King John August 1, 2009

Hey Shakespeare Allowed Friends!

King John is very rarely performed, but it has some of Shakespeare's most interesting characters.  Little Arthur is heartbreaking, Phillip the Bastard is positively dreamy, and John is pretty darned  pathetic.  

For those of you who saw "Shakespeare's Case," you may recognize the beautiful grief speech that Nan Gurley performed ("grief fills the room up of my absent child").  It's one of Constance's in Act III iv.  

Another wonderful aspect of this play is that it is written in 100 percent verse!  It should come trippingly on our tongues!

See you at the downtown library at 1p on Saturday!  =Denice

New Cool iPhone Ap

Cool iPhone Ap found by Nashville Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare in the Park 2009 House Manager, Eric Ventress.

Perfect for all you Shakespeare fans that have an iPhone

All of William Shakespeare's works available to your iPhone for Free!

40 Plays in 40 Days Visits Nashville

Thank you so much for coming to Shakespeare Allowed!

Listen in and read more about one teacher's adventure into Shakespeare's plays and his visit with The Nashville Shakespeare Festival.

RII July 11!

Can't wait to read this one with you! The character of Richard rides an emotional roller coaster as he wrestles with his natural body and his body politic. Shakespeare has given him moving and profound speeches that share his inner turmoil through lavish poetry. I really love this speech (which reminds me of Chance the Gardner in Being There!) where two gardeners talk in metaphor about the tottering state of the throne:

Go, bind thou up yon dangling apricocks,

Which, like unruly children, make their sire
Stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight:
Give some supportance to the bending twigs.
Go thou, and like an executioner,
Cut off the heads of too fast growing sprays,
That look too lofty in our commonwealth:
All must be even in our government.
You thus employ'd, I will go root away
The noisome weeds, which without profit suck
The soil's fertility from wholesome flowers

They go on to lament that Richard hasn't been an attentive king and has consequently been deposed by Bolingbroke.

The character of Bolingbroke has been referred to as a "Machiavellian," do you agree? Leave your comments and join the conversation!

Niccolò Machiavelli