Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Shakespeare Plays -- Personal Timeline

Beginning in December, 2023, I began to read Shakespeare plays more seriously.

It started by reading the Italian plans and my fascination with those plays.

A Winter's Tale: an old-wives tale; staged for Princess Anne, the winter queen, 1619 - 1620. The play was written in 1610 -1611.

  • kings of Sicily and Bohemia
    • King of Sicily, Leontes, crazy; and Queen Hermione, virtuous, accused of adultery
    • King of Bohemia, Polixenes, virtuous king; friend of Leontes; visiting Sicily
    • Hermione: virtuous queen of Sicily
  • Sicilian King Leontes accuses wife of adultery
  • wife Hermione escapes; has baby daughter in exile, Perdita
    • Perdita: daughter of Leontes and Hermione
  • family reconciles 16 years later
  • famous stage direction: exit, stage left; chased by a bear.

The Tempest

  • Florence / Milan
  • exiled to Sicily
  • shipwreck off Sicily

The Merchant of Venice

  • three friends (Solanio, Salarino, Gratiano)
  • Antonio -- the merchant of Venice
  • Bassanio -- Antonio's friend; Portia's suitor;
  • Lorenzo -- in love with Jessica
  • Belmont vs Venice
  • Christian vs Jew
  • Venetians vs Christians (Puritans)
  • Portia: heiress; three caskets; marries Antonio's friend, Bassanio
  • Nerissa: black hair; lady-in-waiting to Portia
  • Portia and Nerissa disguise as doctors of law
  • Shylock: "pound of flesh"; a rich Jew
  • Jessica: daughter of Shylock, elopes with Lorenzo
  • the Duke of Venice -- important player; disguises himself to see what his subjects are saying 
  • so the four men: Antonio, Lorenzo, and Bassanio; but Gratiano marries Nerissa
  • the three women: Portia, the heiress; Jessica, the Jewish daughter; and, Nerissa, lady-in-waiting to Portia

Measure for Measure

  • adultery
  • Isabella center of attention of every man who sees her (Angelo, Vincentio)
  • three women; three rings; three weddings
  • Vincentio: the Duke and Friar Lodowick, disguise
  • Angelo: deputy to the Duke; "Taliban"
  • Claudio, accused of fornication; tried by Angelo; to be executed; Isabella his sister
  • three weddings:
  • Isabella: Vincentio (the Duke)
  • Mariana: Angelo (the Deputy)
  • Juliet: Claudio (brother of Isabella) -- so ordered by the court (the Duke)
  • brothel: Mistress Overdone; Pompey Bum; 

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