Cotidiano de uma brasileira em Paris, comentarios sobre cultura, politica e besteiras em geral. Entre le faible et le fort c'est la liberté qui opprime et la loi qui libère." Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Act 4 Scene 6.

Ay, sir.
O, matter and impertinency mix'd! Reason in madness!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

In order to gain understanding of the quote, I read the sixth act in its entirity. Tis a far far better thing I do, that I shan't do it again.

Bel said...

Ohhh did you not enjoy it? Yknow, the entire play is available online -- in fact, all Shakespearean plays are!

Anonymous said...

I certainly did. You know how my sense of humor runs and foments itself; "shan't" substituted for "ain't gonna" illustrative thereof. If Bill had inserted a few "ain't gonnas" in the text of his plays, it would certainly translate better into my lexicon of limited understanding! As an aside, I even have links saved with quotes from all of young William's writing. I'm a glutton for punishment.

Bel said...

Oh I am so glad!! This gives me the incentive I need to go forth and read more and more and more Will, anew, with fresh eyes. I also confess I'd enjoy reading a Suthun, Gangsta or just "updated" version of his plays.

Incidentally, the acted out version of Shakespeare I enjoyed the most in the theatre was one that mixed English and the French text of Romeo & Juliet!
It had a kind of "this forces me to look at it with fresh eyes" quality to it, as well as a completely unusual and innovative set (outdoors, in the French countryside, in a 'ruined' castle with absogorgeous lighting) that made the play even better if such a thing is possible.

Thanks for comments, as ever.

Anonymous said...

No thanks necessary! I'm just thankful I haven't been blocked!! It's easy to become compartmentalized into one's own orientation; be it American, English, or French. Talking to and reading the writings of others from cultures and exposures broadens the mind and understanding, even if the only milestone reached in that acclimation is that different as we may be, we are really all quite similar. And so it goes with the ramblings from the learned thespian of The Globe; an aptly titled place for such a personality as his. My favorites are Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Henry V. As 'difficult' as Elizabethian English can be in tempo, I'm not sure the writing would have the same impact if it were something else. Like the re-write of "Huckleberry Finn". Altering or deleting text changes the impact and to me, lessens the quality. We have enough impersonation in the world, I think. So as much of a challenge as it is in the original form, it just wouldn't be the same if Hamlet said to Horatio, "shucks, 'ol yorit (Yorick) looks uh might poorly don' yuh think Horatio?" I wonder how Bill would manage with that sentence?