Podcast 155: Cymbeline — a bit o’ bawdy, a speech, and burlesque [EXPLICIT]

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[WARNING: The the first portion of the following podcast contains adult language, sexual imagery, and stuff to make you say, “Man, that’s a dirty play.” You HAVE been warned. SKIP TO THE 12:50 MARK IF  EASILY OFFENDED.]

This week’s podcast continues our two-month discussion of Cymbeline. We’re going to start off with a look at bawdy in the play, an exploration of one of the great speeches from the play, and a review of a fun little bit of non-Cymbeline-related bawdiness.

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Cymbeline speech study: the rant

A couple of days back, I broke down the Iachimo-in-the-Box speech from Act Two, Scene Two of Cymbeline. Today, let’s take a look at another speech, pretty much a direct result of that first speech: the Act Two, Scene Five’s single-scene soliloquizing rant by Posthumus.

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Cymbeline speech study: Radiohead

Let’s check out some of the major speeches of Cymbeline and see if we can find any clues for the enterprising actor or director in the scansion and poetry. First up: Iachimo in the Box!

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Cymbeline and bawdiness: in with a villain, out with a clown

[EXPLICIT CONTENT, ADULT LANGUAGE AND SOPHOMORIC SEX HUMOR AHEAD… SKIP IF EASILY OFFENDED.]

Eric Partridge, in his study of and dictionary for the bawdy in the Bard, Shakespeare’s Bawdy, has this to say about our play: “Cymbeline in many ways resembles The Winter’s Tale, which is slightly less bawdy but rather more sexual. They are of much the same quantitative order as All’s Well.” (Shakespeare’s Bawdy, Partridge, Eric. New York: Routledge Classics, 2001; page 58). OK, so, we haven’t read The Winter’s Tale yet (that’s next), but we have read All’s Well, and that play’s got some dirt, but isn’t that dirty. I know, not very helpful.

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Soliloquies

OK, so I was starting to look for speeches in Cymbeline to break down in close readings, and I instantly thought of two: the Iachimo-in-the-bedchamber speech, and Posthumus’ rant against women near the end of Act Two. And I figured those were the two main soliloquies in the play (and yes, I know that technically the bedchamber speech isn’t a soliloquy because there is someone on stage with him at the time, but she’s asleep, all right?).

I figured that that was that, that this play, like our last one (Coriolanus), had only a couple of soliloquies.

Uh, no. There are nearly a dozen and a half soliloquies (of 10 or more lines) in the play.

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Cymbeline Friday Film Focus: a not-review

Another early summer Friday, another new release. Out in the world, it’s Tom Cruise and his Mummy reboot. For us, a not-review of Cymbeline.

[NOTE: when I do the reviews revue–see what I did there?–I view the videos all in the same month if possible (Macbeth with its slew made it a little difficult). I don’t technically review anything I haven’t seen recently..thus, what follows is a “not-review”]

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The Tragedie of Cymbeline

The first printing of Cymbeline was in the First Folio of 1623, after Shakespeare’s death. There was no Quarto edition. The play comes at the very end of the book on page 877; it’s the last play of the tragedy section, and its title page looks like:

Cymbeline Cover Page of Brandeis University copy
Cymbeline Cover Page of Brandeis University copy

Tragedy? Really?

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Iachimo: little scamp or little Iago?

So, you’re a pretty nice guy. Got this beautiful fiancée or wife, and she’s totally faithful to you. And this dude comes along and tells you that she’s been disloyal. You get sad then mad, and you want her killed. We’ve seen this before in Othello and now Cymbeline. You’re the Moor or Posthumus. She’s Desdemona or Hero. And that “dude” is Iago or Iachimo.

Is similarity in the name intentional?

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Cymbeline production questions, part one

With this play, I’m trying to look at Cymbeline from a more production/dramaturgical angle. Where can we double roles? Where can we cast more women?

And in this play, that’s saying something.

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Podcast 154: Cymbeline — video reviews, and a question of names

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This week’s podcast continues our two-month discussion of Cymbeline. We’re going to start off with a look at the video versions of the play that are available, and then take a look at the question of character names.

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