Who's Your Favorite Shakespearean Character?

[SusanHG]

Thank you for the Kudos, Krakow.  I think it would be much more fun to discuss Feste himself under another thread

Susan

[ConnieAnnKirk]

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SusanHG wrote:

Thank you for the Kudos, Krakow.  I think it would be much more fun to discuss Feste himself under another thread

Susan

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You can certainly do that at any time.  Members can start threads at will.  Just click on "New Message" and post away!

[krakow]

In truth, a dialogue regarding ALL of Shakespeare's jesters would be fruitful as all of them operate on different levels.  For example, Feste and Touchstone compared with Clown from "A Winter's Tale" and Costard from "Love's Labours Lost."  For me, personally, none of Shakespeare's jesters pack the intellectual wallop of, say, real-life Stanczyck from Polish history.  The balance between their purpose as entertainers (or fools) and intellectuals provides further fascination for me.  

[friery]

Crab, the dog that appears in Two Gentlemen of Verona.  His owner was Valentine’s servant Launce.

 “I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that lives..”
-- The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 2, Scene 3

[Viola25]

 I like  so many so here are a few.

A Midsummer's Night's Dream, Helena Puck, Bottom

Twelfth Night,  Voila, Feste

Hamlet, Ophelia

Much Ado About Nothing,  Beatrice and Benidick

The Taming of The Shrew,  Katherina

Love's Labor's Lost, Berowne

Romeo  Juilet, Mercutio

The Merchant of Venice, Jessica

Julius Caesar, Cassius    

The Merry Wives of Windsor, Mistress Quickly 

Measure for Measure, Isebella

The Tempest, Caliban

[ConnieAnnKirk]

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krakow wrote:
In truth, a dialogue regarding ALL of Shakespeare's jesters would be fruitful as all of them operate on different levels.  For example, Feste and Touchstone compared with Clown from "A Winter's Tale" and Costard from "Love's Labours Lost."  For me, personally, none of Shakespeare's jesters pack the intellectual wallop of, say, real-life Stanczyck from Polish history.  The balance between their purpose as entertainers (or fools) and intellectuals provides further fascination for me.  

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That's a great idea, Krakow!  I'll start it for you and copy this post over there.

[ConnieAnnKirk]

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friery wrote:

Crab, the dog that appears in Two Gentlemen of Verona.  His owner was Valentine’s servant Launce.

 “I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that lives..”
-- The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 2, Scene 3

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Funny!

[Lloydinadobler]

I absolutely love Helena from Midsummer Nights Dream. Shes so crazy and amusing!

"No, no, I am as ugly as a bear."

Poor kid. I adore her.

I also love Benedict, Beatrice, and Banquo.

haha. all B's.

[Benedict3]

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Laurel wrote:

Beatrice and Benedick are the characters who always seem to come to my mind first when I think Shakespeare, so perhaps they are my favorites. But then there are the Henrys ... and Bottom ... and that bear. Oh, I don't know!

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The line that rings for me between Benedict and Beatrice over and over again is:

Benedict:  What, my dear Lady Distain!  Are you yet living?
Beatrice:  Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signor Benedict?  Courtesy itself must convert to disdain if you come in her presence.

Benedicts impartial love for Beatrice which is on the same level as his love for all others much like a priest should have, (and possibly a roll in the hey, which many priests at the time did), and Beatrice’s ambition to have Benedict love her above all others leading to distain for Benedicts impartial love.  From Beatrice’s point of view, the piece of Benedict that she feels distain for overflows to encompass Beatrice’s complete depiction and understanding of Benedict. 

Impartial love is not a bad term,  until sex comes into play.  It is a term describing a love for everything.  But she requires the focused help and subset of love directed at and for her.  She, because of her ambition to obtain his love solely for herself grows to distain him because he treats everyone fairly.

As always each person is only acting out their part given their needs and environment.  But the banter around this philosophical aspect is brilliant!

[Benedict3]

See Sonnet #8 pertaining to Beatrice and Benedict:

The tug of war between families, where men hold the rope and women encourage them to tug on behalf of the family.

All of the taught ropes and strings between men, once plucked and resonating is music.  Music made from dissimilar sounds blended perfectly within the orchestra of societal life.

These attributes of men and women that set up opposing teams during the tug of war are also present within the men and women before they separate from the homogeneous society, or join the fighting team of the family.

Both Benedict and Beatrice have a lesser amount of that component of men and women that drive them into their niche within the family.  However, each of them expect the other to possess the same amount of this quality as most others within society.  Neither having a typical amount of the quality fitting them into the joining components of ability to be manipulated, and being manipulated.  In broad strokes, men like to own their environment and women like to manipulate their environment.  Men like doing what they are told in order to please their family, and women like the security of the household environment.  But not Benedict or Beatrice.  Benedict will act on Beatrice’s requests only if Benedict deems the actions logical and ethical, even though Beatrice tries to manipulate him by saying that if he did love her he would act on her behalf.  To the end Benedict is logical not manipulated.  Beatrice, although she wants Benedict to act typically, will never be a kept woman.  She wants the typical ability to manipulate the man but is not be the typical kept woman.

These two, Beatrice and Benedict are ‘ropeless’ with respect to the orchestra of societal life.

[little_wilson]

I think mine is a toss-up between two characters. Malcolm, from Macbeth, and Touchstone, from As You Like It. I love Malcolm because he's just an all-around good guy, plus he's pretty smart. I mean, his father is killed, and he doesn't stick around to figure out who did it. He knows they're next, and their best way of saving the throne is to leave and live. And then later he's smart enough to lie to Macduff when the latter finds him.

And Touchstone. This I can target to one specific thing. I recently took a trip to Europe, and stopped off in Stratford, where I got to see As You Like It by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The actor who played Touchstone had such a great voice, it was hauntingly perfect...Ah. I can't get his voice out of my head. The whole play was fantastic and it's now one of my favorites, but Touchstone....That actor did a magnificent job.

[passi0nate_1]

My fave is definitely Rosalind from As You Like It. To me she is such a cool character and so strong and sure of herself enough to go after the things that she wants. She kind of reminds me of my self a little.

[fire55]

Lord Exeter in Henery V, he is the quintessential being of a medieval Knight.

[Violin_Song]

My favorite is Portia from The Merchant of Venice.  "The quality of mercy is not strained / It droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath."  Her speech is one of the most moving in all of Shakespearian literature.

[Peppermill]

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Violin_Song wrote:

My favorite is Portia from The Merchant of Venice.  "The quality of mercy is not strained / It droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath."  Her speech is one of the most moving in all of Shakespearian literature.

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Thx for the reminder, Violin_Song.  I used that selection some forty years ago now for high school declamation.

Pepper

[ConnieAnnKirk]

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Peppermill wrote:

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Violin_Song wrote:

My favorite is Portia from The Merchant of Venice.  "The quality of mercy is not strained / It droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath."  Her speech is one of the most moving in all of Shakespearian literature.

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Thx for the reminder, Violin_Song.  I used that selection some forty years ago now for high school declamation.

Pepper

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Pepper--What is "high school declamation?" 

[Peppermill]

  declaim -- "to recite something as an exercise in elocution"  (mw.com)

Connie -- It's probably not even called "declamation" any more, but it was reciting from memory or reading a passage of literature (including poetry) before an audience, often in a competitive setting with judges and multiple schools participating. (On second thought, fifty years ago is more accurate than forty.  Oh, my!)

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ConnieK wrote:

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Peppermill wrote:

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Violin_Song wrote:

My favorite is Portia from The Merchant of Venice.  "The quality of mercy is not strained / It droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath."  Her speech is one of the most moving in all of Shakespearian literature.

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Thx for the reminder, Violin_Song.  I used that selection some forty years ago now for high school declamation.

Pepper

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Pepper--What is "high school declamation?" 

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[ConnieAnnKirk]

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Peppermill wrote:

Connie -- It's probably not even called "declamation" any more, but it was reciting from memory or reading a passage of literature (including poetry) before an audience, often in a competitive setting with judges and multiple schools participating. (On second thought, fifty years ago is more accurate than forty.  Oh, my!)

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Thanks, Pepper--Forgive me--but have you told us whether you were schooled in the U.S., U.K., Canada?  I'm guessing U.S., since you use the words "high school."  I wonder if anyone does this type of competition anymore?  I heard of "Oratorical Contests" still not so long ago with students I knew who were in junior high, but even that has gotten pretty old-fashioned, I think.  And those were speeches, not recitations. 

[Peppermill]

have you told us whether you were schooled in the U.S., U.K., Canada?

I went to high school in a public school in the midwestern United States.  Declamation was usually part and parcel of the Debating program, often coached by the same instructors or perhaps an English teacher for Declamation in tandem with a History or Social Studies or Speech teacher for debate.

Since our son had other extracurricular interests (especially, sports, technology), I have lost track of what has happened to these programs.

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ConnieK wrote:

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Peppermill wrote:

Connie -- It's probably not even called "declamation" any more, but it was reciting from memory or reading a passage of literature (including poetry) before an audience, often in a competitive setting with judges and multiple schools participating. (On second thought, fifty years ago is more accurate than forty.  Oh, my!)

*********

Thanks, Pepper--Forgive me--but have you told us whether you were schooled in the U.S., U.K., Canada?  I'm guessing U.S., since you use the words "high school."  I wonder if anyone does this type of competition anymore?  I heard of "Oratorical Contests" still not so long ago with students I knew who were in junior high, but even that has gotten pretty old-fashioned, I think.  And those were speeches, not recitations. 

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[ConnieAnnKirk]

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Peppermill wrote:

have you told us whether you were schooled in the U.S., U.K., Canada?

I went to high school in a public school in the midwestern United States.  Declamation was usually part and parcel of the Debating program, often coached by the same instructors or perhaps an English teacher for Declamation in tandem with a History or Social Studies or Speech teacher for debate.

Since our son had other extracurricular interests (especially, sports, technology), I have lost track of what has happened to these programs.

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Thanks, Pepper.  I hope they still do debates, oratory, and declamations in schools.  I still do hear about debating teams.