CTG

  • The Politics of Silence

    The Politics of Silence

    This dialogue between Plantagenet and Mortimer seemingly comes out of nowhere, and it took me a minute to understand what was going on. The first line below struck me.

    MORTIMER

    With silence, nephew, be thou politic:
    Strong-fixed is the house of Lancaster,
    And like a mountain, not to be removed.
    But now thy uncle is removing hence:
    As princes do their courts, when they are cloy’d
    With long continuance in a settled place.

    King Henry VI, Act II, Scene 5

    This has wide application, and when I reflect on my own experiences silence is almost always the smarter move – silence along with patience. It’s often counterintuitive, but saying less, and often doing less is the harder thing, but brings the greatest reward.

    Leave a comment

  • Grand Theft Hamlet

    Grand Theft Hamlet

    Like I said, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

    Since starting, I’m finding Shakespeare everywhere. And I’m sure it has always been that way, but I’m only starting to pay attention now.

    I’ve been aware of Grand Theft Hamlet as a project for a bit now, and the actual movie is currently out in theaters in the US. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s available anywhere near me currently. I’ll have to wait for it on streaming.

    Here’s a review from Polygon – and also the New York Times.

    Leave a comment

  • The Blame Game

    The Blame Game

    When some calamity occurs, there’s that immediate urge to assign blame, to get it off of you and onto someone else. That is the first feeling that emerges. And it’s so easy to give into that.

    If you’ve been in enough situations like this, you eventually realize that the blame game is a waste of time. The task at hand is solving the problem, the new reality.

    Yes, we could have avoided this if only…

    I told you that…

    This wasn’t my responsibility…

    It’s easy to get wrapped up in the blame game, but it takes maturity to see how useless that is and focus on the new task at hand, as Joan does here.

    CHARLES

    Duke of Alencon, this was your default,
    That, being captain of the watch to-night,
    Did look no better to that weighty charge.

    ALENCON

    Had all your quarters been as safely kept
    As that whereof I had the government,
    We had not been thus shamefully surprised.

    BASTARD OF ORLEANS

    Mine was secure.

    REIGNIER

    And so was mine, my lord.

    CHARLES

    And, for myself, most part of all this night,
    Within her quarter and mine own precinct
    I was employ’d in passing to and fro,
    About relieving of the sentinels:
    Then how or which way should they first break in?

    JOAN LA PUCELLE

    Question, my lords, no further of the case,
    How or which way: ’tis sure they found some place
    But weakly guarded, where the breach was made.
    And now there rests no other shift but this;
    To gather our soldiers, scatter’d and dispersed,
    And lay new platforms to endamage them.

    King Henry VI, Act II, Scene 1

    Leave a comment

  • Astraea’s Daughter

    Astraea’s Daughter

    Respect where respect is due.

    CHARLES

    Divinest creature, Astraea’s daughter,
    How shall I honour thee for this success?
    Thy promises are like Adonis’ gardens
    That one day bloom’d and fruitful were the next.
    France, triumph in thy glorious prophetess!
    Recover’d is the town of Orleans:
    More blessed hap did ne’er befall our state.

    King Henry VI, Act I, Scene 6

    Leave a comment

  • Here they fight

    Here they fight

    I get Morpheus beckoning Neo vibes here.

    TALBOT

    Where is my strength, my valour, and my force?
    Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them:
    A woman clad in armour chaseth them.

    Re-enter JOAN LA PUCELLE

    Here, here she comes. I’ll have a bout with thee;
    Devil or devil’s dam, I’ll conjure thee:
    Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch,
    And straightway give thy soul to him thou servest.

    JOAN LA PUCELLE

    Come, come, ’tis only I that must disgrace thee.

    Here they fight

    King Henry VI, Act I, Scene 5

    Leave a comment

About
“Above all else, stay alive.” (more…)

Views my own.

Recent Posts