The Bill / Shakespeare Project presents: This Week in Shakespeare news, for the week ending Monday, September 7th, 2015

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This week’s Shakespeare news review includes a videogame/stage show mashup, a Chrome Web App, myths, Macbeth and Michael Fassbender. PLUS our usual recap of this week’s daily highlights in Shakespearean history.

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BOOK REVIEW: Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas by Bicks and Ephraim

A couple of weeks ago, I ran into a Boston Globe story about a book by two Shakespeare scholars, the title of which gave me pause and a smile: Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas. Now, (my wife Lisa and) I don’t mind a libation every now and then, so that grabbed me right off the bat. The story talked about how the book’s two authors, Caroline Bicks, PhD (associate professor of English at Boston College) and Michelle Ephraim, PhD (associate professor of English at Worcester Polytechnic Institute), took solid scholarship on the Bard (which has been the basis for their Everyday Shakespeare blog), a shared interest in a good drink (shared with me and my wife as well), and a cheeky tone, and built a cocktail (and hors d’oeuvres) recipe book. I was in: Quick trip to Amazon, and pre-ordered it.

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The Bed Trick, Part Deux: Questions

OK, so yesterday, I talked a little about the concept of the Bed Trick, the literary trope used in All’s Well That Ends Well. The Bed Trick involves the substitution of one person for another in a bed without said person’s sexual partner’s knowledge or recognition. And it is a convention that has, thankfully, trailed away since the Restoration. But as I think about that concept more today, I’ve got a couple of questions (no answers, kids, just questions):

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The Bed Trick

It’s taken a while, but it’s finally time to grapple with one of the most interesting (or frustrating) plot elements of All’s Well That Ends Well: the Bed Trick. Diana the virgin agrees to go to bed with the married Bertram, but substitutes the cad’s true wife Helena in her place, thus allowing their marriage to be consummated (and for Helena to become pregnant).

So what to make of this?

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All’s Well That Ends Well: That’s a big… answer.

[CONTENT REDACTED: In this blog entry, I made reference to Dr. Pauline Kiernan’s work and book on bawdy in the Bard, Filthy Shakespeare; in doing so, I have offended her by my tone and use of her material. I apologize for the offense, and have thus redacted the reference.]

All’s Well That Ends Well: Welcome to Rossillion, next stop Bawdyville!

[EXPLICIT CONTENT, ADULT LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL IMAGERY AHEAD… SKIP IF EASILY OFFENDED.]

When I first read Act One, Scene One of All’s Well That Ends Well, I thought bawdiness was ushered in by Parolles. But on a second reading, I see Shakespeare priming the nudge-wink pump with some very VERY subtle bawdiness from Helena. Continue reading “All’s Well That Ends Well: Welcome to Rossillion, next stop Bawdyville!”

The Bill / Shakespeare Project presents: This Week in Shakespeare news, for the week ending Monday, August 31st, 2015

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This week’s Shakespeare news review includes fires, a Whovian Midsummer, Shakespearean drinks, and more Cumberbatch. PLUS our usual recap of this week’s daily highlights in Shakespearean history.

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All’s Well That Ends Well: With this ring…

Just a quick note to kill off the month… The major piece of iconography from All’s Well That Ends Well is the ring. Or rather, rings:

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Podcast 110: Reviews — All’s Well That Ends Well Videos and Mobile Apps

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This week’s podcast continues our two month-long discussion of All’s Well That Ends Well with some reviews of the video versions available for viewing, as well as some of the Android-platform Shakespeare-related apps.

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