Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Act V, Scene iii

(This is the first review for my 2015 Reading Challenge! I will be reviewing according to plot, characters, theme, word choice/diction/syntax.)

Summary: The Montague family and the Capulet family are feuding. Romeo, a lovesick, young Montague falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of the head Capulet. Their romance (and stupidity...) causes many deaths.

My rating: 7/10 stars.

Plot: What can I say... it's Romeo and Juliet. A teenage boy falls in love with a 13-year-old girl; they get married; they make some bad decisions; they die. It's a pretty stupid story... So, why can everyone quote from Romeo and Juliet, whether they know they are or not? Examine the following passages from Act II, Scene ii (aka, the famous "balcony scene").

"But soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?"

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

So, why is Romeo and Juliet one of the most popular, enduring stories of all time?

I believe Romeo and Juliet's allure lies in its love story and in its message. Romeo and Juliet isn't so much a love story as an infatuation. Romeo sees Juliet across a crowded room... he falls instantly in love. Before the party is over they have sequestered themselves in a corner and are kissing. The next day, they marry.
Our culture is obsessed with love stories; especially love stories where the love is instantaneous, "unending," and passionate. If the story ends unhappily it adds to the appeal, for sad stories tug at the heartstrings.
So, why is our culture obsessed with love stories? Because perfect, earthly love eludes us. At a young age we are indoctrinated with the idea of "true love." Most movies, television shows, and books include a love story where the couple are "perfect" for each other. He adores her and she finds her identity in that adoration. Unfortunately, real life doesn't work like that. People are flawed and, therefore, relationships are flawed. When we base ourselves and our expectations in earthly relationships, we will only find disappointment. Watching "perfect" love stories unfold in fiction gives us hope that somewhere out there is The One... All the disappointing relationships we've had already are just stepping stones—"practice"—for The One. Only, The One doesn't exist, because there are no perfect relationships on earth. Even "perfect" relationships in fiction aren't perfect, because they are missing the most important element. Yet, we still search for perfection...
It's a vicious cycle.
The reason we search so hard for perfect, earthly love is because we've chosen to disregard the only perfect love out there: the love of Jesus Christ, when he died on the cross to save us all from our sins. He wants a relationship with us—a relationship that will be perfect in heaven—but we push him away, and try to fulfill our longing with flawed, earthly relationships.
That's why people love love stories so much.
In the end, however, Romeo and Juliet is a testament to the failure of earthly love. Romeo and Juliet fall in love quickly and passionately and, for a few short hours, everything seems perfect. Then reality shatters their illusion. They are reminded of their feuding families. Romeo killed Juliet's cousin. This posed a problem because Romeo was exiled, and Juliet was promised to another man (because her father didn't know that she had secretly married Romeo). Due to miscommunication, Romeo and Juliet and a host of others end up dead. Their love was not perfect; it caused many problems.
One message to take away from Romeo and Juliet is don't expect everything to fall into place immediately just because it's "true love." As Friar Laurence says, "Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast." Or, as another wise sage says, "Don't be hasty, bararoom."

Characters: O, Romeo, Romeo! *shakes head* Romeo met Juliet at a party, but did you know that he came to that party looking for ANOTHER girl? He was in love with a girl named Rosaline! She shuns him and, as a result, Romeo spends the first few scenes listlessly meandering around, bemoaning the fact that Rosaline doesn't love him. He comes to a party put on by his enemies, the Capulets, to find Rosaline, and ends up meeting Juliet instead, whom he falls desperately in love with. Friar Laurence sums it up quite nicely in Act II, Scene iii:

"Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? young men's love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes."

Juliet grows from girl-to-woman over five days. When we first meet her, she says that marriage "is an honor that I dream not of." After meeting Romeo, she displays normal signs of a crush: stalking. Since she can't check Romeo's Facebook timeline, she gets Nurse to find out who Romeo is, and if he's married or not.  "...Dream[ing] not" of marriage soon turns into a desire for marriage ("If that thy bent of love be honourable, thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow... And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay, and follow thee my lord throughout the world"). After marrying Romeo, she decides to stay by his side, even after he kills her cousin. She shows the most growth out of all the characters.

Friar Laurence is Romeo and Juliet's confidant. He marries them (without telling their parents... um, child consent laws, anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?) in hopes that their union will stop their family's feud. Later, he orchestrates the plan to bring Juliet and Romeo together again after Romeo is banished. He acts in what he believes to be the best interests of everyone; unfortunately, his good will doesn't stop things from going terribly, terribly wrong.

There are a myriad of colorful side characters including Romeo's friends Benvolio and Mercutio, Juliet's relatives Lord and Lady Capulet and Cousin Tybalt, Juliet's nurse, Lord Capulet's friend Paris, and the Prince of Verona. These characters act as comic relief or they insinuate dissension.

Theme: I already talked a bit about the theme of love in Romeo and Juliet, but there are other themes too. Hate, for one. The Montagues and the Capulets hate each other and this, obviously, plays a part in Romeo and Juliet's romance. The young lovers question family loyalty, but eventually choose each other, even if it incurs their family's wrath. (Such is the case of poor Juliet. When she refuses to marry Paris, because she's already married to Romeo, her parents threaten to shun her.)
I think honesty is a theme as well. What would have happened if Romeo and Juliet had told their parents that they had gotten married instead of keeping it secret? Would it have instigated one final confrontation between the families, or would it have brought peace?

Word choice/diction/syntax: Aka, what language the author used to portray his story. This includes word choice, sentence fluency, and the use of rhetorical devices and writing strategies.
I made a video about this because to do justice to Shakespeare and iambic pentameter, you really have to read it. (By the way... when I say "Capulet's speech," I mean "Capulet's invitation" :P)

Here is the video on Shakespearean original pronunciation that I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s

Interesting fact: Romeo and Juliet is based on a poem called The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet, written less than 50 years before Shakespeare penned his play. You can read the poem here: http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/folio/Sources/romeusandjuliet.pdf

Favorite quotes:

"What say you? Can you love the gentleman?

This night you shall behold him at our feast.

Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face

And find delight writ there with beauty’s pen.

Examine every married lineament

And see how one another lends content,

And what obscured in this fair volume lies

Find written in the margin of his eyes.

This precious book of love, this unbound lover,

To beautify him only lacks a cover.

The fish lives in the sea, and ’tis much pride

For fair without the fair within to hide.

That book in many’s eyes doth share the glory

That in gold clasps locks in the golden story.

So shall you share all that he doth possess

By having him, making yourself no less."

Act I, scene iii, Lady Capulet (not Capulet, as I said in the video) comparing Paris to a book.

"We cannot be here and there too. Cheerily, boys; be brisk a while, and the longer liver take all."

Act I, scene v, 3rd serving man.

Welcome, gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes

Ah, my mistresses! Which of you all

Unplagued with corns will walk a bout with you.—

Will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty,

She, I’ll swear, hath corns.

Act I, scene v, Capulet, saying that any girl who does not dance must have corns on her feet.

"Come, he hath hid himself among these trees, to be consorted with the humerous night: blind is his love, and best befits the dark."

Act II, scene i, Benvolio talking of Romeo's love for Juliet.

Ready to go, but never to return.

O son! The night before thy wedding day

Hath death lain with thy wife. There she lies,

Flower as she was, deflowered by him.

Death is my son-in-law. Death is my heir.

My daughter he hath wedded. I will die,

And leave him all. Life, living, all is Death’s.

Act IV, scene v, Capulet, on discovering Juliet "dead" on the day of her impending marriage to Paris. 

Keep a weather-eye out for my review of Twilight.

Next month, I jump into the dystopian genre with 1984 by George Orwell.

 

Live long and prosper!

The Bard

Good ole' quotes from William Shakespeare. I found them on THIS website.


"I will speak daggers to her, but use none." Hamlet, Act III, Scene II.


"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it." As You Like It, Act II, Scene IV.


"So wise so young, they say, do never live long." King Richard III, Act III, Scene I. ("And only the good die young... doo doo doo doo doo..." How true is that, though? The prime example I can think of is the little girl from Uncle Tom's Cabin. Eva, I think her was.)


"An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told!" King Richard III, Act IV, Scene IV.


"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." Measure for Measure, Act I, Scene IV.


"But, for mine own part, it was Greek to me." Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene II.


"I have no, spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other." Macbeth, Act I, Scene VII.


"The worst is not, so long as we can say 'This is the worst.'" King Lear, Act I, Scene IV. (I guess even Shakespeare believed in jinxing yourself.)


"You pay a great deal too dear for what's given freely." The Winter's Tale, Act I, Scene I.


"You, minion, are too saucy." The Two Gentleman of Verona, Act I, Scene II. (Can this be my new catchphrase?)


Farewell! Exits sighting.


(...Evidently that's a line from Troilus and Cressida, but I can't verify that fact, as I've not read the play, and couldn't find that particular quote online.)

Day 2 (part 1): The Globe

Easter morn dawned, well, not all that bright. There was rain on the forecast and sure enough, rain it did!
After a delicious breakfast, we headed out for the day's adventures: The Globe Theater, and an Easter service at Westminster Abbey.
We decided to take the bus (yes, one of the amazing red, double-decker ones!) instead of the tube. Oh! It was so much fun!! And you really do get to see so much. It's really amazing. If you ever go to London, take the buses! The tube is fun too, but with the bus you get to see so much more.
We got off near St. Paul's Cathedral

and then walked over the Thames via the Millennium Bridge.

(Parents and grandma)

(Me, with the London and Tower bridges in the background. Do you know which is which? It's not what you may think!)

(Tintin!)

And then, there it was!

 

THE GLOBE!! AHHHH!!! So exciting!! 

This is actually the 3rd Globe theater. The first was built in 1599. For fourteen years, until 1613, it entertained the people of London with Shakespeare's plays. One of which was Henry VIII. In this play, a cannon goes off near the end. Well, one night, all was well, the cannon was fired... and it lit the thatched roof on fire! The theater burned to the ground in two hours. At the time, about 3000 people were packed into the theater, and there were only two exits. 

Do you know how many casualties there were?

0.

No one got hurt! Well... almost no one. One man's breeches caught fire, but he doused the flames with his mug of ale and got out safely.

The second Globe theater was built very shortly after the first had burned and was open for business once again. 

In 1642, however, another tragedy befell the Globe, and all the other theaters. The Puritans closed and/or tore down all the playhouses. 

But that's not the end of the story! 

In 1970, a man named Sam Wanamaker founded a Trust, with the intent of getting enough money to reconstruct Globe, near it's original location. He wanted it to be as accurate as possible to the original. Eventually he raised enough money (getting donations from such people as Patrick Stewart [all of whom have their names in cobblestones in the courtyard]) and the Third Globe opened for business in 1997!

The fabulous stage.

To the left of the stage, you can see three different levels of seating - four, if you count the standing-only room in front of the stage.

The very top level was where disreputable women (dressed in white of all things! to distinguish them from others) would entertain men, because the upper most level was the darkest.

Right behind the pillar, on the second level, you can see a box that looks different from the boxes next to it. It has a bit more color, some paintings on the wall. Even though that seat, and it's twin on the other side of the theater, is probably the worst in the whole theater, that is where the rich would sit. They didn't come to see the play; they came to be seen. The "gentleman's boxes" were the best places to be seen. Sometimes, rich men would even pay to sit on the stage, or in the orchestra balcony above the stage!

On the bottom level, there are more seats, for commoners, I believe...

You only had to pay one penny if you wanted to stand in front of the stage. I've been told that these are the best and most sought-after seats in present day. However, if you were in Shakespeare's time, you may not want to stand here. There is a drain in the middle of the floor. I'm sure all of you can guess what it was for.

People were allowed - and are still allowed - to bring their own food and drink (usually beer or ale, because water wasn't safe to drink) to the play. There were no intermissions, and no bathrooms, so if had to go, you just went, and it would drain out of the theater via the hole in the middle of the floor. 

It smelled horrible. In addition to the open waste, and smell of food and drink, there was the smell of unwashed bodies (because they bathed maybe once or twice a year), and garlic (worn around the neck to ward off evil).

Now, if you to see a Shakespeare play, the audience is quiet (*groan* unless you go on the "homeschool special" day which also happens to be the day when all the 6th grade teachers decide to take their students out for some culture). Partly out of respect for the actors who have worked so hard, and partly because they probably don't understand half of what is being said. There is little to no interaction with the audience. The actors have a fourth wall, and they maintain it.

(Haha, a short aside here... Once my mom and I saw Love's Labour's Lost and one of the characters came in reading the poem he had written for the woman he loved. He was reading his poem in Iambic Pentameter [which is a type of verse that Shakespeare wrote much of his work in]! I nearly DIED laughing! But no one else got it.)

In Shakespeare's day, there was no fourth wall. The rich people in the audience would "say something clever" to the actors, and the actors would "say something clever" right back (staying in character). 

If you saw your friend across the theater, you would call to him and maybe even start up a loud conversation. 

It was a time for socializing, a time for relaxing, a time for entertainment. 

Another different between Shakespeare's time and now... Now, when a company rehearses a play, it goes on for weeks, with multiple performances a week, before they start work on another play.

In in the 1600's, people payed to see something different. There would be a different play nearly every day. Sometimes, the actors in a company would go twenty days without repeating a play! That's a lot of memorization!

Something that I found very interesting, that I didn't know before, was that if a playhouse (such as The Globe, or it's rival, The Rose) owned a play, they were the only ones who could preform it.

For example, The Rose theater owned Romeo and Juliet. They were the only ones who could put on that play. The Globe couldn't, even though Shakespeare sold most of his others plays to them. 

However, some theater owners would come up to the actors in the public house and say, "Hey, I'll give you 20 ducats for the script of Hamlet." The actor would then proceed to write down as much of Hamlet as he could remember. Let's say the actor played King Claudius (Hamlet's uncle) was asked to sell the play. In the copy that the actor would write, all of Claudius' lines and cues for coming onto the stage would be perfect. But, if Claudius wasn't in a scene, the actor would have to remember everything he had seen and heard from backstage. Thus, we get the "bad folios," where scenes are missing, or monologues are paraphrased, or words are changed around. (I believe one of the bad folios of Hamlet is completely missing the "to be, or not to be" line.)

Later in the 1600's, Shakespeare's plays began to be published (an amazing feat considering that the only things in the 1600's that were being printed were Bibles and pamphlets, and that the general unwashed [literally] masses couldn't read). This caused a problem, because it made them available for all playhouses. Soon, that rule absolved.

Here's a question for evolutions: If evolution means to "become better," why was it that in Shakespeare's day, the common laymen was able to understand every single word of Shakespeare's plays, whereas today, Shakespeare is only understandable for the learned or the Shakespearean? 

And these common men in Shakespeare's day didn't read. Most of the society was illiterate. Yet they were able to catch all the hidden meanings and inside jokes in the plays, that only a scholar of Shakespeare would be able to pick out today.

Next to The Globe is an Exhibition on Shakespeare, detailing the theater of the day, from costumes to music to stage fighting. It was highly enjoyable and very interesting!

 

Below the Exhibition is a room where they do demonstrations stage fighting and clothing of the times. We went to sit in for the clothing demonstration. The man and lady up on stage welcomed the audience and then said, "Alright, we need a volunteer!" With nary a thought, I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it!" They invited me up on stage, directed me behind a curtain and told me to strip (and then put on stockings and a shift).

They were to dress me as Ophelia, from one of their productions of Hamlet. 

First, of course, it the stockings, and the shift, or, undergarments.

 

Next they tied on some shoes. The shoes back then didn't have any soles, so when it was muddy, they would stick their shoes in some sort of weird wooden overshoe-thing that protected them from the elements (we saw this in Holland too, and never got a picture, for some reason...). Evidently in China, it became a fashion trend!

As well as putting on shoes, they cross-gartered my legs! 

Anyone familiar with Twelfth Night knows exactly who this is:

Malvolio! In an attempt to please Lady Olivia, he dons yellow stockings, and cross-garteres his legs. In Shakespeare's day, men would cross-garter their legs to show off their calves (that's why pictures from back then always show men with their legs sticking out at funny angles). If a man didn't have a nice calf, he would stuff his stocking to look like it!

Cross-gartering showed off the calf nicely. It also held the stocking up, to some degree.

She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg, being cross-gartered...

Malvolio, Act II, Scene V.

After the shoes, they put on a corseted bodice, laced tightly to inspire good posture. 

 

While men flaunted their calves, it was all about the hips and the behind for the woman. If a woman had large hips, it meant she would be a good bearer of children. Therefore, women would wear a "bum-roll."

It would be worn around the waist, and the dress, draped over it, made the female appear very hippy.

Then came a farthingale. See the ropes hanging down from the bodice? They would be looped through the farthingale and the skirt and tied to keep everything from falling down.

Overtop of the farthingale comes the actual skirt:

After that, a "partlet" (a part-shirt):

 

And finally, a jacket!

Don't forget about your lacy cap!

 

After that, a very happy me raided the gift shop and came out with rather a nice pillow of Shakespearean insults (which, unfortunately, has not yet been pillowfied):

I love Shakespeare.

If you love Shakespeare - even if you only like Shakespeare - GO FORTH AND VISIT THE GLOBE! You will come out loving Shakespeare.

Stay tuned for the second part of Day 2!

Out of my sight! Thou dost infect mine eyes!

Richard III, Act I, Scene ii.

King Lear and Paradise Lost mini-reviews

Title: King Lear

Author: William Shakespeare

Synopsis: Lear is King of England, and he has three daughters. He wants to split his kingdom between his three daughters. To find the daughter most deserving of the most land, he asks his offspring to express how much they love him. The two eldest shower lavish praise on their father, but the third, Cordelia, feels that her actions should speak louder than her words. She remains silent, and is banished for it.
The two eldest daughters take more and more power away from their father and finally, he runs away, and descends into madness.
At the same time, a nobleman has two sons, one legitimate, and one not. Edmund, the illegitimate son, wants his brother's birthright, and pits his father and half-brother against each other. Edgar must flee his father and brother.
(Spoiler) Everything spirals downward and everyone ends up dying except for Edgar who becomes King (end of spoiler)

My rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Comments/the good: We listened to this book on tape (it only took three hours, too!) and very much to our surprise, we found that David Tennant does the voice of Edgar, the good son! We were listening, and he had a soliloquy and I exclaimed, "STOP THE TAPE! THAT'S DAVID TENNANT, ISN'T IT?!" and sure enough, there he was on the cast list! What a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, King Lear is full of metaphors and fancy language that needs translating. It's pretty interesting if you can understand it, and there are some very interesting debates between the characters on various topics.
I think I would enjoy this story more if it weren't so sad! The people of Shakespeare's day and age felt the same way, for after he died, many re-wrote the play's ending to happy instead of tragic.
Several characters were cheer-worthy; Edgar and Kent were tied for my favorite. I enjoyed hearing them both pretend to be other people. The Fool was also an interesting character, though he kind of disappears half way through the play and never shows up again.
The parallels between King Lear and Gloucester's situations was fun to write an essay on.
I remember being struck with some of the scenes that take place on the moor during a storm. They had some nice descriptions and conversations. Other than that, I can't really remember much, since it was over two months ago that we finished the story.

The bad/what you should be wary of: There are several, erm, very Shakespeare scenes and descriptions and metaphors that, to the unaware reader, wouldn't be a bother. But to one with a handy dandy No-Fear-Shakespeare or cliffnotes book, explaining what different old English words mean, things can get slightly graphic and a tad bit awkward. So beware.
Also, one character gets his eyes gouged out. This isn't really a problem if you are just reading the play, but it quite difficult if you are listening to or watching the play. Several other characters get stabbed/poisoned to death. Their screams of agony on the tape were almost too much to bear.

Would I recommend it? If you are a fan of Shakespeare's tragedies, or just Shakespeare in general, go forth and get yourself a copy! As far as Shakespeare goes, King Lear is one of his most popular tragedies. It has a lot of depth to it. Otherwise, I would maybe not recommend it. Especially if one is younger. 12+ at least for this one!


Title: Paradise Lost

Author: John Milton

Synopsis: This story is in twelve "books" and is depicts the Fall on Man from Genesis 3, including things from the devil's point of view, and what happens after the Fall.

My rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Comments/the good: What can I say about this book.... The poetry and descriptions and rather nice in some areas.
As far as the story goes, I would much rather just read Genesis 3. Some of the books, however, were really interesting and those I enjoyed.

The bad/what you should be wary of: I didn't enjoy this book. Part of it was definitely because it was poetry. Poetry is really hard for me to read. Also, I didn't particularly enjoy the plot line, because, as I said, why not just go read Genesis 3? That's not to say others wouldn't, though. It was a very interesting read.

Would I recommend it? Personally, I wouldn't. Objectively, perhaps. It's one of the world's most epic classics for a reason. I wouldn't tackle it if I were below highschool age, however, as it is rather difficult to get through.

Live long and prosper!

On Characters.

I'm doing my character post today because Star Trek fell through... until tomorrow. Mwahahahahahaaa.... I think. My mom's friend had something going today so we decided to go tomorrow. And then she got sick today.... so we'll see if we actually get to go tomorrow. xD

Anyway, onto my character post! I am going to try make this short so I can go to bed at a reasonable hour.

Tonight I am going to be talking about male/male character friendships.
I think that male/male character friendships are some of the best in literature, movies, and TV. Sadly, it seems like in today's society, you can't have a male/male friendship without it being seen as gay or non-masculine. The man is supposed to be this loner tough guy who has no friends and then suddenly makes one friend.... but then that friend leaves/is destroyed by the bad guy and the character decides that never again will he have friends because caring is not an advantage. Friendships make one weak!
Either that or the guy character is somewhat feminine/weak/nerdy....
Sure, the guy is supposed to be the masculine one, but he can't be alone. Adam was lonely so God made Eve. And I guess I should say the cliché joke here.... It's Adam and EVE not Adam and STeve.
Anyway, their are many male/male character friendships in literature (and Star Trek) where the characters are neither seen as weaker because of it or gay.
I shall now list some for you!
From literature:

I'll do the obvious friendship first. Sam and Frodo! =D

 

Is there really anything that I can say about these two? Sam is Frodo's gardener and is SO loyal to his master. He literally follows him to the end of (Middle)Earth. He carries Frodo when Frodo falls.... he watches out for Frodo... he distrusts Gollum... He's very brave.

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley from Pride and Prejudice:

 

Hee hee. I LOVE Mr. Bingley. He is SO adorable. The above scene is one of my favorites from the new P+P with Kiera Knightley.
Darcy and Bingley's friendship is an odd one to be sure.... Mr. Darcy isn't a very open man - he's kind of shy. Mr. Bingley is the opposite. Bingley is outgoing and loves people. He's very kind but a little bit simple in the brain.... So he takes the advice of his friends to heart. Mr. Darcy, as his friend, wants the best for him. Though he ends up breaking up Bingley and Jane, he does it with the best of intentions, thinking Jane is indifferent.

There are countless example from Shakespeare.... Benedick and Claudio are the ones that immediately come to my mind (they are from Much Ado About Nothing):

There's also Dogberry and Verges (from the same play):

 

Although their relationship isn't so much friendship as comically abusive.... The same can go for the Antipholus's and the Dromio's from The Comedy of Errors.

And finally.... of course.... Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson!

 

 

I LOVE their friendship. Holmes is basically a friendless man until Watson comes along. And Holmes is alright with that..... until he meets Watson. Watson is his buddy. His partner in solving crime (MY book title! MINE!). When Watson gets married and move away, Holmes feels comfortable enough coming in the dead of night, sitting with Watson for a bit, and then leaving over his back fence (The Final Problem). Watson often doesn't know what's going on (he represents the audience) but he trusts that Holmes will eventually give him all the answers.

Most people think that Holmes is just a cold, uncaring, calculating fellow. And he is. But he's very loyal to his friend Watson. In The Sign of Four, after Watson comes back from talking with Mary and is exhausted, Holmes plays his violin until Watson falls asleep. He also saves him in Devil's Food Root. And threatens to kill a man when Watson gets shot in Three Garridebs (I think that's the one).

Watson puts up with Holmes' moods and really becomes his best friend. He also watches out for Holmes and makes him rest when he overdoes himself (like in that one where they go to rest... and then Holmes gets a case... I forget which one that is).

 

From Star Trek:

 

Data and Geordi. This clip explains their friendship:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1px4qoILmGw

 

(Grr... it won't play ON the blog. But it's only 40 seconds long so click the link).

Data and Geordi watch out for each other... and they dress up as Holmes as Watson and go into the holodeck to defeat Moriarty!

 

Spock, Kirk, and McCoy (of course):

 

 

 

Hee hee hee....

 

 

 

 

The original trio! Though Spock and Bones can sometimes get on each other's nerves, Kirk is always there to smooth things out. He's got a great friendship with both of these guys and in the end, I think Spock and McCoy like each other as well. After all, McCoy did house Spock's katra for awhile.... and then there was that episode where they had to try and rescue Kirk from being in between dimensions (or something).

 

Tom Paris and Harry Kim from Voyager:

 

 

 

They are buddies. They give each other advice... and go on holodeck adventures together.... and go on double dates.... They have a great friendship. There is one episode (called The Chute, I think) where they are stuck in an alien prison together and have to get out somehow.

 

And I've been saving the best for last.... Julian Bashir and Miles O'Brien!

 

 

 

They are from Deep Space Nine and they have one of the best friendships in ALL of Star Trek's history.

Miles is a familiar face because he was in the Next Generation. He's an Irishman with a family (Keiko is his wife and his two kids are Molly and Yoshi), not to mention he's the chief engineer guy on the station. But he still has time to spend with his best buddy Julian. But their relationship wasn't always so good.... It started out very rocky.

 



 

Miles: "I hated you. And now..... I don't."

True friendship there guys!

Besides getting drunk together.... (which, I believe, only happens that one time) Julian and Miles LOVE to go have adventures in the holosuite. They always do the weirdest stuff....

 

 

"HuMANs.... all you care about is yourselves....." *shakes head*

Oh Quark....

 

To wrap it up: The Tintin characters!

 

 

 

Lots of guy friendships here that are great..... Haddock and Tintin are very patient with Professor Calculus and, even though he's a little hard of hearing in one ear, they do lots for him. Haddock braves the moon.... and they go rescue him - twice! I hope they put Calculus into the next movie because it really isn't Tintin without him.

 

I think that male/male character friendships are some of the best in literature and TV. I don't know why... Maybe it's because they aren't as wishy-washy and emotion driven as women. They can hate each other and have a fist fight one day and then the next day they are best friends and it doesn't bother them. I used to think it would be nice to be a boy because then I wouldn't have to deal with all the girly drama problems that come with our friendships.

 

Anyway, there is my character post! I hope you enjoyed.

 

 

 





Too. Much. Writing. *explodes*

Today I think I did too much writing.... As well as writing I am editing a project for a friend. And on Sunday Jessica at Authorly Insane will be sending me Kat and Kadet to pick apart (her words, not mine). Yay! I have been wanting to read it since last November, when it was written! I have a feeling that it will be very entertaining... I mean, come on. Anything with a robotic cat has to be entertaining!

I won't be around at all tomorrow and on Saturday as I have literature, choir, and a youth conference. So I have been trying to get waaay ahead in my word count. I'm about three days ahead right now at 11,700 words. Blah. you know you've done too much writing when you write "...whom was Daniel was assuming was Daniel...." and also when you stop paying attention to editing your friend's work for them and end up creating mistakes instead of fixing them.

I feel pretty accomplished for today, though. I did a good hour and a half of piano practice which made my wrists hurt. I got 2,000+ words written, and I got 40 pages of Friend's-Project edited. Only 29 more pages to go! I'm going to hopefully finish that on Sunday or possibly Monday so I don't have to be editing two things at once as well as writing my own book!

All that aside.... It feels really really good to just write in the evenings. It feels like I'm actually accomplishing something and not just doing nothing on the computer, which is what I usually end up doing in the evenings.

Now I'm watching Doctor Who Confidential.

Have a random picture of David Tennant as Hamlet:

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio."

That is to serve as a segway into my next random point.
Yesterday I went to see Love's Labour's Lost, a play by Shakespeare (which is also featured in a Doctor Who episode). It was sooooooo good. My city's Shakespeare company is really good. This is, I believe, the third play I have seen put on by them.
They set Love's Labour's Lost in the late 1920's in England. Ahhh it was so good.... I LOVE live plays, especially Shakespeare. We are hoping to go to Much Ado About Nothing in the fall. I'm excited about that because I played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing in 2011!

 

"Tell me, is senior Mountanto returned from the wars, or no?" The only line that I can remember.
Anyway, Love's Labour's Lost was brilliant. Especially the part when they did Iambic Pentameter.
What is Iambic Pentameter? It is what Shakespeare wrote in, mostly. It is a da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM pattern.
Well, in Love's Labour's Lost there is a scene where the four guys are writing poetry to the four girls but they don't want the other guys to know so they are all hiding from each other. The fourth guy comes in (while everyone else was hiding) and starts reading his poem in Iambic Pentameter! It was BRILLIANT!! I wish I had said something about it at the talk-with-the-actors afterwards but I didn't... sigh. Oh well.
My other favorite part was when the four guys dressed up as Russians and went to the four girl's field (where they were staying) and danced Russian-like for them while another guy furiously "played" Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. They were all wearing ridiculous beards and looked rather like Muppets or Cousin It.

 

Farewell. I shall leave now because Elementary is going to come on.

Live long and prosper.

Writing news.

I'm stuck. I haven't even gotten past the prologue, and I'm already stuck with my Defenders of the Realm story. I'm not sure if I like the prologue which I wrote. I might scrap it and re-write it.
I've also been mulling over the fantasy genre - mostly the magic part of the fantasy genre.
That, and the stuckness issue, are forcing me to put Defenders of the Realm to the side for the time being. Hopefully it won't be too long.

On another note... I had the most brilliant idea for a plot. Actually, the core idea came two summers ago. I have been thinking about it on and off for two years and I think I may finally have a good enough plot to start coming up with characters - then I can maybe start writing.

Now I shall talk about After the Twelfth Night.
For those who don't know, I played Antonio in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night in 2009. I was upset because we never find out what happens to Antonio after the play - does he go to jail or does Sebastian come to his rescue?
In 2011 I decided to write a book about what happened to my beloved character for a novel writing class my friend's mom taught. The subsequent months consisted of much writing, re-writing, editing, and formatting.
Finally, sometime in the early fall, we ordered five copies of my book from Blurb.com (a site which I do not recommend - too difficult to format).

The experience was like no other. I had never written something so long before - I had actually written a novel!
Shortly after I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time - taking my writing to new levels entirely.
During NaNoWriMo 2011 I wrote the sequel to After the Twelfth Night.

I have been working on re-writing and editing The Sequel for about a year, now. The end is nigh... My mom and I are currently going through it fixing discrepancies, spelling and grammar mistakes, making sentences better, and taking out information that doesn't need to be in there.

Now I am debating publishing....
I have already decided to combine the first and second books into one book, separated into Part 1 and Part 2.
This not only eliminates the trouble of having to come up with another title and another cover, it allows me to edit Part/Book 1 and make it better (and maybe longer! It's only about 16,000 words. Either that or 26,000 words... I can't remember since the document was deleted off my computer). I also don't have to go through the trouble of explaining what happens in Book/Part 1 in Book/Part 2.

Back to the publishing thing....
Part 1 isn't long enough to be it's own novel - and truthfully, I don't think it's up to par with other writings out there (which is why I am glad to be editing it some more). Much of it is somewhat fantastical and historically inaccurate (it's set in 1604).
Because I didn't want to publish Book/Part 1, I hadn't planned on publishing Book/Part 2 either.
Now, though, since I am combining them, I am reconsidering.
Part 2 easily takes care of the length problem. The book (both Parts) is still somewhat fantastical and historically inaccurate... But I didn't write it to be a historical novel. It is an adventure. It focuses on the plot and the adventure and the characters. I don't want it to become a historical novel, either. It is meant to be a fun read - it isn't meant to teach about how things used to be.
Besides, who said the worlds in Shakespeare's plays were accurate? I mean, he had fairies in A Midsummer's Night Dream. And wasn't there a giant in The Tempest?

I would be self-publishing. I would probably use Lulu.com since I've heard good things about it from various sources.
If I finish editing both Parts before June, however, I might consider using the Createspace code from NaNoWriMo (given to the winners). I heard it's pretty hard to figure out, though.
Also, I heard somewhere that as well as sending you five free copies, it publishes your work on Amazon for all to see? I have no clue if that is true or not. If someone out there knows, please tell me!

Anyway, there are all my authorly plans out in the open.

Would you like to read the prologue of Defenders of the Realm even though it isn't very good? Should I self-publish? What about the possible historical inaccuracies (I know so little about Shakespeare's time, I don't even know if there are any huge inaccuracies)? Also, would you like to hear more about After the Twelfth Night? Perhaps meet some of the characters?
Answer away! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Live long and prosper!

I cannot contain my excitment! Which is why I blog about it....

DAVID TENNANT SINGS!!!!!!!!!

Day 6: A favorite actor and why.

I am changing this question to "favorite actorS and why."

My requirements for "favorite actor" are: The person has to be able to act well for one. Also, I have to see the actor in more than one movie/TV show (with a few exceptions).

Numero uno: Andy Serkis.
Not many people are familiar with this actor's face because he mostly does motion capture acting!

I have seen Andy Serkis as Gollum in Lord of the Rings.

Capricorn in Inkheart.

Kong in King Kong.



And Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin.

(I don't play Minecraft but I have lots of cousins/friends who do and I thought this was funny

 )

I like Andy Serkis because I think he is a great physical actor and able to do a lot of stunts and a lot of things vocally (like, for example, the Gollum voice!).

Number 2: Martin Freeman.

I have seen Martin Freeman in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Sherlock.

And soon The Hobbit!

Look how CUTE he is!! He's as cute as a button! And he makes the perfect Hobbit!
At first when I found out that Martin Freeman was John Watson I was thinking, "Wait, what? That guy from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is Watson? HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I bet he would make a lousy Watson!" Then I watched Sherlock and I really can't imagine anyone else as Watson! Except maybe David Burke from the Granada show.... He has a mustache after all (Martin Freeman's John Watson would look AWFUL with a mustache! He would look so creepy!).

When I found out that Martin Freeman was going to be Bilbo my reaction was, "HOW on earth is this possible?? He is gonna be AWFUL as Bilbo!!" (this was before I watched Sherlock). Then I watched Sherlock and I cannot imagine anyone else being Bilbo! Martin Freeman is perfect!
I admire Martin Freeman's acting skills, I think he can act very well. He has been in a wide spread of things and acted admirably in all! Plus he's just as cute as a button. =)

Number 3: Benedict Cumberbatch.
He is my exception to my rule that I have to see the actor in more than one thing. So far I have only seen him in one TV series....

(I love the jaguars on his shoes! And the red chair. I want a red chair like that.)

I have seen Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock.

Because this,

was the first picture I ever saw of Sherlock... I wasn't too sure about the lead actor. But now he is one of my favorite actors. He is brilliant! I believe that he is one of the most talented actors ever. Plus he's down to earth and nice when off camera.
Although I have only seen Benedict Cumberbatch in one TV show... I am planning on seeing him in a whole bunch of other things!
Like the movie Amazing Grace which I own....
And The Hobbit. He's Smaug! and the next Star Trek movie. He's the bad guy!
I also want to see him in War Horse.
(Am I the only one who thinks he would make a perfect Professor Calculas?)

Gasp! He's a ginger!

Number 4: Jamie Bell.

I have seen Jamie Bell in King Kong (with Andy Serkis!).

Jane Eyre.

(Look at those sideburns!)

And The Adventures of Tintin (also with Andy Serkis!).

Number 5: Sir Patrick Stewart.
He is another exception of my rule (sort of....).

I have seen Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation as (my favorite) Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

("Engage!")

I have also seen Patrick Stewart in a Frasier episode but since he's only in one I'm not sure if it counts....



I love Patrick Stewart because he is also a brilliant actor AND a Shakespearean! He has done lots of Shakespeare and was part of the The Royal Shakespeare Company. I hope to see his version of Macbeth sometime in the future 'cause I missed it when it was on TV.... I also can't wait to see Hamlet starring Patrick Stewart and David Tennant!

Honorable mentions:

David Tennant.

I have to put him in my honorable mentions page because I've never seen anything with him in it... YET! I have confidence that once I see some stuff that star him he will become one of my favorite actors. What small clips I've seen with him (and the documentary about Hamlet staring him) I can already tell that he is a great actor with a lot of talent.
Some things that I am going to see with him in it.....
Doctor Who:

(I absolutely love his hair! And those glasses are super cool too.)

And I am looking SOOOOOOO forwards to seeing him in Hamlet!! Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play and his version looks super great! It has Patrick Stewart in it! I saw a documentary type thingy on Hamlet with David Tennant narrating and it makes me love the play even more.

Folks, that is a REAL human skull. The guy died and his last dying wish was to be the skull in Hamlet.





Look! He's got a recorder! .....Why does Hamlet have a recorder? WAIT! Don't tell me! I want to wait and find out. I love how lopsided the crown is.

Hamlet is about to kill Claudius (Patrick Stewart), his uncle/father in-law, in the above picture. In the stage version of the play (which the RSC did for awhile) Hamlet is about to kill Claudius, the knife is raised! And then everything goes black and intermission is declared. 15ish minutes later everyone is back! Did Hamlet kill Claudius?? The blackness rises and we find Hamlet poised, just as he was before, ready to kill his uncle. But he doesn't. Hamlet decides that if he kills his uncle when he is praying, his soul will go to heaven and Hamlet doesn't want that - since he is trying to avenge his father's death.

Anyway, I can't WAIT to see this version of Hamlet!

Speaking of Shakespeare... I recently (last night) found out that David Tennant is in Much Ado About Nothing!!! Playing Benedick! AHHHHHHHH!!! He's the Benedick to my Beatrice! "Is seignior Mountanto returned from the war or no?"

Benedick wearing a Superman shirt? Bahahahaha! And guess who played Beatrice? His Doctor Who co-star Catherine Tate (Donna Noble).
I really, really, really, super badly want to see this version but sadly it is only available for download on the internet and I do not want to pay for it. Hopefully it will come out on DVD sometime in the future.

It's set in the 80's (hence the beer and cigarettes). Look at that... Benedick (in the service of the Prince) in aviator sunglasses... I may faint.

Benedick: "You are a rare parrot teacher!"
Beatrice: "A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours."
And one just for Grama: "Oh if I were a man I would eat his heart out in the marketplace!"

Sigh... I miss Shakespeare.

Another honorable mention is Wallace Shawn.

Also known as Vizzini from The Princess Bride.

Or Mr. Gibson from the Kit Kittredge Movie.

Or bill Cosby's neighbor in The Cosby Show Jeffrey Engles.

OR (man, I didn't know I'd seen so many movies with him!) Rex from Toy Story!

And don't forget Grand Negus Zek from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

There are other honorable mentions... Like Raven Symone, Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra, and many of the actors/actresses from Star Trek.... But I think I will mention only one more.

Michael Shanks.

I have only seen Michael Shanks in StarGate SG-1 as Daniel Jackson.

He is SUCH a good actor! He has, like, a million different weird faces. Even more than Mr. Knightley.

Or Mr. Darcy.

Ok sorry... Enough of Mr. Darcy's weird looks. Back to Daniel Jackson.

Six Daniel faces in four seconds:

See? He has the weirdest faces ever!

Anyway, back to Michael Shanks! The guy behind Daniel Jackson! He puts so much expression into his character. I think that he's a superb actor and now I'm gonna stop because I could literally talk on and on and on and on about everyone I've posted about and more!

So,

Live Long and Prosper. And never ask me about my favorite things. ("Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens....")