…for the next 15 minutes and go watch this insane “supercut” that tells Hamlet using 200 tv and movie references.

I don’t even know what to say about it. The amount of effort is insane.  You’ve got the Monkees, the Addams Family, Head of the Class, Clueless, Simpsons, Cookie Monster and on and on and on.  Monty Python references I just saw on Bardfilm yesterday?  They’re in there.

And he even lists the credits, in order, at the end!

You know that feeling you get when you’re just minding your own business and then you randomly hear a snippet of conversation come from over the cube wall where somebody’s dropped a Hamlet reference?  Your ears perk up, you listen more closely to see what happens next, and your brain does this thing where it pulls the entire context for that quote out of storage and brings it front and center for you in case you need it (or is that just me?).  I get this neat little shock up my spine when I catch random Shakespeare.  It makes me happy.  It is a reminder that Shakespeare is everywhere.

Now imagine sustaining that feeling for 15 minutes.

It says in the description that the creator is open to adding new references.  I hope he makes this an hour long.  I would watch with equal fascination.

So next week I’ll at long last be heading in to a classroom to talk about Shakespeare.  In this particular instance we’re talking about the sonnets, and I’m busy gathering material that I can use.

I’ve been informed by the teacher that, in preparation for the lesson, they “studied” Sonnet 29.  That is, she read and paraphrased it to them.  They also read Sonnet 18.  This was done mostly as a lesson in iambic pentameter.

Here’s my question to you, loyal readers.  What are the best sonnets I can use for examples in class?  We’ll be doing several games involving filling in blanks and shuffling words so we’ll need a handful of sonnets to work with that the kids don’t already know.

Guidelines

1) The iambic pentameter should be about as straightforward as it can be.  If we’re trying to get across five feet of baDUM baDUM baDUM baDUM baDUM and giving them puzzles where they need to put that meter back into place it won’t be fair to throw in too many twists.

2) Family friendly.  I love #130 as an example, just not sure what to do with “breasts are dun” yet.  Most likely going to come through as “flesh is dun” just so I can use it, but I’d rather have examples I don’t have to mess with.

3) Not too archaic.  If the kids need to be going to the glossary (me) for every single line, they’re never going to understand it.

I’d like to use Sonnet 12, as an example.  I think the imagery is something they could grasp, the meter is straightforward, and I don’t think I have to worry too much about the family friendliness of a word like “breed”.

Who’s got some help for me? Carl Atkins, you out there? You always seem to have a few sonnets to rattle off when we bring up the topic.  What’s that one about thinking about his beloved and he can’t sleep?  That’s a good one.

Our revels will soon be ending, and our little lives will be rounded with a stunning new t-shirt because we hit our goal!  I just wanted to leave a note here for those people that really were waiting until the end, possibly to see if we made it (so there’s no risk), possibly to see if we *didnt* make it so they could help put us over the edge.  Either way, you’ve still got (as of this writing) about 9 hours to go add your name to the list and get a shirt if you wanted one.

For those that have already joined the campaign, remember that your payment will be charged so don’t suddenly forget what you signed up for :).  But shirts should be arriving by the end of the month.  I look forward to hearing reports of sightings in the wild!

Shakespeare for everyone!

P.S. – No more nagging!  I know that’s the most exciting part for some people.  Thanks for putting up with me.

Jonson was pals with Shakespeare (and defended him often), but considered himself a genius and Shakespeare a hack (he often heckled Shakespeare’s plays).

…and I realized that I probably have a lot to learn about this aspect of Shakespeare’s life.  I get that Jonson thought he was a genius, I’ve seen that before.  But is it true that he looked down on Shakespeare’s work?  If there was really any heckling I can only assume that it was good-natured among friends, and I can totally believe that.

Who wants to take the floor and tell us about Mr. Jonson?

Anyway, where was I?  Oh, yeah, John Ostrander on what the comics can take from Shakespeare. The fact that he uses Measure for Measure as his primary example shows that there’s going to be some depth to his argument, he’s not just pulling high school memories of Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet and doing little but name dropping our dear bard.  Mr. Ostrander’s apparently thought a lot about this.

A brief excerpt:

Explore all sides of the question. What did Shakespeare think on any given question? It’s hard to tell because he would give convincing arguments to both (or more) sides of a question.

He then uses the example of Claudio preparing for his possible death, first speaking with the Duke and accepting it, but then turning around and telling his sister Isabella how much he fears it.

Which attitude speaks Shakespeare’s true mind? 

Both. Both are true, to the moment, to the character, to the author, and for the reader or audience. It comes down to which is truer for us and that was Shakespeare’s intent or what I learned from it. Shakespeare had a many faceted mind and he used it in his work.

That’s just one of several points he makes (although, to be temper my original praise, his point about Hamlet seems a little thin.)

Oh, and before I wrote this I had to google Mr. Ostrander so that I didn’t get schooled by the comic geeks in the audience for not knowing him.  Turns out he’s not only done time with Marvel and DC, he’s contributed to the Star Wars universe as well.  Looks like his Shakespeare lessons have been serving him well!