Much Ado About Nothing

Decided not to go any further with much ado but did enjoy watching the film.
Reminds me of how dramatic and tense Shakespeare's work is

Summer Brief- Information About Shakespeare

5 Quotes

"I am in blood, Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er. " (Macbeth) Macbeth Act III, Scene IV, Line 135-137

"I kissed thee ere I killed thee, no way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss." (Othello) Othello Act V, Scene II, Line 359-360 

"This momentary joy breeds months of pain; This hot desire converts to cold disdain." Lucrece 690-1 

"What's done is done." (Lady MacBeth) Macbeth Act III, Scene II, Line 14 

"Tears harden lust, though marble wear with raining."The Rape of Lucrece, Line 560

5 Selected Pieces of Writing

"Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,

Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak

Of one that loved not wisely but too well;

Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,

Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,

Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away

Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued 

   eyes,

Albeit unused to the melting mood,

Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees

Their medicinal gum." 

(Othello) Othello Act V Scene II Lines 402-412

" DESDEMONA Why do you speak so faintly? Are you not well?  OTHELLO I have a pain upon my forehead, here. " 

Othello Act III Scene III Lines 325-326

"In troth, I think I should, and undo ’t when I had done. Marry, I would not do such a thing for a joint-ring, nor for measures of lawn, nor for gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty exhibition. But for the whole world? Why, who would not make her husband a cuckold to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory for ’t."

(Emilia) Othello Act IV Scene III Lines 71-77 

"This earthly saint, adored by this devil,

Little suspecteth the false worshipper;

For unstain'd thoughts do seldom dream on evil;

Birds never limed no secret bushes fear:

So guiltless she securely gives good cheer

And reverend welcome to her princely guest,

Whose inward ill no outward harm express'd:"

The Rape of Lucrece, Lines 85-91

     "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn 

     The power of man, for none of woman born 

     Shall harm Macbeth." 

(A Bloody child) Macbeth Act IV Scene I, Lines 79-81

5 Motifs 

Horns 

Hell and Demons

Hallucinations

Violence

Possession

5 Characters 

Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)

Lucrece (The rape of Lucrece)

Othello (Othello)

Iago (Othello)

Tarquin (The rape of Lucrece)

5 Locations

A Candlelit Bedroom in Italy

The Wilds of Scottish Moorland 

A Dark Room in Rome filled with torn paintings, bloody sheets and a weeping woman.

A 16th century Venetian deserted town square on a humid night.

The darkened hallway of a Scottish castle filled with the sounds of frantic whispering 

5 Pieces of Information about Shakespeare

• Shakespeare Cursed his own grave so people would leave his bones alone. 
• Shakespeare was a Catholic in an era where being a catholic was illegal.
• Between 1585-1592 Shakespeare was not mentioned or recorded in any way, shape or form this was known as his "lost years". Most historians suggest he was on hiding from the law.
• Shakespeare hoarded grain.  
• Until Romeo and Juliet, Romance was not considered a worthy topic for tragedy in literature. 

Summer Brief- About The Author Part 3. William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare 

William Shakespeare has been seen as a revolutionary writer within the western literature.

His Plays looked at conflict, corruption, manipulation , race and a plethora of other issues that weren't as deeply explored by other playwrights at the time.

 Though his work reflected a lot of the patriarchal anglocentric values of the english public. His portrayal of othello tried to show as a three dimensional character struggling with his race and trying to become more than the colour of his skin, however Othello's character still played to many western stereotypes such as the brutal violence and anger of black men. 

Shakespeare's female characters also reflect the misogynistic views of elizabethan and jacobean times. Most of the female characters fall into unflattering tropes and stereotypes such as the vain empty headed beauty, the virginal naive one and the angry woman. Ones that seem to have more dimension such as emilia in othello or beatrice in much ado about nothing show independant thoughts which may be grey in morals but show a complexity and intelligence to their  character. But even then it's shown that even the more independant of women have their lives and views effected by the men around them.

What I like about shakespearian plays and the way shakespeare writes is that it reveals to you what english society and it's culture was like in the 16th century. The fact that Shakespeare sets his plays in Italy because  "In those days, Italy was known to have very devious and sophisticated people which went well with comedies amongst other types of plays like tragedies and histories that depended mainly on things like deception and even sexual passion to run the plot of the plays."[1]

The thematic side of shakespeare's writings interest me the most, because topics such as lust and conflict should be contextualised to the 15th and 16th century rather than seen as modern interpretations of the same themes. Back then a lot of shakespeare's works were interwoven with biblical messages and motifs.

Summary Of What I Found Out About William Shakespeare

• Slight Biblical influence within his plays (not really in his poems though, they were more about a bi shakespeare talking about how hot men and women are and how hot he is for them)
• His plays reflect the times they were set in and give you a look at the moral and social inclinations of the english public in that era.
• Shakespeare was starting to question race and gender stereotypes within some of his plays.
• Everything is a Metaphor , Simile ,and Dick or fart joke.
• And if it's not that then there is an 70% chance it's about oral sex