Transmedia: Shakespeare in the Library featured on the News!

ENGL210 PEER REVIEW 12

I have watched an excellent example of transmedia creativity – a breaking news story that has cleverly employed the conventions of the news broadcast genre to create humour, whilst advancing the story of our friends from Shakespeare in the Library, Halley Prince, Helen Hotspur, and Jackie Falstaff. Great work! Informative and entertaining!

Transmedia: Shakespeare in the Library Episode Five

ENGL210 PEER REVIEW 11

Halley Prince, Jackie Falstaff, and Helen Hotspur’s adventures have taken an unexpected turn, don’t miss the unfolding drama! In this creative response to the story thus far, Henry IV reveals, via email, to his loyal librarians that a new library is opening across the road in competition! This new episode uses music in a highly effective manner to compliment the text and build drama. The introduction of a new complication to the story has increased the tensions in the narrative and driven the plot forwards in a dynamic and exciting way.

Transmedia: Shakespeare in the Library Episode Four

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 14

In Episode Four of Shakespeare in the Library, Falstaff gets revenge on Hotspur! But will the wily Falstaff escape undetected? Or, will Hotspur have the last laugh? And where is Hal? She’s not revising for the Dewey decimal bookshelf sort – what will happen at the interview for Head Librarian?

Transmedia: Shakespeare in the Library Episode Three

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 13

Welcome to Episode Three of Shakespeare in the Library, where the wicked Hotspur has come across the chaos left in Falstaff’s wake. Will Hotspur tell Head Librarian, Henry IV (the 4th Henry to be Head Librarian since the early 1960s), that Falstaff has been corrupting Prince Hal again? Or, will Hotspur take advantage of Hal’s absence to practice the Dewey decimal system and beat Hal in the race to be promoted to Head Librarian?

Transmedia: Shakespeare In The Library Episode Two

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 12

In Episode Two of Shakespeare in the Library, Halley Prince (Prince Hal), the Head Librarian’s daughter, is shocked to find that someone has been messing up the bookshelves and they’ve put the Dewey decimal system into chaos! Could it be Hotspur trying to sabotage Hal? Or could someone else be behind the disarray? Will Hal get the shelves back to rights before her disapproving father spots the mess? Or, will the Head Librarian find out that Hal’s been talking to the mischievous Falstaff again?

Transmedia: Shakespeare In The Library

Shakespeare In The Library

Check out the Shakespeare In The Library’s Facebook Page and you can chat with your favourite characters! Halley Prince (Prince Hal), Jackie Falstaff, and Helen Hotspur!

https://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareInTheLibrary

Me hopes to see thee there!

Transmedia: Shakespeare in the Library Episode One

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 11

Meet Halley Prince, the Head Librarian’s daughter. One day she too will follow in her father’s great footsteps and become Head Librarian! But will her great future be put at risk through the influence of the cheeky Falstaff, who has got Halley (Prince Hal) addicted to popular magazines! If she doesn’t keep up her reading of the classics, will the competitive Hotspur rob Halley of the promotion? Will there be war amongst the bookshelves? There will be blood, sweat, tears, and mistaken Dewey decimal placements before this tale comes to its end!

Antony’s fall & Hal’s rise: worldly sucess, the death of passion?

ENGL210 PEER REVIEW 10

Antony and Cleopatra

I’ve read an interesting analysis of the similarities between Antony and Cleopatra and 1 Henry IV. The analysis’ author claims both plays are a juxtaposition of the “world of distraction and duty.” She suggests that Cleopatra distracts Antony from his duty with love, whilst Falstaff distracts Hal with pranks and parties, and that both Antony and Hal are trying to escape from “overwhelming stress and responsibilities.” Yet, we must remember that Hal is still young and immature, and it is Hal’s journey from irresponsible prince to responsible and honourable kingship which is traced through Henry IV parts 1 and 2. Conversely, Antony is a mature man who has achieved many great victories and holds considerable power, as a member of the Triumvirate, when he first meets Cleopatra. Thus, in Henry IV the distractor and corruptor, Falstaff, is a foil that allows the audience to witness Hal’s transformation into Henry V, as Hal learns to leave selfish, childish urges behind.

Falstaff and Prince Hal

In Antony and Cleopatra the impetus of the dramatic energy flows in the opposite direction, it is the journey of decline, the fall of Antony from his position of honour, respect and power. It is useful to look at this dynamic because, on the surface, it looks like Hal’s is a journey towards success based on leaving the joys of pleasure behind, whilst Antony’s fall seems to be the negative consequence of indulging in too much pleasure. Yet, at a deeper level, we could ask ourselves if Shakespeare really saw the trajectories of Hal and Antony in this way? Does the worldly success that Hal achieves in rejecting Falstaff mean he has lost something essential, something human and vital? In losing his worldly power yet, dying with passion and honour, does Antony gain some greatness he would never have possessed without having loved Cleopatra?

A Complex Woman: Antony and Cleopatra Guide

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 10

Antony and Cleopatra, like its tempestuous heroine, seems to defy simplistic analysis, refusing to be pinned down by narrow definitions. Actors, academics, and various generations of audiences have all reacted to the play with wide-ranging responses and interpretations: is Shakespeare celebrating the creative energy of Egypt or simply creating a titillating, femme fatale? Is it a great and epic love story or a tale of ambition and betrayal? Do Antony and Cleopatra share a deep and soul shattering love, or is it just lust? Is the mysterious magic of Egypt a bygone age of human greatness, or merely a dream, a fantasy that never was? To help answer these questions, or perhaps to help us to greater  questions, here is a taste of some resources available to help guide us through the world of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra:

Lucius Plutarchus. The Lives of Noble Grecians & Romanes, London, 1595.

Shakespeare used the tales of Antony and Cleopatra from Plutarch’s The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans as the major source material for his play yet, Shakespeare changed many historical events to suit his own dramatic purposes.

A synopsis and discussion of the sources used by Shakespeare in crafting Antony and Cleopatra is available from Folger Shakespeare’s

‘Discover Shakespeare – Antony and Cleopatra.’

Explore the First and Second Folio editions of Antony and Cleopatra, here.

During the Victorian era, many audiences disapproved of Cleopatra’s unruly behaviour that was not befitting for a genteel Victorian woman. However, the play was still popular and actresses playing Cleopatra, though dressed exotically, often wore the corsetry required of a respectable woman of the era. In fact, Sarah Burnhardt’s performance as Cleopatra was highly acclaimed. Shakespearean heroines were popular subjects for Victorian paintings and it was considered highly fashionable to have such paintings displayed in the ideal Victorian home (“Unruly Women” Folger Shakespeare Library).

Yet, perhaps it was, and still is, the exotic glamour of Egypt that attracts audiences to the play, as the elaborate snake girdle worn by Madame Modjeska, and the magnificent headdress worn by Claire Luce as Cleopatra in the 1945 production of Antony and Cleopatra, testifies to:

Or, perhaps it is the dramatic deaths of Antony and Cleopatra that captures an audience’s imagination? Below is an idea for a lesson about Shakespeare’s  death scenes, from the Folger Shakespeare Library website, including the last words of Antony and Cleopatra. You can view the lesson plan, “Famous Death Lines” here.

However, as is always the case with a play, the true reality of the script can only be grasped when the words are set in motion upon the stage. So, to look at an exciting visual feast, which traces the production history of Antony and Cleopatra by the Royal Shakespeare Company, click here.

Yet, directors do not always share the same vision. Below is director Ira Seidenstein’s interpretation of Antony and Cleopatra:

Unlike Seidenstein, who sees humour as the heart of the play, the Shakespeare Theatre Company director sees Antony and Cleopatra in a different light:

Below, Trevor Nunn explores the multiple readings of the play by discussing the different ways that Patrick Stewart approached playing Enobarbus in different productions of Antony and Cleopatra:

Clearly, Cleopatra is a complex woman yet, Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is by far the more enigmatic.

Works Cited

“Antony and Cleopatra – Production History in Pictures.” Royal Shakespeare Company. Web. 5 May. 2013.

“Discover Shakespeare – Antony and Cleopatra.” Folger Shakespeare Library. Web. 5 May. 2013.

Nunn, Trevor. “Interview with Patrick Stewart: Playing Enobarbus.” (1978). Youtube. Web. 5 May. 2013.

Plutarchus, Lucius. The Lives of Noble Grecians & Romanes, London, 1595. Project Gutenberg. Web. 5 May. 2013.

“Unruly Women.” Folger Shakespeare Library. Web. 5 May. 2013.

Waterhouse, John William. Cleopatra. 1887. Private Collection. John William Waterhouse Online.Web. 5 May. 2013.

Folger Shakespeare

PEER REVIEW 9

Folger Street Banners

I’ve read a comprehensive review of the Folger Shakespeare Library. By including both a brief introduction and some key points of interest, along with a highly relevant Youtube clip, I can clearly see the Folger Shakespeare Library is definitely a site worth looking at for anyone who is planning to be or is already an English teacher. The review  provided a really good taste of what the site is like and sparked my interest in it. The only thing I’m still wondering about is who is behind the site and what was their motivation for setting it up? It is always helpful to know how a text, including a website, may be trying to position its audience. I found out from the Folger site’s ‘About Us’ section that “The Folger opened in 1932 as a gift to the American nation from Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily Jordan Folger.” Clearly the Americans share a similar passion for Shakespeare as Australians do! I wonder if it is also in part due to the same nostalgic longing or confused search for the history of the motherland? Regardless, it clearly seems the Folger site is a very helpful resource, so I thank Reneerak for checking it out and creating an interesting and inspiring review.