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Shakespeare Elections 2014

On October 27, 2014, voters from across Ontario will head to the polls to elect Mayors, Councillors, and Trustees. We have decided to have our own Shakespeare-themed election! Four candidates from Shakespeare’s plays are vying for your vote in the great Shakespeare election! Here are the profiles of the candidates:

cleopatra

Name: Cleopatra

Relevant experience: Ruled as the Queen of Egypt

Thoughts on transparency:
Cleopatra certainly has a history of hiding the truth, if only to protect her own interests and assets.

CLEOPATRA This is the brief of money, plate, and jewels I am possessed of. ’Tis exactly valued, Not petty things admitted. Where’s Seleucus?
Enter SELEUCUS
SELEUCUS Here, madam.
CLEOPATRA This is my treasurer. Let him speak, my lord, Upon his peril, that I have reserved To myself nothing.—Speak the truth, Seleucus.
SELEUCUS Madam, I had rather seal my lips Than to my peril speak that which is not.
CLEOPATRA What have I kept back?
SELEUCUS Enough to purchase what you have made known.
CAESAR Nay, blush not, Cleopatra. I approve Your wisdom in the deed.

Thoughts on the environment:
Cleopatra really only loves the earth as long as Antony is in it.

CLEOPATRA Noblest of men, woo’t die? Hast thou no care of me? Shall I abide In this dull world, which in thy absence is No better than a sty? O see, my women, The crown o’ th’ earth doth melt. My lord!

Thoughts on income and wealth: Cleopatra is obviously wealthy, but she seems to be generous with all of her riches.

CLEOPATRA (to SCARUS ) I’ll give thee, friend, An armor all of gold. It was a king’s.

CLEOPATRA (giving money) There’s gold for thee. Thou must not take my former sharpness ill. I will employ thee back again; I find thee Most fit for business. Go make thee ready; Our letters are prepared.

Why it might not work: Death due to a snake bite

henry-iv

Name: Henry IV

Relevant experience: Ruled as King of England

Thoughts on transparency: Everyone around King Henry IV was deceiving and secretly plotting against each other, and the King himself did not rise to the throne under the most noble circumstances, so he may be willing to call someone out on their deception, but he still has his own secrets.

KING You have deceived our trust And made us doff our easy robes of peace To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel. This is not well, my lord; this is not well.

Thoughts on the environment: King Henry IV was very busy defending his kingdom, but he did manage to make note of the damage caused to the field in England by the battles that were happening.

KING No more the thirsty entrance of this soil Shall daub her lips with her own children’s blood. Nor more shall trenching war channel her fields, Nor bruise her flow’rets with the armed hoofs Of hostile paces.

Thoughts on income and wealth: As rich as the King is, he knows that if he is not well, he cannot enjoy the good things that happen to him, and compares it to wealthy people going to a feast with no appetite.

KING She either gives a stomach and no food–Such are the poor, in health—or else a feast And takes away the stomach—such are the rich, That have abundance and enjoy it not.

Why it might not work: Death due to illness

julius-caesar

Name: Julius Caesar

Relevant experience: Ruled as Dictator of Rome

Thoughts on transparency: Though Caesar may need to be secretive in his work on the battlefield, he has no problem being honest with his colleagues when he decides to take the day off work.

DECIUS Caesar, all hail! Good morrow, worthy Caesar.
I come to fetch you to the senate house.

CAESAR And you are come in very happy time
To bear my greeting to the senators
And tell them that I will not come today.
“Cannot” is false, and that I dare not, falser.
I will not come today. Tell them so, Decius.

CALPHURNIA Say he is sick.

CAESAR Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretched mine arm so far
To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth?

Thoughts on the environment: When Antony read Caesar’s will after his death, it was revealed that Caesar (or possibly Antony) left his private gardens and orchards to the people, so Caesar did seem to be a fan of having and maintaining green space!

ANTONY Also, he’s left you all his walkways—in his private gardens and newly planted orchards—on this side of the Tiber River. He’s left them to you and to your heirs forever—public pleasures in which you will be able to stroll and relax. Here was a Caesar! When will there be another like him?

Thoughts on income and wealth: Caesar was born into a noble family, but became an incredibly wealthy man during his time in the army. During his rise to power, Caesar brought many beneficial economic reforms to Rome, which Antony was quick to point out after his death.

ANTONY He hath brought many captives home to Rome
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept.
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.

Why it might not work: Death due to stabbing

patrick-stewart-macbeth

Name: Macbeth

Relevant experience: Ruled as King of Scotland

Thoughts on transparency: Macbeth found himself in the middle of a murder plot with his wife, and obviously no one could know about it, or it would ruin his chances of becoming King.

LADY MACBETH Who was it that thus cried? Why, worthy thane,
You do unbend your noble strength to think
So brainsickly of things. Go get some water,
And wash this filthy witness from your hand.
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there. Go carry them and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.

Thoughts on the environment: During a confrontation with the Weird Sisters, Macbeth makes it clear that he has no problem with them destroying the world, as long as they gave him the answers he wanted.

MACBETH I conjure you by that which you profess–
Howe’er you come to know it—answer me.
Though you untie the winds and let them fight
Against the churches, though the yeasty waves
Confound and swallow navigation up,
Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down,
Though castles topple on their warders’ heads,
Though palaces and pyramids do slope
Their heads to their foundations, though the treasure
Of nature’s germens tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken, answer me
To what I ask you.

Thoughts on income and wealth: Macbeth was originally not thirsty for wealth, but certain outside influences caused changes in him that had negative consequences.

LADY MACBETH Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valor
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ”
Like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?

Why it might not work: Death due to Macduff

Now that we have the basic profiles for all of the candidates, it’s time to cast your vote!

Thanks for voting!

Now if you are old enough, make sure to head over to a real polling station and cast your vote today!

Where do you think these candidates would stand on transit issues? Leave a comment and let us know!

Celebrating Birthdays in Elizabethan England

On April 23, it will be the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, and will be celebrated all over the world! The question I had when I found out was the following: How would Shakespeare have celebrated his birthday when he was alive? Turns out most people didn’t celebrate their birthday in Shakespeare’s day, especially the poor, and there’s no indication that even monarchs celebrated their birthdays. There are very few records of birthdays being celebrated. Everyone had a saint associated with their birthday, and sometimes people would pay respects to that saint on their birthday.

When I researched birthdays in Elizabethan England, I found one mention of an Elizabethan birthday party, that of thirteen-year-old Mall Sidney, who, when she grew up, became a famous writer known as Lady Mary Wroth, Duchess of Pembroke. Lady Mary was the first woman to write a sustained work of prose fiction that came from a high-ranking family. There are records of her birthday being celebrated, however, no one knows for sure how Birthdays were celebrated in Elizabethan England.

In Shakespeare’s work, there are very few mentions of birthdays. Anthony and Cleopatra casually mentions that fact that it’s Cleopatra’s birthday, and they celebrate with a night of drinking, despite Cleopatra’s assumption that she’d be holding her birthday poor, meaning that she doesn’t expect anything at all. In Julius Caesar, there’s a casual reference to it being Cassius’ birthday shortly before he dies, although this is mentioned out of the blue.

What I never expected was how contemporary the popular beliefs regarding birthdays are. Since there is no clear answer in terms of how birthdays were celebrated in Shakespeare’s day, no one really knows how to celebrate theirs in a genuinely Shakespearean style!

How do you plan to mark the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth? Feel free to share your way of celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday in the comment section!

Photo Friday- Remembering Nelson Mandela

nelson-mandela-shakespeare

Caes.           Cowards die many times before their deaths:
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I have yet heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear,
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.

Today we mark the passing of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918 – 2013), the champion of human rights in South Africa. Mandela served 27 years in Robben Island prison for his revolutionary efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. While he was in prison, Mandela and his fellow inmates distracted themselves by reading from a tattered copy of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. The book passed from hand to hand and each inmate annotated a favourite passage. The copy came to be known as the Robben Island bible, and has been displayed in exhibits at the British Museum, The Folger Shakespeare Library, and its home in South Africa.

Mandela’s chosen passage, taken from Julius Caesar, speaks to his bravery and his tenacious spirit. These words also bring comfort as we remember him today. They remind us not to mourn for someone who feared death, but to celebrate the life of someone who was willing to die for his beliefs.

Photo Friday- Hamlet and His Advisors

As you may be aware, Shakespeare in Action turns 25 this year (we’re all grown up!), so you’ll forgive us if we’ve been caught up in nostalgia lately. Photo Friday lends the perfect opportunity to take a look back, quite literally, at our long and storied history. And since the first show of our 25th anniversary season is Hamlet, let’s take a peek at this priceless relic from the early days of Shakespeare in Action.

In this scene, advisors to Hamlet (i.e. students from a local secondary school) gather around to give the prince some much-needed counsel.

3117333_orig

(Bonus points if you can deduce based on hairstyle alone in which decade of our illustrious history this photo was taken!)

Did You Know? Shakespeare Was Also An Actor…

Did you know that during Shakespeare’s lifetime he was also an actor? It is not known how many roles he played, but we know he began his career on the stage by at least 1592, since there is reference to this in Robert Greene’s Groatsworths Of Wit. In 1594, he had already established himself as an actor and playwright, then William Shakespeare became a shareholder in Lord Chamberlain’s Men, one of the most popular acting troupes in London. He remained a part of this company for the rest of his career, often playing before the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

Other roles that many believe Shakespeare played were the title role in Edward I: a play by Edward Peele in 1593, and smaller roles in a variety of his own plays, including: As You Like It (Adam), Macbeth (King Duncan), Henry IV (King Henry), and Hamlet (Hamlet’s father). Shakespeare’s first biographer, Nicolas Rowe, referred to a role by William Shakespeare, as “the ghost in his own Hamlet and that he was ‘the top of his performance’. William Shakespeare the actor soon moved on to become William Shakespeare the playwright and theatre owner.