Today’s the first of July, which can mean only one thing:
we’re kicking off our first new play in over three years:
(and I’m just starting my first read-through)
but first… a quick look back at The Merry Wives of Windsor:
Not my favorite play. By far… about two-thirds of the way down the list of all plays, about three-quarters down the list for comedies (only Love’s Labor’s Lost and Two Gents rank lower for me… and Love’s is pretty damn close.
But the future looks bright, as you might like it…
Using Professor Rodes’ midpoint theory midpoint theory, let’s take a look at The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Continue reading “Over-Protective Fathers to Left of Me, Jealous Husbands to the Right, Here I am, Stuck in the Mid-Point withOUT You”
This week’s podcast concludes the discussion of The Merry Wives of Windsor (again), including a discussion of some of the bawdy humor of the play.
NOTE: This podcast contains mature subject matter and adult language (as well as adolescent humor and naughty bits, lots of naughty bits)… SO, if you’re easily offended, you might want to skip this one and wait until the next podcast, a return to safe-and-sane discussions.
NOTE: This post is rated NA-17. Or at least a hard R. If you’re easily offended or blush too quickly, turn back now. You HAVE been warned.
Continue reading “The Merry Wives… and the Bawdy Boys, Part Three (with one last lingering leer at the old boy)”
NOTE: This post is rated NA-17. Or at least a hard R. If you’re easily offended or blush too quickly, turn back now. You HAVE been warned.
Continue reading “The Merry Wives… and the Bawdy Boys, Part Two (with the focus on the boy)”
NOTE: This post is rated NA-17. Or at least a hard R. If you’re easily offended or blush too quickly, turn back now. You HAVE been warned.
The Merry Wives of Windsor is an unusual play in a number of ways. According to legend, it was written upon request; according to a related legend, it was written in only two weeks (helping to placate the Shakespeare idolaters, who need to excuse every non-canonized works in the Canon).
It’s also the only comedy to take place in England, and an England that his audience would recognize.
This last one is important. The comedies with locales that are remote and/or exotic often require a discussion of the character names (remember learning that The Comedy of Errors‘ Antipholus comes from Greek words meaning “opposed in balance” which is perfect for a set of twins)? So that should mean that this play merits no discussion of character names, right?
Uh, no. Not so much.
Continue reading “Names, Names, Names”
Three years has not done my Shakespeare reading muscles any favors.
Can’t seem to get into any rhythm reading The Merry Wives of Windsor. Don’t know if that’s due to the play (doubtful, though possible) or me just being out of practice. There’s a part of me that’s hoping that the play’s lack of (good) poetry is a major stumbling block…. I know next month’s As You Like It will be much better.
’bout sums it up…
For more breakdowns, hit the GoodTickleBrain.com three-panel Shakespearean breakdown page: http://goodticklebrain.com/shakespeare-index/#/three-panel-plays/
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Here we are, three years after the fact… getting ready to re-start the blog, and I feel the need to upgrade the coverage of the last play we discussed (which got a bit of the short shrift, sad to say)…
So here’s the numerical breakdown (with a little more commentary to follow in the next month before we get going again with As You Like It)…
Continue reading “Merry Wives: Numbers (three years later…)”
