In his lecture on Othello, the critic Harold Bloom has this memorable line: “Shakespeare was the greatest theorist of sexual jealousy the world had ever seen before the advent of Freud and Proust”. While ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ had jealousy as one of its themes, it is in Othello that Shakespeare explores this in all … Continue reading Othello
In my line of work, one often witnesses the might of the Indian state. Yet its most comical manifestation is often found in the servile obsequiousness of the personal staff attending to government babus. When summoned, they stutter, stammer and words often fail them. The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing.Our sport shall … Continue reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Coriolanus - a historical figure of Ancient Rome who lived four centuries before Julius Caesar, has a play on his life written by the Bard. Despite it being one of his lesser-known works, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading it. In a nutshell, Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is a killing machine, who after winning many a … Continue reading Coriolanus
Cleopatra was not the exotic, scheming, and lustful queen of legend who ensnared Rome’s greatest men. Her affairs with Pompey, Caesar, and Antony were historic realities, but these were driven by realpolitik. As Adrian Goldsworthy writes: Cleopatra was not another Helen of Troy, a mythical figure about whom the most important thing was her beauty. … Continue reading Antony and Cleopatra
Even as a child, when I knew nothing of Roman history, Caesar’s assassination and his famous ‘Et tu Brute’ dialogue were familiar to me. Looking back, I wonder if Caesar’s enduring influence in popular culture is all thanks to Shakespeare. What if the play was never written and the assassination never dramatized? Would he have … Continue reading Julius Caesar
I re-read Hamlet after 15 years. Now, with some additional accumulated wisdom, I was able to see glimpses of why this is considered to be Shakespeare’s magnum opus. When Achilles slaughters Hector, he is consumed by vengeance and glory. Divine punishment or suffering in the afterlife had little meaning for him. The Homeric Greek heroes … Continue reading Hamlet
“Two unlikely foes end up in love, and all ends well, after the hero, who is treacherously made to assume that his fiancée is unfaithful, repents when the culprits are caught.” This can be a one-line summary of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. I could easily think of so many Bollywood movies around this plot. … Continue reading Much Ado About Nothing
Apparently, this is what qualifies as a pastoral comedy – one which has a countryside setting, rustic simpletons and displays a clash between the cosmopolitans and the rest. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, AYLI is the most representative of this genre. I understand why this is not rated as among his best. The bard's fascination … Continue reading As You Like It
Soon after finishing ‘Twelfth Night’, I watched the 1996 movie adaptation by Trevor Nunn and was better able to appreciate the play. Four hundred years before gender, queerness and homoerotic love became a fad, we have the Bard tackling all these themes in a comedy without breaking a sweat. That said, I found the plot … Continue reading Twelfth Night
Was Shakespeare an antisemite? Many argue that his portrayal of Shylock in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is proof that he was one. Shylock the Jew is a money lender who demands a pound of flesh from Antonio, loses his mind when his daughter elopes (setting off with his jewels and ducats) and refuses to curry-favour … Continue reading The Merchant of Venice
