Mr. Magorium:

"When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He's written "He dies." That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is "He dies." It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with "He dies." And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words "He dies." but because of the life we saw prior to the words."...

This is a pivotal scene in the fantastic(I love toys all too much) movie "Mr. Magorium's wonder Emporium." Mr. Magorium goes on to tell his predecessor in managing the store, that when he goes, she should turn the page, continue reading, and let the next story begin. He also tells her that when people ask what happened or became of him, she relates his life in the same way Shakespeare did for Lear, and then end it simply and modestly with "He died."

In the end of the play, we are left with a gloomy and unjust ending. Where all the villains die, so do all those characters regarded as good. This again urges the question, does justice exist? The characters lives and then ultimately deaths, may be to depict that regardless of virtues, attributes, or age, death comes to all and that despair is imminent. But at the same time, Lear's death brings end to grief and madness as he "hath endured so long," as Kent says in the end.

So this is it. All has been said. Shakespeare lived on again through another college course dedicated to him. Did he blow me away with his eloquence, character depth, and all-around genius? Maybe a bit. Still, I'd Choose Bill Watterson to take me through the theories and philosophies of life through Calvin&Hobbes (favorite read ever) before I pick up another lengthy dramatical piece. And, personally, I think the guy would have a hard time finding friends in class with his flashy ways and showboating language. But maybe he'd woo the ladies just as his characters did. I mean they say the man is a legend, a mecca for flourished authors, the holy grail for literature, a shrine for education.

and in the end, he died.

King Lear Cont'd

I apologize for the past boring, shorter blogs. I have lost my touch in the midst of spring and distractions and my getting into university trouble...

As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods;
They kill us for their sport.

Gloucester speaks adamantly about his theories on the lack of order in the universe. He blames the gods and the world as he says man is incapable of imposing his own thoughts and his own morals due to the controlling outside forces. This quote shows how he does not feel there is any justice in the gods decision making but merely it is a sport in which cruelty and inflexibility rule. This all exemplifies his reasoning that there is no rationale behind any of the suffering that encompasses the play.

King Lear

The storm scene seems to be a very telling scene for the aspect of suffering in King Lear.

When this scene come about, Lear begins to take on a sense of resilience as he challenges himself against the storm saying, "Pour on, I will endure." As the scene progresses, Lear gains empathy for the common man as he says"Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, /That thou mayst shake the superflux to them/And show the heavens more just," as he recognizes his very own condition. He finds shelter within the storm as a sense of recess and release from suffering.

But Lear is never able to escape his feelings of his daughters lack of love. the storm seems to make these more persistent. He is trapped within these thoughts. His own condition is all that he can be embroiled in, only being able to relate Edgar's position to his own, rather than forming a kinship.

We can look at the Fool's role in the storm scene as well...his comments are dismissive, snide, and pessimist. As loss is an important theme in this play, the fool makes it clear that his opinion is that there is nothing to be gained, only those to be lost as he says "this cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen".

Final Act

In the final act of this play, Hamlet's murder of Claudius is definitely a highly anticipated scene, but the nature in which it is carried out seems odd. He commits the act in such a roundabout way that it does not seem to properly suit the vengeance he is attempting to carry out.

In 1765, Samuel Johnson, criticized the way in which shakespeare made the ending:

“The poet is accused of having shown little regard to poetical justice, and may be charged with equal neglect of poetical probability. The apparition left the regions of the dead to little purpose; the revenge which he demands is not obtained but by the death of him that was required to take it; and the gratification which would arise from the destruction of an usurper and a murderer, is abated by the untimely death of Ophelia.”

The ghost that we had seen in the beginning of the play as an important part, seems to be left behind in this culmination. The play almost seems to come to a close accidentally, and it is this somewhat clumsiness in his writing that Johnson accuses Shakespeare of.

In Hamlet, we see a character who is reluctant to carry out the revenge that many other of Shakespeare's characters are so willingly ready to do. At one point Hamlet says, “The time is out of joint. Oh cursed spite / That ever I was born to set it right!” Shakespeare has created a character who accomplishes through intellect and language, rather than violence.

Hamlet’s dying words to Horatio speak to the audience to aid in helping sort out all that has been seen in the final act. He emphasizes that we reach meaning in retrospect, not in a current action. And his being and death represent the importance of thought over fate.

Hamlet: The Lion King 2

What came first-The chicken or the egg? Hamlet or The Lion king?

As soon as I began reading this play, my immediate thoughts were how strikingly similar Claudius is to 'Scar', (an evil character in The Lion King for those of you who are unaware of their DISNEY CLASSICS!). Let me divulge into the similarities that make me question if Walt Disney was basing a childrens favorite on the works of an English playright. It may be a farfetched theory, but their is undoubtetdly proof to support such a claim.

Scar is the brother of Mufasa, a kindhearted, generous and majestic king who is stern on his son, Simba, but only to teach him to become a responsible adult and future king. As Mufasas brother, Scar was next in line for the throne until Simba was born. Throuhgout the movie, he is obsessed with the need to possess the kingdom in anyway he can. He is evil and cunning and while masquerading as a good man to his nephew, he plots to kill Mufasa and successfully does so.

Claudius is the brother of Hamlet's recently deceased father, and thus the uncle of Hamlet. He is the antagonist of the play, just as Scar is of the movie. He has a unwavering lust for power, and is ambitious, manipulating and villainous.

Check out the two photos posted...Two Conniving Look-A-Likes.

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Hamlet's first soliloquy in act 1 scene 11, expresses Hamlets disraughtness from the death of his father so much that he consideres suicide as he wishes god hadn't made it sinful as he says, " Or that the Everlasting had not fix’dHis canon ’gainst self-slaughter!" He is also even more so distresssed and disgusted by his Mothers marriage to Claudius. The idea lies behind a sort of incest as he says, "with such dexterity to incestuous sheets. ”He harps on the marriage being bad for Denmark as it " is not nor it cannot come to good.”

As You Like It

The mirroring of biblical stories is apparent from the start of this play. The dueling between brothers Oliver and Orlando directly reflects the story of Cain and Abel. Cains murder of Abel seems to resonate, in a lesser scale, within Oliver's unwillingness to educate or share his own fortuned education with his Orlando.

Rosalind and Celias freinship in the beinging scenes of act 1 seem to me to have some underlying tendencies towards more than just friends... as Shakespeare wites himself they were "coupled and inseparable" and had a strange sort of bond deeper than a sisters bond...that would mean to me a romantic relationship. But instead ends up getting married to a man to suppress her love for another woman. But I don't know, I'm not a relationship connoseiur.

SPeaking of love and relationships, as we readers meet the character Silvius, we see his utter, uncontrollable attraction to Phoebe. He is so in love, that he feels he is a victim to love. It is just that powerful. As this takes place we see Shakespeare hints at idea of foolishness arising from this raging passion and love, and that it is the foolishness that we fall victim to.

But some people love to become foolish in love...

how do you like it?

Who brought Drama to the party!?

The Connecticut Repertory Theatres adaption of Comedy of Errors was...interesting. It was definetly a lively play that kept the audience amused with it's fast paced movement of characters runing up and down the aisles and leaping around and off stage. I mean, I thoguht I was going to be snoozing throughout (dreaming about shakespeare of course), but I was wide awake! The actions of the characters were reminsicnt of Cartoon characters actions in akwarkd or need-to-escape moments in which they freeze in running position in air before exiting stage.

The setting aided the plays production in which the lightning and multi-leveled platform was fitting for the context and for the optimal viewing for the audience.

I really enjoyed the fast-forward time setting of the play. The 1940's feel added a whole different style to the play and gave it a fresh feeling rather than the typical, exhausted language of most shakespeare places. The wardrobe and jazzy music coupled with Solinus looking like a mafia head rather than a Duke all played into this effective twist.