Magnificent attention to detail! This book offers an amazing look at the science behind the deaths in Shakespeare’s plays.
But let’s start at the begiMagnificent attention to detail! This book offers an amazing look at the science behind the deaths in Shakespeare’s plays.
But let’s start at the beginning. Before even going into Shakespeare’s literary treatment of death, this book explores the idea of death as it would have been understood in Shakespeare’s day. This was a time when public executions were common occurrences, and theatre-goers who would watch Romeo and Juliet die on the stage might just as easily have witnessed actual deaths on a scaffold. Death was present, and talked about, and seen all around. It wasn’t something that was only ever euphemistically referred to in hushed tones—it was part of the fabric of society, and a deeply personal part of everyone’s life. Shakespeare’s very profession had been shaped by death. He was a playwright struggling to support himself and his family during at time when going to the theatre was often illegal. Due to the large numbers of people dying from the plague, all sorts of public gatherings, including theatres, were banned. This was the time when Shakespeare would turn to writing poetry to support himself and his family. Then the disease would die down, he’d return to London, and he’d continue to write plays until the next major outbreak. And disease didn’t just shape his profession: it also killed his only son when he was only 11 years old. Death was a very intimate part of Shakespeare’s life. No wonder it turned up so often in his plays.
In describing his plays, the scope and the depth of this book surprised me immensely. It covers all the deaths that Shakespeare used in all his plays, and it divides them into chapters based on type, such as poison, execution, war, bear attack, etc. (And yes, I’m serious about those bears.) Everything is grounded in context: the death-related excerpts of Shakespeare’s plays are given in context of the larger plot, and, in the case of the histories, Shakespeare’s details are compared with those of the historical record. Then, the death, as described by Shakespeare, is given a very thorough scientific analysis. How many of Shakespeare’s deaths are realistic? (Quite a lot, it seems.) How about when he’s vague: what are the different possible explanations? (Did I mention that this book has a lot of fascinating conjecture? So many possibilities!) Can Claudius really have poisoned his brother by pouring it in his EAR? Do poisons even work that way? (No spoilers here. You’ll have to read the book to find this one out!) Parts of this book are morbid and gruesome, but mostly it’s a highly readable and clear scientific analysis. It makes connections to modern cases and treats the deaths, as much as possible, with dignity and respect. All in all, a compelling look at the many ways to shuffle off this mortal coil....more
I hope I did this right: I'm trying to review the Wordsworth Classics edition, ISBN 1853260096, which is an okay version, for the most part, although I hope I did this right: I'm trying to review the Wordsworth Classics edition, ISBN 1853260096, which is an okay version, for the most part, although it has some careless mistakes. Most jarring was Hamlet's "What a piece of work is man" speech, where the punctuation is so wrong that it separates the subject and verbs from a few clauses and pairs them with chopped-up pieces of other clauses, completely changing the meaning without changing the words. "In action, how like an angel; in apprehension, how like a god" has become this: "In action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a god." An angel in apprehension? An apprehensive angel? What does that even mean? "In apprehension, how like a god" has been quoted enough in literature that it should have been familiar. Aggravating!
Particular editions aside, the play is still good. I just feel like this publication was dashed off in a hurry....more
This dramatization of Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a must-read for any fan of the novel. It is quite different in tone, which is only natural, but this difThis dramatization of Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a must-read for any fan of the novel. It is quite different in tone, which is only natural, but this difference is part of what makes this version so enjoyable. I relish the opportunity to experience someone else’s interpretation of a beloved novel, and in this case, I was pleasantly surprised by what was cut out and what was left in. I was impressed with the character development in such a truncated plot, not just Bilbo, but the Dwarves too. Parts were very silly, and parts were unexpectedly moving....more
**spoiler alert** I first heard of Clytemnestra in a college course on classical epic. I thought then that she was an interesting character, cheating **spoiler alert** I first heard of Clytemnestra in a college course on classical epic. I thought then that she was an interesting character, cheating on her husband and killing him. Later, reading Lucretius, I learned that according to legend, Agamemnon sacrificed his own daughter (without his wife knowing beforehand, of course). After that, I really wanted to know more. While I enjoyed reading this play, I do wish that I could have seen a little more of the two main characters. Since the whole thing builds to Agamemnon's death, I could have done with a little less exposition and a little more of Aggy and his wife....more
If it were possible, I would probably give this about three and a half stars, which is a bit on the low side considering the high esteem in which I hoIf it were possible, I would probably give this about three and a half stars, which is a bit on the low side considering the high esteem in which I hold Keillor. The fact of the matter is that the individual tracks on this CD collection vary quite a bit in terms of content and style, and while some were hilarious, such as the humorous anecdotes and literary parodies, other parts were baffling or just plain depressing.
I recently majored in English, and I can certainly relate to most of his English-related humor. For example, this collection parodies classic literature: plays, poetry, and even a song. It also entertains with anecdotes of an English major's career, which includes, in this case, fast food (ha-ha). But there were some portions of the collection that seemed only tangentially related to the topic; that is, while the concept of writing was involved, neither writing nor humor was the focus. For example, there is a really depressing vignette about a pregnant teenager whose parents will disown her if she doesn't marry, but who is acutely aware of the sorrow and pain that such a marriage will bring. As she prepares for the big event, she is surrounded by aged married women telling her that marriage won't be that bad. Ouch. I know that Garrison Keillor doesn't always have happy endings, and I know, of course, that he often uses a measure of angst and a great deal of realism (and I would argue that realism is important and that GK generally uses it skillfully and to great effect) but this was just depressing as all get-out, even for him.
Do you see this? I'm an English major reduced to using phrases like "all get-out"!
Still, what's funny in this collection is very funny indeed. I particularly enjoyed the three(!) Shakespeare parodies....more
This book has everything. It gives history associated with children's literature generally, with the specific stories (the different versions of "LittThis book has everything. It gives history associated with children's literature generally, with the specific stories (the different versions of "Little Red Riding Hood," for example, are a fascinating study), and even with the content of some specific stories (e.g. the section on alphabet poems describes an older, 24-letter English alphabet). And what a collection! It contains tradition stories, including fairy tales. It contains more modern responses to these fairy tales, such as parodies and cynical, worldly retellings. Its collection of literature includes humor and serious works. It includes poetry, prose, plays, and picture books (and yes, the actual pages of the picture books are reproduced as images, so the readers can see more than just the text). It even has a section of full-color pictures. It includes many works that I recall from my own childhood, and it grounds them in context so that I can better understand their history and their context in the canon.
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