Category Archives: Shakespeare

DID SHAKESPEARE KNOW THE WRITINGS OF HEGEL, MARX, NIETZSCHE, FREUD, WITTGENSTEIN AND DERRIDA?

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Philip

DID SHAKESPEARE KNOW THE WRITINGS OF HEGEL, MARX, NIETZSCHE, FREUD, WITTGENSTEIN AND DERRIDA? Graham Holderness has a review in the Times Literary Supplement (April 20) of SHAKESPEARE AND LITERARY THEORY by Jonathan Gil Harris. The book has chapters for the … Continue reading →

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OLIVIER’S INSIGHT ON IAGO’S MOTIVATION.

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Philip

OLIVIER’S INSIGHT ON IAGO’S MOTIVATION. I can’t find it using Google, but long ago I read an interview with Olivier about Iago’s motivation. Olivier said that when he was young, he had trouble playing Iago because he could not understand … Continue reading →

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IAGO AS A SEDUCER.

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Philip

IAGO AS A SEDUCER. The digital view of Othello also raises the possibility that Iago can be played as literally an attempted seducer with a homosexual attachment to Othello. The wikipedia article on Iago says that some critics thought that … Continue reading →

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IAGO AS A COURTIER.

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Philip

IAGO AS A COURTIER. The digital analysis of Othello that sees Iago’s dealings with Othello as “like the language of courtship but it’s really a perverse seduction of Othello by his lieutenant” has two aspects. That Iago is Othello’s lieutenant … Continue reading →

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“THE JOKER IN THE PACK”.

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Philip

“THE JOKER IN THE PACK”. Before the age of digital analysis, W.H. Auden had a view of the comic mechanisms which underlie the tragedy of Othello. In THE DYER’S HAND, he called Iago “The Joker in the Pack.” Auden acknowledges … Continue reading →

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OTHELLO’S COMIC FOUNDATION.

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Philip

OTHELLO’S COMIC FOUNDATION. Joel Henning reports in the Wall Street Journal (March 22) on his interview with Michael Witmore, the director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, who is a leader in the “data mining of Shakespeare”. One recent analysis by … Continue reading →

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THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT—CHAUCER’S PRONUNCIATION.

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Philip

THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT—CHAUCER’S PRONUNCIATION. Being a part of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift has a romance for me because it is reminiscent of the Great Vowel Shift which separates Chaucer’s pronunciation from ours. This wikipedia article describes the Great … Continue reading →

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SHAKESPEARE AND ULYSSES GRANT.

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Philip

SHAKESPEARE AND ULYSSES GRANT. Ta-Nehisi Coates says that the manuscript evidence that Grant wrote his memoirs means a lot to him. He says: “The beautiful thing about writing is it has no real respect for credentialism.” “Credentialism” is a good … Continue reading →

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SHAKESPEARE’S EDUCATION (COMMENT).

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Philip

SHAKESPEARE’S EDUCATION (COMMENT). When I questioned the claim that a commoner could not have written Shakespeare’s plays in this post, Nick commented: “I wish I knew more about education that could be available at the time.” Simon Schama, in this … Continue reading →

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ANONYMOUS—ONLY ARISTOCRATS CAN CREATE LITERATURE.

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Philip

ANONYMOUS—ONLY ARISTOCRATS CAN CREATE LITERATURE. We saw the new movie Anonymous at the New Yorker festival about a month ago. After the screening, there was a discussion with the scholar James Shapiro and the director of the movie. Shapiro’s criticism … Continue reading →

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