Category Archives: Shakespeare

“I’VE BEEN ROOKED”.

“I’VE BEEN ROOKED”. Was the use of “to rook” to refer to fraud found in Shakespeare’s time? I checked the Online Etymology Dictionary, which has this entry: “rook (v.) “to defraud by cheating” (originally especially in a game), 1590s….”

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THE WOOD IN ATHENS (COMMENT).

THE WOOD IN ATHENS (COMMENT). Charles Lock pointed out that Shakespeare in a Midsummer Night’s Dream puns on “wode”, meaning “mad”…Shakespeare plays on this in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “when Demetrius feels ‘wood within this wood’”. A couple years ago, … Continue reading

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WOOD AND A FOREST (COMMENT).

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WOOD AND A FOREST (COMMENT). (In a letter in the TLS (April 26, 2018), Charles Lock pointed out that in Shakespeare’s time, “wood” and “forest” had different senses. He says:”‘Wood’ is a near homophone of ‘wode’ … Continue reading

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UNDERSTANDING THE “ROOKY WOOD” (COMMENT).

I posted here some five years ago about William Empson’s emphasis on Shakespeaere’s liking of multiple meanings. I quoted Empson’s comment on one example of what scholars would do to the use of the word “rooky” in MacBeth. Empson quoted … Continue reading

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THE WEDDINGS IN MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

THE WEDDINGS IN MEASURE FOR MEASURE. How do I feel about the ending of Measure for Measure? When I first read it fifty years ago, my reaction was that the play was about Shakespeare showing off what he could do. … Continue reading

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OTHER CHANGES TO THE ENDING OF MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

OTHER CHANGES TO THE ENDING OF MEASURE FOR MEASURE. I looked up alternate endings for Measure for Measure and found this article by Laura Higgins on the Blogging Shakespeare website which gives a couple more: *…”after the Duke’s final words … Continue reading

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THE ENDING OF MEASURE FOR MEASURE—THE DIRECTOR’S PREROGATIVE.

THE ENDING OF MEASURE FOR MEASURE—THE DIRECTOR’S PREROGATIVE. Note that those alternative endings do not change the words of Shakespeare’s script. Thus they are consistent with a contemporary theory that the director should have discretion to change any action in … Continue reading

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THE MARKETING OF THE FIRST FOLIO A CENTURY AFTER SHAKESPEARE DIED.

THE MARKETING OF THE FIRST FOLIO A CENTURY AFTER SHAKESPEARE DIED. Mary Jane told me about the three fortunate events in the early 1700’s that led to the publishing success of the First Folio before she made her post on … Continue reading

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THE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS OF THE FIRST FOLIO IN THE 18TH CENTURY.

THE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS OF THE FIRST FOLIO IN THE 18TH CENTURY. Mary Jane writes: I am in the process of reading an amazing book by a prize-winning American author named Paul Collins. This book, published in 2009, is called THE … Continue reading

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“SHAKESPEARE AND THE HEART’S DESIRE”—THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27.

“SHAKESPEARE AND THE HEART’S DESIRE”—THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27. “Shakespeare and the Heart’s Desire” is a “vanity of human wishes” account of Shakespeare’s devotion to the beautiful young man of the sonnets. Admission free; reservations: shakesguild@msn.com. dress code: jackets for men, no … Continue reading

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