Taming of the Shrew and Spankings from "The Duke"

With all this talk of Taming of the Shrew (and since I chose to read and study this one for my comedy play), I have been wondering why the play is still so popular even today. I was wondering how many modern adaptations in the U.S. have been made of the play, and I found this list:

"Kiss Me Kate"--1948

"10 Things I Hate About You"--1999

"Deliver Us From Eva"--2003

That list seemed kind of short and incomplete, so I was trying to think of other movies that had a similar storyline, and it didn't take long before I found one: "McClintock," a John Wayne classic! I love John Wayne movies--not ashamed of it--so I have decided to try to connect plots and characters as much as possible. For those of you that have not seen this one, check out the IMDB plot summary and see if that tickles your fancy. I will be writing a blog about my connections!

Anybody have any other beautifully-connected or even loosely-based modern adaptations of the Taming?

Henry V Movie!

We will be showing Henry V Tuesday night, January 25, at my apartment at 6:30 PM. For those of you who are reading this play, it might be a great opportunity to interact with Henry V in a different way. If you are interested in coming, it is 2 hours, 17 minutes, and we may have some sort of food items to enjoy! My address is 377 North 750 East in Provo (Colony Apartments). Please respond to this post if you are going to come! (after 5,000 people, we are going to have to shut the doors).

Shakespeare Learning Plan

Here is what I hope to get from this class this semester:

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy. I am planning on reading 7 plays this semester: Hamlet, Henry V, Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. This will help me get a good feel for some Shakespeare works. To help me gain a deep understanding of one play, I will study Taming of the Shrew in great detail. I also want to watch the modern renditions of these plays (where available) and see how Shakespeare is visible in today's world.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically. I'm going to read, read, and read about these plays: their context in history, how they have impacted society since that time, and how they have seeped into media in the world today. I will have my feelers out in the internet trying to pull in as much information as I can and finding as much Shakespeare stuff as I can. These studies will lead me to a well-thought out research project on Taming of the Shrew specifically.

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively. I will record a personal performance of a Shakespeare scene and post it on my blog. It's gonna be awesome. I will also volunteer in class for recitations.

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully. My formal writing, as discussed above, will be designed around all of these texts, and most deeply around Taming of the Shrew. My informal writing will be based on my blog posts, and they will be more frequent and meaningful than they have been thus far in the semester. I am already enjoying reading others' blogs about Shakespeare, and I will do so more thoroughly and engage in lively conversations multiple times each week about this beautiful stuff.

Incest in Hamlet

Gertrude marries Claudius, the brother of her late husband Hamlet. Is this incest? Here is a link from the University of Victoria comparing it to the biblical idea that man and woman become one flesh, thus the husband's brother becomes the wife's brother as well. This idea comes from Ephesians, and it was probably a very familiar verse to the people in Shakespeare's time.

"Incestuous sheets?" I agree, it's disturbing and I think it's incest. Comments?

It's Time to Man Up

I have been avoiding this Shakespeare class for a couple years now, but the time has come to buckle down and do it. I don't know why I've been so intimidated of studying Shakespeare, but maybe it's just because I haven't read tons of his stuff and I haven't gotten into it. Maybe it's because it's all about love, or tragedy, or men dressing up like women and talking like them too.

But maybe I like all of those things.

Hopefully this blog will become a nice site full of my thoughts on our Shakespeare readings, video clips relating to Shakespeare, links to interesting information on the man and his works, and an all-around electronic representation of my knowledge of the great legend. I hope it can be a refreshing way to learn Shakespeare, and one that will instill a passion in my life for him.

Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle, because it's gonna be a wild ride!