To be or not to be with honour yet remaining?

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 8

Falstaff: Honour’s a mere tombstone!

Cleopatra: Antony thinks ’tis not so.

To die by Roman hand, Roman honour, Roman duty

Is to die most nobly, most rightly

Yet would he see me Rome’s whore

Paraded before plebs, lunged at, laughed at

Till all that was Cleopatra fall into a dust, lost upon the winds of fate!

Falstaff: Nay, but would you not be safe,

To live and laugh another day?

Do not choose a proud man’s folly, be not so grave

Tis foolish to set honour above life,

When none but worms will feed upon your honour in the earth!

Cleopatra: I am great and mighty Egypt,

I will not kneel at Rome’s feet

Caesar will not make me his toy,

A master of men’s minds he may be,

But a mere boy will not make me his trinket,

Cleopatra will ever be mistress of men’s hearts.

Works Cited

Claesz, Pieter. Vanitas. 1630. Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, Netherlands. Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis Online. Web. 22 April. 2013.

Cleopatra. Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Rouben Mamoulian. Perf. Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton.Twentieth Century Fox, 1963. Film. Web. 22 April. 2013.

Grutzner, Eduard Von. Falstaff with a Pewter Tankard.1921. Private Collection. Art Prints On Demand. Web. 22 April. 2013.  

Shakespearean Australian Anarchy

ENGL210 PEER REVIEW 7

This week I chose to investigate Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV reviews and I didn’t come across the ‘Australian Stage’ review included in an interesting blog entry/mini-web resource about the play’s reception. The author made an excellent choice including it in the mini-web resource as the ‘Australian Stage’ review was very thorough and interesting. In particular, the point made about the burning of the Union Jack adds a further level of depth to the remarks made by Sutherland-Bruce, in a review of Henry IV that I found, that there are undertones within this performance of post-colonial angst, including the Republicanism debate.

Falstaff – The Original Anarchist?

I think the link between the meaning of personal freedom and social justice, as well as the embodiment of these binaries as the old order versus the new through the two generations juxtaposed in this play, is cleverly exploited by John Bell and Damien Ryan to explore contemporary political realities making the Shakespearean play highly relevant to a modern audience. Thank you for including this thoughtful review in your excellent web resource.

Works Cited

Chilver, Trevor Alan. “Henry 4/Bell Shakespeare.” Rev. of Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV, dir. John Bell and Damien Ryan. 27 Feb. 2013. Australian Stage Review. Web. 19 April 2013.

Sutherland-Bruce, Douglas. “Bell Shakespeare’s Henry 4: A Father Rejected, A Son Corrupted, A Nation Rocked.” Rev. of Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV, dir. John Bell and Damien Ryan. Weekendnotes. Web. 17 April 2013.

Tomkinson, G. “Burn the Flag.” 2007. Australian Republic blog-site of Mark Tomkinson. Web. 19 April 2013.

Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV – Riotously Relevant?

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 7

John Bell as Falstaff in the Bell Shakespeare 2013 production of Henry IV

McCallum, in his review of the Bell Shakespeare’s 2013 season of Henry IV, praises John Bell for his stand-out performance as the riotous trickster Falstaff, describing it as “one of the best performances of Bell’s career.” McCallum highlights the pathos of the performance suggesting that as the chimes at midnight ring out for Falstaff the audience is reminded of their own mortality. McCallum’s view somewhat contrasts with that of Herbert, who felt the riotous energy of Hal and Falstaff was overdone and distracted from the sadness of Henry IV’s dying scene. Herbert views Prince Hal as a “cruel and self-absorbed” “Gen Y brat” and felt that the future maturity and strength of Henry V was not adequately foreshadowed. Both Herbert and Sutherland-Bruce point out the links that have been drawn between Henry IV and the London Riots of 2011 in this Bell Shakespeare production. Interestingly, Sutherland-Bruce sees the references to anarchy and the London Riots as a commentary on Australia’s status as a post-colonial society that has yet to become a republic.

He sees Hal’s mischievous behaviour as more than youthful indulgence. Instead, Hal’s behaviour is seen as a “disregard for his new-found status” as crown prince after his father, Henry Bolingbroke, has taken the throne by usurping his cousin Richard III’s position. This suggests Hal does not believe he deserves his power, and this of course, is relevant in a country such as Australia where the nation only exists due to the unjust usurpation of Indigenous people’s land. Sutherland-Bruce sees the visual metaphors within the Bell Shakespeare production, the references to monarchy, civil unrest and the class system, as particularly pertinent to Australia’s ambiguous relationship with the ‘motherland.’ Both McCallum and Sutherland-Bruce felt that Bell’s Falstaff embodied the charms of the Lord of Misrule, of wit and healthy scepticism yet Herbert did not feel that Falstaff was a standout performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bSr-0Fgm20w#!

Perhaps this is due to the difference in the readings of the performance as a whole with Herbert viewing the riotous behaviour as self-indulgent whilst McCallum and Sutherland-Bruce see it as a celebration of freedom and self-expression. Of course, the London Riots themselves invoked these conflicting readings of human behaviour, thus perhaps it is a credit to the Bell Shakespeare company that their Henry IV has captured the ambiguity and complexities of the collective and individual struggle for freedom and justice.

Works Cited

Herbert, Kate. “Theatre Review: Henry 4, Bell Shakespeare.” Rev. of Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV, dir. John Bell and Damien Ryan. Herald Sun 20 March 2013. Web. 17 April 2013.

McCallum, John. “John Bell Gives One of the Best Performances of his Career.” Rev. of Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV, dir. John Bell and Damien Ryan. The Australian 27 Feb 2013. Web. 17 April 2013.

Sutherland-Bruce, Douglas. “Bell Shakespeare’s Henry 4: A Father Rejected, A Son Corrupted, A Nation Rocked.” Rev. of Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV, dir. John Bell and Damien Ryan. Weekendnotes Web. 17 April 2013.

Ariel’s Monologue

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 4

See heaven, see light, storms and sea, not great nor bright as me,

Were I not so tightly bound by fear and love, I should’st be light unto mist,

What image am I but soft soul, light apparition or vision,

Crouched, crawling unto a roaring deep within the murky caverns

Of thought and sleep and every quiet part of the soul

I am the mind, darting, falling, flying fast as Jove’s tears

Presence and power, thou fear’st the absence of mine energies

Nor shall there be inspiration without me, the insubstantial everything,

Moving beyond sky and sea and cloud yet I am bound,

As flesh not firm to serve great minds, lost souls and all

 Who walk the earth too close to heaven.

The Voice of Ariel

ENGL210 JOURNAL ENTRY 3

Many moons past, an eager young drama student from Western Sydney dreamed of going to the theatre. Of course, going to the theatre was not the sort of thing that happened to people from Western Sydney. So the day I discovered that going to an afternoon matinee meant getting a discounted ticket was a momentous day in my little life. I have never forgotten the wonder I felt watching John Bell commanding the stage as Prospero. Yet, Ariel was the character I fell in love with, and remain in love with, to this day. Maybe because I love to sing, I was enchanted by Ariel’s magical voice? A kindred love of song alone does not seem enough to have kept my passion kindled for so long. So, how has Ariel enchanted my heart for so many moons? Shakespeare certainly granted Ariel lines rich with imagery and a rapid rhythm that ensures the sprite always has a vibrant, mesmerising presence on stage. And of course, Ariel invites seemingly endless creative staging possibilities, hung from wires, adorned with wings of feathers, fabric and even vast metal armatures. Yet, in the performance I saw, Ariel simply glided in and out, without a grand costume, but my eyes could not leave her until the moment she stepped off stage. Perhaps it is what Ariel symbolises that makes her unforgettable? She is the incarnation of a universal archetype, the spirit of inspiration, the voice of poetry, the catalyst of action and passion, a messenger who is all-seeing. Yet, still more than this, she is the spirit of compassion, and that is what makes her memorable to me. Whilst Prospero’s power is absolute on the island, and he commands the stage and the action throughout the play, when Ariel whispers in his ear, be merciful, be patient, this creature, ‘”fine,” “quaint,” and “delicate,” changes Prospero’s mind and moves his heart, thus Ariel’s power is greater than all of Prospero’s grand arts.

Works Cited

Millais, John Everett. Ferdinand Lured By Ariel. 1850. Makin Collection, USA. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.

Sharpe, Sara. “Ariel.” Photograph. 2012.

The Tempest. Dir. Julie Taymor. Miramax, 2010. Film. Youtube. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.

The Sound of Sonnets

ENGL 210 Journal Entry 1

This week I’ve attempted to write a sonnet in Shakespearean style. Iambic pentameter is certainly a challenge! Hopefully you’ll find my trouble was worth the effort. Here is it, I guess it should be called Sonnet 1:

If thou see’st beyond this face of woe

That shadow in times past was flickering bright

Where sweetly scented blossoms blooming grow

By moonlit waves cascading silver light,

The young night and the quiet quaking morn

Trembles upon the breath awaiting sleep

Dark oaths heavy cloaked by heaven forsworn

Neither tears nor time are companies you keep

No sand sits in the glass that moves your mind

The heart remains a spark with steady flame

Rough waves drift to a wise shore you will find

Where frail keel and bitter bow claims no blame

For all that’s done in word or worthy deeds

Forms heavy fruit where beauty ever feeds.

By Sara Sharpe

Now, just in case you’re wondering what Shakespeare’s sonnets sounded like when he first crafted them, check out the video below.