Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year
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Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between January 2 - December 31, 2024
12%
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Elizabeth reinstated it with new force in 1552,
Andrew
(Book of Common Prayer) How could Elizabeth have done this when she didn't become queen until 1558? Edward VI was king in both 1549 and 1552.
22%
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March
Andrew
Where is February 29th?
27%
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Lady Macbeth is childless;
Andrew
Is she? There's a line that suggests otherwise.
31%
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It isn’t known if Kemp left the company because he was upset that his character had been cut, or whether ‘gentle Shakespeare’ had forced the actor from his company for drawing attention away from the genius of his writing.
Andrew
Kemp was replaced by Robert Armin, who played far more nuanced Fools.
43%
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In June 1493, a month after their murder, he was crowned King Richard III.
Andrew
I think 1483 is meant. He died in 1485!
44%
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Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire is one of the great works of fiction from the twentieth century, famed for its originality and depth.
Andrew
Is it though?
45%
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The Magna Carta was drawn up on 15 June 1215 and has since become the foundation of modern democracy.
Andrew
"As the writer Jill Lepore puts it: ‘Claiming a French-speaking king’s short-lived promise to his noblemen as the foundation of English liberty and, later, of American democracy, took a lot of work.’ " Suzie Dent.
45%
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perhaps he was being careful not to trump up such a triumph of subjects over the monarchy –
Andrew
Or a victory of nobles over peasants!
51%
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July 15 is St Swithin’s Day, whose festivities featured games ranging from jousting to archery and football.
Andrew
This is a very contrived segue, trying to get from St Swithin's Day to the three witches' speech.
52%
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Many of Petrarch’s sonnets were pretty formulaic and revolved around complimenting each individual part of a woman in turn.
Andrew
Is this why Jaques' Seven Ages mocks the lover for praising his mistress's eyebrow?
53%
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Proust himself was apparently unhappy with Moncrieff’s choice of a title.
Andrew
Under the influence of Sidney Schiff who wanted to do the translation himself!
61%
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The Second World War broke out on 3 September 1939, during the course of which Prime Minister Winston Churchill invited the legendary actor Laurence Olivier to film a version of Henry V.
Andrew
During the course of the war not the date. Churchill wasn't even PM that day!
65%
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we saw the tragedy of the first Emperor Julius Caesar,
Andrew
He wasn't. Augustus was the first.
66%
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the poisonous and arbitrary devastation wrought by racism, as practised by Iago
Andrew
But is Iago himself a racist or is he playing on others' racism, especially Brabantio's? Iago is passed over for a promotion and suspects Othello has cuckolded him.
80%
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Gerard’s scant scientific expertise led to the inclusion of some distinctly un-scientific entries compiled from myths and folklore: among the more amusing inclusions is ‘the Goose Tree’ on which geese were supposed to grow.
82%
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Iago deceives Othello about his wife’s fidelity because – well, there’s the mystery.
83%
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the third ‘tomorrow’ overreaches the pentameter (takes the line from ten to an uneven eleven syllables) and unbalances the entire speech,
84%
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it is usually the fool who sings except in a couple of cases like Ophelia – when she is mad – and Toby Belch – when he is drunk.
Andrew
Iago sings when he is getting Cassio drunk.
85%
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Christmas Eve is never mentioned in the plays, nor is there any sign of a Christmas tree or a turkey, as the celebrations as we know them today are Victorian in origin.
Andrew
Christmas trees go back to Luther, but were popularised in the UK by Prince Albert.
90%
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While external contemporary sources and internal illusions to current events provide good evidence for the dating of most of Shakespeare’s works,
Andrew
I think 'allusions' is intended