26 - Richard III

And so with a lump in my throat (and another on my back) we bid a sad farewell to the mighty War of the Roses.

I did get to play the Hunchback of Withered-Arm once at drama-school but only the first few scenes. A fellow Thespian-friend was Lady Anne and took great delight it the fact that she got to spit in my face nightly! If this wasn't bad enough my director, in reaction to this spittle-fest, had me wipe it away with a finger and then lick it! Truly evil and equally unwholesome - but then that was this particular director all over! (Thank you! Thank you! I'm here all week!)

Once more this play produces a plethora of juicy quotes - mainly from the great-Gloucester. A particular favourite again comes from his scene with Lady Anna. Standing by the coffin of the king he killed Richard overwhelms and wins Lady Anne thanks to some bare-faced cheek and some bare-chested bravado! He then gloats of his new found power to bend the will of others!

"Was ever woman in this humour woo'd?
Was ever woman in this humour won?
I'll have her; — but I will not keep her long."

Richard wants to be a villain and he succeeds. He's certainly close to the top when it comes to the Bard's Bully-boys and Bad'uns. I may have to look at a top-ten Heroes and Villains when reading dust has finally settled.

And Finally - So all Mad Margaret's prophecies came true. But what gave her such insight? I think it's the Head of Suffolk (see Henry VI Part 2) that she kept all this time. She covets his zombie-bonce because, like Orpheus before him, it carried on speaking after death, telling her all the juicy future gossip. (Plus it made a great novelty nut-cracker!)...

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Blackadder - "Don't Mention Macbeth!"

Quote #025

"I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that lives. My mother weeping, my father wailing, my sister crying, our maid howling, our cat wringing her hands, and all our house in a great perplexity, yet did not this cruel-hearted cur shed one tear."

Launce - 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona', Act II, Scene 3

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25 - The Two Gentleman of Verona

As this was thought to be Billy-Boy's first ever play, and as we know he did achieve greatness later, I can just allow for some of the rough edges to this first outing. There are some nice set pieces here, my favourites being Julia and Lucetta's first scene with the love letter and Launce's ridiculous monologues. There are also elements and themes which would recur in his later works such as love, friendship, obsession, not to mention cross-dressing and even a balcony scene!

But hold everything! Where the play does fall down for me is in the main plot (and here there be spoilers I'm afraid). Proteus forgets Julia because Valentine loves Sylvia and boasts that there can be no woman better. Therefore Proteus has his best friend banished so he can 'love' Sylvia instead. However, as she continually rejects him he eventually says he have her "like a solider" and is all set to rape her. Valentine stops him but Proteus simply says "I'm really sorry" to which Valentine replies "Okay mate, I forgive you, she's all yours". It's only a bit of opportune fainting and ring fumbling from the disguised Julia that brings things back around. But then even she forgives Proteus! Now I might be showing my New-Age-Man colours here but isn't this just a tad misogynistic? 

I also get the feeling that Shaky was cutting corners a bit. If instead of a small apology Protous had given a heartfelt speech of explanation and contrition (and I'm talking a soliloquy of the highest eloquence here) then I might have been more forgiving. But as it is this only gets a 'C' for effort and a 'Try better next time'. 

And finally - Launce might be an idiot but at least he's a loveable idiot. But Speed! I'd have punched him in the face before he even finished his first speech! The lad is just so damned annoying! (Sorry! That was a bit harsh. Forgive me?...)

Peter Sellers: A Hard Day's Night

Quote #024

"Thy mother's of my generation. What's she, if I be a dog?"

Apemantus - 'Timon of Athens', Act I, Scene 1

24 - Timon of Athens

I've been insanely busy in my own life - this happened every year around this time and is work related so not much I can do to change it. In the meantime I've been trying to keep up the my Bard-browsing but not so the Bard-blogging so apologies as the next couple of instalments will be minimal in the extreme!

With 'Timon' it is the first time reading this particular bit of Bard and I'm not sure if it's a morality play or simply a premonition of the dangers of QVC. There are some interesting scenes but beyond the simple lesson of 'neither a borrower or a lender be' (even when butt naked in wasteland while sitting on a goldmine) the story has very little to offer.

I did notice what seems to be a lot of dog references. Was Billy-Boy after a Bow-Wow? My favourite is made early on by Apemantus, who gets all the good lines in the play, when he is called 'a dog' he replies:

"Thy Mother's of my generation. What's she, if I be a dog?"

And finally - Think I prefer the sequel where Timon meets the fat guy called Pumba...

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