Why Shakespeare Is A Must-Read

If you haven't had to read Shakespeare in school yet, you probably will at some point, but regardless of whether or not you've encountered him, now is the perfect time to get acquainted with this great author. Here are a few facts about him, and ten reasons why you should read his work.

About The Man: 
Full Name: William Shakespeare.
Date and Place of Birth: April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
He's often called "the Bard of Avon" or "the Bard" - "bard" is an old-fashioned term for "poet".
Other Facts: At age eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, a local girl (not to be confused with the actress of the same name), and they had three children, a daughter named Susanna, and twins, a son and daughter called Hamnet and Judith.
In the mid to late 1580's, he went to London to make his fortune as a playwright, and the rest is history. He wrote thirty-seven plays (seventeen comedies, ten tragedies, and ten histories), one-hundred fifty-four sonnets, and four long poems.
By 1613, Shakespeare had returned to Stratford, where he died of unknown causes on April 23, 1616.

Ten Reasons to Read His Plays:

1. - His stories and characters cover the spectrum of human emotions, so you can always find someone to relate to.

Katherina (the one with the long hair) is a super sharp-tongued gal
(she's the shrew in The Taming of the Shrew),
and Bianca, her younger sister, is Daddy's little angel,
so the girls have a huge sibling rivalry, which is no fun.

2. - His plays teach lessons worth knowing (like Romeo and Juliet; if those two hadn't let their emotions run away with them, they'd have lived).

See what I mean? Their relationship is one hundred percent hormones.

3. - Some of his plays have inspired modern films (She's The Man, for example, is a re-imagining of Twelfth Night), and unless I'm mistaken, you'll find that the originals are much meatier.

Viola's reaction when she realizes Olivia loves her: "I am the man."
I'll bet that's where they got the title for She's The Man. ;)

4. - His tragedies are moving.
 

Ophelia from Hamlet.
Poor thing - after her boyfriend
breaks up with her, she goes nuts.

5. - His comedies are mirth-inducing.

Petruchio, Katherina's husband, carries his bride home
from the reception at her dad's house as part of his taming process.
It's as boisterously amusing as it looks!

6. - I've never been able to really get into his histories, but if you like that sort of thing, you can't go wrong with Will. :)

These old books look rather history-ish to me.

7. - His plots grip you from the get-go.

Curious as to why the lovely Hermia is lost in the Athenian woods?
Read A Midsummer Night's Dream to find out!

8. - His writing stirs your soul.

My favorite quote from All's Well That Ends Well. I try to live by this.

9. - His characters become either your life long friends or enemies (depending on whether they're good guys or evil ones).

You can't help liking Olivia in Twelfth Night - she's so realistic.
She's vain of her beauty, stubborn-willed, and fiercely passionate.

10. - In him, you will find an enduring, caring companion; as his friend and fellow playwright Ben Jonson wrote, "He was not of an age but for all time!"

I love the contented look on his face. 

So, to paraphrase a line from Hamlet, get thee to a bookstore! :)

P.S. - The top pic is an old illustration (I couldn't find out who did it), the second is a gif I made using a clip from the 1968 film of Romeo and Juliet (I made all the gifs), the third is a gif from a clip from the 1996 Twelfth Night, the fourth is a painting by Arthur Hughes, the fifth is an illustration by Willy Pogany, the sixth is an image I found on Shakespeare Online, the seventh is a painting by John Simmons, the eight is a quote I got from QuotePixel.com, the ninth is a painting by Frank Dicksee, and the tenth is a pic I got from newartsnyc.com.

A Bit of Shakespearean Mirth

Just for giggles, here's an old cell phone ad involving Romeo and Juliet. I saw this when I was little, and it still brings a grin to my face. :)

More Book Excerpts

Here are some more scenes - Antoinette gets married and discovers something heart-warming about her husband.

Two days later, she stands in the magnificent chapel in the palace of Versailles. Decked in a dress of silver cloth and white brocade adorned with lace, pearls, and diamonds, she gazes at her nervous groom. She shares his timorousness, though she hides it; meanwhile, he shakes a little placing the ring on her finger, and blushes while saying his vows. The ceremony proceeds, and when all is said and done, the royal family members sign the marriage contract. In her agitation, she smudges her new name: Marie Antoinette Josephe Jeanne.

Late that evening, the couple, accompanied by the King and throngs of courtiers, enters the royal bedchamber. The Archbishop of Rheims blesses the bed sheets with holy water, then with much formality, the bride and groom are prepared for the night before them; after they’ve been dressed their nightclothes, they are escorted into the bed. They sit rigidly, while the curtains are closed and drawn open again, to represent the impending consummation. Though they’ve known each other a mere two days, both know what is expected of them. After everyone has finally left, Antoinette turns to her husband, covering her anxiousness with a smile. Expecting her husband to embrace her, she is surprised when he courteously says, “Goodnight, Madame,” and rolls over to sleep. Replying, “Goodnight, Monsieur,” she lies back on her pillow, rather confused and quite weary from all she’s been through.

One night, a few weeks later, disaster strikes. The fireworks display in Paris, set to round off the wedding celebrations, instead dissolves in tragedy, and Antoinette, accompanied by her husband’s three maiden aunts, sees the turmoil. Upon her return to Versailles, she rushes into Louis’s apartments, where he sits with a book.

“Monsieur!” she exclaims, choking back a sob.

Seeing her, he lays aside the volume and she sits next to him. “What is the matter, Madame?”

“Oh, Monsieur, when your aunts and I went to the fireworks, we could not arrive in the city, because in the darkness, many Parisians fell into some pits of a street which is under construction, and they were crushed to death by carriages and other members of the crowd.”

She dissolves into tears, as he sits, unsure of how to comfort her; then, he gently takes her hand and holds it between his own.

Her weeping abated, she exclaims, “We must do something to help those poor souls who are mourning their kindred and friends!”

“Indeed we must,” he solemnly agrees.

 The following morning, they meet again in the room.

“I have just sent all my monthly allowance to the Minister of Police, with a note asking him to dispose of it as he sees fit, to those who are in greatest need,” he tells her.

“Oh, I shall do the same with my allowance!” she smiles, delighted at the discovery of her husband’s benevolence. He too is pleased to see he has married a good-hearted woman.

Some Snippets from "Untitled Marie Antoinette Book"

Here are some bits from the book I'm writing about Marie Antoinette. Right now, it's simply a series of present-tense vignettes depicting moments from her life, though I may add to it. Here are the scenes where Antoinette arrives in France and meets her new family.

A year later, as a timid child of fourteen, she’s in the handover tent on an island – this is the Austrian-French border, where she will forever leave behind her childhood. She shivers with cold as she stands in a new chemise from Paris; her waiting-women have removed every scrap of her former attire, because she must retain nothing from her home country (despite the fact that the old outfit was made in Paris). She may not even bring her darling pug Mops to her new home, though he’s accompanied her the whole way. Ceremonially, but kindly, the ladies lace her into her new corset, panniers, and petticoats, then attire her in a golden gown, decked with ruffles and ribbons. Despite her lovely new garb, she can’t a restrain a sniff as she watches her women; they are her last ties to her past. Her ginger tresses are coiffed into an elegant, powdered mode, and her face is smoothly coated with the fashionable white face paint and rouged cheeks in vogue at Versailles. She steps into her shoes and stands among them, a melancholy bride-to-be.

A week later, she meets her some of her new family members in a forest clearing near Compiègne. One of the court officials presents her to the King, at which point she drops in a deep curtsy to the monarch. He raises her, and she looks into his raven eyes, twinkling with good-naturedness. He motions for her fiancée to step forward, and Antoine finally comes face to face with her groom, Louis Auguste, the Dauphin of France. A few months away from his sixteenth birthday, he is tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and rather good-looking; "I could like him," she thinks. Formally, he kisses her cheek.  She’s then introduced to his three maiden aunts, Adélaïde, Victoire, and Sophie, a trio of imposing females, who greet her courteously. So far, her new relations seem rather likeable, and her new life will hopefully be an agreeable one.

Greetings!

Welcome, friends! This is my little corner where I scribble about my passions - reading, writing, acting, and simply living life abundantly. I hope you enjoy your visit here! :)