The Authorship Debate

Good day my fellow bloggers!

How was thy morrow? Personally, I had a packed morrow. I performed my Macbeth assessment in front of my peers today, and all I can say the play was full of surprises. So is this week's blog post. 

Why

1. After this blog past, me and you have to take our own separate paths unfortunately, yes this is my LAST post.
2. Do you know that there are a myriad of conspiracies about who Shakespeare really is? (oh boy :( )
3. I thought the six week blog entries were the homework requirement for this term, but then the 28 pages long Macbeth booklet shows up. (yeppie!)

I really don't understand why people are still scrutinizing Shakespeare's life and work and trying to create conspiracies that are based on MERE assumptions. Assumptions are NOT a reliable source, they are mostly bogus.  Just because some desolated anti-Shakespeareans decided they didn't want to do their English essay or they found Shakespeare brilliant work unfathomable, that is no excuse to pick on him and write conspiracies that have no strong evidence to reinforce their notions.

A piece of advice to y'all :) 

Can you PLEASE leave the poor man REST in peace?

The last thing he wants, is to be picked up on by absurd notions about how he didn't write his work, or about the different Shakespeare's that existed other than him. C'mon HOW MANY doppelgangers can Shakespeare have? -_-

The answer is, NONE.

So the punch line is,

Shakespeare at the end of the day is the Bard of Avon, the man who introduced nearly 3,000 words into the English language, and who is second quoted after the Bible. The conspiracies about him can assume whatever they want, but at the end of the day he's the  man whom influenced the English language, and he's the man who I am very fond of his work.

 

Now excuse me, I have to get back to my Macbeth booklet!

Fare thee well, fellow bloggers <3

Shakespeare's Relevancy

This week’s blog post might be short for a major reason.

Although I avoid watching television music competition franchise such as “Arab Idol”, I simply cannot resist this season.

Why?

Well, this is the first time a Palestinian contestant gets qualified to join this competition  and let me tell you this contestant is not only innately handsome, he also has the finest vocal range my ears have ever heard *-*

Don't you agree with me?

Mohammad Assaf (the Palestinian contestant)

Just 3 days ago, we encountered the annual “Nakba Day”.. can you believe that Palestine has marked 65 years of occupation?

 Palestinians today stand by the distorted face of their homeland, while the distorted face of nations ignore their cries for help.  Which is why I consider Mohammad Assaf Palestine's portal to freedom and justice, if he wins, he will be able to channel the shrills crying for justice in Palestine to the world. 

..and just as I consider Mohammed Assaf Palestine’s portal to equity, William Shakespeare was England's portal  to evocative language and dramatic structure. With his unique style his work was added to our English class syllabus. There’s no doubt that Shakespeare is relevant today. After all his work encompasses themes and issues that are still relevant today and can be related to. William Shakespeare’s characters tend to possess a special quality, they are fallible which makes them SO real to his readers. For a matter of fact, if Shakespeare wasn't relevant today, we (students) wouldn't be able enclose this certain mental discipline in analyzing the English language. We also can not forget the words and phrases, that Shakespeare introduced, which remain in all of our vocabularies on daily basis.

So how dare we question his relevancy today?

Shakespeare in the Media

Some people argue that Shakespeare’s image was vandalized with the emergence of modern media adaptations of his work, but I believe that this is a mere paradoxical statement.

YOU NAME IT, WE GOT IT. From newspapers, magazines, films, television and internet, Shakespeare and his work had been adapted in today’s media in all forms. However, not all the adaptations depicted his original work, a lot of the adaptations were depicted  in a humorous  or modernized approach, so that his work can suit today’s atmosphere.
This unique approach has stirred a lot of attention and became a portal for a new audience, that enjoyed and understood Shakespeare's work better with this unique approach. However, Shakespeare’s devotees were not fond of this renovated approach, they preferred the conventional approach that Shakespeare used.

Whether you prefer the conventional or modern approach, BELIEVE ME, there’s something for everyone due to the countless adaptations of Shakespeare's work in today's media, so don’t stress out that you won’t find anything because you’re selective.

I came across two different adaptations of Macbeth, and I thought that I would share them with you. Below are the video excerpts.. enjoy!

1. Macbeth in a conventional approach

2. Macbeth in a modern approach

 Now my question to you: do you prefer Shakespeare's conventional or modern approach? I personally prefer both, but I am more fond of the conventional approach :)

To modernize or not to modernize?

Shakespeare's Plays

Greetings fellow bloggers!

I will be discussing a controversial topic today.. Shakespeare’s plays. It’s about time you learn more about Shakespeare’s work from a magnified scope. Get your virtual suitcase ready, we’re flying to London! Yes, you heard me, LONDON.  The question is why?

Well, my Confessions of a Shakespeareaholic  fans, it’s about time you get your first hands-on experience and learn more about Shakespeare’s plays.

The first question you might want to learn about is, what were Shakespeare’s plays like?

Well, Shakespeare was one of the most prolific playwrights. He presented his poems in the most artistic approach. His plays had many flowery language such as, similes, metaphors, alliterations.. which don’t only escape a cliché approach, but use words in other than their literal sense to enhance the way a thought is expressed. Thus Shakespeare created his own stance in the Elizabethan era, that is still kept today. A good example of that would be,  how were still incorporating his works in today’s educational curricula.

Now you might have started wondering, did Shakespeare’s plays focus on one specific genre?

Well how shall I answer that.. really? How can someone so extraordinary stick to one genre in all his plays? Shakespeare’s 38 published plays my friend.. incorporated four different genres ranging from comedies to tragedies to histories, and late romance. Many people argue on which genre generally defines his plays, but the majority agree that  Shakespeare’s most famous plays are tragedies.

On a personal scale, I find Shakespeare’s most popular plays in the tragedies include, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Following his most popular comedies would include, The Merchant of Venice. Following that, Shakespeare’s most popular histories would have to include, Henry V and Richard III.
That’s my opinion anyways, what do YOU think his most famous plays were?

Shakespeare's 38 plays listed.

Shakespeare’s Plays Today

Shakespeare taught us that love can conquer and destroy, that people trust what they cannot see, and that human ethics are easily manipulated. His plays are a fraction of his array of work that goes beyond the lessons of an English high school subject. The plays he wrote still play a dominant role in entertainment today. He inspired people to pursue literature, to develop different philosophies and notions, and challenge conventional ideals. Shakespeare coined many words we use every day and brought revolutionary ideas to the way literature is written.  Thus it’s pretty ridiculous when we hear controversies if he actually wrote his published plays, because some people believe that it’s impossible for someone with no proper education to write such marvelous plays, well the sad truth is.. he didn't have to be proper educated to create his masterpieces, there is no excuse for being who YOU are!

Elizabethan Times and the Theatre

Hello fellow bloggers.

This week’s blog post is centered on the ELIZABETHAN TIMES and THEATRE. As you are reading  this week’s blog post title you must have started wondering.. Why was it called the Elizabethan Era? What was SO exalting about this time? Were the theatres important in that time? What are some differences between the Elizabethan Theatre and modern day theatres?

As an ardent Shakespeare devotee, I assure you that the Elizabethan Era was very significant to  reminisce.

Primarily, the Elizabeth epoch was during Queen Elizabeth I reign (1558-1603), and thus it had been named the Elizabeth Era. In fact this era was symbolized as the Golden Age.

So what was so special about this time?

The golden age was a period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished, such as :

•        Significant scientific progress in astronomy, magnetism, cartography, surveying, and navigation.
•     New inventions of the spring-suspension coach. For me this invention is self-explanatory of the                               Elizabethan Era, don’t you think  so?
  

The Spring-Suspension Coach

•        The beginning of New World English explorations for colonization, of course!
•     The Defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Can you get a sense of why this era was awfully  important to the Brits? It was their portal to upcoming victories. Sorry fellow bloggers, I will have an attempt  in avoiding any aberration. It’s just that it saddens me when my fellow blogger Mariam vandalizes my dearly Shakespeare’s image in her blog post (see here: http://shakespeareanabode-not.blogspot.ae/2013/04/who-was-shakespeare.html), when his time was the rise of England from the dooms.

The Elizabethan Theatre

In Elizabethan England, theatre-going was very popular, and although the theatres themselves were in London, travelling theatre  companies went round the country and were hired by those who wanted a play to be performed as an attraction. Often plays were performed in temporary theatres created in inn  yards, as well as at court and in the country houses of the wealthy. The plays, therefore, were seen by a wide range of people from all kinds of social background.

An inn-yard

By the end of the 16^th century, theatre-going was well established in England, but the theatres of Shakespeare’s time were very different from modern theatres.

Shakespeare's time theatre

Modern-day theatre

So, how were the theatres of Shakespeare’s time different from modern theatres?

•          The majority of them, such as the Globe in Southward, London,  were open-air.
•          The plays were performed in daylight, since there was no artificial light during the Elizabethan Era.
•           The theatre’s exterior complexion was round or hexagonal.
•           There was a trumpeter whom signaled the beginning of the play, where also a flag flew that indicated a performance was in progress.
•            Only men actors were hired and performed in plays.

Therefore, during the Elizabethan Era people saw the theatre not only as a place to watch and enjoy a play, but as an opportunity to meet friends, exchange gossip and eat and drink. The Elizabethan audience were hard to please, they were only appreciative of flawless plays, if any play appeared to have defects, the audience would often shout out derogatory remarks, make jokes at the actors’ expense and throw things onto the stage, that behavior is rarely seen in the modern day theatre.

Who was Shakespeare?

While Shakespeare seems as an archaic to many of us… a simple question imposed, such as, “Who was Shakespeare?” can perplex us.

Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who was innately talented. He was able to use words with high exceptionality to create the world’s most eloquent and influential pieces, encompassing 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. But the question remains, was Shakespeare’s work successful of leaving a mark behind?

As we study Shakespeare’s work today, we notice his usage of the conventional style in his plays and sonnets. He incorporated figurative language with emphasis on metaphors and rhetorical phrases in his work, thus he has earned many ennobles, such as the “greatest writer in the English language”, “the world's pre-eminent dramatist”. He is also England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".

Fact: " A bard is another word for poet, and William is known as one of the greatest poets in the world. Therefore, he is known as "The Bard." "Of Avon" is added to this name because William was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. When the two names are put together, William's nickname becomes "The Bard of Avon."


Shakespeare’s plays are placed in one of three categories; Histories, Comedies, or Tragedies. In his plays, William often contains elements of all three categories. He blended common issues into histories, seriousness into comedies, and humor into tragedies. Romeo and Juliet is the most popular play written by him, it helped inspire other works from playwrights.

Today, people still praise Shakespeare’s work, primarily because his writing caliber. His work is still taught to students, his plays are still played by actors, and most importantly, the reminiscent Victorian ambiance is still alive today, at the prominent restaurant, Shakespeare and Co. 

Take a look at William Shakespeare in STAISTICS

Resources:1. Ashton, Geoffrey. The Collectors Shakespeare. New York: Crescent, 1990. Print.2. Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2004. Print.3. Kay, Dennis. William Shakespeare: His Life and Times. New York: Twayne, 1995. Print.4. Shakespeare Biography. AbsoluteShakespeare, 2005. Web. 7 Mar. 2010. <http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biography.htm>.