"Taming of the Shrew"

"What, with my tongue in your tail" (II.i.218).

     Possibly one of my favorite Shakespeares, The Taming of the Shrew is the story of two sisters, Katherine and Bianca.  Bianca is fair, beautiful, and has many suitors waiting for her hand in marriage, whereas her sister is ill-tempered, violent, and disgusted by all men.  This places Bianca in quite a predicament: since Katherine is the older of the two, Bianca cannot be wed until their father finds a husband for the elder.  Bianca's suitors recognize this problem and pay a man to marry Katherine.  This man is Petruchio, a traveller in search of a wife with a grand dowry.
      Petruchio is just as witty and quick-tongued as Katherine therefore making them perfect matches for each other.  Petruchio is determined to prove that he is capable of turning any woman into a good and loyal wife, thus the "taming of the shrew".

     Like I said, this is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays because it has so man jokes, both clean and inappropriate.  But I have one problem with it.  The message itself is not very good.  Without giving too much away, the main message is that women must conform and be obedient to their husbands.  It makes Grease the Musical look like a parable.  Shakespeare is making the argument that everyone in society is much happier when they conform to their expected role.  Whether this play is actually a criticism of social roles is debatable.
     Overall, though, this is a very good read.  It continues to be read and performed because it's comedy and witticisms continue to be funny and relevant today.

I give it 5 out of 5 Wildes.

Here is Delaney and I performing a Act 2 Scene 1 from the show.  We did this scene last year for drama class and had to perform it for every other drama class because we were so stellar!

"Macbeth"

"Out, damned spot, out, I say!" (Macbeth V. i. 37).

     Being one of Shakespeare's shorter plays, Macbeth is a powerhouse of a show that runs very much like one of today's thriller movies.  "That Scottish play", as it's know to anyone who has ever been involved with live theater, is probably one of my favorite Shakespearean plays.  It focuses on the psychological turmoil of Macbeth, a war hero.  Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, convinces him kill the current king so as to take the throne for himself.  Lady Macbeth suggests this because it was foretold to Macbeth, by three witches, that he would one day be king.
     After having done so, Macbeth becomes so distraught with guilt that he can no longer sleep.  And not just have a rough night's sleep every night, but literally stops sleeping all together.  Because of this, Macbeth's mind and world begin to crumble.  In his guilt, Macbeth commits multiple other crimes which just add to his fleeting sense of reality.
     Macbeth really delves into the mind and humanity of man.  It is a play that quite literally keeps the reader on his or her toes; constantly wondering what will come next and how much further can Macbeth go into madness.  Truly, it is one of the first psychological thrillers.

     About a year ago, I was in Ashland, OR for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival on a school trip.  While there, we got to see multiple plays and productions being put on for the festival.  Other than being one of the best weekends of my life, this weekend also yielded the best live performance I have ever seen of a straight play.  Directed by Gale Edwards and staring Peter Macon as Macbeth and Robin Nordli as Lady Macbeth, this production of Macbeth was stellar and took live theater to a level I had never seen or experienced before.  I've included a couple of pictures from the website because of how amazing it was.

Macbeth in the heat of battle

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth share an intimate moment upon his return from war

The witches who prophesize Macbeth's future as king

The spirit that holds the dagger with which Macbeth must kill the king

Robin Nordli in the famous Lady Macbeth scene in which she has lost her mind, "Out, damned spot!".

I give it 5 out of 5 Wildes.

"The Merchant of Venice"

     "If you prick us do we not bleed?".  Does that line sound familiar? It should.  It is a line from one of Shakespeare's most famous works The Merchant of Venice.  That line in particular is used often throughout modern culture to express the injustices of those oppressed.

     The play tells the story of Antonio, a wealthy merchant, who allows his friend, Bassanio, to place his name down on a loan from a Jewish money lender named Shylock.  Bassanio requires the money so as to woo the fair Portia.  If Antonio is unable to repay, then Shylock has the legal right to remove a pound of flesh from Antonio.  On top of this interesting plot line, there is also a love story between Portia and Bassanio.

     *Spoiler Alert*

    In the end, Antonio cannot repay his debt to Shylock because all of his ships and goods are still at sea.  Shylock is offered a repayment by Bassanio, but because of his hate for Antonio, requests the pound of flesh instead.  As Shylock is about to begin, he is stopped and it is clarified that in the contract, Shylock may remove only a pound of flesh, but no blood.  If a single drop of Antonio's blood is lost, then the contract is broken.  Disappointed, Shylock requests then to take the original repayment offered by Bassanio, but cannot claim it because he has already denied it.  To add insult to injury, it is pointed out that Shylock, being a jew, tried to claim the life of a Christian (Antonio).  Now he must have half his estates taken away from him.  Shylock is left poor and beaten by the system.  It is because of this ending that this play is often reproached for it's anti-semitic themes. 

*End Spoiler*

    The Merchant of Venice is a unique play and offers much thought and speculation long after you are done with it.  And isn't that what a good piece of literature is supposed to do? 

I give it 4 out of 5 Wildes.