The 'Brilliant Bard Channel'

When I started this 'Challenge' (which far more of a pleasure than a hardship) I was mindful that everyone was talking about Dickens while I was going on about Shakespeare. So I am very glad that everyone else has now caught up with me! Particularly the BBC. Their Cultural Olympiad inspired season 'Shakespeare Uncovered' is a marvellous companion for my Journey.

I was already dipping into the excellent back catalogue of BBC Shakespeare productions which I remember watching in the 70's-80's. But Now there is so much more on offer on both radio and TV that I can hardly keep up. Highlights in the documentary stakes have been 'Simon Shama's Shakespeare' and the titular 'Shakespeare Uncovered' programmes. It was worth watching the Joely Richardson episode alone to see the amazing shots of snow falling in the Globe Theatre. There have also been screenings of some of the better film adaptations, but best of all new re-workings by the BBC themselves.

Unfortunately I'm more than a little anal and have told myself not to watch a performance of a play until I've re-read it. Hence I missed the RSC's Julius Caesar with an African setting and Kenneth Branagh's film of 'As You Like It' as this hit the screen a little too soon. But with with the relevant Histories under my sword-belt I am revelling in the 'The Hollow Crown' series which runs through the plays 'Richard II' to 'Henry V' with a stellar cast. 

The first play, Richard II, had a phenomenal performance from Ben Whishaw in the title role and Rory Kinnear as Bolingbroke and not forgetting a stand-out 'John of Gaunt' portrayed by Sir Patrick Stewart. Now I can't wait to the watch the rest of the series and in particular to see another Shakespearean stalwart Simon Russell Beale, in the part of Falstaff, along with Tom Hiddleston playing Hal / Henry V (who as Loki stole the show in The Avengers movie). Here's just hoping the French don't have a Hulk! ("Puny Plantagenet!")


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'Shakespeare in the Park'

ALVY: You're an actor. You should be doing Shakespeare in the Park.

ROB: Oh, I did Shakespeare in the Park, Max. I got mugged. I was playing Richard the Second and two guys with leather jackets stole my leotard.

Annie Hall (1977)

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Quote #005

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me."

 King Richard - 'King Richard II', Act V, scene 5 

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5 - King Richard II

It was always the Histories which previously put me off reading the complete works. But this time I intend to gird my loins and persevere. Plus, although reading them in order, I'm not going to attempt them back to back. There is after all only so many times you can hear of Worcester going to Gloucester, Surrey to Salisbury, and Westmerland to Northumberland before it starts to sound like some kind of Dr Seuss Sat-Nav!

I was actually in two minds about starting with Richard II and instead reading Edward III first. And so began the whole turmoil about which plays did Shakespeare actually write, which did he partially write and even "Who is this Shakespeare person anyway?". The debate is far too highbrow for me. I just let the scholars fight it out with their pipes and folios, waiting for the dust and cobwebs to settle.

Arden Shakespeare

I have at home a single volume 'Complete Works' but it's far too cumbersome to carry around. In fact if I were to fall asleep while reading it in bed there is a danger of crushing my rib cage! Instead I've decided that as most of the copies I currently own as single plays come from the Arden Shakespeare collection I would take their version of the complete works as my yard stick. So 38 plays in total and those which didn't make it to boot- camp include aforementioned 'Eddie 3', 'Double Falsehood' and 'Ophelia's Dot-to-Dotty Book of Flower Fun'!

This also means that while I'm reading the things I can supplement another great passion of mine - buying second-hand books! At present I have ten Arden editions and I will see what else I can pick up as the year progresses. 

Final thought - John of Gaunt's  rousing "This royal throne of kings" speech carries on after "this England" and ends up essentially saying that the country was great once but now it's all gone a bit shit...

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