Tag Archives: Shakespeare

#WitchWeek2021 Day 2

Over at Calmgrove, you’ll find our discussion of The Tempest. Ola, Jean, Chris and I had a great time talking about stormy double-dealing, back-stabbing, machinations, and just plain old devilry happening in what’s considered Shakespeare’s final solo project. A suitable … Continue reading

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Which Week Witch Week

Not long now until Witch Week 2021 comes to haunt us. An event first begun by Lory Hess at The Emerald City Book Review (she now blogs at Entering the Enchanted Castle), Witch Week is an annual series of guest … Continue reading

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If ’tis Sunday, ’tis hump day

Villains in Shakespeare! Of course there are. But ones fantastical? Oh yes. For today’s Witch Week post, marking the half-way point through our celebration, Sari from The View from Sari’s World, gives us a dose of foul misdeeds. Do these … Continue reading

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Cymbeline on Youtube

Here’s my last word on Cymbeline, posted on this 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s baptism. Calmgrove has very kindly saved me the trouble of writing an extensive analysis (read his post here), so I’ll just speculate a bit about the play’s … Continue reading

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Cymbeline V: Revenge, remorse, reconciliation

Every writer has heard the advice “Show, don’t tell.” Exposition drags at the plot, often bringing it to a standstill. True to form, Shakespeare ignores this rule. Much like the point in the murder mystery where the detective has gathered … Continue reading

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450 years old and still great

Today I have Shakespeare for kids on my mind. Because WS’s language, with its old words and complicated syntax, is a challenge for young readers, it isn’t unusual to find versions of these tales re-penned specifically for children. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) … Continue reading

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Cymbeline IV: The Head

Now we’re cooking with gas, as they say. To shift metaphors, the tangle of plot threads is starting to form a coherent pattern. Act IV is packed with action: Imogen — still with Belarius, Guiderius and Arbiragus; still disguised as a boy … Continue reading

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Cymbeline III: The Brothers

Aha! The long-lost princes appear in this act, as does the box of poisons (remember — not actually dangerous, just sleep inducing), and even hints of war appear at the edges. Plot lines start to cross, with complications ensuing. In … Continue reading

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Cymbeline II: The Trunk

I’m starting to see the comic potential of this play. Cloten, the princely prat, has the best line so far. He’s just come in from a night of carousing and beating up his inferiors, and reviews his latest adventures with … Continue reading

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Cymbeline 1: The Wager

Act I: Ancient Britain. King Cymbeline has remarried, and his current wife (“the Queen”) hopes to wed Cloten, her son by a previous marriage, to Cymbeline’s heir, his daughter Imogen. Cloten, however, is a braggart whom all at court, except his mother … Continue reading

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