Monet Edmundson's Blog - Posts Tagged "shakespeare"
A Most Depressing Helena
Today is the official start to Shakespeare Week on Goodreads and if you still don't know what that is, here's a link to make the rest of the blog post make sense.
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/6...
For day one I decided on a topic that is controversial, at least to me. William Shakespeare created some incredible heroines and female villains in his plays, from Rosalind to Lady Macbeth. Then he included some female characters that are just...there. This introduces the today's topic of the "Favorite Heroine." I'll say straight off the bat that Helena would fill this category for me.
I should explain this choice. After all, Helena is not a particularly brave, clever, or kind character in A Midsummer Night's Dream. By all accounts, she's the most lovesick, annoying character in the entire cast. Yet something made me admire her when I first read the play in middle school. Besides Dream being my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, Helena has two qualities unlike any I've noticed in other characters created by Shakespeare.
Helena is loyal to her aspirations and dreams in a completely innocent way. She never attempts to hurt anyone, except in a few mean-spirited remarks she throws at her friend Hermia. Honestly, Hermia was equally as lively as Helena.
There's something admirable in Helena's simple, hopeful personality that she will not give up. She never lets anyone tell her or force her to give up the life she wants. That's a trait I believe has trickled down into the personas of many young adult heroines today.
Tomorrow another Shakespeare-themed blog post will be released, this time unmasking some of the more deceitful characters in the Bard's plays.
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/6...
For day one I decided on a topic that is controversial, at least to me. William Shakespeare created some incredible heroines and female villains in his plays, from Rosalind to Lady Macbeth. Then he included some female characters that are just...there. This introduces the today's topic of the "Favorite Heroine." I'll say straight off the bat that Helena would fill this category for me.
I should explain this choice. After all, Helena is not a particularly brave, clever, or kind character in A Midsummer Night's Dream. By all accounts, she's the most lovesick, annoying character in the entire cast. Yet something made me admire her when I first read the play in middle school. Besides Dream being my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, Helena has two qualities unlike any I've noticed in other characters created by Shakespeare.
Helena is loyal to her aspirations and dreams in a completely innocent way. She never attempts to hurt anyone, except in a few mean-spirited remarks she throws at her friend Hermia. Honestly, Hermia was equally as lively as Helena.
There's something admirable in Helena's simple, hopeful personality that she will not give up. She never lets anyone tell her or force her to give up the life she wants. That's a trait I believe has trickled down into the personas of many young adult heroines today.
Tomorrow another Shakespeare-themed blog post will be released, this time unmasking some of the more deceitful characters in the Bard's plays.
Ladies Hold a Grudge
Happy 2nd day of Shakespeare week! Already I have a ton of Goodreads articles concerning this theme stacked up to read later and I heard that BBC might be arranging something amazing on this Saturday for the Bard's birthday. :) Hopefully this is more than a rumor, because BBC creates genius.
Anyway today's topic is focused on Shakespearean characters that make readers shiver, scream, and want to run in the other direction. I've noticed that the male villains in Shakespeare's works get a fair amount of attention, but the females can be just as manipulative and sly. Without a doubt, my "Favorite Female Villain" would be Lady Macbeth.
I read Macbeth first outside of high school. At the time, teachers had told me that I wasn't yet old enough to read the play. However, I threw caution to the wind and quickly became enthralled with the text.
Nearly all the characters I found fascinating, but Lady Macbeth impressed me the most with her outright boldness and clever nature. She was much more impressive than any of the scheming high school girls I had known. I honestly believed she could take over an entire kingdom without the help of her husband. Her character appealed to me in a world filled with witches and high-stakes politics. I'd enjoy reading a book from her perspective that details her quest for power, as I view Lady Macbeth as a role model for Maleficent, just less made up by Disney.
For me Lady Macbeth really came alive when I saw her in the Macbeth opera. Maybe this display drew me in because of my Italian roots, but it still showed a mature heroine who wasn't like all the other characters around her. Sometimes it can be scary and thrilling to realize that you're the most apt and determined person in the room.
Tomorrow I'll explore a specific work written by Shakespeare.
Until then, here's the link for yesterday's post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Anyway today's topic is focused on Shakespearean characters that make readers shiver, scream, and want to run in the other direction. I've noticed that the male villains in Shakespeare's works get a fair amount of attention, but the females can be just as manipulative and sly. Without a doubt, my "Favorite Female Villain" would be Lady Macbeth.
I read Macbeth first outside of high school. At the time, teachers had told me that I wasn't yet old enough to read the play. However, I threw caution to the wind and quickly became enthralled with the text.
Nearly all the characters I found fascinating, but Lady Macbeth impressed me the most with her outright boldness and clever nature. She was much more impressive than any of the scheming high school girls I had known. I honestly believed she could take over an entire kingdom without the help of her husband. Her character appealed to me in a world filled with witches and high-stakes politics. I'd enjoy reading a book from her perspective that details her quest for power, as I view Lady Macbeth as a role model for Maleficent, just less made up by Disney.
For me Lady Macbeth really came alive when I saw her in the Macbeth opera. Maybe this display drew me in because of my Italian roots, but it still showed a mature heroine who wasn't like all the other characters around her. Sometimes it can be scary and thrilling to realize that you're the most apt and determined person in the room.
Tomorrow I'll explore a specific work written by Shakespeare.
Until then, here's the link for yesterday's post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Keep Calm and Blame Puck
Starting tomorrow we are halfway through Shakespeare week and I have to say, I’m thrilled with how much press the Bard is receiving. Countless teenagers are forced to read his plays and poems and later become adults who dismiss the author. Of course Shakespeare is still hailed as one of the greatest writers of all time, but I believe too many people go their whole lives without giving him another chance. I form completely different opinions from plays I read on my own time, versus how I rushed I was to read them in school.
Speaking of rereading Shakespeare’s plays, today’s post is regarding a “Favorite Play.” I confess that when I was deciding on the topics for each of the blog posts, it was hard to choose the so-called “favorite” heroine, villain, etc. However, I could choose my favorite Shakespeare play with my eyes closed while being subjected to fairy potions and turned into a donkey. (Out of all the animals Shakespeare could have chosen, why a donkey? I get that he probably wanted to make fun of Nick Bottom, I mean at that point, I think we all did, but still. I think by doing this, Puck fell to an all-time low.)
That’s right, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the play I’m referencing. Earlier I discussed the character of Helena who’s featured in Dream, but she’s not the only reason I enjoy the play. The witty interactions between the four main lovers, the magical atmosphere in the forest, the oafishness of the players, and the perplexing ending impresses me to this day.
I first read this play in middle school and it was the first Shakespeare play I ever read. The first time I read it, I was mildly amused. By the second time, I was enchanted. During that time I was mostly reading Jane Austen and her novels were my main exposure to witty dialogue in literature. I had yet to try reading young adult books, so Dream stuck with me and became the only source of teenage angst I could admire, or the closest thing to it. The forest backdrop reminded me of my favorite play of all time, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and the play’s quotes were memorable. I’ll never forget the lines said by Puck to close the play, as they challenged my perception of what I had read. Then again, that was Puck’s job, to make the reader question themselves, as he was the trickster fairy. He made Bottom, a confident individual, even question his sanity from his donkey experience. He demonstrates that even the most confident, exasperating person can made mistakes (Bottom), sometimes with a helping hand from a fairy (Puck).
Before I finish up this post for the day, I wanted to give a quick shout out. After my class read Dream, my school organized a production of the play by the Gamut Theatre Company. It may sound silly, but while watching the play, I felt utterly spellbound. I just wanted to say thank you to those actors and actresses, wherever you are now. It was a magical performance.
On Thursday, I’ll break away from the subject of plays and move onto discussing Shakespeare’s poetry.
In the meantime, here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Speaking of rereading Shakespeare’s plays, today’s post is regarding a “Favorite Play.” I confess that when I was deciding on the topics for each of the blog posts, it was hard to choose the so-called “favorite” heroine, villain, etc. However, I could choose my favorite Shakespeare play with my eyes closed while being subjected to fairy potions and turned into a donkey. (Out of all the animals Shakespeare could have chosen, why a donkey? I get that he probably wanted to make fun of Nick Bottom, I mean at that point, I think we all did, but still. I think by doing this, Puck fell to an all-time low.)
That’s right, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the play I’m referencing. Earlier I discussed the character of Helena who’s featured in Dream, but she’s not the only reason I enjoy the play. The witty interactions between the four main lovers, the magical atmosphere in the forest, the oafishness of the players, and the perplexing ending impresses me to this day.
I first read this play in middle school and it was the first Shakespeare play I ever read. The first time I read it, I was mildly amused. By the second time, I was enchanted. During that time I was mostly reading Jane Austen and her novels were my main exposure to witty dialogue in literature. I had yet to try reading young adult books, so Dream stuck with me and became the only source of teenage angst I could admire, or the closest thing to it. The forest backdrop reminded me of my favorite play of all time, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and the play’s quotes were memorable. I’ll never forget the lines said by Puck to close the play, as they challenged my perception of what I had read. Then again, that was Puck’s job, to make the reader question themselves, as he was the trickster fairy. He made Bottom, a confident individual, even question his sanity from his donkey experience. He demonstrates that even the most confident, exasperating person can made mistakes (Bottom), sometimes with a helping hand from a fairy (Puck).
Before I finish up this post for the day, I wanted to give a quick shout out. After my class read Dream, my school organized a production of the play by the Gamut Theatre Company. It may sound silly, but while watching the play, I felt utterly spellbound. I just wanted to say thank you to those actors and actresses, wherever you are now. It was a magical performance.
On Thursday, I’ll break away from the subject of plays and move onto discussing Shakespeare’s poetry.
In the meantime, here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
The Indecisive Poem
Welcome to Day Four of Shakespeare Week! I’ve seen plenty of hilarious parodies online marking the celebration, ranging from the Bard in Lego form, to Shakespearean quotes being used in Gnomeo and Juliet memes. I’ll never forget the day I walked into my local Barnes and Nobles and saw a book of Shakespeare plays rewritten as text messages. That was a great laugh. Needless to say, if you Google #ShakespeareWeek, you see some amusing pictures.
This Thursday I’ll be chatting about what I believe to be the most complex work ever created by Shakespeare. This “Favorite Poem” is a sonnet where characteristics of love are debated. The characteristics are debated throughout the entire poem, long enough for the reader to conclude that the narrator is either extremely fickle, senseless, or a genius. This poem is Sonnet 116, also called “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds.” To demonstrate my loyalty to this poem, I have two copies of it organized in front of me while I write this post. They are from the books A Treasury of Poems and Pocket Book of Poetry, in case anyone is looking for excellent poetry collections.
It could be needless to have two copies of the same poem, but I’m a writer who does their research, even when typing up a casual blog post. Disclaimer: When I read poetry on my own time, I don’t mull over the rhyme schemes, meter, or literary devices. I read it for unaffected fun, because no one ever interprets a poem the same way.
The first time I was exposed to “Minds,” I heard the poem quoted in a movie. I only heard a couple lines, but I was inspired to find this poem in its entirety. To me, the narrator begins the poem reciting the control of love and its immovability. Yet I don’t think this is what the poem is all about. The narrator admits that while love can be steadfast, every version of love is different for each person. It takes diverse forms and falls under no one’s authority. Throughout history, love has been present and will be until the end. In the last couple lines, the narrator seems to reflect on his/her own opinions presented thus far, admitting that they could be wrong, but then love would have been non-existent in the first place. The most important piece I took away from “Minds” is that everyone experiences sentiments differently, so the reader shouldn’t be quick to categorize feelings.
Hopefully I didn’t go too deep with today’s post, I actually couldn’t figure out how to organize my thoughts on Shakespeare’s poetry. As he’s such a celebrated writer, I find that people feel intimidated when giving their opinion on his works. Either that, or we all need to read his text message books to understand half of what he’s saying. :) Tomorrow I’ll be discussing some more modern Shakespeare references with plenty of popular culture allusions.
In the meantime, here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 20th post where fairies and donkeys take over a forest:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
This Thursday I’ll be chatting about what I believe to be the most complex work ever created by Shakespeare. This “Favorite Poem” is a sonnet where characteristics of love are debated. The characteristics are debated throughout the entire poem, long enough for the reader to conclude that the narrator is either extremely fickle, senseless, or a genius. This poem is Sonnet 116, also called “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds.” To demonstrate my loyalty to this poem, I have two copies of it organized in front of me while I write this post. They are from the books A Treasury of Poems and Pocket Book of Poetry, in case anyone is looking for excellent poetry collections.
It could be needless to have two copies of the same poem, but I’m a writer who does their research, even when typing up a casual blog post. Disclaimer: When I read poetry on my own time, I don’t mull over the rhyme schemes, meter, or literary devices. I read it for unaffected fun, because no one ever interprets a poem the same way.
The first time I was exposed to “Minds,” I heard the poem quoted in a movie. I only heard a couple lines, but I was inspired to find this poem in its entirety. To me, the narrator begins the poem reciting the control of love and its immovability. Yet I don’t think this is what the poem is all about. The narrator admits that while love can be steadfast, every version of love is different for each person. It takes diverse forms and falls under no one’s authority. Throughout history, love has been present and will be until the end. In the last couple lines, the narrator seems to reflect on his/her own opinions presented thus far, admitting that they could be wrong, but then love would have been non-existent in the first place. The most important piece I took away from “Minds” is that everyone experiences sentiments differently, so the reader shouldn’t be quick to categorize feelings.
Hopefully I didn’t go too deep with today’s post, I actually couldn’t figure out how to organize my thoughts on Shakespeare’s poetry. As he’s such a celebrated writer, I find that people feel intimidated when giving their opinion on his works. Either that, or we all need to read his text message books to understand half of what he’s saying. :) Tomorrow I’ll be discussing some more modern Shakespeare references with plenty of popular culture allusions.
In the meantime, here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 20th post where fairies and donkeys take over a forest:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
The Shakespeare Revival
As of now, it’s Day Five of Shakespeare Week and I can’t help imagining what the Bard would think about all this commotion. I mean, how many people get a whole week to celebrate themselves? Yet to see such enthusiasm for a writer that has been dead for centuries is hopeful. It’s hopeful that readers will continue to show such loyalty to an author’s works, even after that author can no long create new masterpieces.
For Friday, it’s worth exploring the impact William Shakespeare has made on the world today. He’s influenced popular culture in too many ways to count, and if I did list all the examples here, the blog post would be too long and no one would want to read it. So I thought I’d first focus on the most recognizable modern references to Shakespeare, some which have become classics themselves. I’ll be diving into “Favorite References Part 1.”
Movie: "The Lion King"
Song: "Ophelia" by The Lumineers
Book: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Musical: "West Side Story"
Side Note: I realize now that three of these references are for Hamlet alone, but the storyline from this play is used all the time anyway, and it’s created some singular works.
Disney basing the plot of "The Lion King" around Hamlet is easy to realize once you notice the similarities. I like this example, as I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if Prince Hamlet had got a happy ending. The song “Ophelia,” besides sharing the name of a Shakespearean character, also has some remarkable resemblances to the plot of the play encased in its lyrics. Pay close attention to the line about Ophelia in the “flood,” the singer’s regret about losing her. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was recommended to me and it’s on my to-read list, so hopefully I will get to it soon. As for "West Side Story," I was forced to watch this musical for a music class I had in middle school. I’m not much of a musician, so these classes always bored me. Nothing personal against the teacher, just as a writer, I would have rather been writing than studying music. However, learning about the history of music and watching Story made this specific class stand out. For someone who’s not a Romeo and Juliet fan, I found myself rooting for the young couple while watching the musical.
There are unlimited sources of information to pull from for a blog post on Shakespearean references in popular/modern culture. However, I tried to include all I could in today’s post, which is why I split this topic into two parts. Tomorrow I will conclude this topic, and my Shakespeare-themed blog posts, with “Favorite References Part 2.” That’s not all, though, that will be included in the post, there will be some surprises as well.
In the meantime, here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 20th post where fairies and donkeys take over a forest:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 21st post for why Shakespeare is a sonnet master:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
For Friday, it’s worth exploring the impact William Shakespeare has made on the world today. He’s influenced popular culture in too many ways to count, and if I did list all the examples here, the blog post would be too long and no one would want to read it. So I thought I’d first focus on the most recognizable modern references to Shakespeare, some which have become classics themselves. I’ll be diving into “Favorite References Part 1.”
Movie: "The Lion King"
Song: "Ophelia" by The Lumineers
Book: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Musical: "West Side Story"
Side Note: I realize now that three of these references are for Hamlet alone, but the storyline from this play is used all the time anyway, and it’s created some singular works.
Disney basing the plot of "The Lion King" around Hamlet is easy to realize once you notice the similarities. I like this example, as I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if Prince Hamlet had got a happy ending. The song “Ophelia,” besides sharing the name of a Shakespearean character, also has some remarkable resemblances to the plot of the play encased in its lyrics. Pay close attention to the line about Ophelia in the “flood,” the singer’s regret about losing her. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was recommended to me and it’s on my to-read list, so hopefully I will get to it soon. As for "West Side Story," I was forced to watch this musical for a music class I had in middle school. I’m not much of a musician, so these classes always bored me. Nothing personal against the teacher, just as a writer, I would have rather been writing than studying music. However, learning about the history of music and watching Story made this specific class stand out. For someone who’s not a Romeo and Juliet fan, I found myself rooting for the young couple while watching the musical.
There are unlimited sources of information to pull from for a blog post on Shakespearean references in popular/modern culture. However, I tried to include all I could in today’s post, which is why I split this topic into two parts. Tomorrow I will conclude this topic, and my Shakespeare-themed blog posts, with “Favorite References Part 2.” That’s not all, though, that will be included in the post, there will be some surprises as well.
In the meantime, here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 20th post where fairies and donkeys take over a forest:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 21st post for why Shakespeare is a sonnet master:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Shakespeare Scones
Four hundred years ago today, William Shakespeare became a legend. That is to say, today celebrates the day Shakespeare died, and brings us to the last day of Shakespeare week. I’ve had a blast writing these posts each day and maybe I’ll do something like this again in the future (Jane Austen’s birthday anyone? :) Anyway, I decided early on that I would do something to end the week with a funny surprise. I’m a huge fan of baking, and I’ll been working on traditional English desert recipes lately. So here is a picture of the Shakespeare Scones I whipped up. They’re pumpkin-flavored with glaze/icing that spells out “Shakespeare.” Each scone has a letter and pictured here is the letter “S.” Alongside it are some of my favorite Shakespeare-themed belongings, namely my copy of 1937 The Works of William Shakespeare Complete, my copy of William Shakespeare’ Star Wars (A New Hope), and a Macbeth pendant. The 1937 book is a cherished book sale find, totally unexpected, and it houses all of the plays in a small and light edition. I haven’t yet read the rest of the Star Wars Shakespeare books, are they as good as A New Hope? The Macbeth pendant I happily discovered at a flea market by a woman who creates gorgeous, handmade book pendants. It’s so vintage and fun to wear, because then I get to explain to people what my necklace is.
Here is a link to a picture of the Shakespeare Scones: https://www.facebook.com/TheLincolnSp...
Continuing yesterday’s topic, today I’ll finish up with “Favorite References Part 2.” However, the set-up for today is going to be a little different. Where for Part 1 I focused on the most recognizable modern references to Shakespeare, some which have become classics themselves, for Part 2 I’m going to share my own favorite references to Shakespeare.
TV Show: Shakespeare Uncovered by PBS
Adaptation: “Anonymous”
Podcasts (I want to try): Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited, BardCast: The Shakespeare Podcast, and No Holds Bard
Side Note: I realize now that I listed a lot of responses for the podcasts category, but there are just so many new and exciting Shakespeare podcasts out there that I want to try. I can’t decide which one to start with first, so any recommendations are welcome.
Shakespeare Uncovered is a versatile documentary/tv show that analyzes Shakespeare’s plays over two seasons. It manages to be easy to follow, quick, and in-depth all at the same time. My favorite episode was the one they made for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, narrated by Hugh Bonneville. As for adaptations, there have been many I’ve enjoyed, including “Shakespeare in Love” and “Taming of the Shrew” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Kate is another one of my favorite heroines.) Yet Anonymous was so fresh, shocking, and unknown to me. At that point, I’d read some of Shakespeare’s play, none of his poetry, and I knew little about his life. Although the movie isn’t historically accurate all the way through, it beautifully captures the struggle of a writer to belong in a world with normal people. The movie depicts the main character as a genius who relies on the voices of his characters to help him through life. Even though the movie introduces the idea of Shakespeare not writing the plays and sonnets he’s famous for, instead they were written by the Earl of Oxford, his works are largely represented in the play. Needless to say, the costumes and filming of the movie is lovely. As a writer, the movie resonated well with me.
This brings an end to Shakespeare week and this last blog post. Thanks everyone for reading and if you’ve enjoyed these post, please feel free to check out my first book, The Lincoln Spy, here on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 20th post where fairies and donkeys take over a forest:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 21st post for why Shakespeare is a sonnet master:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 22nd post for what Disney, rock bands, comedies, singing, and the Bard have in common:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Here is a link to a picture of the Shakespeare Scones: https://www.facebook.com/TheLincolnSp...
Continuing yesterday’s topic, today I’ll finish up with “Favorite References Part 2.” However, the set-up for today is going to be a little different. Where for Part 1 I focused on the most recognizable modern references to Shakespeare, some which have become classics themselves, for Part 2 I’m going to share my own favorite references to Shakespeare.
TV Show: Shakespeare Uncovered by PBS
Adaptation: “Anonymous”
Podcasts (I want to try): Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited, BardCast: The Shakespeare Podcast, and No Holds Bard
Side Note: I realize now that I listed a lot of responses for the podcasts category, but there are just so many new and exciting Shakespeare podcasts out there that I want to try. I can’t decide which one to start with first, so any recommendations are welcome.
Shakespeare Uncovered is a versatile documentary/tv show that analyzes Shakespeare’s plays over two seasons. It manages to be easy to follow, quick, and in-depth all at the same time. My favorite episode was the one they made for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, narrated by Hugh Bonneville. As for adaptations, there have been many I’ve enjoyed, including “Shakespeare in Love” and “Taming of the Shrew” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Kate is another one of my favorite heroines.) Yet Anonymous was so fresh, shocking, and unknown to me. At that point, I’d read some of Shakespeare’s play, none of his poetry, and I knew little about his life. Although the movie isn’t historically accurate all the way through, it beautifully captures the struggle of a writer to belong in a world with normal people. The movie depicts the main character as a genius who relies on the voices of his characters to help him through life. Even though the movie introduces the idea of Shakespeare not writing the plays and sonnets he’s famous for, instead they were written by the Earl of Oxford, his works are largely represented in the play. Needless to say, the costumes and filming of the movie is lovely. As a writer, the movie resonated well with me.
This brings an end to Shakespeare week and this last blog post. Thanks everyone for reading and if you’ve enjoyed these post, please feel free to check out my first book, The Lincoln Spy, here on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Here are the links for all my previous posts for Shakespeare week.
April 18th post all about heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 19th post with Macbeth manipulations:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 20th post where fairies and donkeys take over a forest:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 21st post for why Shakespeare is a sonnet master:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
April 22nd post for what Disney, rock bands, comedies, singing, and the Bard have in common:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
