity to avoid revelation of homosexual or sodomitical content. The book concludes with a short, lyrical chapter describing an initial meeting of Shakespeare and Henry Wriothesley, so beautiful that one ardently hopes it was so. Mr. Green is also author of THE LABYRINTH OF SHAKESPEARE's SONNETS, London 1974.

Richard Burt has managed to write an academic text which is at once thorough and a pleasure to read. Dr. Burt's style is easily accessible while still offering an intellectual's view of all things Shakespearean. This book's vision of modern Shakesperiotics demonstrates just how far reaching "the Bard" can be. The depth of Burt's considerations of Queer Theory and adult films is impressive and well documented, but his real strength is the breadth of his scholarship, as he lists and discusses allusions, citations, and spinoffs found throughout American culture. This volume should not be missed by casual viewers of popular culture or interested academic followers of Shakespeare.

Combining glittery high theory with `low' culture materials, Richard Burt has written an absolutely brilliant, path-breaking study of Shakespeare in contemporary mass media, focusing mostly on film, but discussing t.v. sit-coms, comic books, and novels as well. Most of these films and other texts have never before been archived or examined by any other Shakespeare critic. What is particularly original about Burt's book is the way he views what he concedes are often trashy films, including some hardcore pornographic adaptations, from the vantage point of the critic as loser. Instead of trying to redeem mass culture `trash' as politically dissident, transgressive, or subversive material, as most critics doing cultural studies now do, Burt questions whether the trashy material he examines can be recycled, and opens up as a profound, troubling question whether criticism (avowedly political or not, high-minded or low-minded) can ever fully transcend questions concerning its own potential triviality and stupidity. This is a very sophisticated and challenging book, but is very accessible and very entertaining. Burt will soon emerge as the Stephan Greenblatt of post-millenial Shakespeare criticism. His book is a truly remarkable read!

Shakespeare is constantly present in all our lives, in films, books and songs. However, Shakespeare is more omnipresent than you first thought, as Richard Burt's book proves. By first examining direct representations of the great Bard, such as the most recent Romeo and Juliet, he then takes us on a literary journey through Hollywood and American popular culture via Shakespeare. In the last decade Shakespeare has not only become accepted, he has almost become cool, as we have seen in the wide variety of spin-offs and adaptations. Burt examines what this not only means to our culture but what it represents about our culture. From the more obvious queering of Shakespeare (indeed his sexuality has been studied , as long as literature has been studied),to his representation in pornography, and finally to the way in which he has been bastardized (bardized) in the current spate of "teen" movies. Not only do we see what this means to the youth of today, we also see how much impact Shakespeare has on our generation. All literary scholars should agree that literature relies on re-interpretation and re-examing the work which we study. Burt brings a new and refreshing light to a subject that could well have become irrelevant to American culture. This book is both fascinating and insightful, how else would I have learnt of films such as Tromeo and Juliet, which make Shakespeare what he should be, new and exciting. So to all those who doubt the validity of such a quest, i.e. redefining Shakespeare in terms of kiddie culture or queer theory, go back to you're stuffy old librarys and let the dust settle upon you. Shakespeare is back, this is the sequel, and its better than ever.

Since the age of 12 (I'm in my 30's now), I have tried to absorb everything Shakespeare. Even though I have trepidations about film adaptations of the Bard's work, I had to see this film based on the prodigious talent of Emma Thompson. I'm glad I gave into my gut instinct, for her portrayal of Beatrice is so natural and glorious, you will actually get swept away with her performance and believe that she actually IS Beatrice!

Most of the supporting cast is also wonderful. Hats off to the performances by Denzel Washington (Don Pedro), Richard Briers (Seigneur Leonato), Brian Blessed (Seigneur Antonio), Michael Keaton (Constable Dogberry), and a absolutely stunning performance by Kate Beckinsale (Hero). The exceptions in the casting are Keanu Reeves (Don John), Robert Sean Leonard (Claudio) and...yes...Kenneth Brannagh (Benedick). Fortunately Reeves' role is small. Leonard's performance seems too contrived, to the point of distraction. And even though this is Brannagh's baby, Brannagh himself portrays the role of Benedick with a smugness that is a bit nauseating. If you read the play, Benedick is not smug at all. Though I enjoy Brannagh's other work, he seems to use Shakespeare as a way to show superiority. I have seen this in other actors, and find such action reprehensible. Shakespeare wrote plays for people to enjoy and to indugle in escapism...not to give people an excuse to be a snob.

Having said that, this film is very enjoyable, and I've actually had friends become Shakespeare addicts after seeing this particular film. I, personally, particularly love the Tuscan locations, and the costuming is wonderful! No over-the-top lacey outfits in this film, but rather those that would be suited to the climate. This adds another depth of reality that pulls you into the story.

If you are a fan of Shakespeare, or any of the aforementioned actors, this movie is a must-see. It's actually one of the very few film versions of a Shakespeare play that I own. This particular interpretation allows the viewer to become comfortable with Shakespeare's style, thus creating an interest in his other work. Well worth the purchase. And yes, it's VERY funny!

"Much Ado About Nothing" is a beautifully made, performed, and directed film by the incomparable Kenneth Branaugh. This film includes an all-star cast that give wonderful performances and draw you into the lives of the characters. The plot is somewhat complicated, so I'll give a general version. The film is basically about love, misunderstanding, scandal, revenge, virtue, and bravery. That's a lot for one film, but believe me, it's all in there!

Kenneth Branaugh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, and Michael Keaton give excellent performances in this film that you wouldn't want to miss. Although the film is a period piece and the Shakespearean language is used, you will have no difficulty understanding it perfectly.

The scenery and landscape in this film are exquisite as well. I never thought there could be such a beautiful, untouched place like that on earth. I would suggest watching the film just for the beautiful landscape, but it's the performances and the story that you should really pay attention to.

Anyone who loves Shakespeare would absolutely love this film! Anyone who loves Kenneth Branaugh and what he has done for Shakespeare in the past 10 or 15 years will appreciate this film as well! There isn't one bad thing I can say about this film. Definitely watch it, you won't be disappointed!!!

One of the problems with Shakespeare's comedies, an English professor once told me, is that they are not funny. Now, this is not to say that Shakespeare was a bad comedy writer, or that this professor had no sense of humour. In fact, quite the opposite--he had turned his sense of humour and love of humour into an academic career in pursuit of humour.

What he meant by the comment was, humour is most often a culture-specific thing. It is of a time, place, people, and situation--there is very little by way of universal humour in any language construction. Perhaps a pie in the face (or some variant thereof) does have some degree of cross-cultural appeal, but even that has less universality than we would often suppose.

Thus, when I suggested to him that we go see this film when it came out, he was not enthusiastic. He confessed to me afterward that he only did it because he had picked the last film, and intended to require the next two selections when this film turned out to be a bore. He also then confessed that he was wrong.

Brannagh managed in his way to carry much of the humour of this play into the twentieth century in an accessible way -- true, the audience was often silent at word-plays that might have had the Elizabethan audiences roaring, but there was enough in the action, the acting, the nuance and building up of situations to convey the same amount of humour to today's audience that Shakespeare most likely intended for his groups in the balconies and the pit.

The film stars Kenneth Brannagh (who also adapted the play for screen) and Emma Thompson as Benedict and Beatrice, the two central characters. They did their usual good job, with occasional flashes of excellence. Alas, I'll never see Michael Keaton as a Shakespearean actor, but he did a servicable job in the role of the constable (and I shall always remember that 'he is an ass') -- the use of his sidekick as the 'horse' who clomps around has to be a recollection of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where their 'horses' are sidekicks clapping coconut shells together.

I'll also not see Keanu Reeves as a Shakespearean, yet he was perhaps too well known (type-cast, perhaps) in other ways to pull off the brief-appearing villian in this film.

Lavish sets and costumes accentuate the Italianate-yet-very-English feel of this play. This film succeeds in presenting an excellent but lesser-known Shakespeare work to the public in a way that the public can enjoy.

With this novel, I think that Cooper has created a fun and original work. It is a story of a boys acting company who travel to London to preform at the rebuilt Globe Theater. For one boy, the trip involves not just a voyage across the Atlantic, but a journey in time as well. Nat Field finds himself back in Elizabethian London acting in the role of Puck in Shakespeare's personal production of A Midsummer's Night Dream.

This odd transposition in time allows for some interesting interaction with the setting. For a twentieth century boy, the London of Shakespeare's day is a strange world. Having no modern convieniences (such as toilets) and having the drink at every meal be ale are things that don't fit the everyday life of a young American boy. But Nat gets along and proves himself as an actor in Shakespeare's own production.

Given the general elements of this book, not all young readers would enjoy it. To identify with or even to like the main character, one cannot by a typical American kid. The theatrical world and the ability to understand the historical setting of Shakespeare's time are, unfortunately, completely foreign to most kids these days. So this book is not for the typical nintendo-playing sports-loving kid, but rather for the imaginitive book-lover. (For the book is full of imagination and history.)

The book isn't perfect, but it is still a fun read. As an adult reader, I wished that I could have read more about the purpose behind the time travel, but I realize that what was written is sufficient for a younger audience. So, as a young adult novel, it is a great book, well worth the read.

A seamless, poignant tale of a young boy's grief, time-travel and William Shakespeare.
Nat, an 11 year old who is orphaned and ridden with hidden grief, is chosen to join a contemporary, Shakespearian theatre group to perform as Puck in A Midsummer's Night Dream at the new Globe Theatre in London.
This journey becomes more than a transatlantic adventure for a budding actor. Nat finds himself plunged into Elizabeathan London 400 years earlier where he has to adjust to life as an apprentice in the original Globe theatre and play Puck with the great actors of the day but most of all meet and be entranced by William Shakespeare himself. Ultimately, this is a story of how a young boy must face his greatest fears and achieve healing under the guiding hand and poetic wisdom of the Bard himself.
Cooper creates a vivd and pungent world of London and does not shirk from the violence and political intrigue that must have existed at the time .
This book is for those of any age who can let their imaginations run easily and let the mastery of the author lead you through a deeply satisyfying and touching experience.

Nat Field, an actor in the American Company of Boys, goes to London with the troupe to play the role of Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the new Globe Theatre. Suddenly, he is transported back in time to 1599 London and finds himself portraying Puck at the original Globe. Not only that, he's performing with Will Shakespeare himself, who is playing Oberon! The author brings the sights, sounds and smells of Elizabethan London to life and takes us behind the scenes of the Bard's own production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." After reading this, you'll probably want to read the play and see a performance yourself. Susan Cooper, who was a student of J.R.R. Tolkien, is an outstanding writer and storyteller. Don't miss her magnum opus, the five-book "The Dark Is Rising" series.

Do you like mysteries of adventure books? Well, if you do then you'll love this book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Written and illustrated by E. L. Konigsburg.

This book is about a young girl and her younger brother who run away. They decide to run away so that when they finally do return they will be much more appreciated by their family. They end up living in the Metropolitan Museum, in New York City. While living in the museum they start to unravel the mystery behind a statue in the museum, which they refer to as "Angel".

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a book for children mostly ages 10 thru 14. That age group would enjoy this book the most because kids at this age can relate to how the characters are feeling in some of their situations. This book is also relatively easy to read and comprehend.

As you read this book, you will begin to notice it is written as a continuous letter. Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler writes the letter. Reading this book in letterform makes it a "quick read". It is considered a "quick read" because; there is not as much dialog, so that way you will not get confused very easily. Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is acting like a narrator so it is simple to understand and see what is going on.

So... to all of you mysterious and adventurous, early teen readers out there, this is the perfect book for you, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

In the book, From The Mixed Up Files, Claudia and Jamie aare the two main characters. Claudia feels that her family isn't treating her faairly. She desides to take Jamie with her because he saves all his money. He also is the one Claudia thinks most understands her. They decide that they will go to the Mteropolitan Museum because they both would like to see it. As stowaways they find something special that will change their whole aadventure.
I liked this bokk because it haas a lot of adventure to it and has an excellent plot that is easy to foolow. I would recommend this book to you because it is a superior Newbery award book for all kids. I think that this book is a first-class selection because it can show you how to come up with things you don't have. I think that this book is about being without a real home or food sevrved to you. If you don't have an all time favorite book, well then just go to the bookstore and read From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. E. Basil Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigs burg.

One of the most entertaining children's books ever! This ranks right up there with The Westing Game for superb description, imagination, and characters. Claudia and Jamie Kincaid run away from home, but clever Claudia isn't settling for any less than the best. She decided the Metropolitan Museum of Art will do, with its antique beds fit for queens, a cafeteria for their meals, and school tours to pass the days. So, with their instrument cases full of spare underwear and Jamie's savings, the two siblings set off. While dodging museum guards, raising funds, and admiring artwork at their leisure after hours, the two stumble upon a mysterious sculpture which may have been created by Michelangelo. A reclusive Mrs. Basil Frankweiler holds the secret, but will she tell?

When I read this back in grade school, I loved the thrilling idea of running away (what kid didn't), preferably somewhere as exotic as the Met. The Kincaid kids are organized and sensible, and it was a pleasure to see a runaway elegantly done. They think of everything. Of course, their method is out of the realm of possibility, but the creativity they show is pure reading fun.

The author wrote the children as complex personalities with layers of wisdom, innocence, and intelligence. The story is slightly dated only in things like the price of admission or stamps - in spirit, it's timeless. It's got everything: a treasure hunt, a mystery, suspense, ingenuity, and the coolest brother and sister team you will find in children's lit.

RULED BRITANNIA by Harry Turtledove. Set in 1597, Spaniards have invaded England and imprisoned Queen Elizabeth in the Tower of London ten years before. Under King Phillip of Spain, Queen Isabella and King Albert rule in Elizabeth's stead and England groans beneath the terrible yoke of the English Inquisition. Set in London England, William Shakespeare is a successful playwright who writes and performs with his company of players. At long last King Phillip is dying and the time is ripe for a revolt. Aided by his contemporaries, Lord Burghley, Phillip Marlowe, Will Kemp and Richard Burbage, he daringly writes a play that will set the stage for the final English uprising that restores their beloved Elizabeth to her crown!

Interesting story, and good premise for a plot. The Characters seem real and there is a bit of history behind each one that allows the premise and events to be believable. Plus it's a nice introduction to Middle English sentence forms, etc. In comparison with the whole of the tale, I thought it was a bit weak on the climax and plot conclusion, but don't let that get in the way of what is a fascinating and absorbing read.

he Spanish Armada, unhampered by the storm and fire ships that saved England in our history, landed and England lies conquered beneath the Spanish (and Irish) boot. Protestantism is persecuted, Elizabeth languishes in the Tower of London, and spies are everywhere, searching out any remaining supporters of the old English order. Yet London remains restive, even after ten years of Spanish rule, looking for a spark to sent it into revolt. English nobleman Lord Burghley decides that Philip's death and a new play by Shakespeare are just the sparks needed to ignite the flames of freedom. Of course, for Shakespeare, any flames might just come from the Inquisition rather than from freedom.

Alternate History master Harry Turtledove (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Turtledove) combines historical research with an abundance of Shakespearian paraphrases to deliver an entertaining and plausible tale. Certainly England's survival from the Spanish Armada was viewed as a miracle at the time, and certainly a Spanish victory would have changed the world. Setting a story in the world of Shakespeare and Marlowe gives the story instant appeal and the author a challenge to depict the Bard as a witty and human man. Turtledove lives up to the challenge. I especially enjoyed his depictions of the exploits of Spanish soldier and playwright Lupe de Vega.

For me, at least, the magic of alternate history is seeing how the world is changed by a slightly different turn of fate (hence the success of the Spanish Armada). The point of RULED BRITANNIA, however, is the English resistance to Spanish rule. The end result, should the revolt succeed, is a return to history much as we knew it. Whether a revolutionary play could set off London is certainly debatable but at least tenable. Less so, to me, is the foolishness of Philip leaving Elizabeth in the tower rather than in the Spanish equivalent. Would Elizabeth have dared put Mary Queen of Scots in Edinburgh?

The power of RULED BRITANNIA comes from Turtledove's obvious enjoyment of Shakespeare's dialogue, characters such as the word-mangling Constable Strawberry, and Shakespeare's fellow dramatists Kemp and Burbage.

Since its inception, Science Fiction has speculated about time travel and the possibility of changing the present by meddling in the past. Harry Turtledove writes about radically altered pasts without resort to time machine through a device called "alternate history". Blurbs on his books proclaim him the master of this genre. In support of his title Turtledove has published two hefty tomes in as many months. Advance and Retreat is the fourth book in his "war between the provinces" series which projects events in the US Civil War through a very convoluted looking glass. Ruled Brtiannia is more conventional, working from a single "what if..." premise, i.e. that the Spanish armada had succeeded in subjugating England in 1588.

Elizabeth is locked up in the Tower and Phillip II's daughter sits on the throne of England. Turtledove's story begins a decade later when William Shakespeare becomes embroiled in a plot to throw off the Spanish yoke. He proves a reluctant and timid revolutionary. Turtledove creates a persona for Shakespeare that is entirely believable and consistent with the known facts of his life. Many of the other characters in the book are important historical figures, though playing somewhat different roles in an England under Spanish rule. William Cecil is the prime conspirator rather than Elizabeth's prime minister. He commissions Shakespeare to write and perform a play that will arouse the patriotic fervor of the English. Lope de Vega, the great Spanish playwright (who really did sail with the armada) is a captain in the London garrison and a fan of Shakespeare's plays. His commander has him commission Shakespeare to write a play extolling the virtues of Phillip II. Faced with these competing and contradictory demands, Shakespeare comes up with a solution worthy of... well... of Shakespeare. Burbage, Kemp and Christopher Marlowe naturally figure in the story.

Turtledove sprinkles lines from Shakespeare and Marlowe, or approximations thereof, liberally through his dialogue. He plays a trifle loose with the sequence of the plays for no apparent reason, having the Falstaff of the Merry Wives of Widsor precede the Falstaff of Henry IV -- rather than the the other way round.

A witty and entertaining book.

This superb play by Shakespeare somehow reminded me of Antigona, the first play which directly examined the always complex interplay and usual confrontation between political reason and moral reason. This play is an excellent account of the immediately previous and subsequent days of Julius Caesar's assasination by Brutus, his best friend, and other conspirators. Brutus is persuaded by the resentful Cassius that Caesar has betrayed Rome by abandoning the Republic and turning to Dictatorship. Brutus gets to be convinced that, in order to save the Republic, Caesar must be killed. This puts him in a great dilemma, for he loves Caesar and he's his closest friend. Here we see in an acute form the way in which political power gets in conflict with morality and feelings. Friendship, power and betrayal are the basic subjects of this excellent piece of work.

This was the first play performed at the Globe Theatre. For that reason alone, this play deserves special attention. But the characters, the language, and this interesting situation represent Shakespeare's finest efforts. Cassius is ruthless with a malicious attitude. But he honestly fears what Caesar will do if he is crowned. Brutus is a good and honest man. He contemplates joining Cassius to kill Caesar despite the fact that Caesar loves him as a friend. (In history as well, Caesar was notably kind to Brutus.) But yet he too fears that if Caesar is crowned, Rome will bleed. Mark Antony is convincing as Caesar's loyal aid who SEEMS insignificant at first. But after Caesar is killed, he emerges as the most powerful and intelligent character in the play. What makes this play so phenomenal is that we can easily understand and sympathize with any of these major characters. (Even though they are on opposite sides.) What's left? Only chilling omens like the Soothsayer, the storm, the ghost of Caesar, etc. Only memorable passages like Mark Antony's famous 'honorable' speech. If you like this play, I suggest the B & W version where James Mason does Brutus, John Gielgud does Cassius, and Marlon Brando does Mark Antony.

This is certainly one of Shakespeare's greatest works. Every individual character has been perfectly planned before the play was written, and each has his/her own unique characteristics. The plot is well-known, but Shakespeare adds the themes of betrayal, love, and distrust into the mix, making it a nonforgetable story. This is definately a masterpiece to be reread over and over again. LONG LIVE JULIUS CAESAR! GO SM!! WE ARE HIS #1 FANS!!!

Shakespeare's shortest and bloodiest tragedy, MACBETH is also possibly the most serious. Macbeth is a warrior who has just had his greatest victory, but his own "vaulting ambition," the spectral promises of the three weird sisters, and the spurring on of his wife drive him to a treason and miserable destruction for which he himself is completely responsible. The ominous imagery of the fog that hovers over the first scene of the play symbolizes the entire setting of the play. Shakespeare's repeated contrasts of such concepts as fair and foul, light and darkness, bravery and cowardice, cut us to the quick at every turn. MACBETH forces us to question "what is natural?" "what is honor?" and "Is life really 'a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing?'" Few plays have ever illustrated the torments of Guilt (especially how it deprives one of Sleep) so vividly and stirringly.

I have read this play curiously as a child, excitedly as a teenager, passionately as a college student, and lovingly as a graduate student and adult. Like all of Shakespeare's writing, it is still as fresh, and foreboding, and marvelous as ever. As a play it is first meant to be heard (cf. Hamlet says "we shall hear a play"), secondarily to be seen (which it must be), but, ah, the rich rewards of reading it at one's own pace are hard to surpass. Shakespeare is far more than just an entertainer: he is the supreme artist of the English language. The Arden edition of MACBETH is an excellent scholarly presentation, offering a bounty of helpful notes and information for both the serious and casual reader.

"Macbeth" is one of Shakespeare's most powerful plays. Without doubt, audiences always remain guessing as they read the powerful speeches of Macbeth and his wife, who change dramatically during the story. The plot is not Shakespeare's most clever or most genius, but beautiful nonetheless!! And the best part is, thru this play, Shakespeare shows us that people are good at heart, even if corrupted within their lives.

Which version of "Macbeth" to buy? Definitely this one. The right pages provide the original play, while the left page provides definitions for old or hard vocabulary. There are also plot summaries before each scene. In addition to page numbers, each page also indicates act and scene, making the search for certain passages extremely easy. The lines are, of course, numbered, for easy reference (if you're reading this as a school assignment.) And of course, the stage directions are included too. A very helpful edition of Shakespeare's work.

William Shakespeare's tragedies are universal. We know that the tragedy will be chalk-full of blood, murder, vengeance, madness and human frailty. It is, in fact, the uncorrectable flaws of the hero that bring his death or demise. Usually, the hero's better nature is wickedly corrupted. That was the case in Hamlet, whose desire to avenge his father's death consumed him to the point of no return and ended disastrously in the deaths of nearly all the main characters. At the end of Richard III, all the characters are lying dead on the stage. In King Lear, the once wise, effective ruler goes insane through the manipulations of his younger family members. But there is something deeply dark and disturbing about Shakespeare's darkest drama- Macbeth. It is, without a question, Gothic drama. The supernatural mingles as if everyday occurence with the lives of the people, the weather is foul, the landscape is eerie and haunting, the castles are cold and the dungeons pitch-black. And then there are the three witches, who are always by a cauldron and worship the nocturnal goddess Hecate. It is these three witches who prophetize a crown on the head of Macbeth. Driven by the prophecy, and spurred on by the ambitious, egotistic and Machiavellian Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare's strongest female character), Macbeth murders the king Duncan and assumes the throne of Scotland. The roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are tour de force performances for virtuosic actors. A wicked couple, a power-hungry couple, albeit a regal, intellectual pair, who can be taken into any form- Mafia lord and Mafia princess, for example, as in the case of a recent movie with a modern re-telling of Macbeth.

Nothing and no one intimidates Macbeth. He murders all who oppose him, including Banquo, who had been a close friend. But the witches predict doom, for Macbeth, there will be no heirs and his authority over Scotland will come to an end. Slowly as the play progresses, we discover that Macbeth's time is running up. True to the classic stylings of Shakespeare tragedy, Lady Macbeth goes insane, sleepwalking at night and ranting about bloodstained hands. For Macbeth, the honor of being a king comes with a price for his murder. He sees Banquo's ghost at a dinner and breaks down in hysteria in front of his guests, he associates with three witches who broil "eye of newt and tongue of worm", and who conjure ghotsly images among them of a bloody child. Macbeth is Shakespeare's darkest drama, tinged with foreboding, mystery and Gothic suspense. But, nevertheless, it is full of great lines, among them the soliloquy of Macbeth, "Out, out, brief candle" in which he contemplates the brevity of human life, confronting his own mortality. Macbeth has been made into films, the most striking being Roman Polansky's horrific, gruesome, R-rated movie in which Lady Macbeth sleepwalks in the nude and the three witches are dried-up, grey-haired naked women, and Macbeth's head is devilishly beheaded and stuck at the end of a pole. But even more striking in the film is that at the end, the victor, Malcolm, who has defeated Macbeth, sees the witches for advise. This says something: the cycle of murder and violenc will begin again, which is what Macbeth's grim drama seems to be saying about powerhungry men who stop at nothing to get what they want.

As a play, "Othello" encompasses many things but more than anything else it is a study of pure evil. Although Othello is an accomplished professional soldier and a hero of sorts, he is also a minority and an outcast in many ways. As a Black man and a Moor (which means he's a Moslem), Othello has at least two qualities, which make him stand out in the Elizabethan world. He is also married to a Caucasian woman named Desdemona, which creates an undercurrent of hostility as evidenced by the derogatory remark "the ram hath topped the ewe".

Othello's problems begin when he promotes one of his soldiers, Michael Cassio as his lieutenant. This arouses the jealousy and hatred of one of his other soldiers, Iago who hatches a plot to destroy Othello and Michael Cassio. When Cassio injures an opponent in a fight he is rebuked, punished, and subsequently ignored by Othello who must discipline him and teach him a lesson. Iago convinces Desdemona to intervene on Cassio's behalf and then begins to convince Othello that Desdemona is in love with Cassio.

This is actually one of the most difficult Shakespeare plays to watch because the audience sees the plot begin to unfold and is tormented by Othello's gradual decent into Iago's trap. As with other Shakespeare plays, the critical components of this one are revealed by language. When Othello is eventually convinced of Cassio's treachery, he condemns him and promotes Iago in his place. When Othello tells Iago that he has made him his lieutenant, Iago responds with the chilling line, "I am thine forever". To Othello this is a simple affirmation of loyalty, but to the audience, this phrase contains a double meaning. With these words, Iago indicates that the promotion does not provide him with sufficient satisfaction and that he will continue to torment and destroy Othello. It is his murderous intentions, not his loyal service that will be with Othello forever.

Iago's promotion provides him with closer proximity to Othello and provides him with more of his victim's trust. From here Iago is easily able to persuade Othello of Desdemona's purported infidelity. Soon Othello begins to confront Desdemona who naturally protests her innocence. In another revealing statement, Othello demands that Desdemona give him "the ocular proof". Like Iago's earlier statement, this one contains a double meaning that is not apparent to the recipient but that is very clear to the audience who understands the true origin of Othello's jealousy. Othello's jealousy is an invisible enemy and it is also based on events that never took place. How can Desdemona give Othello visual evidence of her innocence if her guilt is predicated on accusations that have no true shape or form? She can't. Othello is asking Desdemona to do the impossible, which means that her subsequent murder is only a matter of course.

I know that to a lot of young people this play must seem dreadfully boring and meaningless. One thing you can keep in mind is that the audience in Shakespeare's time did not have the benefit of cool things such as movies, and videos. The downside of this is that Shakespeare's plays are not visually stimulating to an audience accustomed to today's entertainment media. But the upside is that since Shakespeare had to tell a complex story with simple tools, he relied heavily on an imaginative use of language and symbols. Think of what it meant to an all White audience in a very prejudiced time to have a Black man at the center of a play. That character really stood out-almost like an island. He was vulnerable and exposed to attitudes that he could not perceive directly but which he must have sensed in some way.

Shakespeare set this play in two locations, Italy and Cypress. To an Elizabethan audience, Italy represented an exotic place that was the crossroads of many different civilizations. It was the one place where a Black man could conceivably hold a position of authority. Remember that Othello is a mercenary leader. He doesn't command a standing army and doesn't belong to any country. He is referred to as "the Moor" which means he could be from any part of the Arab world from Southern Spain to Indonesia. He has no institutional or national identity but is almost referred to as a phenomenon. (For all the criticism he has received in this department, Shakespeare was extrordinarlily attuned to racism and in this sense he was well ahead of his time.) Othello's subsequent commission as the Military Governor of Cypress dispatches him to an even more remote and isolated location. The man who stands out like an island is sent to an island. His exposure and vulnerability are doubled just as a jealous and murderous psychopath decides to destroy him.

Iago is probably the only one of Shakespeare's villains who is evil in a clinical sense rather than a human one. In Kind Lear, Edmund the bastard hatches a murderous plot out of jealousy that is similar to Iago's. But unlike Iago, he expresses remorse and attempts some form of restitution at the end of the play. In the Histories, characters like Richard III behave in a murderous fashion, but within the extreme, political environment in which they operate, we can understand their motives even if we don't agree with them. Iago, however, is a different animal. His motives are understandable up to the point in which he destroys Michael Cassio but then they spin off into an inexplicable orbit of their own. Some have suggested that Iago is sexually attracted to Othello, which (if its true) adds another meaning to the phrase "I am thine forever". But even if we buy the argument that Iago is a murderous homosexual, this still doesn't explain why he must destroy Othello. Oscar Wilde once wrote very beautifully of the destructive impact a person can willfully or unwittingly have on a lover ("for each man kills the things he loves") but this is not born out in the play. Instead, Shakespeare introduces us to a new literary character-a person motivated by inexplicable evil that is an entity in itself. One of the great ironies of this play is that Othello is a character of tragically visible proportions while Iago is one with lethally invisible ones.

Jealousy is perhaps the ugliest of emotions, an acid that corrodes the heart, a poison with which man harms his fellow man. Fortunately for us, Shakespeare specializes in ugly emotions, writing plays that exhibit man at his most shameful so we can elevate ourselves above the depths of human folly and watch the carnage with pleasure and awe.

In "Othello," the "green-eyed monster" has afflicted Iago, a Venetian military officer, and the grand irony of the play is that he intentionally infects his commanding general, Othello, with it precisely by warning him against it (Act 3, Scene 3). Iago has two grievances against Othello: He was passed over for promotion to lieutenant in favor of the inexperienced Cassio, and he can't understand why the Senator's lily-white daughter Desdemona would fall for the black Moor. Not one to roll with the punches, he decides to take revenge, using his obsequious sidekick Roderigo and his ingenuous wife Emilia as gears in his transmission of hatred.

The scheme Iago develops is clever in its design to destroy Othello and Cassio and cruel in its inclusion of the innocent Desdemona. He arranges (the normally temperate) Cassio to be caught by Othello in a drunken brawl and discharged from his office, and using a handkerchief that Othello had given Desdemona as a gift, he creates the incriminating illusion that she and Cassio are having an affair. Othello falls for it all, and the tragedy of the play is not that he acts on his jealous impulses but that he discovers his error after it's too late.

It is a characteristic of Shakespeare that his villains are much more interesting and entertaining than his heroes; Iago is proof of this. He's the only character in the play who does any real thinking; the others are practically his puppets, responding unknowingly but obediently to his every little pull of a string. In this respect, this is Iago's play, but Othello claims the title because he -- his nobility -- is the target.

Othello relects the true meaning of a tragedy both in its content and its structure.Tragedy is 'a story of exceptional calamity produced by human actions, leading to the death of a man in high estate.'The downfall of Othello is caused by his own actions, rather than by his character, or rather the two work in unison to create the stage for his downfall.
This is what captured my attention when I read this play.It is very profound to realize the fact that Shakespeare uses Iago to set this stage on which Othello is a mere player.
I love the character of Iago. His total confidence, the superiority that he feels when psychoanalysing human nature, his rational thinking and intellectualism sways the reader to think: 'Wow, this is a compelling and sophisticated man we're dealing with here!'
However, my admiration of Iago does not in anyway undermine my love of Othello. His poetic and calm demeanor makes the reader feel the pity and terror for him when he falls from grace (catharsis). Yet, we are made to understand that the reason why he is made to appear a gullible and ignorant fool to some readers is that he does not have any knowledge of a delicate, domesticated life. Venetian women were foreign to him. This tragic flaw in Othello added to the circumstances used by Iago to destroy him.
The meaning, and hence the tragedy of the play is conveyed through the use of Shakespeare's language, style, literary devices and imagery. Without these dramatic effects, readers would never be able to enjoy the play as much, although the dialogue is at times difficult to decipher.
I thoroughly enjoyed Othello and it is my hope that more people find it enticing as I have. I would be delighted to contribute more of my reviews to that effect.

One of the things you can assume when you write about Shakespeare--given the hundreds of thousands of pages that have already been written about him in countless books, essays, theses and term papers--is that whatever you say will have been said before, and then denounced, defended , revised and denounced again, ad infinitum. So I'm certain I'm not breaking any new ground here. King Lear, though many, including David Denby (see Orrin's review of Great Books) and Harold Bloom consider it the pinnacle of English Literature, has just never done much for me. I appreciate the power of the basic plot--an aging King divides his realm among his ungrateful children with disastrous results--which has resurfaced in works as varied as Jane Smiley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Thousand Acres (see Orrin's review), and Akira Kurosawa's last great film, Ran. But I've always found the play to be too busy, the characters to be too unsympathetic, the speeches to be unmemorable and the tragedy to be too shallow. By shallow, I mean that by the time we meet Lear he is already a petulant old man, we have to accept his greatness from the word of others. Then his first action in the play, the division of the kingdom, is so boneheaded and his reaction to Cordelia so selfishly blind, that we're unwilling to credit their word.

Then there's the fact that Shakespeare essentially uses the action of the play as a springboard for an examination of madness. The play was written during the period when Shakespeare was experimenting with obscure meanings anyway; add in the demented babble of several of the central characters, including Lear, and you've got a drama whose language is just about impossible to follow. Plus you've got seemingly random occurrences like the disappearance of the Fool and Edgar's pretending to help his father commit suicide. I am as enamored of the Bard as anyone, but it's just too much work for an author to ask of his audience trying to figure out what the heck they are all saying and what their actions are supposed to convey. So I long ago gave up trying to decipher the whole thing and I simply group it with the series of non-tragic tragedies (along with MacBeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar), which I think taken together can be considered to make a unified political statement about the importance of the regular transfer of power in a state. Think about it for a moment; there's no real tragedy in what happens to Caesar, MacBeth, Hamlet or Lear; they've all proven themselves unfit for rule. Nor are the fates of those who usurp power from Caesar, Hamlet and Lear at all tragic, with the possible exception of Brutus, they pretty much get what they have coming to them. Instead, the real tragedy lies in the bloody chain of events that each illegitimate claiming of power unleashes. The implied message of these works, when considered as a unified whole, is that deviance from the orderly transfer of power leads to disaster for all concerned. (Of particular significance to this analysis in regards to King Lear is the fact that it was written in 1605, the year of the Gunpowder Plot.)

In fact, looking at Lear from this perspective offers some potential insight into several aspects of the play that have always bothered me. For instance, take the rapidity with which Lear slides into insanity. This transition has never made much sense to me. But now suppose that Lear is insane before the action of the play begins and that the clearest expression of his loss of reason is his decision to shatter his own kingdom. Seen in this light, there is no precipitous decline into madness; the very act of splitting up the central authority of his throne, of transferring power improperly, is shown to be a sign of craziness.

Next, consider the significance of Edgar's pretense of insanity and of Lear's genuine dementia. What is the possible meaning of their wanderings and their reduction to the status of common fools, stripped of luxury and station? And what does it tell us that it is after they are so reduced that Lear's reason (i.e. his fitness to rule) is restored and that Edgar ultimately takes the throne. It is probably too much to impute this meaning to Shakespeare, but the text will certainly bear the interpretation that they are made fit to rule by gaining an understanding of the lives of common folk. This is too democratic a reading for the time, but I like it, and it is emblematic of Shakespeare's genius that his plays will withstand even such idiosyncratic interpretations.

To me, the real saving grace of the play lies not in the portrayal of the fathers, Lear and Gloucester, nor of the daughters, but rather in that of the sons. First, Edmund, who ranks with Richard III and Iago in sheer joyous malevolence. Second, Edgar, whose ultimate ascent to the throne makes all that has gone before worthwhile. He strikes me as one of the truly heroic characters in all of Shakespeare, as exemplified by his loyalty to his father and to the King. I've said I don't consider the play to be particularly tragic; in good part this is because it seems the nation is better off with Edgar on the throne than with Lear or one of his vile daughters.

Even a disappointing, and often bewildering, tragedy by Shakespeare is better than the best of many other authors (though I'd not say the same of his comedies.) So of course I recommend it, but I don't think as highly of it as do many of the critics.

GRADE : B-

One of literature's classic dysfunctional families shows itself in King Lear by William Shakespeare. King Lear implicity trusts his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, but when the third wishes to marry for love rather than money, he banishes her. The two elder ones never felt Lear as a father; they simply did his bidding in an attempt to win his favor to get the kingdom upon his death. Cordelia, on the other hand, always cared for him, but tried to be honest, doing what she felt was right. As Lear realizes this through one betrayal after another, he loses his kingdom -- and what's more, his sanity...

The New Folger Library edition has to be among the best representations of Shakespeare I've seen. The text is printed as it should be on the right page of each two-page set, while footnotes, translations, and explanations are on the left page. Also, many drawings and illustrations from other period books help the reader to understand exactly what is meant with each word and hidden between each line.

"Nothing will come of nothing" the fatal line Lear utters to Cordelia sums up the entire play. The wizened king believes he is urging Cordelia not to refrain from expressing her love for him when in fact he is unwittingly prompting her to use the same insincere flattery as her sisters. When Cordelia refuses to acquiesce to Lear's wishes, he banishes her from the kingdom and divides it among her nefarious sisters Goneril and Reagan. In doing this Lear accepts their empty flattery instead of Cordelia's austere profession of paternal love. Goneril and Reagan quickly betray Lear and then turn against each other. Thus Lear's preference for empty flattery (nothing) destroys his authority and embroils his kingdom in civil strife (generates nothing).

This theme runs like a thread through other parts of the play. Gloucester's blindness toward the nature of his sons results in his literal blindness later in the play. Metaphorical blindness generates physical blindness (nothing comes of nothing). Similarly, after Edgar is banished he avoids further harm by shedding his identity and disguising himself as a vagrant. In the new order of things eliminating one's status results in no harm (another version of nothing coming from nothing).

The motif of nothing coming from nothing has psychological and political ramifications for the play. From a psychological point of view Lear fails to realize that the type of adulating love he wants from Cordelia no longer exists because Cordelia is no longer a child. Her refusal to flatter Lear is, in a sense, an act of adolescent rebellion. Lear's failure to recognize the fact that Cordelia still loves him but not with the totality of a child proves to be his undoing. From a political point of view the fact that Lear divides his kingdom on the basis of protocol (who is the most flattering) instead of reality (whose words can he really trust) also proves to be his undoing. The fact that Lear sees what he wants to see instead of what he should see is the fulcrum of destruction throughout the play.

It is interesting to note that "King Lear" was staged barely one generation after England endured a bitter war of succession (The War of the Roses). The sight of Lear proclaiming his intention to divide his kingdom must have shocked contemporary audiences in the same manner that a play about appeasing fascists might disturb us today.