Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Othello a play from Shakespeare
Like Hamlet, and other plays, Othello is yet another example of William Shakespeare’s wit and odd, sometimes dark sense of humor. Those who are deceitful, greedy, and basically bad seeds, get their just rewards in the end. This alone is simply a, good prevails, typical storyline seen throughout history, usually trying to teach the audience a moral lesson. However, Shakespeare is anything but typical, yes the evil-doers get it in the end, but (and that’s a big but), so do many innocent bystanders. Good story tellers will have their audience rooting for the bad guy to fail miserably, get caught, etc. Shakespeare achieved that in Othello; however, he also made us feel a bit morbid for trying to hold back a chuckle at the ridiculousness of all the bloodshed in this story. This is the part of the play where Shakespeare apparently threw moral lessons out of the window and went for attention grabbing, unforgetableness. Also, and by no means an easy feat, he managed to make getting stabbed in the back, both figuratively and literally, lighthearted. We can somewhat figure out the likely outcomes as players start conniving and scheming. However, by the end of the story as the chips start to fall, the storyline unravels like a soap opera intervention. He was truly ahead of his time.
The life and times of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon around April 23, 1564. He wasn’t an only child, but the third of eight in his family. Williams farther sent him to school, but it’s not known if he went further than the free school he attended it is said he left school at the age of fourteen. He was married at the age of 18 to a 26 year old woman named Anne Hathaway. They had 3 children Susanna May 26, 1583 and twins Hamnet and Judith born February 2, 1585. Shakespeare lost one child in August 11, 1596. There was a period in his life where there are no documents of him which have been now called (the lost years). He had written several plays from Romeo and Juliet to Macbeth most of his works revolved around tragedy and death. William Shakespeare retired in 1611 and also in this year he wrote his will it is said that he died on April 23, 1616. Although there have been people who think he never wrote anything or that there never really was a William Shakespeare. The legacy he left behind has given us a lot of plays and a lot of movie adaptations from his plays and works.
http://www.bardweb.net/man.html
Monday, August 2, 2010
Baz Luhrmann directed a 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet . As in some other adaptations the writers of the screenplay and director put a modern spin on this classic tale. Instead of our cast riding horseback yielding swords, they drive cars and carry guns. My favorite renovation to this timeless story is Luhrmann’s take on the narrator; the screen goes black, we see a television set with a news anchor who takes us through the “breaking news” story of “two star-crossed lovers…”.
Although many regard Romeo and Juliet as a timeless tale of true love, I see it a bit differently and I feel like this particular adaptation highlights my interpretation. As the movie begins Romeo is dealing with the loss of his most recent love affair, and he’s just sooo heartbroken. He is both angry and distraught with sadness and doesn’t know how he can bare to go on. (Keep in mind the entire movie takes place in the course of a few days.)
Trying to cheer up Romeo his friends take him out. Because they are young men and trying to really have a good time, they take him to a party at their foe’s house. Although, Romeo was just at his wits end with grief, he sees a good looking young woman and is instantly in love, ready to promise eternal devotion. Juliet is smitten by Romeo and immediately starts day dreaming of forever.
They of course do not deny their “love”, and sneak around until they are able to seemingly consummate that love. A little logical thinking about teenage behavior easily reveals my take on Romeo and Juliet’s love at first site. They get bored easy, and have raging hormones. Yes, I am saying that most people’s epitome of a love story, Romeo and Juliet, is actually a story of hormone ravaged teenagers.
This seems to fit Shakespeare’s dry, odd sense of humor more accurately anyways.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117509/
The Ancient work of Homer
Homer was considered the greatest poet of classical antiquity during the ancient times of Greece and wrote 2 of the most wonderful epic poems in history. He was born in the 9th century although there isn’t an exact date for his birth or death. He wrote the Odyssey and the Iliad which till this day is taught throughout the world in school. No one really knew who he was or really anything about him since he lived before recorded history there are no pictures of Homer because of that aspect as well. The Iliad was based on the Trojan War which was a bloody long war that pitted the Trojans against the finest hero’s and warriors of Greece. It is not all about just two armies doing battle though it is about the love of a woman and the love of a father it’s about the struggles of power and the disgusting humor of the gods. The war rages on for several years until the Greeks trick the Trojans with a gift of a giant wooden horse to get there hero’s inside the Trojan walls where the Greeks catch the Trojan army off guard and decimate the army of Troy. The epic poem brings the entire ancient Greek and Trojan hero’s into one setting. I guess you could say this was one way to tell a story so you could show how mighty your warriors were compared to others.
http://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Homer.html
Geoffrey Chaucer in words
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in England although the exact date is not know n sometime around 1345 give or take a few years. He married the lady of the Queens chamber Philippa in 1366 they had two sons together Thomas and Lewis. He was work was influenced by writers like Dante and Boccaccio. He had many great works from The House of Fame to The Canterbury Tales. He was one of the greatest poets of the middle Ages and was even considered the father of English poetry. He died in 1400 and again the exact date is unknown.
http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/chaucerbio.htm
I choose the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because it was very interesting poem of adventure, love, and religion. It is about a knight who accepts a challenge from the Greene Knight. Along the way we see how Sir Gawain deals with the struggles of loyalty and self perseverance. The poem is filled with all kinds of symbolism from the girdle he receives from the lady to the castle appearing after his prayers. It also the view of how men are tempted with so many things from the lust of a woman to such material things, but not Sir Gawain he showed that there are strong men.
Having fun at UofA
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Just Amazing!!!
Today was the first time had ever visited a museum I was in awe at everything they had there and how much history we actually have. The beauty of the art work and sculpture's was amazing I was thinking to myself while looking at so much at how the people so far back could make so much wonderful things. I don't think they could even imagine that some of there work would make it so far in time. We today have lots of beautiful art work, but I think that most of the best was made years ago and as long as we have people interested in viewing and preserving history then we as a humans will never truly die.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A little about myself.
Today I learned a very good lesson about life it's not how you go through life it's about how you touch others along the way. The more I go through the days the more I think of how much more I could have accomplished. If I had only done something different along the way, if I hadn't been so scared to talk to my Dad or if I had been more aggressive at perusing a certain person or career. Where would I have been today; I have to 2 kids and when I look at them everyday I think to myself, is there more I could do, have I done enough so far. I can only do what I know to do and what I have been taught throughout my life.