Thursday, February 26, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
The Question That Has Haunted Everyone For Centuries......
Let's just get right to the point, shall we? Here's the great question...
How did Shakespeare die?
No one knows for sure. No one. However, historians have been able to determine that Shakespeare had died in the year 1616- the same year a serious plague (typhus) broke out in England. Perhaps he died from the disease. Or did he?
The vicar of the Stanford Trinity Church (the church in which William Shakespeare was buried), John Ward, had written a diary entry about how he came to the conclusion of Shakespeare's possible death from typhus fever.
Unfortunately, we have no other proof to be sure of this theory. William Shakespeare's death at age fifty-two will still be a mystery. However, we do know that most Londoners back in Shakespeare's time died before age thirty, so Shakespeare was considered lucky to live such a prosperous and long life.
REST IN PEACE, WILL SHAKESPEARE.
Typhus fever bacteria (This is probably the first Shakespeare blog that has a magnified photograph of bacteria.)
William Shakespeare's final resting place.
How did Shakespeare die?
No one knows for sure. No one. However, historians have been able to determine that Shakespeare had died in the year 1616- the same year a serious plague (typhus) broke out in England. Perhaps he died from the disease. Or did he?
The vicar of the Stanford Trinity Church (the church in which William Shakespeare was buried), John Ward, had written a diary entry about how he came to the conclusion of Shakespeare's possible death from typhus fever.
Unfortunately, we have no other proof to be sure of this theory. William Shakespeare's death at age fifty-two will still be a mystery. However, we do know that most Londoners back in Shakespeare's time died before age thirty, so Shakespeare was considered lucky to live such a prosperous and long life.
REST IN PEACE, WILL SHAKESPEARE.
Typhus fever bacteria (This is probably the first Shakespeare blog that has a magnified photograph of bacteria.)
William Shakespeare's final resting place.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Laertes: Mysterious, Revenge-Seeking, Honorable
Okay, let's face it. Hamlet is one of the best, most awesome piece of work ever in the history of human literature. The legendary Will Shakespeare's talents are clearly expressed on this fabulous work of art. Hamlet is a story full of cheats, secrets, insanity, and small actions that may seem like nothing but then lead to a huge blowout- Just as the famous literary genius John Green has written on one of his greatest, most insightful works (Looking For Alaska), "If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions." 
In Hamlet, melancholy and revenge play a huge role. Today we're gonna talk about revenge.
Laertes, one of the main characters in Hamlet, is a character who makes use of important revenge and justice. Laertes is a honorable son and a loving brother, and he is willing to do anything- and everything- to protect his family. He blames Hamlet for both the death of his father, Polonius, and his sister, Ophelia's suicide. Of course he would. I don't blame him. I sympathize the dude. I mean, Hamlet killed Polonius without regretting it, and Ophelia attempted suicide because she couldn't get over Hamlet. What a hopeless romantic.
Anyways, back to Laertes. He plots revenge with Claudius, Hamlet's stepfather who has murdered his own brother (Hamlet's father) to get the throne of Denmark. Laertes decides to kill Hamlet and make it look as if it were an "accident" by challenging him to a duel. However, the young prince is a lot better than Laertes is, so Laertes selected a sharp blade and dipped it into poison. He murdered Hamlet in the end and got his sweet bliss of revenge, but only after Hamlet stabbed him. So Laertes dies, Hamlet kills Claudius, Claudius unintentionally kills Gertrude (the Queen), Hamlet dies.
Ophelia died, Polonius died, Rosencrantz (soldier) and Guildenstern (soldier number 2) died.
SHORT (and by that I mean agonizingly short) SUMMARY FOR ONE OF THE BEST LITERARY WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE: ........................... EVERYONE DIES.
That's right, everyone dies. Oh wait, no. The homeless guy who collected the trash didn't die. Or did he?
In Hamlet, melancholy and revenge play a huge role. Today we're gonna talk about revenge.
Laertes, one of the main characters in Hamlet, is a character who makes use of important revenge and justice. Laertes is a honorable son and a loving brother, and he is willing to do anything- and everything- to protect his family. He blames Hamlet for both the death of his father, Polonius, and his sister, Ophelia's suicide. Of course he would. I don't blame him. I sympathize the dude. I mean, Hamlet killed Polonius without regretting it, and Ophelia attempted suicide because she couldn't get over Hamlet. What a hopeless romantic.
Anyways, back to Laertes. He plots revenge with Claudius, Hamlet's stepfather who has murdered his own brother (Hamlet's father) to get the throne of Denmark. Laertes decides to kill Hamlet and make it look as if it were an "accident" by challenging him to a duel. However, the young prince is a lot better than Laertes is, so Laertes selected a sharp blade and dipped it into poison. He murdered Hamlet in the end and got his sweet bliss of revenge, but only after Hamlet stabbed him. So Laertes dies, Hamlet kills Claudius, Claudius unintentionally kills Gertrude (the Queen), Hamlet dies.
Ophelia died, Polonius died, Rosencrantz (soldier) and Guildenstern (soldier number 2) died.
SHORT (and by that I mean agonizingly short) SUMMARY FOR ONE OF THE BEST LITERARY WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE: ........................... EVERYONE DIES.
That's right, everyone dies. Oh wait, no. The homeless guy who collected the trash didn't die. Or did he?
Friday, February 6, 2015
Insane (Yet Darkly Brilliant) Quote From An Insane Character
"Off with his head!"
The above expression has been used in so many movies, books, and TV shows. This quote is actually from the Shakespearean play King Richard III. It actually makes sense if you think about it. Richard III was a very INSANE and BLOODTHIRSTY character. He yearned for power, and he was willing to do anything to attempt the throne. He literally killed everyone: from courtguards to soldiers to servants to the janitor next door (kidding, kidding) to the royal family. YES, that's right, the ROYAL FAMILY. He cold-heartedly murdered the king and took the throne. Now back to this fascinating quote. No quote may be more straightforward than this one. I mean, come on. "Off with his head"? Brilliant. Pure genius. So straightforward. "Off with his head!" swish, poof, plop, splat. Okay, even I have to admit that that impression was just gross. But the quote was spectacular. William Shakespeare was an utterly incredible writer. He would just be sitting on his couch, playing with his quill-pen, and then be like, "Woah! Yes! Eureka (did the people in Will's time say 'eureka"?)! I did it! I found the perfect words to describe chopping a prisoner's head off!" And Anne Hathaway (his wife, not the celebrity) would be like, "Honey, calm down. Please calm down." And, of course, his children would be like, "Daddy's having one of his moments. Don't mind him, mom." And our dear friend Will would be like, "What do you think, kids? 'Off with his head'! Pure magnificent-ness!"
So yeah, that's it. (saying goodbye is awkward.)
The above expression has been used in so many movies, books, and TV shows. This quote is actually from the Shakespearean play King Richard III. It actually makes sense if you think about it. Richard III was a very INSANE and BLOODTHIRSTY character. He yearned for power, and he was willing to do anything to attempt the throne. He literally killed everyone: from courtguards to soldiers to servants to the janitor next door (kidding, kidding) to the royal family. YES, that's right, the ROYAL FAMILY. He cold-heartedly murdered the king and took the throne. Now back to this fascinating quote. No quote may be more straightforward than this one. I mean, come on. "Off with his head"? Brilliant. Pure genius. So straightforward. "Off with his head!" swish, poof, plop, splat. Okay, even I have to admit that that impression was just gross. But the quote was spectacular. William Shakespeare was an utterly incredible writer. He would just be sitting on his couch, playing with his quill-pen, and then be like, "Woah! Yes! Eureka (did the people in Will's time say 'eureka"?)! I did it! I found the perfect words to describe chopping a prisoner's head off!" And Anne Hathaway (his wife, not the celebrity) would be like, "Honey, calm down. Please calm down." And, of course, his children would be like, "Daddy's having one of his moments. Don't mind him, mom." And our dear friend Will would be like, "What do you think, kids? 'Off with his head'! Pure magnificent-ness!"
So yeah, that's it. (saying goodbye is awkward.)
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
DID YOU KNOW?
So first of all, I've got to apologize for not updating for a LONG time. I am genuinely and deeply sorry.
OKAY. Let's get on with the interesting fact of today.
Behold, Ladies and Gentlemen, this fact will blow your mind away. LITERALLY.
Many students always whine about how boring, dull, and old-school Shakespeare is. The thing is, Will WASN'T boring, dull, or old-school. He was a pure genius- fascinating, incredible, magnificent, spectacular, amazing....... I could go on forever. Now, you all probably think I'm just a geek, nerd, pencil-pusher, or whatever. The point is, this fact will prove you un-Shakespeare-fans-who-only-visit-this-geeky-blog-for-the-answers-to-your-homework WRONG. This fact will blow your mind! Behold.........
Our dear friend Will was COOL. He wore an earring on his left ear! How amazing is that?! An old, beard-stroking poet had a freaking EARRING on his LEFT EAR!
Amazing! Mind-blowing! SPECTACULAR.
Okay, that's all for today. Thanks! (Can you spot that earring from this portrait?)
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