NapaShakes’ Dramaturg Philippa Kelly explains: ‘[I]t is far better to be a just man than an unjust prince.’ Erasmus, The Education of a Christian Prince (1518) Tragedy openeth the greatest wounds, and showeth forth the ulcers that are covered with tissue; [it] maketh kings fear to be tyrants, and tyrants…
Our resident Dramaturg Dr. Philippa Kelly asks: WILL PASSION BRING OUT THE ASS IN YOU? The moment Bottom gets entangled as the object of Titania’s passion, he’s transformed into an ass (‘Oh Bottom, thou art translated.’) Does passion ‘translate’ people into their beastly selves, blunting their reason at the service of…
The Zany Players of A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Mechanical is any of six characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream who perform the play-within-a-play “Pyramus and Thisbe,” and who are collectively known as the “Rude Mechanicals.” Named for their occupations as skilled manual laborers, they are a group of amateur actors from around Athens, looking to make names for…
Why Shakespeare Always Left ’em Dancing! The cast of the Globe Theatre’s Richard II led by Mark Rylance ends an evening of tragic history on the BBC with a rousing traditional dance: Audience members who’ve enjoyed our Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre productions, both live and onscreen, have noticed the actors ending the evening…
