Shakespeare for the Social

Saturday was a day of Shakespeare for me. While sitting around with my roommates, we began discussing how many words and lines in the English language have come from Shakespeare. More on that later. Then I went to the Merchant of Venice with 2 old roommates and of the 2 of my friends from dinner last Sunday. I was unfortunately feeling ill and had to jet after the play and didn't have time to stick around for the post-play analysis. But such early jetting led to a facebook invite from one of my friends to come over and discuss Shakespeare later. Then that night, my attendance at the Merchant of Venice sparked a discussion of the play on my date, which was fortunate because I still wasn't feeling a whole lot better than I had been earlier that day and easy conversation was quite welcome. So, un-anticipated by me, Shakespeare is everywhere, and opportunities to discuss it are not only readily available, but lead to excellent and enjoyable conversation in a multitude of social situations. Who knew Shakespeare would be good for my social life?

Shakespeare's influence on the English language:

I noticed that the program for Merchant of Venice also contained some of this information, about how much of our language comes from Shakespeare, but the following quote my roommate found contains even more words than the program. It's fascinating how much of our vernacular we owe to Shakespeare, which is ironic since many people associate him with difficult to understand and archaic speech.

“If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ‘It’s Greek to me,’ you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is farther to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool’s paradise – why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare;… if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then –

to give the devil his due – if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head), you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or blinking idiot, then – by Jove! it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.”

– Bernard Levin in The History of English by McCrum, et al

Children's Theater: Merchant of Stratford?

Having procrastinated buying my tickets, I ended up sitting on the floor, which was kind of fun, minus the fact that I didn't get to sit with the company I had invited. Like several other people have mentioned, I loved the interaction with the kids. I thought the actors were clever in their interactions with them and getting them to appear to say things even when the kids were too shy to say them. The way they cast the characters also very much highlighted which characters were essential to the plot and which were not. I was surprised when Nerissa was chosen from the audience because she seemed to me that she had been quite essential to the plot, and I was curious how they would have the little girl do everything she did, but it made me realize that she really was not that essential to the plot--she was just a side kick for Portia. The casting of Antonio as Antonia also surprised me, and like Rebecca, I initially thought it was because they had more guys than girls. But the scene in court where Antonia is facing her last moments and Bassanio is comforting her is definitely different when Antonia is a girl, rather than a guy. In the play they had Bassanio comforting Antonia in a physical way, and I happened to be sitting right next to them both, and I could see this interaction very closely. I could also hear Bassanio whispering things to Antonia, which nobody else could hear, or likely was intended to hear--to the majority of the audience, all they could see was them in very close and intense whispered consultation. I was super curious to hear what the actors would actually be saying, when nobody was intended to hear, but it turns out it was right in character with the rest of it. He kept saying, "Look at me, don't worry" and comforting her with similar phrases, which struck me definitely more the way a man would comfort a woman. I thought this was a departure from the way Shakespeare had written it, but Rebecca thought maybe it really was that way--intended as a homosexual relationship. I'm not sure, but it's an interesting thought for sure. That's how the company we were watching seemed to interpret it. And it certainly makes Portia's outrage at the loss of the ring more understandable. I'd been thinking she was kind of a jerk for reacting so dramatically. But if he was giving it on Antonia's recommendation...that makes it more serious.