Macbeth - William Shakespeare

It had been a whopping fifteen years since I last read Macbeth - we studied it for year 11 English - so it seemed appropriate that I revisit it for Classics Club.

I think everyone knows the plot of Macbeth. Three witches tell an already rich and powerful dude that he's going to get even more rich and powerful, and then become king. He (or, more correctly, his wife) takes this to mean that he should kill the current king. He does so, and the king's sons flee for their lives, which inadvertently makes them look guilty. Macbeth rapidly becomes a tyrant, killing off anyone who he thinks has a chance at overthrowing him, even children. Macduff goes to track down one of the old king's sons, who's hanging out in England, to persuade him to stage an invasion and overthrow Macbeth. Macbeth is all "Pff, whatevs" because the witches told him that he could only be killed by someone who wasn't "of woman born". Except PLOT TWIST! Macduff was born by caesarean. He kills Macbeth, and the old king's son takes the throne.

(Yes, that's vastly oversimplifying things, but you probably knew the basics anyway.)

It took me a while to get into the knack of reading Shakespeare again, simply because I haven't read any of his plays since I studied Hamlet at university in 2001. Thankfully, I was using my year 11 textbook, which is still filled with all my scribbled translations into modern English! Still, I found it much easier to read if I muttered the lines under my breath.

Macbeth is possibly my favourite Shakespeare play. It's filled with murder and spooky supernatural nonsense and ruthlessly ambitious characters. Lady Macbeth is an absolutely brilliant female character, especially given that she was created in the early seventeenth century. She's ruthless and calculating and manipulative. When her husband freaks out about killing Duncan, she tells him to suck it up. When Macbeth can't bring himself to smother the guards in Duncan's blood, framing them, she takes over. And she gets FABULOUS speeches of badassery:

"Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/ And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood,/ Stop up the access and passage to remorse, /That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between/ The effect and it!" (Act 1, Scene 5)

Macbeth is an interesting character, too. He starts out full of disbelief at the witches' prophecies. Then, when he's made Thane of Cawdor, he sees a little glimmer of possibility, and grabs onto it with both hands. He justifies things to himself time and time again, whether it's the murder of Duncan, or of Banquo, or of Macduff's family. He's convinced that the three prophecies about his downfall can't come true, and stares in astonishment when they do.

There's some interesting historical narrative involved on Shakespeare's part. First we get Banquo's kingly descendants appearing to Macbeth in Act 4, Scene 1, who are widely accepted to represent the new Stuart monarchs who finally - in the form of James VI/I - united England, Wales and Scotland under one crown. Though James I had only been king for a couple of years when Macbeth was written, his descendants are still on the throne today.

Then there's a (rather long-winded, to be perfectly honest) section in Act 4, Scene 3 in which Malcolm and Macduff are at the court of Edward the Confessor and discussing how he could cure scrofula by touching the sufferer. Apparently when James I came to the throne, he declared that he wasn't going to practice the whole idea of curing the plebs of scrofula with the king's touch because EW GROSS with a side of THIS SOUNDS TOO CATHOLIC FOR MY LIKING. Though whether Shakespeare was having a sneaky dig at his patron or not should be left to the academics and not the likes of me!

It's not always an easy read - without the descriptions of the character's facial expressions or emotions that we'd get in a novel, and with only limited stage directions, the reactions of some characters to certain events (the death of a child, for instance) seem cold. There's also some serious artistic interpretation of history on Shakespeare's part (really? They had cannons in Scotland in the 11th century?? How interesting, considering the British Isles didn't have gunpowder prior to the 1300s!). It's definitely not a perfect play - some scenes drag longer than necessary while others seem a little short - but it's still excellent.

What do you think? And are you excited by the new movie version coming out next year starring Michael Fassbender as Macbeth?

K xx

TTT - Bookish Bucket List

It's time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

Today's topic is about the things that are on our bookish bucket lists.

1. Own every Discworld book. 

It's no secret that I adore Terry Pratchett's books. I have about half the books in the Discworld series, and my brother has about ten that I don't have. (Given that he's moved to London and left them in my wardrobe, do you think that means they're mine now??) But I'd really like to own them all. And to replace the two I have in US editions, because the covers are AWFUL.

2. Have a floor to ceiling bookshelf.

From the time I was a little kid, I've secretly wanted a floor to ceiling bookshelf, preferably with a slidey ladder. ONE DAY, SLIDEY LADDER, YOU WILL BE MINE.

3. Read all of Charles Dickens' novels.

I'm not doing too badly on this one - I've read Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby, Our Mutual Friend, A Tale of Two Cities, Hard Times, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and David Copperfield. But I still have Barnaby Rudge, The Old Curiosity Shop, Martin Chuzzlewit, Dombey and Son, and The Pickwick Papers to go. 

4. Stay at the Library Hotel in New York. 

One of my lecturers told us about this place during our cataloguing subject, and OMG I WANT TO STAY THERE SO MUCH. A hotel based around Dewey numbers where each room has its own little library? AMAZING. I don't care how much it costs, I have to stay there at some point. 

5. Read 200 books in a year.

I've been tracking how many books I've read for the past three years thanks to Goodreads, and I don't seem to be able to get past 175 in a year. I'd really like to hit 200 though. It's such a nice round number... I'm on track to do so this year, so hopefully I can keep up the pace and break through that 175 barrier! 

6. Visit Jane Austen's house in Chawton.

Because of reasons. 

7. Read War and Peace.

Mostly because I want to be able to say I've read War and Peace. I'm torn between reading it on Kindle so that I can actually hold it (I reread Les Miserables last year, and carting it around was a nightmare!) and getting the Penguin Classics edition and all its associated helpful end notes...

8. Own a card catalogue file. 

I have a weird obsession with little drawers that's been going on since I was a kid. Having an old card catalogue file would be the perfect place to stash all kinds of stuff.

9. Own a first edition of something well known.

And I'm not talking about stuff where I own a first edition because I bought it two days after it came out and then it became well known. I'm talking the classics.

10. See a Shakespeare play at the Globe. 

Preferably not standing room seats, because good LORD that is a long time to be standing. But the experience would be a little more authentic that way, so I'm not going to turn my nose up at anything! 

What's on your bookish bucket list?

K xx

Movie Monday: Much Ado About Nothing

So on Saturday afternoon, I met up with a couple of friends for lunch, far too many macarons and a trip to see Joss Whedon's latest piece of genius, Much Ado About Nothing. I'm not going to do a full in-depth analysis of it on account of a) it's still in cinemas so y'all can go see it for yourself, and b) it's Shakespeare, so everyone knows the deal.

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Ten reasons why you should see Much Ado About Nothing:
1. Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker as Benedick and Beatrice. They're both absolutely FANTASTIC, having worked together before on Angel. They've got chemistry in spades, and they're surprisingly good at the comedic side of the story.

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2. It was filmed at Joss Whedon's house, which is absolutely gorgeous. And all the actors wore their own clothes.
3. The swimming pool scene. Priceless.
4. Pretty much every single actor involved has worked with Whedon several times before.
5. Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. Hilarious. Same goes for Tom Lenk.

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6. The whole thing was filmed in twelve days when Joss Whedon had some time off during The Avengers.
7. Clark Gregg as Leonato. I'm a little sad that Anthony Stewart Head couldn't get the time off to play the role, but Clark Gregg is a fabulous replacement.
8. The black and white works brilliantly.
9. The scene in which Benedick overhears Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro talking about how Beatrice is in love with him. One of the most phenomenal things I've seen in a long time.

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10. It never once feels rushed or amateur, despite most of the actors having little experience in Shakespeare, and having been filmed so quickly.

I totally lied, because here's reason 11: Sean Maher as Don John. He's a surprisingly excellent villain. One who likes cupcakes.

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So. Have you seen it? If not, are you planning to? Because you really should.

K xx

Movie Mondays: She's the Man

Okay. I fully acknowledge that today's movie is kind of terrible. But while it's terrible, it's also pretty bloody amazing. And I have a slightly bizarre level of love for it.

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Seriously, if you haven't seen She's the Man, you're missing out. Because Amanda Byrnes deserves an Oscar for her ridiculous facial expressions alone. 

Reasons why She's the Man is awesome:
1. Amanda Bynes. Sure, she's not the greatest actress on the planet, but she's pretty darned brilliant in this.
2. It made one of Shakespeare's less spectacular and more confusing plays into a completely hilarious movie.
3. Channing Tatum as Duke Orsino. He's kind of a terrible actor. But let's face it - no one's really paying attention to his acting abilities.

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4. Amanda Bynes' character, Viola. She's kind of a badass. She knows what she wants and she's not afraid to go after it, no matter how absurd the lengths. A better role model than Bella Swan? Uh, YES. (Okay, except for the starting fights part. But shhhhhh) 
5. Paul, Viola's hairdresser/partner in crime. He's pretty much an evil genius.
6. Vinnie Jones. I will watch practically any movie that has Vinnie Jones in it. Because he is SPECTACULAR. (Also? Check out his profile picture on IMDB. It pretty much sums him up.)

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7. Toby. He's hilarious.
8. The principal. ZOMG.
9. Duke with tampons stuck up his nose.
10. The moustache trying on montage.

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11. Monique. She may be a Grade A bitch, but the movie wouldn't be the same without her.
12. The mascots kicking each other during the fight at the soccer game.
13. Bicycle kicks. Totally show off-y and not really necessary, but still highly entertaining.
14. Duke's "the tarantula touched me!!" freak out dance.

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15. Eunice.
16. Viola's stupid ex-boyfriend, Justin.
17. The real Sebastian trying to play soccer.
18. Amanda Bynes' fantastic facial expressions. 

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19. Viola's mum.
20. The dream in which Viola has to play soccer in a giant puffy dress and everyone laughs at her.
21. Duke trying to be all nonchalant and then whacking his head on the gym equipment.

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Plus, the following (truly spectacular) quotes:

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- "Is it just me, or does this soccer game have more nudity than most?"
- "I just can't do this!" "Just remember, inside every girl, there's a boy. That came out wrong. But you know what I mean."
- "Mom, I will pick out my own dress. And no, I will not wear high heels. Because heels are a male invention designed to make women's butts look smaller...and to make it harder for them to run away."
- "And when I close my eyes, I see you for what you truly are, which is UUUUUUUUGLAY!!"
- "Is your sister hot?" "Uh...I guess so? She's got a great personality." "EW."
- "Are those real??" "Oh yeah, I'm growing sideburns now. NO!!"
- "What am I doing?? This isn't fun..."
- "Seriously, how old are you?" "I skipped a couple of grades. I'm brilliant. Shh!!"
- "[gets hit in groin with soccer ball. Guys all flinch] Oh. Right. OWWWW!! OH, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! IT BUUUUURNS!!!!"
- "What do you think it's going to be like?" "It's going to be really special. She's just kissed about 300 guys at this point."
- "That's right. Didn't score on me last half, won't score on this half. I'm a ninja. Ninja goalie."
- "How come when I wanted to ask Eunice out everyone made fun of me, but then Sebastian likes her and suddenly she's cool? Screw you guys. I hate high school."
- "So, uh, you play the beautiful game, bros? Brothers? Brethren?"
- "Suck it up! Be a man and rub some dirt on it."
- "I can do this. I'm a dude. I'm a hunky dude. I'm a badass hunky dude!"
- "Just remind your brother how lucky he is to be in my life. And tell him to give me a call if he wants to stay in it, okay?" "Okay. Does he have your number? 1800-BEEYATCH?"
- "Quit blushing, that's laaaaaame." "Shut up, I'm not blushing."
- "Viola, darling. Remember - chew like you have a secret!"
- "Girls with asses like mine do not talk to boys with faces like yours."
- "Ask me if...I like cheese." "Um...okay. Do you...like cheese?" "Why, yes I do. My favourite's Gouda!"

Is your favourite Gouda, too? (Which is to say "do you have a bizarre love of this movie, like I do?")

K xx