Having heard the melancholy Jaques describe the ‘Seven Ages of Man’ we now find Shakespeare reflecting on the apparent meaninglessness of life. Again the comparison between the role of the actor and of real life is made. “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” is the beginning of the second sentence of one of the most famous […]
Bard Words (4)
“All the world’s a stage” is the phrase that begins a monologue from Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII. Through Jaques, Shakespeare takes the audience on a journey of the complete lifecycle of a human being, made particularly vivid by its visual images of […]
Bard Words (3)
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” is the first line of a speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar. Occurring in Act III, scene II, it is one of the most famous lines in all of Shakespeare’s works. The speech is a famous example of the use of emotionally charged rhetoric. Comparisons […]
Bard Words (2)
‘Now is the winter of our discontent’‘ is the famous opening line of Richard III. The play fictionalizes the reign of King Richard III, who lived from 1452 until 1485. He reigned over England from 1483 until his death, meaning he was in power for only two years. Shakespeare had his own particular political reasons […]
Bard Words (1)
The blog returns! And with it a new series begins. I have always had a great love for Shakespeare and so I thought that I would feature some of his most memorable speeches performed by a variety of great actors, to see if we cannot discern something new from his words. Upon The King (Henry […]
Comic Songs (1)
Today we begin a new series in which we will seek to discover that quintessential British institution, the so called Comic (comedy) Song. Our journey will begin with the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, throught the age of the Music Hall, via some the great comic song writers and performers and onto those songs that […]
Dreaming 2
As promised, today we return to the world of dreams and dreaming for another collection of songs. “Daydream Believer” is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the […]
John Donne
John Donne was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary who was born in London in 1571 or 1572, into a recusant Roman Catholic family when practice of that religion was illegal in England. Donne was the third of six children. His father, also named John Donne, married to one Elizabeth Heywood, was of Welsh […]
Tim Curry
Tim Curry is an English actor and singer. He is known for working in a diverse range of theatre, film, and television, most often portraying villainous characters. Curry’s first full-time role was as part of the original London cast of the musical Hair in 1968, where he met Richard O’Brien who went on to write […]
The Sacred Riana
Marie Antoinette Riana Graharani, commonly known as The Sacred Riana, is an Indonesian magician and illusionist best known for her performance as a bizarre illusionist. She made her television debut as a contestant on Deddy Corbizier’s magic competition show The Next Mentalist, which premiered in November 2013 and was broadcast on Trans 7. She would […]