Showing results for "William Shakespeare" in Science & Engineering

The History of Troilus and Cressida has long baffled critics and audiences alike for its inconsistent tone, which ranges from bawdy comedy to somber tragedy, as well as its decidedly unheroic and unsympathetic cast of characters. It is also a work with a multivalent focus, jumping between different subplots and locations so that even the titular characters become lost in the shuffle of warcraft, manipulation, betrayal, and thwarted machismo. Not only do we follow the young Trojan warrior Troilus on his quest to woo the noncommittal Cressida, but also the Greek leader Agamemnon and his plot to ...

The Winter's Tale—one of Shakespeare's final plays—tells the story of two neighboring kings, Leontes of Sicilia and Polixenes of Bohemia. Friends since childhood, their relationship is put under a grave test when a maddened and jealous Leontes publicly accuses his beautiful wife, Hermione, of infidelity. Turbulent chaos engulfs Sicilia as Leontes' miscalculations devastate his family line, but in an unusual move, Shakespeare quickly turns the needle toward redemption with the growls of a bear and the passage of sixteen years, as announced by a personified Time. Whereas the first half of ...

The Tragedy of King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king. It has been widely adapted for the stage and motion pictures, and the role of Lear has been coveted and played by many of the world's most accomplished actors. The play was written between 1603 and 1606 and later revised. Shakespeare's earlier version, The True ...

Even people who claim to hate Shakespearean comedy have to admit that they love A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The original play is already naturally divided into three realms: the mortal world, the faerie realm and the play within the play, thus it presents the perfect opportunity to double and triple cast the same actors. So it was really only a matter of time till somebody came up with the crazy idea to stage the whole thing with only three people. Those crazy people are Tony Addison, John Burlinson and Sonia. The outcome of their collaboration is a 3 hour tour-de-force full of surprises: ...

Temptations and infatuations abound in this sparklingly linguistic early comedy from Shakespeare, where cerebral pursuits and ascetic intentions prove no match for the nobles of Navarre’s royal court when the Princess of France and her attendants arrive on a political mission and find themselves enmeshed in a mission of far more amorous ambitions. An entertaining battle of sexes, wits and classes ensues as the great master of the English language concocts a roundelay of semantic gamesmanship, mixing high lyricism, bawdy wordplay and a fair degree of scholarly satire together with elastic ...

Magic, fairies, young lovers chasing each other through a forest, a man with a donkey's head, and impish Puck wreaking havoc right and left. What's going on here? It's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare at his most fanciful. The play opens with Theseus, Duke of Athens, preparing for his wedding. Egeus complains to Theseus that his daughter Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius. When Hermia is given the choice between marriage to Demetrius or life as a nun, she and her true love Lysander flee into the forest. Demetrius follows them; and Helena, who loves Demetrius, follows him. Also in the ...

Love's Labour's Lost is an early comedy by William Shakespeare. The King of Navarre and his three friends take a vow of study and seclusion for three years, during which they are forbidden to see or speak to women. Their vows are immediately tested by the arrival of the Pricess of France and her three ladies to the King's court. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) Cast:Biron: mbBoyet: Mark PenfoldCostard: John D. NugentDon Adriano de Armado: David GoldfarbDull:David LawrenceDumain: om123Ferdinand: Bruce PirieFirst Lord: Vicente Costa FilhoForester: PhilippaHolofernes: Denny SayersJaquenetta: Chelsea ...

Shakespeare's festive comedy combines classical Athenian characters (Duke Theseus and his conquered Amazonian bride Hippolyta) with four contentious lovers, a forest full of quarreling and mischievous fairies and adds a dose of amateur theatre for good measure. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) Cast Theseus/Oberon: Algy Pug Hippolyta/Titania: Elizabeth Klett Philostrate/Puck: Amy Gramour Egeus: Bruce Pirie Hermia: Elizabeth Barr Lysander: Dan Raynham Demetrius: Bear Schacht Helena: Kristingj Peter Quince/Prologue: Arielle Lipshaw Francis Flute/Thisby: Jeff Schwab Nick Bottom/Pyramus: Bob Gonzalez ...

The play features three interlocking plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta, which is set simultaneously in the woodland and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon. (Summary by Wikipedia) Theseus: Dave NicolEgeus: James SilversteinLysander: Peter ParshallDemetrius: Alex LauPhilostrate/Puck: ElleyKatPeter Quince/Prologue: Libby GohnSnug/Lion: Monika M.C.Nick Bottom/Pyramus: Alan MapstoneFrancis Flute/Thisby: Chuck WilliamsonTom Snout/ Wall: gloriousjobNarrator/Stage Directions/Robin Starling/Moonshine: Algy ...

Venus and Adonis is Shakespeare's narrative poem about the love of the goddess Venus for the mortal youth Adonis, dedicated partly to his patron, the Earl of Southampton (thought by some to be the beautiful youth to which many of the Sonnets are addressed). The poem recounts Venus' attempts to woo Adonis, their passionate coupling, and Adonis' rejection of the goddess, to which she responds with jealousy, with tragic results. This recording features three different readers performing the narration, Venus, and Adonis. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)Read by Elizabeth Klett, Arielle Lipshaw, Bob ...

Measure for Measure is one of William Shakespeare's more enigmatic works. As one of the so-called "problem plays," it mixes a dark plot with light overtones, without resolving the tensions inherent in either. Its central conflict is spurred on when the Duke of Vienna, Vincentio, confers his powers on the law-abiding judge Angelo before leaving on a diplomatic mission. In reality, Vincentio has merely disguised himself as a lowly friar to watch Angelo's rule from afar—a rule that is quickly characterized by its overzealous cruelty and harshness. When Angelo has a man condemned to death for ...

This famous Shakespearean exploration illuminates its plays through the frame of character, while also weighing theme, mood, structure and poetics. In it, 19th-century critic William Hazlitt unveils Shakespeare's genius in creating and infusing characters with a life-likeness that often challenges, if not overshadows, more material human nature -- in both inner and outer worlds. As he writes: "The characters breathe, move, and live, ... think and speak and act just as they might do, if left entirely to themselves." The first printing sold out in weeks, and the second sold briskly, until a ...

The Independent Best Book for Walkers 2022 Where can a walk take you? It goes without saying, walking can connect us to our surroundings and free us from our worries. It can raise our heart rate and relax our minds. It can lead us across historic ground and inspire new thinking. In this...

Bloomsbury presents Death By Shakespeare by Kathryn Harkup, read by Nicky Diss. A deep dive into the science behind the creative ways Shakespeare killed off his characters. William Shakespeare found dozens of different ways to kill off his characters, and audiences today still enjoy the same...