Monday Mystery

Have I got a riddle for you!

Monday Mystery- Let It Snow!

Taking a cue from our recent weather, I wanted to know where ‘snow’ was referenced in Shakespeare’s works. Below are a few quotes in which Shakespeare uses the word ‘snow’. Can you tell me which play(s) these quotes were derived?

“If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry:  be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery. Go, farewell. Or if thou wilt  needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too.  Farewell.”

“My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,  And, like a man to double business bound, I stand in pause where I shall first begin,  And both neglect. What if this cursed hand Were thicker than itself with brother’s blood,  Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens To wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy  But to confront the visage of offence?”

“Pray you mark.  (Sings) White his shroud as the mountain snow-“

“And will he not come again?And will he not come again? No, no, he is dead;  Go to thy deathbed; He never will come again. His beard was as white as snow,  All flaxen was his poll. He is gone, he is gone, And we cast away moan.  God ‘a’mercy on his soul! And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God b’ wi’ you.”

The Shakespeare In Action Blog is Moving!

The time has come, my friends, to move the Shakespeare In Action Blog a bit closer to home.

Sad, I know, but it’s not like we’re leaving the internet for good! You can visit us at our new home:

http://www.shakespeareinaction.org/blog.html

We’ve got loads of new ideas for blog posts coming, including news and information about our upcoming shows, educational programming, and fundraisers! Bookmark our new page and visit us sometime! We are keeping this page up as well, so you will be able to access all of our blog posts of the past!

Away, away! Once more, sweet lords farewell.

Monday Mystery!

Can you identify the play from which this quote is taken?

And, for I know thou’rt full of love and honesty,
And weigh’st thy words before thou givest them breath,
Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more:
For such things in a false disloyal knave
Are tricks of custom, but in a man that’s just
They are close delations, working from the heart
That passion cannot rule.”

For bonus points, can you identify the characters in the scene?

Monday Mystery

Hello Shakespeare fans!

As we gear up for our upcoming production of Hamlet, I thought I would post something from the play. So, who can identify the speaker of this quote?

“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Be sure to book your tickets for Hamlet! Show runs Dec. 2nd – 6th, tickets are $15 and can be booked at http://www.shakespeareinaction.org or by calling 416-703-4881.

See you soon!

Monday Mystery!

For today’s post, I wanted to ask you which of Shakespeare’s plays are mysteries? My research proved to be quite fascinating!

Today, if we were to say “mystery play”, we would use it to describe a play in which there is something to be solved by both the characters in the play and the audience. In Shakespeare’s time, mystery plays evolved from the principal kinds of vernacular drama in Europe during the Middle Ages, representing biblical subjects such as the Creation, Adam and Eve, and the Last Judgment (1). “Mystery” was used to describe things of a mystical or religious nature (2), and is derived from a sense of miracle (3).

With this insight, which of Shakespeare’s plays would you consider to be mysteries, and why?

Sources

1.  http://www.britannica.com/shakespeare/article-9054573

2. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/124644?rskey=Stb5D5&result=1#eid35211651

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_play

Posted by Tiffany Chan

Monday Mystery!

Our Kids’ Camp actors are rehearsing their performance of The Tempest.
What differences are there between these two Waterhouse paintings of Miranda?
Which lines in the play do you think the images best express?

Miranda, 1875, John William Waterhouse

Miranda, 1875, John William Waterhouse

Miranda, a character in "The Tempest," a play by William Shakespeare; 1916; John William Waterhouse

Miranda, a character in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare; 1916;
John William Waterhouse