On Tuesday we had an extremely full day! We started out at the British Library, moved on to the British Museum and ended with a production at the Globe Theatre! 
(It was a little wet and a lot of fun)
I have to say that, while the library and museum were cool the play was by far the highlight of the day! We saw William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and I have so many feelings and emotions about the story and the characters! For being a bit of a Shakespeare-phile I must admit that I knew next to nothing about "the Merchant of Venice". I went in blind expecting family drama, passive female love interests, and a villain. I really got none of those things. I won't spoil the story, but the family ties causing drama was limited, the female characters were strong and smarter then the men, and there was no clear villain.
The character of Shylock was the best part of the play for me for many reasons. First of all the actor who played him was a famous actor!! Well, famous to me! He was the father of Kiera Knightly's character is Pirates of the Caribbean and Alistair in What a Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes, one of my favorite movies by the way! So the was an unexpected surprise, but more then the familiarity of the actor, he played the character so well. I cried three times during this production and all three were a direct result of the depth, emotion, and characterization he put into the character of Shylock. His speeches and the things that happen to him literally brought me to tears because I felt the emotions he felt.
The Globe in and of itself was amazing. We had standing tickets right by the stage! This was not so good for my aching feet, but wonderful for the experience. The actors sometimes cut through the crowds and a cute actor who plate one of Antonio's men touches me to get past me :) I also saw the above mentioned actor for Shylock up close when he walked right by me! This play was one if the best, and most emotional, experiences of the trip and I could not have loved it more.
I loved this play too! Kind of for the same reason. There was really no clear winner and loser. It sparked huge conversations among the group and I think that it's always a good thing to disagree and talk it out. And the lecture we heard before the play really added a lot to my understanding of the show. The lecture was mostly on economics but the speaker talked a bit about Shakespeare feeling the need to please his audience and almost copping out in a way. It was interesting because those moments of the play were very obvious. He would put in something very deep and thought provoking and then he had to wrap up a love story and make it a happy (seeming) ending.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved The Globe and play! I'd never even read that one before, so seeing it on stage without much prior knowledge was probably my favorite part. I was getting a little frustrated near the end because of what happens to Shylock and how the other characters behave about the whole matter, but I think that might speak to the attitudes at the time. Whether or not Shakespeare agreed with them, we'll probably never know. I found it interesting that the play took place in Italy, though that seems to happen every now and then in Shakespeare plays, even though he's an Englishman. I wonder how much Shakespeare knew about Italian culture at the times of his plays, and how the events of each play could possibly be relevant to the context.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the play. The experience standing at the Globe was incredible. You are right next to the stage and can see the actors perfected facial expressions and intricate costumes. The show itself, as you said had no clear winner or loser, and there were several points during which I disliked all of the male characters. From the information I gained prior to the performance, I had the impression Shylock would be the victim, but it was much more g re at than that. I was also anticipating myself to hate Antonio more than I did, but during the show, I found there was more depth and heart in his character than I was expecting before. As Megan said, I don't want to spoil anything, but this was truly a great performance and play, and always love any form of discussion about the show.
ReplyDeleteYour day seemed like it was a good one! I loved that we all got to experience the museum, Library, and The Globe together!! The show was fabulous, I agree. It was not what I was expecting at all and it turned out to be something that was funny, entertaining, and thought provoking as to why some of the decisions were made. I really enjoyed some of the rationale the characters had as well. They seemed so matter of fact in their decisions which was cool. The character of Shylock was an awesome thing that was added to my surprise of the show as well!! I was so cool to see a big screen actor who made their way to be in a production that we got to see!!
ReplyDelete