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Cobbe Portrait of William Shakespeare
Monthly Archives: July 2012
“O, thou hast damnable iteration, and art indeed able to corrupt a saint. Thou hast done much harm upon me, Hal — God forgive thee for it!”
Henry IV, Part One Act One By Dennis Abrams —————————— Major Characters King Henry IV (sometimes known as Bolingbroke) Prince Harry, Prince of Wales, Henry IV’s eldest son and heir (also known as Hal) Lord John of Lancaster, a younger … Continue reading
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Tagged 1 Henry IV, act one, deposition, drama, Eastcheap, edmund mortimer, Falstaff, history, history play, Hotspur, king henry iv, language, literature, Northumberland, owen glendower, politics, Prince Hal, renaissance humanism, Richard II, Shakespeare, Sir John Falstaff, time, William Shakespeare
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“It is difficult to imagine that a historical play as good as Henry IV will ever again be written.”
An Introduction to Henry IV, Part One By Dennis Abrams “No play of Shakespeare’s is better than Henry IV…History as a dramatic form ripens here to a point past which no further growth is possible.” If Richard II is a … Continue reading
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Tagged 1 Henry IV, drama, Falstaff, Henry IV, Henry IV Part One, historical, historical play, history, Hotspur, Introduction, king henry iv, language, literature, Part One, Prince Hal, renaissance humanism, Samuel Johnson, Shakespeare, W.H. Auden, William Shakespeare
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“To me, fair friend, you never can be old,/For as you were when first your eye I eyed,/Such seems your beauty still.”
William Shakespeare Sonnet #104 ——————– SONNET 104 To me, fair friend, you never can be old, For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold Have from the forests shook three … Continue reading
“Such harmony is in immortal souls,/But whilst this muddy vesture of decay/Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.”
The Merchant of Venice Act Five By Dennis Abrams ————————– Act Five: Returning in triumph to Belmont, the men are met by their wives, who are not all impressed to learn that Bassanio and Graziano have given away their wedding … Continue reading
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Tagged Act Five, anti-Semitism, Antonio, Bassanio, Belmont, Christian, Christians, Comedy, drama, homoeroticism, Jessica, Jews, Judaism, language, literature, Lorenzo, moneylender, religion, renaissance humanism, Shakespeare, Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, three caskets, Venice, William Shakespeare
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“I am glad that Shakespeare made Shylock a Jew.” — W.H. Auden
The Merchant of Venice Act Four, Part Three By Dennis Abrams ——————————— Before we move on to Belmont, Act Five, and the absence of Shylock, there’s a little more I’d like to talk about concerning Act Four and…Shylock. First I’d … Continue reading
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Tagged Act Four, anti-Semitism, Antonio, Bassanio, Comedy, courtroom, drama, language, literature, moneylender, Portia, religion, renaissance humanism, Shakespeare, Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, the quality of mercy, theology, Venice, W.H. Auden, William Shakespeare
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“Which is the merchant here and which the Jew?”
The Merchant of Venice Act Four, Part Two By Dennis Abrams ———————————————- As much as I appreciate and respect Harold Bloom on all things Shakespearean, I think when it comes to The Merchant of Venice, he is too wrapped up … Continue reading
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Tagged Act Four, Al Pacino, anti-Semitism, Antonio, Bassanio, chooseth, Christian, Comedy, courtroom, drama, Gratiano, harold bloom, Jew, language, literature, merchant of venice, moneylender, Portia, pound of flesh, quality of mercy, renaissance humanism, Shakespeare, Shylock, spiritual gold, The Merchant of Venice, theology, three caskets, usury, Venice, William Shakespeare
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“Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less nor more/But just a pound of flesh.”
The Merchant of Venice Act Four, Part One By Dennis Abrams —————————- Act Four: Although Bassanio has arrived back in Venice and offers to repay Antonio’s debt twice over, Shylock demands nothing less than his full legal rights. The Duke … Continue reading
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Tagged Act Four, anti-Semitism, Antonio, Belmont, Comedy, drama, Gratiano, jew-baiting, language, literature, merchant of venice, Portia, pound of flesh, religion, renaissance humanism, Shakespeare, Shylock, the quality of mercy, trial scene, vacation, Venice, William Shakespeare
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“If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh?If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us do we not revenge?”
The Merchant of Venice Act Three By Dennis Abrams —————————- Act Three: Shylock is incensed by Jessica’s flight and the fact that she has stolen money and jewels from him, but is cheered (or is he?) by the news that … Continue reading
“I never heard a passion so confused,/So strange, outrageous, and so variable/As the dog Jew did utter in the streets…”
The Merchant of Venice Act Two By Dennis Abrams Act Two: Lancelot informs his old father that he has decided to leave Shylock’s service and the pair ask Bassanio if Lancelot can serve him instead. Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, is also … Continue reading
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Tagged Act Two, anti-Semitism, Antonio, Bassanio, Belmont, Christian, Comedy, drama, ducats, gold, Jessica, Jew, language, lead, literature, Lorenzo, moneylender, Portia, renaissance humanism, Shakespeare, Shylock, silver, The Merchant of Venice, theology, three caskets, usury, Venice, William Shakespeare
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“I would be friends with you and have your love,/Forget the shames that you have stain’d me with,/Supply your present wants, and take no doit/Of issuance for my moneys, and you’ll not hear me.”
The Merchant of Venice Act One, Part Three By Dennis Abrams ———————————– I have to admit that I’m amazed at how much material there is to cover on Act One – but given how much of the play is set-up … Continue reading
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Tagged act one, ancient grudge, anti-Semitism, Antonio, Bassanio, Comedy, drama, Jew, Judaism, language, literature, moneylender, politics, renaissance humanism, Shakespeare, Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, usury, William Shakespeare
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The Play's The Thing 