Ok, I managed to get to the end of Act II today of 3 Henry VI. My thoughts? Well, I found it very interesting. King Henry is rather pathetic, but sympathetic at the same time. I do root for him against those Yorkists.
All the double-crossing is definitely cool. That is a benefit of the three-play structure; Shakespeare can begin Part 3 with a bang, forgetting all the exposition which tends to drag down most opening acts of any form of storytelling.
Finally, I like how the horrors of civil war are being portrayed. Seeing the father who killed his son and the son who killed his father was moving. Having Henry in the middle of the scene only added to its poignancy.
More thoughts tomorrow when I get to read more (and finish it, time permitting).
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- Pronounced "bar-DOLL-uh-ter". It refers to someone who worships the Bard. So, about me: I'm a guy who blogs about Shakespeare. Yeah, that's pretty much it. :-)
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3 comments:
I love those Henry VI plays--nowhere else in Shakespeare do you get anything like the saga of Margaret of Anjou, unfolding across four plays. It will also transform your reading of Richard III. If you get the chance, you should try to watch these plays in the BBC Shakespeare series. They're among the standouts of that project.
That father son, son father gets me every time i read it. Like Macduff's all my pretty chickens. or Constance grieving her dead boy, Arthur. The list goes on throughout the canon.
just distracted by some Hamlet, the advice to the actor's up to asking Guildy to play the pipe. Brilliant!
I think shakespeare is just as good read as seen. seen and read blur in intent sometimes anyway.
The play within a play which Hamlet constantly interrupts. I don't need actors to see that.
My own knowledge of acting actors theatre and staging slots it all in to place in mind and Hamlet is that annoying guy in the crowd who won't shut the hell up.
Then I found Constance. Sorry gone on a bit there. Happy further reading!
I'm definitely hoping to see as many filmed adaptations as I can, and I'll probably post my reactions, as well. I've seen a few of the BBC Shakespeare adaptations, but it was a while ago, and I just vaguely remembering liking some and not liking others.
That scene with Macduff is absolutely heart-wrenching. I once played Malcolm in that scene, and... wow. Definitely depressing.
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