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
4 comments:
Looking forward to it. These earlier plays fascinate me for their prophetic anticipation, the forecast of things yet to come, things seasoning and growing ripe in the genius of this guy. Listening closely, you can trace the evolution of a thought or a trick of speech. It's not mere repetition. Well, maybe some of it is, but it is more like maturation. And thank God he grew beyond some of the poetic cheese of these earlier plays, some of the verbal gymnastics that at times are just irritating. RII's wife for instance, "...tis nameless woe I wot." Ouch. But, that aside, I am rather shameless when it comes to WS.
Am I the only one that wants to play?
Now if I post something else, I'm going to look pretty sad, aren't I? Told you I was shameless.
Yesterday's read was rather nice. There was even an amazing young reader among us, with just that touch of androgyny that always makes Shakespeare interesting. And there is The Bastard, Faulconbridge, the proto-Falstaff/Mercutio brewing in the head of his master. Without this colorful wit the play would lose the prop that held it together. And there's Constance, dear Constance, the whining, the "Oh, God, somebody please shoot me—now" PEACE, CONSTANCE, PLEASE. (I actually read a line like that yesterday). The highlight of my afternoon. Even her name has weight, like "somebody please make it stop."
This might have been the play that Shakespeare makes his break, his flight from the misogyny of his earlier plays. Maybe he has forgiven his wife back in Stratford, who knows? Maybe she is Constance/Anne. But from this point on, the women get smarter, and the men, well, they get more tragic. It's all good fun.
I am grateful to those who inspired the Shakespeare Allowed. You know who you are. Thanks again. Okay, rant done.
The "poetic cheese" of King John is hard to outdo. The turning and returning of phrases is astounding: Lewis: "...being but the shadow of your son, becomes a sun, and makes your son a shadow" Constance: "..he is not only plagued for her sin, But God hath made her sin and her the plague On this removed issue, plagued for her, And with her plague; her sin his injury; Her injury the beadle to her sin, All punished in the person of this child, And all for her, a plague upon her."
I was continually amazed at his choice of repetition.
The most humorous use was intentional, as the Bastard repeated the "hang a calfskin" line at ironic moments.
I know he was avenging his father's death, but I have to say when Phillip/Richard/the Bastard came in carrying Austria's head I was a little taken aback. Somehow I forget that an extremely intellectual character like that still has that barbaric side. It reminded me of when Macduff brings in Macbeth's head. It's sort of like "yeesh" and "yay" at the same time.
Only having examined the character of Constance through selective monologues, I had no idea she was as unrelenting as she is. Taken separately, her speeches are hearbreaking, but put all together they are really grating! He had Q. Margaret, in Richard III, go on and on about her lost husband and son, too. wow. That's a bold move that modern writers probably wouldn't brave. ...making the widow that annoying.
I was thrilled with the turn out yesterday! We are soon going to out grow that room and need to find a larger one.
Thanks for playing!
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