Friday, April 23, 2010

prodigious birth


Bergen - Clouded Sun
Originally uploaded by Magh
The challenge of speaking like Shakespeare, in conformance with Chicago’s Talk Like Shakespeare Day, is to strike within even a hectare of his humanity.

You can fake it with a few iambic pentameters; a scattering of withalls and verilies; but while the discipline of his measured verse is something to marvel at, Shakespeare's stunning talent lies in his insight into the human character, and his ability to portray people and their failings with wit, compassion and heart stopping beauty.

To be bawdy and bold and brilliant all in a tightly-turned phrase. To revel in the fire and tension and play between people engaged; to lift the scrim on our tangled webs; to be brave enough to say it.

Good luck with that.

Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondered at
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.


Henry IV, Pt 1, I.ii. 175–195

1 comment:

karigee said...

I like! I like a lot.

Related Posts with Thumbnails