So, in my defense, I had been considering doing a casting call (choosing out actors to play certain characters in the plays we read) before Professor Burton recommended it. The reason is because frequently my wife and I will read a story and then look online for casting calls to see if other peoples imaginations match up with ours. (Favorite so far is a Wheel of Time casting call - http://atreacherousmemory.wordpress.com/wheel-of-time-casting-call/)
So who would I cast for Winters Tale? Daniel Radcliff for Polixenes, Rupert Grint for Leontes, and Emma Watson for Hermione...I was thinking of the Evil Romanticized Ideal and where we see it in pop-culture and our lives, and suddenly I remembered Harry Potter Part 1. Ron freaks out at Hermione and Harry because he thinks that Hermione would rather be with Harry.
Please view exhibit A
A similar scene could easily be portrayed in Winter's Tale. Polixenes is the golden boy who everyone loves. He rules over Bohemia which is tens times more fun than Sicilia. Hermione could easily be forgiven for choosing him over Leontes, who is not nearly as amazing as Polixenes, but is a redhead to boot. Throw a an evil, soul-stealing horcrux into the mix and who wouldn't suspect your friends of betraying you.
I guess what I'm getting at is that these story lines and elements that Shakespeare used 400 years ago are still cropping up today. The reason is he's understanding of the human psyche. He knows how people act, think, and feel. (He frequently condemns people for refusing the acknowledge their flaws and weaknesses. He doesn't condemn their weakness, just how they act and their refusal to admit that they're weak, but I don't want to steal Kara's future thunder/epiphany, so I'll stop there)
I guess what I'm saying is that Shakespeare is still around because he got it right. In fact, he got it right over and over again, which is why we still study him even after 400 years. I wonder if we'll still study him during the millennium...
Well, my attempt to embed a video failed...I guess I'll keep tinkering with that
ReplyDeleteIt's okay Eric, you can steal my thunder. I'm not sure if I'm going to write about that any more. It is so true though, that Shakespeare was an incredibly astute social commentator. I especially love what you talked about in the parenthesis about how he always differentiated between condemning the actions our weaknesses perpetrate and not the fact that we have them. Everyone does have them and everyone always will and we can't change that, but we can change how we handle or control them. Shakespeare fully understood people and proved it time and again, and the fact that his examples are still completely relevant shows why he stands the test of time.
ReplyDeleteNot sure where to go with this but i like the thought, "Condemn the flaw not the person."
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting thought.
I also think this is a great reason why Shakespeare has stood the tests of time. He based characters and plot around human thought, flaw, and tendency. We're a prideful people, give us a play on ourselves, even if it's bad, and we'll play it through the centuries. No, i think its the fact they are based on principles, values and ideas that are true and universally applicable; therefore, his plays are able to stand time and be applied in current settings.
A good question would then be which principles, values, morals, extra does The Winter's Tales hold?