Challenge # 6 Othello vs Hamlet

(Updated Bracket! Click for Bigger View)

Battle # 5 Othello vs Hamlet

Welcome one welcome all to the 6th battle!!!
Thank you all for being patient during our brief hiatus. We hope you have not all lost hope for your favorite contestant, but instead have been busy inspiring more supporters to help vote!!
Today we have a wonderful match up for your viewing pleasure that is sure to bring not only the laughs, but the votes!!

Before we begin today's match we will be reviewing the rules/concept for those of you playing at home. Twice a week we will be pitting two of Shakespeare's most classic plays against each other in a no holds 'bard' contest to answer the age old question
WHAT IS THE GREATEST SHAKESPEARE PLAY EVER?!?!??!
While some plays might be 'deeper' or more technically written this contest is worried not about those things. Our contest comes right down to what you, the readers, feel in your heart of hearts is the most deserving for the crown. So make sure to carefully weigh your decisions and aim true before selecting your choice. (The poll can be found directly to the top left of the page).

The comedy battles will take place every Monday while Friday will hold the tragedies. You will have 3 days time to vote on each match up so don't dillydally. However we encourage you in that 3 days to do a little outside research of your own. Maybe watch a movie version, find a fun tv. parody, or even actually read a bit of the play (gasp!). However if you don't feel like going the extra mile, we will be providing you with a cornucopia of information for each play to guide you in your quest.

The path is sure to be long and hard but fear not, your efforts shall be rewarded in the end!! This week marks the begging of the 'first tier' of battles. For those who filled out their brackets, each correct guess in this tier will earn you one point towards the grand prize.
LAST WEEKS WINNERS:
The Tempest

So for those of you who have true vision in your hearts, you have earned yourself one point towards the GRAND PRIZE!! for each correct guess. As the battle gets a little further into the game, we will be providing some stats about point leaders.

Now that you have heard the rules it is time to bring today's competitors! So break out your foam fingers, practice your iambic pentameter, and let's get ready to rummmbbllleeeeee in.....

The Battle of the Bards!

vs

Othello:

Weighing in at: 3323 lines

First Appearance: 1603

Short Summary: Iago plotting, green eyed monsters, strawberry handkerchiefs

Longer Summary:

The play opens with Iago, a cruel, whining, complainer, complaining to his friend Roderigo that Othello, his Commander, has passed him over to promote the handsome young Cassio to be his Lieutenant. And Iago is PISSED. Iago first tries to get Othello in trouble for marrying his love Desdemona by telling her father. However her dad gets over it and Iago must find another way to get revenge.

So the next plan that Iago devises, is to make Othello believe that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him. Step one of the plan: get Cassio Fired. Step 2: Encourage Cassio to ask Desdemona to plead with Othello to be reinstated. Step 3: Throw the idea out there that Cassio and Desi are lovers. Step 5: Get Othello angry enough to kill Cassio in revenge.

So to help him along with the last steps of the plan, Iago plants plants a hankerchief in Cassio's room. Only problem is that the hankerchief was a gift from Othello....and he isn't too pleased when Desi can't find it. Cassio gives it to his mistress, Bianca. Othello believes Bianca's possession of the handkerchief is proof that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers.

By this point in the plan Iago has manipulated Roderigo into trying to kill Cassio. The attempt goes wrong, and Cassio wounds Roderigo so Iago stabs Cassio in the leg. Othello hears Cassio cry out and thinks Iago has killed him, which makes him happy. He returns home, ready to kill Desdemona for cheating. Iago quietly kills Roderigo and sends Emilia (Iago's wife) to Desdemona with news of what has happened.

Othello reaches the sleeping Desdemona first. He kisses her, wakes her, and accuses her of cheating again. Over her protests that she loves him and is innocent, he smothers her (SOB). Emilia enters and Desdemona revives for a moment, declaring herself guiltless but saying, as she dies, that Othello is innocent of her death. Iago and others enter, and Emilia defends Desdemona's innocence, and kind of like Tim Curry in clue... reveals how Iago planned the whole thing. Othello sees the truth and tries to kill Iago. Iago kills Emilia and flees; Othello kills himself in sadness.

Wow even taht summary is pretty sad. Now imagine actually reading the whole play.

Beautiful Quotes:

• I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
  For daws to peck at.

• Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.

• O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
  It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
  The meat it feeds on.

Here is a clip from one of my all time favorite movie adaptions of Othello. Here, we see one of the many scenes where Iago (played by Kenneth Branagh) breaks the 4th wall and speaks directly to the audience, which he does many times in the play. It makes you feel his evilness ever more. Did you get goosebumps? I sure did.

Alright folks we hope that you can see through your tears enough to read about our next contestant. It is sure to put up a good fight.


Hamlet
Weighing in at: 3834 lines
First Appearance: 1599-1601
Shortish Summary: madness, poison, death death death (Sounds like a good band name)
Very long summary:

So as you may have guessed, the main character of this play is in fact Hamlet. Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark but despite that his life kind of sucks. His dad was recently murdered by his uncle Cladius, who then went and married his mom. Ouch. Needless to say Hamlet is having a rough time, which isn't made easier when in the opening of the play Hamlet's dad comes back to the grave to tell his son to avenge his death.

'That Polonius guy' is Claudius' trusted chief counselor; his son, Laertes, is returning to France, and his daughter, Ophelia, is courted by Hamlet. Things seem to be going well between the two until everyone tries to convince her that Hamlet isn't feeling it. Ophelia gets even more confused when Hamlet busts into her room right after seeing the ghost, says nothing, then leaves. It is about this point that both Hamlet and Ophelia start to loose their marbles a bit.

Hamlet's mom is worried about hamlet's crazy behavior,so she has Claudius send for two of Hamlet's acquaintances —Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (featured in The Good Books Club pick this month!!!) —to discover the cause of Hamlet's changed behavior. Hamlet is pumped to see his friends, but figures out pretty quickly that they were sent there to spy on him.

In a famous scene Claudius and Polonius convince Ophelia to get Hamlet in a room and speak to her, while they listen in on the conversation. When Hamlet enters Ophelia gets him all worked up upon which Hamlet questions her honesty and furiously rants at her, and drops the famous line: "get thee to a nunnery".

So around this point Hamlet is starting to wonder if the ghost that he saw in the opening was actually his dad. To figure it out he stages a play, re-enacting his father's murder, to determine Claudius's guilt or innocence by studying his reaction. At the part where his dad 'dies' Cladius storms out of the room. Guilltttty.

Gertrude summons Hamlet to her closet to demand an explanation. Upon reaching the queen, an argument erupts between Hamlet and Gertrude. Polonius, who is spying on them is now pretty convinced along with everyone else that Hamlet is a lunatic. Hamlet hears him hiding and stabs him thinking it is Cladius!! The ghost reaapears to Hamlet and tells him to be nice to his mom, but not to finish what he started with Cladius. Of course, his mom can't hear the ghost, so now she reallly thinks Hamlet is nuts.

Claudius, fearing for his life, and finally holding a legitimate excuse to get rid of the prince, makes plans to send Hamlet to England on a diplomatic pretext, closely watched by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Alone, Claudius discloses that he is sending Hamlet to his death. A few things happen though and Hamlet realizes he is being lazy and decides to finally get around to killing Cladius.

Laertes, son of Polonius rolls back into france pissed because his dad is dead and his sister has pretty much gone nuts. Claudius convinces Laertes that everything is Hamlets fault so they make a plan to kill him.

A few things happen between the plot and the end that make everyone not just Hamlet's mom believe that Hamlet has lost it (including him flinging himself into Ophelia's grave after she drowns herself). The play ends with pretty much every one dying including Hamlet who has now realized there really is no control over anything in the world.

Fun Facts

• Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play.

• Many books and have been based off of Hamlet (some only supposedly), including

-The Fathers Club (novel)

-The Manchurian Candidate (movie)

-Ghost (movie)

-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead(play)

-The Lion King (movie)

Amazing Quotes:

• "This above all: to thine own self be true,
  And it must follow, as the night the day,
  Thou canst not then be false to any man."

-Said by "that Polonius guy" not Hamlet

• "Our wills and fates do so contrary run that our devices still are over thrown; Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own."

• "For some must watch, while some must sleep: So runs the world away."

Now here is the plot of Hamlet in one minute in a rap that will probably make you pee your pants. Don't let this video fool you into thinking this play is a comedy though....it is pure tragedy at its finest.


There you go folks!!! For those of you participating in the Good Books Club, make sure to take extra care when reading the Hamlet summary, as it will be helpful when reading the play. Monday starts our final week of tier 1 battles so make sure to get those votes in while you can!!!

-mischief managed-

Challenge # 6 Othello vs Hamlet

(Updated Bracket! Click for Bigger View)

Battle # 5 Othello vs Hamlet

Welcome one welcome all to the 6th battle!!!
Thank you all for being patient during our brief hiatus. We hope you have not all lost hope for your favorite contestant, but instead have been busy inspiring more supporters to help vote!!
Today we have a wonderful match up for your viewing pleasure that is sure to bring not only the laughs, but the votes!!

Before we begin today's match we will be reviewing the rules/concept for those of you playing at home. Twice a week we will be pitting two of Shakespeare's most classic plays against each other in a no holds 'bard' contest to answer the age old question
WHAT IS THE GREATEST SHAKESPEARE PLAY EVER?!?!??!
While some plays might be 'deeper' or more technically written this contest is worried not about those things. Our contest comes right down to what you, the readers, feel in your heart of hearts is the most deserving for the crown. So make sure to carefully weigh your decisions and aim true before selecting your choice. (The poll can be found directly to the top left of the page).

The comedy battles will take place every Monday while Friday will hold the tragedies. You will have 3 days time to vote on each match up so don't dillydally. However we encourage you in that 3 days to do a little outside research of your own. Maybe watch a movie version, find a fun tv. parody, or even actually read a bit of the play (gasp!). However if you don't feel like going the extra mile, we will be providing you with a cornucopia of information for each play to guide you in your quest.

The path is sure to be long and hard but fear not, your efforts shall be rewarded in the end!! This week marks the begging of the 'first tier' of battles. For those who filled out their brackets, each correct guess in this tier will earn you one point towards the grand prize.
LAST WEEKS WINNERS:
The Tempest

So for those of you who have true vision in your hearts, you have earned yourself one point towards the GRAND PRIZE!! for each correct guess. As the battle gets a little further into the game, we will be providing some stats about point leaders.

Now that you have heard the rules it is time to bring today's competitors! So break out your foam fingers, practice your iambic pentameter, and let's get ready to rummmbbllleeeeee in.....

The Battle of the Bards!

vs

Othello:

Weighing in at: 3323 lines

First Appearance: 1603

Short Summary: Iago plotting, green eyed monsters, strawberry handkerchiefs

Longer Summary:

The play opens with Iago, a cruel, whining, complainer, complaining to his friend Roderigo that Othello, his Commander, has passed him over to promote the handsome young Cassio to be his Lieutenant. And Iago is PISSED. Iago first tries to get Othello in trouble for marrying his love Desdemona by telling her father. However her dad gets over it and Iago must find another way to get revenge.

So the next plan that Iago devises, is to make Othello believe that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him. Step one of the plan: get Cassio Fired. Step 2: Encourage Cassio to ask Desdemona to plead with Othello to be reinstated. Step 3: Throw the idea out there that Cassio and Desi are lovers. Step 5: Get Othello angry enough to kill Cassio in revenge.

So to help him along with the last steps of the plan, Iago plants plants a hankerchief in Cassio's room. Only problem is that the hankerchief was a gift from Othello....and he isn't too pleased when Desi can't find it. Cassio gives it to his mistress, Bianca. Othello believes Bianca's possession of the handkerchief is proof that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers.

By this point in the plan Iago has manipulated Roderigo into trying to kill Cassio. The attempt goes wrong, and Cassio wounds Roderigo so Iago stabs Cassio in the leg. Othello hears Cassio cry out and thinks Iago has killed him, which makes him happy. He returns home, ready to kill Desdemona for cheating. Iago quietly kills Roderigo and sends Emilia (Iago's wife) to Desdemona with news of what has happened.

Othello reaches the sleeping Desdemona first. He kisses her, wakes her, and accuses her of cheating again. Over her protests that she loves him and is innocent, he smothers her (SOB). Emilia enters and Desdemona revives for a moment, declaring herself guiltless but saying, as she dies, that Othello is innocent of her death. Iago and others enter, and Emilia defends Desdemona's innocence, and kind of like Tim Curry in clue... reveals how Iago planned the whole thing. Othello sees the truth and tries to kill Iago. Iago kills Emilia and flees; Othello kills himself in sadness.

Wow even taht summary is pretty sad. Now imagine actually reading the whole play.

Beautiful Quotes:

• I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
  For daws to peck at.

• Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.

• O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
  It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
  The meat it feeds on.

Here is a clip from one of my all time favorite movie adaptions of Othello. Here, we see one of the many scenes where Iago (played by Kenneth Branagh) breaks the 4th wall and speaks directly to the audience, which he does many times in the play. It makes you feel his evilness ever more. Did you get goosebumps? I sure did.

Alright folks we hope that you can see through your tears enough to read about our next contestant. It is sure to put up a good fight.


Hamlet
Weighing in at: 3834 lines
First Appearance: 1599-1601
Shortish Summary: madness, poison, death death death (Sounds like a good band name)
Very long summary:

So as you may have guessed, the main character of this play is in fact Hamlet. Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark but despite that his life kind of sucks. His dad was recently murdered by his uncle Cladius, who then went and married his mom. Ouch. Needless to say Hamlet is having a rough time, which isn't made easier when in the opening of the play Hamlet's dad comes back to the grave to tell his son to avenge his death.

'That Polonius guy' is Claudius' trusted chief counselor; his son, Laertes, is returning to France, and his daughter, Ophelia, is courted by Hamlet. Things seem to be going well between the two until everyone tries to convince her that Hamlet isn't feeling it. Ophelia gets even more confused when Hamlet busts into her room right after seeing the ghost, says nothing, then leaves. It is about this point that both Hamlet and Ophelia start to loose their marbles a bit.

Hamlet's mom is worried about hamlet's crazy behavior,so she has Claudius send for two of Hamlet's acquaintances —Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (featured in The Good Books Club pick this month!!!) —to discover the cause of Hamlet's changed behavior. Hamlet is pumped to see his friends, but figures out pretty quickly that they were sent there to spy on him.

In a famous scene Claudius and Polonius convince Ophelia to get Hamlet in a room and speak to her, while they listen in on the conversation. When Hamlet enters Ophelia gets him all worked up upon which Hamlet questions her honesty and furiously rants at her, and drops the famous line: "get thee to a nunnery".

So around this point Hamlet is starting to wonder if the ghost that he saw in the opening was actually his dad. To figure it out he stages a play, re-enacting his father's murder, to determine Claudius's guilt or innocence by studying his reaction. At the part where his dad 'dies' Cladius storms out of the room. Guilltttty.

Gertrude summons Hamlet to her closet to demand an explanation. Upon reaching the queen, an argument erupts between Hamlet and Gertrude. Polonius, who is spying on them is now pretty convinced along with everyone else that Hamlet is a lunatic. Hamlet hears him hiding and stabs him thinking it is Cladius!! The ghost reaapears to Hamlet and tells him to be nice to his mom, but not to finish what he started with Cladius. Of course, his mom can't hear the ghost, so now she reallly thinks Hamlet is nuts.

Claudius, fearing for his life, and finally holding a legitimate excuse to get rid of the prince, makes plans to send Hamlet to England on a diplomatic pretext, closely watched by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Alone, Claudius discloses that he is sending Hamlet to his death. A few things happen though and Hamlet realizes he is being lazy and decides to finally get around to killing Cladius.

Laertes, son of Polonius rolls back into france pissed because his dad is dead and his sister has pretty much gone nuts. Claudius convinces Laertes that everything is Hamlets fault so they make a plan to kill him.

A few things happen between the plot and the end that make everyone not just Hamlet's mom believe that Hamlet has lost it (including him flinging himself into Ophelia's grave after she drowns herself). The play ends with pretty much every one dying including Hamlet who has now realized there really is no control over anything in the world.

Fun Facts

• Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play.

• Many books and have been based off of Hamlet (some only supposedly), including

-The Fathers Club (novel)

-The Manchurian Candidate (movie)

-Ghost (movie)

-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead(play)

-The Lion King (movie)

Amazing Quotes:

• "This above all: to thine own self be true,
  And it must follow, as the night the day,
  Thou canst not then be false to any man."

-Said by "that Polonius guy" not Hamlet

• "Our wills and fates do so contrary run that our devices still are over thrown; Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own."

• "For some must watch, while some must sleep: So runs the world away."

Now here is the plot of Hamlet in one minute in a rap that will probably make you pee your pants. Don't let this video fool you into thinking this play is a comedy though....it is pure tragedy at its finest.


There you go folks!!! For those of you participating in the Good Books Club, make sure to take extra care when reading the Hamlet summary, as it will be helpful when reading the play. Monday starts our final week of tier 1 battles so make sure to get those votes in while you can!!!

-mischief managed-

Battle # 5 The Tempest Vs. The Comedy of Errors

(Updated Bracket! Click for Bigger View)

Battle # 5 The Tempest vs The Comedy of Errors

Welcome one welcome all to the 5th battle!!!
Today we have a wonderful matchup for your viewing pleasure that is sure to bring not only the laughs, but the votes!!

Before we begin today's match we will be reviewing the rules/concept for those of you playing at home. Twice a week we will be pitting two of Shakespeare's most classic plays against each other in a no holds 'bard' contest to answer the age old question
WHAT IS THE GREATEST SHAKESPEARE PLAY EVER?!?!??!
While some plays might be 'deeper' or more technically written this contest is worried not about those things. Our contest comes right down to what you, the readers, feel in your heart of hearts is the most deserving for the crown. So make sure to carefully weigh your decisions and aim true before selecting your choice. (The poll can be found directly to the top left of the page).

The comedy battles will take place every Monday while Friday will hold the tragedies. You will have 3 days time to vote on each match up so don't dillydally. However we encourage you in that 3 days to do a little outside research of your own. Maybe watch a movie version, find a fun tv. parody, or even actually read a bit of the play (gasp!). However if you don't feel like going the extra mile, we will be providing you with a cornucopia of information for each play to guide you in your quest.

The path is sure to be long and hard but fear not, your efforts shall be rewarded in the end!! This week marks the begging of the 'first tier' of battles. For those who filled out their brackets, each correct guess in this tier will earn you one point towards the grand prize.
LAST WEEKS WINNERS:
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Macbeth

So for those of you who have true vision in your hearts, you have earned yourself one point towards the GRAND PRIZE!! for each correct guess. As the battle gets a little further into the game, we will be providing some stats about point leaders.

Now that you have heard the rules it is time to bring today's competitors! So break out your foam fingers, practice your iambic pentameter, and let's get ready to rummmbbllleeeeee in.....

The Battle of the Bards!

vs

The Tempest

Weighing in at: 2085 lines
First appearance:1610-1611
Short Summary: magical men, shipwrecks, angry spirit women
Longer Summary:
Sooo once their was a magician named Prospero, who happened to be the rightful Duke of Milan. Him and his daughter Miranda were stuck on an island after Prospero's jerk brother Antonio stuck him and his kid there along with the help of Alonso, the king of Naples. What they didn't know is that the King's counselor, had secretly supplied their boat with plenty of food, water, clothes and the most-prized books from Prospero's library (thank god!)

Possessing magic powers due to his learning, and is reluctantly served by a spirit, Ariel. Her son, Caliban, a deformed monster and the only non-spiritual inhabitant before the arrival of Prospero, was initially adopted and raised by him. However Caliban made a pretty big mistake and ends up being the servant of Prospero and his daughter. They all mutually hate each other.

(Miranda of the Rocks)

The play opens as Prospero can tell that his brother Antonio is on a ship passing close by the island. He raises a tempest (storm) which causes the ship to crash. Also on the ship are Antonio's friend and fellow conspirator, King Alonso of Naples, Alonso's brother and son (Sebastian and Ferdinand), and Alonso's advisor, Gonzalo. Prospero, with his magic, separates the survivors of the wreck into several groups. Alonso and Ferdinand are separated and believe one another to be dead (Merlin's Beard!).

Three plots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban falls in with Stephano and Trinculo, two drunkards, whom he believes to have come from the moon. They attempt to raise a rebellion against Prospero, which ultimately fails. In another, Prospero works to establish a romantic relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda; the two fall immediately in love, but Prospero just ends up making him a servant. In the third subplot, Antonio and Sebastian conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that Sebastian can become King. But Prospero has magic on his side and ends up getting his spirit servant to lead the men closer to his side of the island.

At the end everyone shows up in the same spot together. Prospero forgives everyone and tells Ariel to prepare the weather for their return. After discharging this task, Ariel will finally be free. They all have party the night before they leave!

Prospero has resolved to break and bury his staff, and "drown" his book of magic, and in his epilogue, shorn of his magic powers, he invites the audience to set him free from the island with their applause.

Fun Facts:
Prospero frequently hints at his plans to bring his enemies before him and to confront them for their treachery. Prospero also hints at his plans to relinquish his magic once he has confronted and forgiven his enemies. It is fun to try and pick up on it.

Interesting Quotes:

• "Hell is empty
  And all the devils are here."
• We are such stuff
  As dreams are made on; and our little life
  Is rounded with a sleep. <3
• O, wonder!
  How many goodly creatures are there here!
  How beauteous mankind is!

Here we have a fun video game version of the Tempest. While it might pick up on the humor of the play, this is actually a great representation of the play. Check it out!

Alright folks the first contestant is ready and willing to take on our next competitor, which promises to bring it's own tempest of laughter right along!


The Comedy of Errors
Weighing in at: 1787
First Appearance: 1592-94
Shortish Summary: twin twins, mistaken identities, concubines
Longggger Summary:

Egeon faces execution in Ephesus, unless he can pay a fine of a thousand bucks. He tries to get out of it by telling a sad story. When he was young he married and had twin sons. On the same day, a poor woman also gave birth to twin boys, and he purchased these as slaves to his sons. Soon afterwards, the family made a sea voyage, and was hit by a Tempest (COINCIDENCE!?). Egeon lashed himself to the main-mast with one son and one slave, while his wife was rescued by one boat, Egeon by another. Egeon never again saw his wife, or the children with her. Recently, his son Antipholus, now grown, and his son’s slave Dromio left Syracuse on a quest to find their brothers. They took forever to come back so Egeon went to look for them.

Solinus, the duke listening to the story is moved and gives Egeon one day to pay his fine.

That same day, Antipholus in Ephesus, searching for his brother. He sends Dromio to deposit some money at an inn. He is confounded when the identical Dromio shows up almost immediately, denying any knowledge of the money and asking him home to dinner, where his wife is waiting. Antipholus, thinking his servant is making insubordinate jokes, beats Dromio (I'm already cracking up).

Dromio of Ephesus returns to his mistress, Adriana, saying that her "husband" refused to come home, and even pretended not to know her. Adriana, concerned that her husband's is cheating on her is now pretty positive.

Antipholus of Syracuse, who complains "I could not speak with Dromio since at first I sent him from the mart," meets up with Dromio who now denies making a "joke" about Antipholus having a wife. Antipholus begins beating him. Suddenly, Adriana rushes up to Antipholus and begs him not to leave her. The Syracusans cannot but attribute these strange events to witchcraft, remarking that Ephesus is known as a warren for witches. Antipholus and Dromio go off with this strange woman, to eat dinner and keep the gate, respectively.

Antipholus of Ephesus returns home for dinner and is enraged to find that he is rudely refused entry to his own house by Dromio of Syracuse, guarding the door. He is ready to break down the door, but his friends persuade him not to make a scene. He decides, instead, to dine with a Courtesan (woman of questionable morals).

Inside the house, Antipholus of Syracuse discovers that he is very attracted to his wife's sister, Luciana. She is flattered but doesn't think its a good idea. After she exits, Dromio of Syracuse announces that he has discovered that he has a wife: Nell, a hideous kitchen-maid. He describes her as "spherical, like a globe; I could find out countries in her...buttocks: I found it out by the bogs." He claims he has discovered America and the Indies "upon her nose all o'er embellished with rubies, carbuncles, sapphires, declining their rich aspect to the hot breath of Spain; who sent whole armadoes of caracks to be ballast at her nose." This is one of Shakespeare's few references to America. The Syracusans decide to leave as soon as possible, and Dromio runs off to make travel plans. Antipholus is apprehended by Angelo, a goldsmith, who claims that he ordered a chain from him. Antipholus is forced to accept the chain, and Angelo says that he will return for payment.

Antipholus of Ephesus dispatches Dromio to purchase a rope so that he can beat his wife Adriana for locking him but Angelo rolls up wanting his money. He denies ever seeing it, and is promptly arrested. Antipholus dispatches Dromio back to Adriana's house to get money for his bail.

After completing this errand, Dromio of Syracuse mistakenly delivers the money to Antipholus of Syracuse. The Courtesan spies Antipholus wearing the gold chain, and says he promised it to her. He is undoubtedly confused. The Courtesan resolves to tell Adriana that her husband is insane. Dromio of Ephesus returns to the arrested Antipholus of Ephesus, with the rope. Antipholus is pissed. Adriana, Luciana and the Courtesan enter with a conjurer named Pinch, who tries to exorcise the Ephesians, who are bound and taken to Adriana's house. The Syracusans enter, carrying swords, and everybody runs off for fear: believing that they are the Ephesians, out for vengeance after somehow escaping their bonds. Adriana reappears with henchmen, who attempt to bind the Syracusans. They take sanctuary in a nearby priory, where the Abbess resolutely protects them.

The Duke and Egeon enter, on their way to Egeon's execution. Adriana begs the Duke to force the Abbess to release her husband. Then, a messenger from Adriana's house runs in and announces that the Ephesians have broken loose from their bonds and tortured Doctor Pinch. The Ephesians enter and ask the Duke for justice against Adriana. Egeon believes he has found his own son, Antipholus, who will be able to bail him, but both Ephesians deny having ever seen him before.

Suddenly, the Abbess enters with the Syracusan twins, and everyone begins to understand the confused events of the day. Not only are the two sets of twins reunited, but the Abbess reveals that she is Egeon's wife, Emilia. The Duke pardons Egeon. All exit into the abbey to celebrate the reunification of the family.

Whewwww. Complicated much? We promise that in the book it is much easier to keep everyone straight. Also live versions have great ways of helping you along so if you are interested you should take a look at a stage production.

Fun Facts:

• The popular TV show "The X-Files" features an episode called "Fight Club", the story of which heavily parallels many elements from A Comedy of errors. The episode revolves around two sets of identical twins: The first - Lulu Pfeiffer/Betty Templeton are both portrayed by Kathy Griffin. The second set of twins are portrayed by Randall "Tex" Cobb. Much of the story also mirrors A comedy of errors in that there are many cases of mistaken identity, misplaced money, and disaster abounds whenever the sets of identical twins get near each other.

Interesting Quotes:

• A wretched soul, bruis'd with adversity,
  We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;
  But, were we burden'd with like weight of pain,
  As much or more we should ourselves complain.

This is a pretty hilarious modern interpretation done by the RSC. Julie Dench is in it!

There you have it folks!! Which play will come out laughing in the end? Only you can decide!! As always we encourage comments, questions, and personal anecdotes to help others with the decision process.

AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET!!
To tell all of your friends to help with the voting process. The more votes, the more intense the battles will get!!!

-mischief managed-

Battle # 5 The Tempest Vs. The Comedy of Errors

(Updated Bracket! Click for Bigger View)

Battle # 5 The Tempest vs The Comedy of Errors

Welcome one welcome all to the 5th battle!!!
Today we have a wonderful matchup for your viewing pleasure that is sure to bring not only the laughs, but the votes!!

Before we begin today's match we will be reviewing the rules/concept for those of you playing at home. Twice a week we will be pitting two of Shakespeare's most classic plays against each other in a no holds 'bard' contest to answer the age old question
WHAT IS THE GREATEST SHAKESPEARE PLAY EVER?!?!??!
While some plays might be 'deeper' or more technically written this contest is worried not about those things. Our contest comes right down to what you, the readers, feel in your heart of hearts is the most deserving for the crown. So make sure to carefully weigh your decisions and aim true before selecting your choice. (The poll can be found directly to the top left of the page).

The comedy battles will take place every Monday while Friday will hold the tragedies. You will have 3 days time to vote on each match up so don't dillydally. However we encourage you in that 3 days to do a little outside research of your own. Maybe watch a movie version, find a fun tv. parody, or even actually read a bit of the play (gasp!). However if you don't feel like going the extra mile, we will be providing you with a cornucopia of information for each play to guide you in your quest.

The path is sure to be long and hard but fear not, your efforts shall be rewarded in the end!! This week marks the begging of the 'first tier' of battles. For those who filled out their brackets, each correct guess in this tier will earn you one point towards the grand prize.
LAST WEEKS WINNERS:
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Macbeth

So for those of you who have true vision in your hearts, you have earned yourself one point towards the GRAND PRIZE!! for each correct guess. As the battle gets a little further into the game, we will be providing some stats about point leaders.

Now that you have heard the rules it is time to bring today's competitors! So break out your foam fingers, practice your iambic pentameter, and let's get ready to rummmbbllleeeeee in.....

The Battle of the Bards!

vs

The Tempest

Weighing in at: 2085 lines
First appearance:1610-1611
Short Summary: magical men, shipwrecks, angry spirit women
Longer Summary:
Sooo once their was a magician named Prospero, who happened to be the rightful Duke of Milan. Him and his daughter Miranda were stuck on an island after Prospero's jerk brother Antonio stuck him and his kid there along with the help of Alonso, the king of Naples. What they didn't know is that the King's counselor, had secretly supplied their boat with plenty of food, water, clothes and the most-prized books from Prospero's library (thank god!)

Possessing magic powers due to his learning, and is reluctantly served by a spirit, Ariel. Her son, Caliban, a deformed monster and the only non-spiritual inhabitant before the arrival of Prospero, was initially adopted and raised by him. However Caliban made a pretty big mistake and ends up being the servant of Prospero and his daughter. They all mutually hate each other.

(Miranda of the Rocks)

The play opens as Prospero can tell that his brother Antonio is on a ship passing close by the island. He raises a tempest (storm) which causes the ship to crash. Also on the ship are Antonio's friend and fellow conspirator, King Alonso of Naples, Alonso's brother and son (Sebastian and Ferdinand), and Alonso's advisor, Gonzalo. Prospero, with his magic, separates the survivors of the wreck into several groups. Alonso and Ferdinand are separated and believe one another to be dead (Merlin's Beard!).

Three plots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban falls in with Stephano and Trinculo, two drunkards, whom he believes to have come from the moon. They attempt to raise a rebellion against Prospero, which ultimately fails. In another, Prospero works to establish a romantic relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda; the two fall immediately in love, but Prospero just ends up making him a servant. In the third subplot, Antonio and Sebastian conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that Sebastian can become King. But Prospero has magic on his side and ends up getting his spirit servant to lead the men closer to his side of the island.

At the end everyone shows up in the same spot together. Prospero forgives everyone and tells Ariel to prepare the weather for their return. After discharging this task, Ariel will finally be free. They all have party the night before they leave!

Prospero has resolved to break and bury his staff, and "drown" his book of magic, and in his epilogue, shorn of his magic powers, he invites the audience to set him free from the island with their applause.

Fun Facts:
Prospero frequently hints at his plans to bring his enemies before him and to confront them for their treachery. Prospero also hints at his plans to relinquish his magic once he has confronted and forgiven his enemies. It is fun to try and pick up on it.

Interesting Quotes:

• "Hell is empty
  And all the devils are here."
• We are such stuff
  As dreams are made on; and our little life
  Is rounded with a sleep. <3
• O, wonder!
  How many goodly creatures are there here!
  How beauteous mankind is!

Here we have a fun video game version of the Tempest. While it might pick up on the humor of the play, this is actually a great representation of the play. Check it out!

Alright folks the first contestant is ready and willing to take on our next competitor, which promises to bring it's own tempest of laughter right along!


The Comedy of Errors
Weighing in at: 1787
First Appearance: 1592-94
Shortish Summary: twin twins, mistaken identities, concubines
Longggger Summary:

Egeon faces execution in Ephesus, unless he can pay a fine of a thousand bucks. He tries to get out of it by telling a sad story. When he was young he married and had twin sons. On the same day, a poor woman also gave birth to twin boys, and he purchased these as slaves to his sons. Soon afterwards, the family made a sea voyage, and was hit by a Tempest (COINCIDENCE!?). Egeon lashed himself to the main-mast with one son and one slave, while his wife was rescued by one boat, Egeon by another. Egeon never again saw his wife, or the children with her. Recently, his son Antipholus, now grown, and his son’s slave Dromio left Syracuse on a quest to find their brothers. They took forever to come back so Egeon went to look for them.

Solinus, the duke listening to the story is moved and gives Egeon one day to pay his fine.

That same day, Antipholus in Ephesus, searching for his brother. He sends Dromio to deposit some money at an inn. He is confounded when the identical Dromio shows up almost immediately, denying any knowledge of the money and asking him home to dinner, where his wife is waiting. Antipholus, thinking his servant is making insubordinate jokes, beats Dromio (I'm already cracking up).

Dromio of Ephesus returns to his mistress, Adriana, saying that her "husband" refused to come home, and even pretended not to know her. Adriana, concerned that her husband's is cheating on her is now pretty positive.

Antipholus of Syracuse, who complains "I could not speak with Dromio since at first I sent him from the mart," meets up with Dromio who now denies making a "joke" about Antipholus having a wife. Antipholus begins beating him. Suddenly, Adriana rushes up to Antipholus and begs him not to leave her. The Syracusans cannot but attribute these strange events to witchcraft, remarking that Ephesus is known as a warren for witches. Antipholus and Dromio go off with this strange woman, to eat dinner and keep the gate, respectively.

Antipholus of Ephesus returns home for dinner and is enraged to find that he is rudely refused entry to his own house by Dromio of Syracuse, guarding the door. He is ready to break down the door, but his friends persuade him not to make a scene. He decides, instead, to dine with a Courtesan (woman of questionable morals).

Inside the house, Antipholus of Syracuse discovers that he is very attracted to his wife's sister, Luciana. She is flattered but doesn't think its a good idea. After she exits, Dromio of Syracuse announces that he has discovered that he has a wife: Nell, a hideous kitchen-maid. He describes her as "spherical, like a globe; I could find out countries in her...buttocks: I found it out by the bogs." He claims he has discovered America and the Indies "upon her nose all o'er embellished with rubies, carbuncles, sapphires, declining their rich aspect to the hot breath of Spain; who sent whole armadoes of caracks to be ballast at her nose." This is one of Shakespeare's few references to America. The Syracusans decide to leave as soon as possible, and Dromio runs off to make travel plans. Antipholus is apprehended by Angelo, a goldsmith, who claims that he ordered a chain from him. Antipholus is forced to accept the chain, and Angelo says that he will return for payment.

Antipholus of Ephesus dispatches Dromio to purchase a rope so that he can beat his wife Adriana for locking him but Angelo rolls up wanting his money. He denies ever seeing it, and is promptly arrested. Antipholus dispatches Dromio back to Adriana's house to get money for his bail.

After completing this errand, Dromio of Syracuse mistakenly delivers the money to Antipholus of Syracuse. The Courtesan spies Antipholus wearing the gold chain, and says he promised it to her. He is undoubtedly confused. The Courtesan resolves to tell Adriana that her husband is insane. Dromio of Ephesus returns to the arrested Antipholus of Ephesus, with the rope. Antipholus is pissed. Adriana, Luciana and the Courtesan enter with a conjurer named Pinch, who tries to exorcise the Ephesians, who are bound and taken to Adriana's house. The Syracusans enter, carrying swords, and everybody runs off for fear: believing that they are the Ephesians, out for vengeance after somehow escaping their bonds. Adriana reappears with henchmen, who attempt to bind the Syracusans. They take sanctuary in a nearby priory, where the Abbess resolutely protects them.

The Duke and Egeon enter, on their way to Egeon's execution. Adriana begs the Duke to force the Abbess to release her husband. Then, a messenger from Adriana's house runs in and announces that the Ephesians have broken loose from their bonds and tortured Doctor Pinch. The Ephesians enter and ask the Duke for justice against Adriana. Egeon believes he has found his own son, Antipholus, who will be able to bail him, but both Ephesians deny having ever seen him before.

Suddenly, the Abbess enters with the Syracusan twins, and everyone begins to understand the confused events of the day. Not only are the two sets of twins reunited, but the Abbess reveals that she is Egeon's wife, Emilia. The Duke pardons Egeon. All exit into the abbey to celebrate the reunification of the family.

Whewwww. Complicated much? We promise that in the book it is much easier to keep everyone straight. Also live versions have great ways of helping you along so if you are interested you should take a look at a stage production.

Fun Facts:

• The popular TV show "The X-Files" features an episode called "Fight Club", the story of which heavily parallels many elements from A Comedy of errors. The episode revolves around two sets of identical twins: The first - Lulu Pfeiffer/Betty Templeton are both portrayed by Kathy Griffin. The second set of twins are portrayed by Randall "Tex" Cobb. Much of the story also mirrors A comedy of errors in that there are many cases of mistaken identity, misplaced money, and disaster abounds whenever the sets of identical twins get near each other.

Interesting Quotes:

• A wretched soul, bruis'd with adversity,
  We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;
  But, were we burden'd with like weight of pain,
  As much or more we should ourselves complain.

This is a pretty hilarious modern interpretation done by the RSC. Julie Dench is in it!

There you have it folks!! Which play will come out laughing in the end? Only you can decide!! As always we encourage comments, questions, and personal anecdotes to help others with the decision process.

AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET!!
To tell all of your friends to help with the voting process. The more votes, the more intense the battles will get!!!

-mischief managed-

Battle # 4 Macbeth vs. King Lear

Battle #4 - Macbeth vs. King Lear

Welcome, welcome one and all to the third and forth official day of the Battle of the Bards!!

Today is a very special day because we will be having a double.... that is right DOUBLE match up. Make sure to scroll down or use the convenient battle list to your right ----> to check out the match up from earlier today. It has already gotten pretty heated so don't forget to cast your votes for both plays!!
For official rules and as well as explanations to how the game works be sure to check any of the other posts. We are curretly still in the first tier of the brackets so each correct answer for today's battles will earn you one point torwards THE GRAND PRIZE!?!?
The path is sure to be long and hard but fear not, your efforts shall be rewarded in the end!

Now that you have heard the rules it is time to begin the second battle of the day! So break out your foam fingers, practice your iambic pentameter, and let's get ready to rummmbbllleeeeee in.....
The Battle of the Bards!!!!!

vs

First up we have a play that we hope you all know and love. Macbeth has been a front runner since the very beginning but that doesn't mean it has quite shaken off the black spot that King Lear is sure to provide!!

Macbeth
Weighing in at: 2113
First Appearance: 1603-1607
Shortish Summary: wicked witches, possible prophesies, amazingggg speeches.
Much longer summary:

The first act of this play is down right creepy. It starts with the Three Witches deciding that their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. In the following scene, a wounded captain reports to King Duncan of Scotland that his generals Macbeth and Banquo have just won a nice victory, and Macbeth gets all the praise.

The scene changes. Macbeth and Banquo enter, discussing the weather and their victory ... however the 3 witches show up and burst their happy bubble with some prophesies. Apparently Macbeth will be king and Banquo will have some sons... who will eventually kill a king A little later, they find out that Macbeth is now officially king of some random country! Go figure. The first prophecy is thus fulfilled. Immediately, Macbeth begins to harbor ambitions of becoming king of his land.

Macbeth tells his wife who comes up with a plan to kill the current king (Duncan). Macbeth objects but she tells him to suck it up and be a man. So sure enough Macbeth kills the king and frames the servants. Later when the body is discovered, Macbeth pretends to be socked and kills some guards in his fake rage. However the country is still minus one king so Macbeth (as foretold) steps up.

Despite his success, Macbeth remains uneasy about the prophecy about Banquo and hires someone to kill his sons. However there is a bit of a mix up and Banquo ends up dead and his son runs back to the castle. A little later while everyone is partying, Banquo's ghost shows up and sits in Macbeth's seat! However unfortunately for Macbeth, he is the only one that can see the ghost, leading everyone to think hes nuts.

Macbeth is freaking out by this point goes to see the Witches They conjure up three spirits with three further warnings and prophecies, which tell him he will "never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him". Since Macduff is in exile in England, thinks he golden, but just to be safe he locks up Macduffs family.

Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth becomes wracked with guilt from the crimes she and her husband have committed. In a famous scene, she sleepwalks and tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands, all the while speaking of the terrible things she knows.

In England, Malcolm and Macduff hear about the chaos going on at the castle and decide to return and take down Macbeth. Around this time Macbeth delivers a famous soliloquy ("Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" read it, it's amazing) uponhearing Lady Macbeth's killed herself.

There is a fight and Macbeth is beheaded by Macduff fulfilling the witches' prophesies. Sad.

Fun Facts:

- You can't even begin to imagine how prevalent this place is in our daily life. Just by reading the very short 'tomorrow, and tomorrow' speech you can find at least 10 modern day works that have taken their titles or used an allusion. Aldus Huxley even has a short book of esssay's with the same title. Just look around folks, you will be suprised how many modern day things actually comes from this play.

Amazing Quotes:

• "Stars, hide your fires:
  Let not light see my black and deep desires:
  The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be
  Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."

• Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One: two:
  why, then 'tis time to do't. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord,
  Fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who
  Knows it, when none can call our power accompt?
  Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?"

• "By the pricing of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."
  

Here we have a nice modern translation of the famous 'something wicked' scene, as told by our good friends: The Animaniacs.

Well folks Macbeth came out swinging. With powerful quotes and the odds on it's side Macbeth is looking confident. Can the next contestant give it a run for it's money?
In the left corner, representing all those oldies out there we have:

King Lear
Weighing in at : 3216 Lines
First Appearance: 1603-1606
Short Summary: stubborn old fathers, greedy daughters, dysfunctional family
Longish Summary:

Lear, who is really old, wants to retire. He decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan (two of his daughters) both say over and over they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases him. To bad for Lear, but the two good daughters are just lying to get what they want.

Cordelia (the 3rd daughter) is quiet but honest which annoys him. Gramps gets made, disinherits them, and divides the kingdom between the other two. Kent (some guy hanging around) objects to this unfair treatment. Lear throws another fit and kicks him out too. Cordelia's two suitors enter. Learning that she is disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, but the King of France is impressed by her honesty and marries her anyway (yay!)

Kent returns from exile in disguise under the name of Caius, and Lear hires him as a servant. Around this time King Lear is starting to pick up on the fact that his daughters think he is an old fool and is getting pretty upset.

Alot, and I meant alot of death follows. We won't include spoilers but just know this isn't a Disney movie. Some eye-gouging might be included. As people are plotting and scheming away, King Lear who has this time basically become senile, realizes that the whole world is corrupt and runs away from the kingdom.

(A lot happens between then and now) But long story short Lear ends up carrying one of his dead daughters bodies (no spoiler here) across the stage and promptly dies himself.

What follows is even more death, corruption, and madness but we don't want to give it all away. If you want to know which daughter makes it to the end, if King Lear gets his 'crazy' under control, or hear about the entire subplot of a war, then by all means rush out and pick yourself up a copy!!!

(click to make bigger)

Sadly dinosaurs are not included in the play

Fun Facts: (taken from here)

• Portions of a radio performance of the play on BBC Radio 3 in the UK were used by John Lennon in The Beatles' song "I Am the Walrus", starting at about the halfway point, but most audible towards the end and during the long fadeout. Lennon added the BBC audio (live as it was being broadcast) during mixing of the track. The character Oswald's exhortation, "bury my body", as well as his lament, "O, untimely death!" (Act IV, Scene VI) were interpreted by fans as further pieces of evidence that band member Paul McCartney was dead.
• A lake in Watermead Country Park, Leicestershire is named King Lear's Lake, owing to its proximity of the legendary burial tomb of King Lear.
  
• At the beginning of the video game Final Fantasy IX, the play 'I Want To Be Your Canary' played in front of Queen Brahne is heavily inspired from King Lear (the two plays share both the characters' names and the plot) .

Fun Quotes:

• Come not between the dragon and his wrath.

• A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears

• The weight of this sad time we must obey;
  Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
  The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
  Shall never see so much, nor live so long.

Finally for your viewing pleasure, we have some meerkat's a reading passage from King Lear because.... well why not?

Alright Bard lover's are you crying yet? If so, probably out of frustration on which play to pick. We encourage all of you to leave your comments, questions, personal anecdotes, etc to help others, and possibly yourselves to make up your minds! As always we encourage you to go above and beyond and possibly pick up the plays or at the very least, google some quotes. You might just be amazed at what you find!!