Florid Speech, part two (running the numbers)

Yesterday, I began to voice my befuddlement over the somewhat inconsistent use of florid language in Troilus and Cressida. I’m afraid I wasn’t tremendously clear (if at all) as to what I meant. So, being the numbers guy that I am, I did a little digging using a website that allows one to calculate the relative reading grade levels of passages (Readability-Score.com).

Here’s what I found (with the main characters):

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Florid Speech, part one

So when I started the second read-through of Troilus and Cressida, the incredibly florid speech of some of the war leaders, as opposed to the non-warrior characters, really popped off the page. I mean, there’s quite a difference between Agamemnon’s first speech:

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The Bill / Shakespeare Project presents: This Week in Shakespeare news, for the week ending Monday, July 6th, 2015

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This week’s Shakespeare news review includes the South Carolina shooter, Charlotte Shakespeare cancelling its summer season, and a whole bunch of summer reviews, including Measure for Measure at Shakespeare’s Globe. PLUS our usual recap of this week’s daily highlights in Shakespearean history.

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OLLI Workshop(ping) Ideas

A couple of weeks back, I put out a call for ideas for a possible OLLI course.

For those who need a recap, the mission of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is to provide intellectually stimulating lifelong learning opportunities geared toward people age 50 and up. OLLI is affiliated with the California State University at Channel Islands.

So, I’ve been bouncing around some ideas inside my skull, and I think I’ve hit upon one good enough to let out. Let me know what you think…

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Troilus and Cressida: some random questions

Just a couple of random questions that have popped up this week re: Troilus and Cressida (mostly rhetorical, but you want to venture an opinion, please feel free to comment…):

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Troilus and Cressida: Commentators, part three (Pandarus)

For the last couple of days, I’ve been discussing the in-play commentators of Troilus and Cressida; thus far, we’ve had the Prologue and the “scurrilous Greek” Thersites. Today, let’s wrap up the discussion with Pandarus.

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Troilus and Cressida: Commentators, part two (Thersites)

Yesterday, I began my discussions regarding commentary within Troilus and Cressida with a look at the Prologue. Next up, Thersites.

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Troilus and Cressida: Commentators, part one (Prologue)

As we begin the second month of discussion regarding Troilus and Cressida, I’d like to take a look at the concept of in-play commentary; it’s a big enough subject to take a couple of entries to fully explore.

Today, let’s begin with the opening commentary by the Prologue.

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The Bill / Shakespeare Project presents: This Week in Shakespeare news, for the week ending Monday, June 29th, 2015

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This week’s Shakespeare news review includes more summer previews and reviews, plus some thoughts on Shakespearean jokes by actor Richard Eyre. PLUS our usual recap of this week’s daily highlights in Shakespearean history.

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