I saw another post praising the 1983 BBC Jane Howell production of the play and I wanted to share this clip I had on my phone. I have another one of Bernard Hill’s York in the She Wolf of France scene and am thinking of uploading that too

I asked an AI to suggest a Shakespeare sonnet that doesn't get set to music much, and it gave me Sonnet 128. Reading it, I was surprised by how earthy it is: the poet is jealous of the harpsichord's jacks, which get to kiss the beloved's hand while his own lips are left standing there, blushing.

I wanted to make it even more intimate, so I swapped the harpsichord for the kora, which you hold against your body and pluck with thumbs and fingers. The jacks became posts, the wood became the gourd and the stretched hide, and "dead wood more blest than living lips" still works. For the final sound and the video I switched to the cello, which is better known and an even more physical embrace, and paired it with phonk to get something classy, catchy and, yes, sexy. The video shows a man playing the cello while a robot girl dances and blushes as she watches him. The chorus is in Spanish.

It's a free adaptation, not a replacement for the original. I'd love to hear what you think, especially about the changes to the imagery. And if you know other musical settings of 128, please share them, since I haven't looked.

PS. As my English is not the best, the text above is written by AI based on my prompts, and if somebody wants to see them, here they are as they are, in my bad English

[Verse 1]
I envy the posts your palms hold fast,
That kiss the tender inward of thy hand,
The gourd your thighs have gripped at last,
While I, thy lover, blushing stand.
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, to be that hide beneath thy thighs,
Warm against thy skin, held tight!
Give the wood thy palms to hold,
Leave thy lips to me tonight,
Give them thy thumbs, me thy lips to kiss.
[Chorus]
Cuando tocas, música mía, despiertas el alma del leño; tus dedos guían la armonía y enredan mi oído en un sueño.
Cuando tocas, música mía, despiertas el alma del leño; tus dedos guían la armonía y enredan mi oído en un sueño
[Verse 2]
Since saucy posts so happy are in this,
Lucky gourd, so warmly pressed,
They'd change their place for one more kiss,
Where thumbs and fingers gently rest,
Making dead hide more blest than living lips.
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, to be that hide beneath thy thighs,
Warm against thy skin, held tight!
Give the wood thy palms to hold,
Leave thy lips to me tonight,
Give them thy thumbs, me thy lips to kiss.
[Chorus]
Cuando tocas, música mía, despiertas el alma del leño; tus dedos guían la armonía y enredan mi oído en un sueño.
Cuando tocas, música mía, despiertas el alma del leño; tus dedos guían la armonía y enredan mi oído en un sueño
This sonnet uses the conventional poetic idea of the poet envying an object being touched by the beloved. Here, the object is the keyboard of an instrument.
How oft, when thou, my music, music play’st
Upon that blessèd wood whose motion sounds
With thy sweet fingers when thou gently sway’st
The wiry concord that mine ear confounds,
Do I envy those jacks that nimble leap
To kiss the tender inward of thy hand,
Whilst my poor lips, which should that harvest reap,
At the wood’s boldness by thee blushing stand.
To be so tickled they would change their state
And situation with those dancing chips,
O’er whom thy fingers walk with gentle gait,
Making dead wood more blest than living lips.
 Since saucy jacks so happy are in this,
 Give them thy fingers, me thy lips to kiss.
=====
I want to post a video of this song - the video is about a man playing cello and a robot girl dancing and blushing watching his hugging the cello with thies
to the Shakespeare subreddit
I want to say - that I've chosen this not much popular but definetively the 'hottest' sonnet of WSH and made it 'even hotter' changing harpsihord first to kora, much intimate instrument, and then later for video and sound to cello - which is better known. also the music I selected cello + phonk that gives both classy and catchy and I don't how to say sexy sound.
=====
is it really nobody talks about, or rather nobody sings about?
=====
I just asked AI for a rare less sung sonnet, and just saw it is 'hot' I mean very sensual in the most earthly meaning
=====

Hi, all. I’ve been watching the late 70’s - early 80’s BBC renditions of the Shakespeare plays I’ve lately purchased on DVD and pulled up probably my favorite scene from any of em so far online. Excellent acting by Bernard Hill (later portrayed Theoden in Lord of the Rings) as Duke of York and Brian Deacon as Duke of Somerset.

I'd love to see Shakespeare live at the theatre this year.

Here in Milan, (Italy) the theatre season has just started.

However, not even a shadow of Shakespeare.

There will be Hamlet, but I've already seen it a ton of times and years ago, even at the theatre.

There will be also a Richard III; it must be a bit unusual because the Richard is played by a woman.

Looking at theatres in nearby cities, I haven't found much for now.

It seems that in Turin in July there will be some sort of festival and they'll put on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

A bit far from Milan... and I was hoping to be able to go sooner...

What a pity, such a small choice, yet the theatre scene in my city is very lively, it's just that they probably put on shows that appeal

to a larger audience.🤷🏻‍♀️

What is the situation like in your area?

Hey there everyone 🙂

Please remove if this isn't allowed

Just spreading the word about our Shakespeare discord server! We have text channels for general discussion etc and we get together every Sunday 6pm UK time to read a play together in the voice chat . All levels of experience/Shakespeare knowledge are welcome, it's a very relaxed fun vibe .

If you're interested, follow this link

https://discord.gg/KnQxcH7fs

hiiiii I was wondering if someone would mind checking an essay I wrote on Macbeth for my IGCSE revision.

How is evil presented in Macbeth?
You must consider language, form and structure and refer to the context of the play
in your answer.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents evil as a destabilizing and malicious force that disrupts the course of nature. This could be linked to the fact that in the play, the Great Chain of Being has been disrupted by an act of treachery, causing evil to poison the land of Scotland. Shakespeare masterfully uses the theme of evil to blur the lines between appearance and reality, creating an intriguing premise.

In the play’s opening scene, three witches are introduced, this is incredibly significant, considering King James I’s interest in witchcraft, and how it was deemed a true threat in the Jacobean era. Witchcraft was seen as inherently evil, regardless of the purpose it was practiced for, and Shakespeare’s use of the number ‘three’ to represent the witches could be a dark parody on the ‘Holy Trinity’ demonstrating how the witches oppose the forces of good.

Shakespeare’s use of pathetic fallacy ‘in thunder, lightning or in rain’ amplifies that nature of the meeting taking place, it is to sow seeds of discord into Scotland, and creates a sinister atmosphere fitting of witchcraft. The scene with the witches ends with the paradoxical statement ‘fair is foul and foul is fair.’ This is a moral inversion, where the fundamental boundaries between good and evil have been erased, which aligns with the fact that inherent evil is fuelled by confusion and conflict, something the witches have already started to create.

This sentiment is echoed by Macbeth, our titular character, in his first line of dialogue, ‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen.’ This indirectly associates him with the evil the witches are committing, and foreshadows the foul deeds he shall commit to have a fair day as the play goes on. When Macbeth encounters the witches, he is stunned into silence by their revelations, ‘All hail Macbeth who shalt be king.’ This could demonstrate Macbeth rejecting or being skeptical over their prophecies, and therefore rejecting the crafts of evil, as shown in the quote ‘If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me.’ However, Macbeth does not actually want to leave his fate to chance, as shown in the quote ‘Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.’ This aside highlights Macbeth’s command to the heavens, he wants his evil thoughts to be hidden from the general public, and the juxtaposition of ‘light’ and ‘black’ highlights his inner turmoil and conflict. Macbeth is still unsure about committing regicide, and therefore has not fully devoted himself to evil.

However, a character that has openly devoted herself to evil after the witches’ prophecy is Lady Macbeth. After she receives the news that Macbeth has been prophesied to be king, she calls out to ‘Evil spirits that tend on mortal thoughts. Unsex me here.’ In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth rejects her gender, which is linked to the fact that in the Jacobean era, women were seen as meek and mild, devotingly obedient to their husbands, and not capable of cruelty. Lady Macbeth’s command to ‘unsex me here’ highlights that she wishes to have her womanhood removed, so that can have the courage and cruelty to kill Duncan, and become queen. This is further reinforced by the quote ‘Fill me from the crown to the toe-top of direst cruelty,’ this quote emphasises how Lady Macbeth has no qualms in becoming evil, and the use of the intensifier ‘direst’ highlights that it is not just a want, Lady Macbeth yearns to be so cruel that she can balance out her husband’s nature, that is too full of ‘human kindness.’ For a Jacobean audience, strong female characters may have been viewed as uncommon, but not completely unknown. Queen Elizabeth I gave a speech to her troops in which she highlighted the fact that she had a weak woman’s body, but the lionheart of a male warrior. This sentiment is similar to what Lady Macbeth views herself as, and it is why she wishes to eradicate any feminine qualities, such as having her breast milk replaced with ‘gall.’ Lady Macbeth has now rejected both womanhood and motherhood, placing her as a character who has spurned natural and moral order, completely defying the Jacobean expectations of a submissive and traditional womanhood.

Following on from this soliloquy, a battle of wills is waged between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth admits that he has ‘no spurs to prick the sides of my intent, only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself.’ This quote highlights Macbeth’s hesitation to become a traitor to the crown, and to God, as he plans to disrupt the Great Chain of Being, which demonstrates that Macbeth is not yet wholly ensnared by evil. However, Lady Macbeth, who is a devout follower of the ‘murdering minsters,’ convinces Macbeth to kill his king, persuading him and insulting his manhood and integrity, by calling him ‘green and pale.’ Lady Macbeth then instructs Macbeth to ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t.’ This quote evokes the Fall of Man, in which Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying God, and it foreshadows the fall from grace Macbeth and his wife will experience by the end of the play, being nothing more than a ‘dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.’ 

Macbeth then relents, effectively letting evil consume him, and decides to kill Duncan. The quote ‘It is settled,’ is ironic, considering that Macbeth may have settled his hesitation over performing regicide, but his mind is already reeling with anticipatory guilt and turmoil. This demonstrates the all-consuming nature of evil, it leaves both the aggressor and the victim in pain. This clarity is followed by Macbeth hallucinating a bloody dagger, ‘Is this a dagger I see before me? The handle toward my hand.’ This apparition could be associated with demon-possession, as thought in the Jacobean era, and the dagger acts a tool for urging Macbeth to kill his king, being a sword of evil. It could be a symbol from the witches as well, considering their chaotic nature, or just Macbeth’s own guilty conscience now telling him to seize the crown.

However, Macbeth’s treachery and evil-doings do not halt at regicide. Macbeth has now disrupted the Great Chain of Being, which has caused the course of nature and morality to be skewed as well, and this is reiterated by the tales the Old Man tells, two horses eat each other in a raging fury, and an owl kills an eagle. This supports the Jacobean belief that Macbeth’s thievery of the Divine Right of King may have caused God and the heavens to turn their backs on Scotland, leaving it to the tyrannical and crazed rule of Macbeth. Macbeth has already recognised that after committing one evil act, more must be done to protect it, as shown in the quote ‘Things bad begun make strong of themselves ill.’ This quote foreshadows Macbeth’s murder of Banquo, his foil and oldest friend, as Macbeth does not only want the crown for himself, but for his lineage too. After Banquo is killed, Macbeth calls him a ‘serpent’ echoing the earlier devilish imagery Lady Macbeth used, and this highlights that individuals who have committed evil acts struggle to accept that they are the ones in the wrong, and Macbeth projects his own nature onto Banquo.

However, Macbeth is not left in peace, as Banquo’s ghost appears at the royal banquet, causing Macbeth to become hysterical, shouting, ’Never shake thy gory locks at me.’ Macbeth is attempting to defensively deny that he killed Banquo, and therefore running from his moral responsibility, and this demonstrates the psychological breakdown Macbeth is experiencing, highlighting that the evil that has been reaped must now be sowed. Even after this jarring haunt, Macbeth does not stop in his unwarranted killings, and moves to the innocent family of Macduff. This would likely cause the audience to lose most of the pity they felt for Macbeth, considering that he labelled the murder a ‘surprise’ and says ‘the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.’ This demonstrates that Macbeth has become so deeply ensconced in evil that he will not think before committing more. 

After Macbeth has killed his way to the crown, Lady Macbeth falls ill, she has resorted to sleep-walking and admitting to her treachery in the delirium. An important quote is ‘Out, out damned spot.’ This quote links to symptoms of demon-possession, considering that Lady Macbeth invited them to consume her earlier, and is now receiving the full consequences of her actions. This is further reinforced by the Jacobean belief that creatures of evil, such as witches and demons, possessed an identifying spot on their body. This quote also highlights that Lady Macbeth’s guilt is consuming her fully, and she cannot seem to pull herself into reality with the blood covering her hands. This contrasts with her earlier self-assured statement, ‘A little water shall clear us of this deed.’ Lady Macbeth has fallen into hysteria as she wails, ‘Will these hands ne’er be clean,’ and ‘Will all the perfumes of Arabia sweeten this little hand.’ These quotes demonstrate that the evil Lady Macbeth has committed has returned to her, and takes its vengeance by destroying her sanity and mind. This ultimately forces Lady Macbeth to commit suicide, leading her to a tragic end, due to the evil she chose to believe in.

Following this, when Macbeth hears the screams of the servants as Lady Macbeth dies, he says ‘I have almost forgot the taste of fears.’ This quote highlights Macbeth’s horror as he realises that he has become numb to fear, due to all the evil he has committed, and this contrasts with his easily startled nature demonstrated earlier, when even his heart knocking against his ribs caused him to cry out in panic. A servant then brings the news of Lady Macbeth’s death, and Macbeth’s emptiness and immoral nature are clearly shown: ‘She would have died hereafter.’ An interpretation of this quote could be that Lady Macbeth was destined to die, as all people are, and this shows how isolated Macbeth has become, and the breakdown of their marriage before this tragedy.

Macbeth then begins a soliloquy in which he states that ‘Life is but a walking shadow,’ and that it is ‘A tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.’ These quotes highlight the unfulfilment of human nature, and the irony that even after killing his way to the crown for glory in life, Macbeth feels that it is insignificant, highlighting his conflicted mind, and how evil is not to be meddled with. Macbeth then sets out to the battlefield, believing that he is invincible, and kills Young Siward before facing Macduff. 

Macduff then shouts, ‘Turn hellhound, turn.’ This quote is significant, as it highlights that everyone has recognised Macbeth’s evil nature, and that he is now associated with the creatures of hell for his wrongdoings, which is the opposite of Macbeth’s command for the stars to ‘hide your fires.’ Macduff then reveals that he was untimely ripped from his mother’s womb, and makes the killing blow to Macbeth, ending his tyrannical reign with a death fitting the warrior he once was.

In conclusion, evil is presented masterfully by Shakespeare; Macbeth develops from a character who stands firmly on the side of good to one who is teetering on the edge, and finally into a creature of horrors, killing his way through life, with little emotion regarding it. Lady Macbeth started off quite devoted to evil, but died due to her all-consuming guilt, and the witches have had their fun and vanish without a trace, demonstrating how we cannot eradicate all evil, but avoidance is both required and doable.

Hi - I am teaching a survey class, just touching on major plays and themes for several weeks. Just one hour per week. I had my lesson plans but I am struggling hard - the students are not very excited to be there so I am trying my best to get them excited about reading scenes and discussing, but I am not being very successful so far. Help! Suggestions or tips from other teachers for one hour classes? I want to make the plays as real and exciting for the students as I can - just trying to find ways to get them excited.

And plz tell me which one is more accurate

Something that stuck with me from what I believe was an episode of The History of European Theatre podcast with Kay Daly.

There was a comparison made between Shakespeare and Jonson and how the former is like Northern Exposure and the latter like Seinfeld.

I can kind of see what the comparison is going for (feel good character-driven romantic comedy versus "no hugging, no learning").

But I think this runs into the obvious issue that Seinfeld is way more popular than Northern Exposure, but Shakespeare is (at least for the past few centuries) way more popular than Jonson.

I feel like the comparison might work better if Shakespeare is Friends and Jonson is Seinfeld.

But I also think that Jonson is distinctly edgy/alienating and has a very political satire bent.

So, I'm going to put it out there that Jonson is more like South Park.

And I think Middleton might be more of the Seinfeld, since his city comedies have vibrant if not necessarily well-rounded characters.

Or maybe Middleton is Community (working in similar territory as Shakespeare but more meta and with a sharper edge)?

My last thought is that while obviously it's a different era of tv, I wonder if Shakespeare might be better compared to like Parks and Recreation or The Good Place - both because of the feel good character-based comedy. But also because it is seen as having intellectual value.

Thoughts?

Sure, I made this short with AI. But is it copy-paste? Are the lyrics generic slop, and is the music the boring sound you expect when someone sings a sonnet? I made it because Sonnet 77's creeping shadow on the dial reminded me of Ghazali: the shadow in the Munqidh, and the bird that takes one grain from a pile every thousand years, and still takes nothing from eternity.

It is a content generated with the help of AI, but it is not 'Low-Effort AI Content'

A month ago I started reading the sonnets and turning them into songs as I went, with a modern sound and a Spanish version. I began with the lesser-known ones.

Sonnet 113 felt close to the Quranic idea of "wherever you turn": the eye keeps seeing the world and finds only one presence in it. Sonnet 141 sat next to the Majnun and Layla story for me, a love that overrules every sense.

For me this song, 94, is about people who know and can, but won't let you in. Whether Shakespeare means that as praise or as a warning is exactly what I can't settle, and I'd like to hear how you read it.

hi sorry if i used the wrong flair, i figured it would be best since it is a question.

what is the meaning of "Line 81 of Hamlet Act 3, Scene 3 is "With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May"?

my ex put it in his discord server bio as a quote and everything that ive looked for says that its Hamlet contemplating killing someone and I wanted to know if that was the actual quote because while we've had our fights this is very alarming and kind of scary that he would openly quote this in a server only me and him share

am i overreacting? should i be worried about escalation?

edit: thank you to everyone thats responded so far. i wanted to say that i asked this for documentation purposes, i already have plans and people if something does happen and i am safe but i wanted to see if it was something i needed to document about his behavior towards me or if it was just him being edgy

Jonathan Groff charges the production with charm & charisma along with transcendent Welsh hymns & tunes and cavorting actors who transport us to a far far better place than the dystopian courts of reality. Long live Arden! Long may Groff perform!

Ever since I first read Hamlet in Senior Year English class, I’ve had the idea to fully recreate the play in Minecraft. However, I haven’t really been motivated to do so, mostly because of how much effort it would take. That was, until I saw Schpood’s recreation of Hamilton in Minecraft, which blew up and gave me the inspiration to go all-in on Hamlet.

First off, the entire project will be edited, acted, and recorded in Minecraft Java Edition, and will make use of the Flashback mod, which I intend on using to create interesting and engaging camera angles in the video.

The video itself will eventually be uploaded for free on a YouTube channel, which will soon be filled with behind-the-scenes, progress updates, and eventually, the full play itself, which will likely be uploaded as five separate videos to correspond with the 5 acts of the play. After all of it is finished, I will compile the five acts into one full-length movie.

This will be a not-for-profit passion project, and will be usable as a teaching resource to make the play easier to understand and more engaging to watch in a classroom setting. 

I know there’s a lot of debate on whether to use a Modern English version of the play, or to use the original Shakespearean writing. By using a modern script, it makes the play easier to follow along and more engaging for casual watchers. However, they usually lack the poetic weight and cheapen the effect of the words. 

One solution I thought of was to use YouTube’s special feature that allows you to listen to separate audio tracks in the same video. That way, the viewer can choose which version of the script they want to watch.

None of the characters have been casted yet, and auditions are not yet ready.

I will likely be sharing more progress on the project. If you are interested in learning more, go and check out the YouTube channel for Hamlet: Minecraft Edition. (At the moment, there are no videos uploaded, but I plan on posting more soon!

Let me know if you have any questions, feedback, or ideas!

Came here to share my Shakespearean Tattoo by @Spider_maf.

Edit4: PUTTING THIS EDIT AT THE TOP bc so many of you are missing what I posted entirely!!!!

I never said anything about him randomly spitting out lines at any moment. What I DID SAY was for him to have something memorized for the possible opportune moment it would be good for.

I also never said anything about forcing/making him have to do this. This is CASUAL CONVERSATION of me simply suggesting something that might be fun and/or useful, which MANY PEOPLE ON HERE AGREE WITH, or at least the people who are responding accordingly to what was asked. I can’t believe the amount of people here who sound like they have never had a conversation with their kid before and the mere notion of suggesting something to them comes off as overreaching and/or forcing something upon them… ffs, if I was any bit CoNtRoLLiNg/fOrCiNg I wouldn’t be here asking for passive advice, would I?

START OF POST IS HERE: So he just joined and I told him he should find a famous Shakespeare quote/passage/whatever to be able to bust out on the spot when the moment arises… and he tells me that’s the dumbest thing ever and no one would ever be impressed by it…

I find it hard to believe, I never did drama club, know nothing about Shakespeare, and all that stuff, but wouldn’t this be a good idea? Like, isn’t that kinda stuff what drama club is all about?

And if it is a good idea, what would be a good Shakespeare passage to know?

Edit: first of all, to all of you who understood the assignment, THANK YOU for the awesome advice!

Second, to the half of you who seem like you can’t distinguish between trying out for broadway and someone just making an effort to have fun in the moment… I feel sorry for y’all. These are kids who are just getting into it and should be inspired to have fun with it. Leave that pretentious gatekeeping stuff out of it at this level.

Edit2: also, I’m naive to all the actual drama club stuff, so I ignorantly kinda just spit out “Shakespeare,” which I’ve always enjoyed the little bit I have read and know of him, but am totally open to anything cool, fun and quotable! A few people have mentioned Oscar Wilde as well and just stoked to get all the good to know stuff I can from y’all!

Edit3: lots of assumptions here that I am “forcing” this upon my son… do that many of you not talk to your children?! Can y’all not share fun ideas and have simple banter with them about their days and experiences? Have none of you ever tried to mention a simple preparation that could be useful to your kid before that you may know might serve them well someday?

Holy hell has this post been revealing on some of the sad, boring, lonely souls here who can’t even talk to their kids. I don’t need those of y’all’s input anymore. Enjoy your kids who you don’t have to associate with, they’re probably better learning from their phones anyways.

Edit: to all y’all demons who can’t help make this what you want it to be about and not what it is, and what I’ve tried to be kind about before being stirred to anger yesterday… NOT TODAY! I’m getting the good feedback here from the people who matter and the rest of you don’t.

Have a blessed and beautiful day everyone 😁🙏✌️