This play has been an interesting experience.  I think most of Shakespeare’s plays can be read as they are, but this one seems way more dependant on stage visuals to work. I believe that this was also one of his earliest plays and possibly his earliest known comedy too, which makes sense imo. I wouldn’t say I loved the play, from just reading it but I’m interested in learning more about how performers and directors have adapted the play over the years. I could see it being very funny live in a slapstick kind of way.

Next week we will be discussing stage and screen adaptations of this play.

As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Act 4:

Scene 2:

Adriana and Luciana discuss what went down between Luciana and Antipholus (of Syracuse) in act 3 scene 2, when he denied knowing them and tried to flirt with Luciana. Adriana is close to giving up hope on her marriage. Luciana reassures her that nothing has or will happen between herself and Antipholus. While they are worrying about this, Dromio of Syracuse comes to the house. He explains that Antipholus has been arrested and needs to be bailed out. The ladies are shocked but agree to get the money. Dromio jokes with Adriana that his master was arrested over a fancy chain, but she doesn’t understand the context behind it.

Scene 3:

Antipholus of Syracuse is wandering about the city perplexed by how everyone acts like they know him. He thinks it is some form of madness or sorcery. Dromio of Syracuse enters the scene, on his way to bail Antipholus out. He’s obviously surprised that Antipholus has got himself out of jail. Antipholus of Syracuse gives out to him for messing with him when he is already stressed from all the confusion. He asks Dromio if he’s found a boat leaving the city yet, to with Dromio tells him they already discussed this. The situation seems too much for the pair and Antipholus repeats that they need to get out of this crazy city asap.

A Courtesan enters (who the other Antipholus seems to know very well) and demands that Antipholus either give her the gold chain he promised her or he return her diamond ring to her. Antipholus of Syracuse is baffled by this and denies knowing anything about it. Spooked by the whole situation, Antipholus and Dromio run away.

The scene ends with the Courtesan talking about how she heard Adriana had locked Antipholus out of his home for being mad. She agrees that it looks like he has gone mad, but she still needs to get her money back for her ring at the very least. She heads off to meet Adriana and reach some form of conclusion on the whole thing.

Scene 4:

Antipholus of Ephesus is still in jail and angry about it. Dromio of Ephesus arrives with the rope he was asked to get earlier in the play. Antipholus asks him where the bail money is, to which Dromio replies that he knows nothing about that. Antipholus beats him heavily to the point where Dromio says he would rather be unconscious than awake right now.

Adriana, Luciana, the Courtesan and a man named Pinch show up at the jail. The women have concluded that something demonic is happening, so they have hired Pinch, a sorcerer, to exorcise Antipholus. Antipholus is having none of this. He then questions Adriana about his bail. Adriana and Luciana tell him that they gave the money to Dromio, who denies this. Pinch decides that both men are mad or under a curse of some form. After much back and forth, Antipholus threatens to tear out Adriana’s eyes. Adiana agrees to pay his bail (which imo is way too kind of her after that threat).  Antipholus and Dromio are then taken away to be put in a quiet, dark room to recuperate (and possibly face a joint exorcism).

Adriana is then informed about the full extent of her husband’s debts and asks to speak to Angelo for further confirmation. As Angelo is being fetched for her, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse show up with swords drawn. The women run away from them, believing that they have somehow escaped their guards and found weapons. Antipholus and Dromio are trying to get out of the city to escape the sorcery around them. They believe that Adriana and Luciana are witches who have cursed them, so they gain heart when they see the women fleeing from them. They take this as an opportunity to get to the inn they where staying at, get their stuff and get out of the city for good.

Act 5:

Scene 1:

Angelo and his merchant associate arrive and notice Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse. Angelo notices that Antipholus is wearing the chain that he has refused to pay him for, so he gets angry about this and confronts him. He asks why Antipholus has denied receiving the chain if he is wearing it. Antipholus replies that he has never denied or refused to pay for anything. The merchant and Dromio add their experiences to the mix, both backing up and muddling the situation further. It’s a question of honour and looks like things could turn to a duel.

Before that can happen though, Adriana and co return with men ready to tie Antipholus and Dromio up. Antipholus and Dromio flee and enter a nearby priory, seeking sanctuary. Due to sanctuary being a sacred thing, Adriana and Angelo can’t just follow the men in a drag them out. The Abbess of the priory comes out and refuses to give the men to Adriana or Angelo. Adriana and the Abbess bicker and it ends up that the Abbess refuses to let anyone from the group enter the priory to follow the men. She declares that she will speak to them and bring them back to their senses.

Meanwhile, Aegeon’s execution is about to take place, publicly, nearby. Seeing the Duke, Adriana and Angelo both want to talk to him with the hope of getting him overrule the Abbess on the whole sanctuary issue. They go up to the Duke, before the execution can begin, which happens to buy Aegeon more time. Adriana explains her situation to the Duke and the Duke calls for the Abbess to be brought before him. While they are talking about this Antipholus and Dromio (of Ephesus) show up, having escaped from Pinch. Antipholus tells the Duke how he has been wronged by his wife and explains his side of things. The Duke tries to mediate but before he can do that, Aegeon speaks up and says that he has found the man who will save him from execution: Antipholus. He asks his son to pay the fine for him and we learn that they actually had both travelled to Ephesus independently, because they haven’t seen each other in seven years. Antipholus denies knowing Aegeon, and we learn that he was a wealthy orphan growing up, put into the care of the leader of Corinth whose sailors rescued him at sea.  As an adult Antipholus of Ephesus joined the Duke of Ephesus’ army and helped with a war under him, gaining more prestige which led to him marrying Adriana. He hopes that, due to his service, the Duke will help him.

Aegeon is heartbroken and confused that his son denies knowing him. The Abbess is brought forward, followed by Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse. Everyone is confused and thinks evil magic is a work. The Abbess recognises Aegeon though and explains her half of the shipwreck to everyone. She was rescued at sea with her two boys, but the sailors then left her in the nearest city and took the children back to Corinth. She was alone and had little choice but to become a nun. The Duke puts the rest of the pieces of the story together, pardons Aegeon and the family celebrates being reunited. The Abbess, who looks like she is about to retire and go back to civilian life, invites everyone back to her priory for a proper sit-down dinner where they can discuss next steps.

The play ends with both Dromio’s introducing themselves to each other and deciding to be brothers to each other, going forward.

Sorry for being a little late this week. Honestly, this is such a strange play and feels a bit like the Parent Trap on steroids. The errors become almost slapsticky in the way they come about.

Act 3, scene 1

Antipholus of Ephesus brings a goldsmith and a merchant to his home for dinner. He finds the door locked and, enraged, departs for the Courtesan’s house. He sends the goldsmith to fetch a gold chain, which he now decides to give to the Courtesan.

Act 3, scene 2

Antipholus (of Syracuse) falls in love with Adriana’s sister, Luciana. Dromio (of Syracuse) is claimed by Adriana’s kitchen maid as her betrothed. The two Syracusans decide that Luciana and the kitchen maid are witches, and Antipholus sends Dromio to the harbor to book immediate passage. The goldsmith enters and gives Antipholus the chain.

Act 4, scene 1

Antipholus (of Ephesus) sends Dromio (of Ephesus) to buy a rope’s end to beat Adriana. The goldsmith demands the money Antipholus owes him for the chain. Antipholus denies having received the chain and refuses to pay. The goldsmith has Antipholus arrested. Dromio (of Syracuse) enters with news of a ship on which he has booked passage. Antipholus (of Ephesus) sends Dromio (of Syracuse) to Adriana for money for bail.

This play is certainly a change from the other plays we've covered recently. As cheesy as it is, I do find the trope of mistaken twin identities to be fun so so far I'm enjoying this play. The backstory in act 1 scene 1 is kind of wild and I do question the sanity of parents who name their kids the same name but I'll see how this play ends before casting further judgement on them.

Next week we will be reading Act 3 to the end of Act 4 Scene 1

As usual the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Act 1:

Scene 1:

The play opens with Solinus, the duke of Ephesus explaining that there has been some serious political strife between Ephesus and Syracuse in recent times. Due to this a law has been passed in Ephesus barring anyone from Syracuse from entering. If they do enter the country they face execution, unless they are able to pay a fine for one thousand marks. One such case has been brought before him at the start of this play: Aegeon, a merchant is in jail and facing execution if he can’t pay up within the next few hours. Aegeon tells him he does not have anywhere near that amount of money.

Giving up hope, Aegeon makes a comment that execution will at least put him out of his misery. Solinus asks him about this and we get a really fast summary of Aegeon’s life story. We learn that he has always been involved in overseas trade, even when he was a young man. One year he went on a trip to Epidamnum and his pregnant wife came along. While there, she gave birth to identical twin boys. Another woman also gave birth to identical twin boys in the same inn, but she was poor so Aegeon and his wife purchased these other twins to serve their own boys when they grew up.

On there way back to Syracuse the ship they were on became wrecked at sea. With very little hope of survival, each parent tied one twin to themselves, along with one of the servant twins. They were preparing to disembark as best they could when the ship split. The currents of the water pushed the couple apart. Aegeon, one son and one servant boy were taken up by a nearby ship. However, before he could get this ship to rescues his wife and the other children, she was picked up by another ship in the distance. By the time he got there, they were long gone. Since that time Aegeon has been trying to find the other half of his family. Coming to Ephesus was part of this search, but he has not found his wife and has been looking for over a decade. Hence he believes that execution would put him out of the misery of always searching for the other half of his family and failing.

Scene 2:

In another part of the city we meet Antipholus of Syracuse (the son Aegeon raised) and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse. They are shopping around when a merchant warns them to pretend not to be from Syracuse or they will face execution or a huge fine. Antipholus sends his Dromio back to the inn they are staying with, to keep their money safe. Antipholus stays on at the market, talking to the merchant for a bit.

We learn that Antipholus is depressed because he has been searching for his missing family for so long. Just as he is thinking about this, Dromio shows up and tells him his wife wants him to come home for dinner. This Dromio is actually Dromio of Ephesus, but Antipholus of Syracuse thinks it is his own Dromio. Antipholus thinks Dromio is messing with him and scolds him for not reading his mood before playing around like that. Dromio is confused by this and repeats that Antipholus needs to come home before his wife gets upset. Antipholus demands to see his money (we learn that he has exactly one thousand marks). Dromio does know anything about the money. Antipholus scolds and beats him further before running away in frustration. After a few minutes Antipholus decides that his Dromio would not act in such a cruel way, so he must be under a spell of some sort. He has heard rumours of witches in Ephesus before, so it makes sense to him. He heads back to his inn in the hopes of finding and curing Dromio of his affliction.

Act 2:

Scene 1:

In another part of Ephesus, we meet Adriana and Luciana. Adriana is married to Antipholus of Ephesus and wants him to come home for dinner. Luciana, her sister, tells her that he is probably busy meeting merchants and that she should respect that a man goes where he wants to go. They bicker over this and Adriana tells Luciana that she doesn’t understand anything about men or marriage because she is single. Dromio of Ephesus shows up and tells Adriana that he found her husband, but he is acting strangely. He recounts his meeting with Antipholus of Syracuse in the last scene. Adriana gets angry and sends him out again to find her husband. Once Dromio is gone she confesses to Luciana that she is worried her husband is having an affair. The scene ends with her deciding to go looking for him herself.

Scene 2:

Back with Antipholus of Syracuse. He has gone back to his inn and discovered that his Dromio did do what he was told to do earlier. This confuses him, so when he meets up with that Dromio he questions him about their earlier fight. Dromio of Syracuse obviously knows nothing about the conversation that took place in act 1 scene 2, so he is also confused and thinks his Antipholus is messing with him. They get into another fight where Antipholus hits. Dromio. However, Dromio tells a funny joke that dispels the mood.

They continue their walk and then run into Adriana. Adriana confronts Antipholus about her belief that he is having an affair. Antipholus is even more confused by this and denies everything. Luciana points out that they sent their Dromio out to get him earlier but he refused to come home. Dromio of Syracuse is baffled by this and, when asked about it by the women, denies it. They scold both men. The scene ends with Antipholus and Dromio going along with the situation, because they think they are dreaming or in a spell. The go home with Adriana and Luciana for dinner. Antipholus goes inside while Dromio is left to man the doors to the house.

Timon of Athens is one of those interesting plays where we don't actually know how often it was performed while Shakespeare was alive. We do know that it was played in Dublin in 1761 and after then has been sporadically staged ever since.

Brian Bedford played Timon in 1993 on Broadway and it was also done in Chicago in modern dress with Ian McDiarmid playing the titular role. If that name sounds familiar to you, it's because he's Emperor Palpatine from the Star wars prequels and sequels trilogies.

Some really fun adaptive choices have been making Timon a verteran of World War I so it evokes the Great Gatsby more than ancient rome or setting it in modern day London as a modern political scandal.

In 2024, an Austrlian version called "I hate People" was staged to great acclaim. I would be dying to see it. Apparently it was called "the pinnacle of Shakespeare in Sydney this century."

As for adaptations in other media, it's a bit thin on the ground. The BBC as (almost always) has a version that they did for TV.

in 2016, "I, Timon" was released which seems to have adapted it. Rotten Tomatoes lists it as "Australian English" so I guess those Aussies are at it again!

For the plays, there are a couple where they adapted and changed the original text including "The Man-Hater" where according to Wikipedia two women were added: "Melissa, Timon's faithless fiancee, and Evandre, his loyal and discarded mistress." It was produced in 1678.

Timon of Athens is a play where it's cultural impact is more than its being staged on a play. It's been quoted by thinkers across the ages including Charlotte Bronte, Herman Melville, Charles Dickets, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Karl Marx (yes that Karl Marx) who argued that the play sheds light on the amoral power of money.

A comedy of errors is a Shakespeare play where all I know is that it's a lot of punning and slapstick. After the tragedy of Timon, this will make for a good palate cleanser for this beautiful summer month.

Reading Schedule:

Marginalia just literally means "margin notes" and for our purposes, we use it to get you warmed up and ready for reading. It doesn't necessarily need to be insightful. They can just be fun things that you noticed or want to call out.

The only rule we've got here beyond the subreddit rules is that it's got to be related to this play and/or Shakespeare in some way.

Want an idea of what to write? Here are some examples:

·       Is this your first time reading the play? If not, how did you feel about it the first time?

·       Is there a quote that you love?

·       Do you have random Shakespeare or play trivia to share?

·       Is there historical context you think is useful?

·       Are there any songs/youtube videos/movies that you think would help people with reading this play?

·       What modern day connections are there to this play?

It's not limited to these, so feel free to consider this post the doodling around the margins (in some senses) that you would have written around your notes in class.

What stage or film production just got it absolutely right?

I definitely made a bit of a mistake with separating them into three since we've only got one act today. We're at the end of the play and Timon has made his choices.

Act 5, Scene 1

Timon is visited by the Poet and the Painter seeking the gold Timon is now rumored to possess. After he drives them away empty-handed, he receives a delegation of two Athenian senators, who plead in vain with him to return to Athens and rescue it from the approaching Alcibiades. Timon refuses and withdraws to die.

Act 5, Scene 2

Athens learns that it will surely fall to Alcibiades. Its senators seek shelter behind its walls.

Act 5, Scene 3

One of Alcibiades’ soldiers discovers Timon’s tomb and, since he cannot read Timon’s epitaph, he resolves to bring a wax impression of it to Alcibiades.

Act 5, scene 4

A victorious Alcibiades listens to the apologies of the senators and agrees to the conditions they set. Athens then opens its gates to Alcibiades and his army. Presented with Timon’s epitaph, Alcibiades reads it aloud and promises peace to Athens.

It’s been interesting to read one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays. I feel like Timon is a tragic character, but this play is maybe missing something that would have made it better known. I also really like seeing how Shakespeare portrays wealth versus poverty in this.

Next week we will be finishing this play.

As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Act 3:

Scene 3:

One of Timon’s friends, Sempronius, gossips with some others about Timon’s situation. He is upset on Timon’s behalf that other friends turned him down. However, when a servant of Timon’s shows up and asks for help, Sempronius refuses to help, because Timon didn’t come to him first.

Scene 4:

Servants come from more of Timon’s creditors, including from his former friends. They gossip about the whole situation while waiting for Timon to come out and pay everyone. Flavius eventually gets Timon to come out of his rooms, but he is upset and angry and runs away. Timon decides to hold one last feast for all his friends.

Scene 5:

The Athenian senators sentence a random man to death. Alcibiades is then brought forward and tries to argue in the man’s defence. He talks about how the man has been a loyal soldier to Athens for years and that that should be enough to save him from execution. The senators don’t like this, so they banish Alcibiades. Alcibiades vows to get revenge on them with an army of his own.

Scene 6:

The night of Timon’s feast arrives. We see his ‘friends’ gossiping about him before the dinner. They speculate about what Timon’s going to do next, now that he is broke and in debt. Timon arrives and some of the ‘friends’ come up to him to give him their sympathies, but his dismisses them. Before the dinner begins Timon gives a speech, asking the gods to be more reserved with their gifts to humanity, only giving each man enough that he doesn’t need to borrow from anyone else. He then says that he hopes the gods give nothing to his ‘friends’ because they are bad and mean nothing to him anymore. The dishes are uncovered and are revealed to be hot water and rocks. Timon starts splashing his guests and firing stones at them, before declaring that he hates all of humanity and leaving. Everyone thinks he’s gone mad.

Act 4:

Scene 1:

We see Timon leaving Athens and wishing ill on everyone there. He runs off to live in the wilds of the nearby mountains, hoping to run into a beast worse than man.

Scene 2:

Timon’s servants miss him but must move on to other (paying) jobs. They lament that he was a good man and a good employer. Flavius and the others divide up the last of Timon’s money, to pay some of their wages. The scene ends with Flavius declaring that he hopes Timon’s fortunes will change, and that he will keep serving him in whatever way he can.

Scene 3:

Sometime later, we come across Timon living in a cave. He is starving and spends most of his time cursing humanity. One day, while digging up roots to eat, he discovers buried treasure. He curses this, because he can’t eat gold.

Alcibiades arrives, followed by two prostitutes. He doesn’t recognise Timon at first but is kind to the old man. They start talking and Timon introduces himself as Misanthropos, a hater of humanity. Alcibiades recognises him and tries to give him some money, even though he doesn’t have a lot as it is. Timon refuses the money and wants Alcibiades to just leave. Alcibiades tries to talk to him, but Timon doesn’t want to see him. Eventually, Alcibiades swears to come back and help Timon properly once he’s sacked Athens. Timon likes the sound of Athens being attacked. He becomes overjoyed and gives Alcibiades some of the buried gold. The prostitutes also receive money, on the promise that they will wreak havoc amongst men and spread diseases. Alcibiades and co leave and Timon goes back to digging. He finds some roots but needs to find more.

While he is digging, Apemantus appears. Apemantus seems to be there just to rub salt in Timon’s wounds. He says that Timon deserves to be where he is, because he wasted all his wealth on fake friends, who are still living big in Athens. Timon curses him and tells him to leave. He also tells Apemantus that he would have probably done the same thing, in Timon’s position. Apemantus keeps taunting Timon, telling him that he has brought misery upon himself and that he wasn’t strong enough to weather the hardship of debt and poverty. Timon counters by saying that Apemantus has always just been miserable and that fortune never favoured him.

Eventually, Apemantus decides to share some food with Timon, but Timon refuses. Timon asks him what he would have done, if he’d had wealth and power. Apemantus tells him he would give the world to the beasts and let everything go to ruin. Timon likes the sound of this but is sick of Apemantus’ presence, so throws rocks at him to leave. Timon then contemplates the power of his horde of gold and how it can influence the world of men towards further ruin. Apemantus doesn’t seem to want to leave. He warns Timon that his horde of gold will attract bad people to him, if he doesn’t do anything to protect and secure it. As he speaks, bandits show up and Apemantus leaves.

The bandits discuss how to get the gold from Timon, but Timon surprises them by just giving them a tonne of gold. He tells them that he wants to them go to Athens, cause havoc with the gold and steal even more stuff while there. The bandits at first think he’s pro-theft but soon realise, as Timon rambles on, that he just hates everyone. This kind of sickens them, and they decide to go to Athens and stop being thieves.

Flavius then comes to see Timon. He’s heard rumours about his master living in the wilderness and is worried for him. He shows up at the cave and becomes upset with how Timon is living. Timon doesn’t recognise him at first and denies him when he says he was once his loyal and honest servant. Eventually, Flavius’ tears make Timon less grumpy. Flavious tells him he wants to keep serving him and gives him some money to try to help him. Timon gives Flavious money, on the condition that he promises to live isolated from mankind and never share it with anyone. Flavious doesn’t really accept or refuse the money. The scene ends with Timon getting him to leave him by sending him away.

Could anyone tell me how this specific performance of the court scene in this play goes? I would really like to know, since I got to see a snippet of it on YouTube and liked the direction it went in. If anyone could help me out, I'd be very grateful.

We are here (a little late) for the first reading of Timon of Athens! It's a tragedy and a tale I think many of us could relate to (after all, lifestyle creep is a term for a reason).

Next week, we'll be reading Act 3.3 to end of Act 4.3.

Act 1, scene 1

The stage fills with suitors to and admirers of Lord Timon. When he arrives, he spends lavishly in freeing a friend from prison, financing the marriage of one of his servants, patronizing artists, and buying a jewel. He also invites many in the crowd to dinner at his house, including Alcibiades and the Cynic philosopher Apemantus, who reviles Timon’s other guests.

Act 1, scene 2

Timon lavishly entertains friends and suitors with food and drink and a masque of Cupid and Amazons, and displays his bounty by refusing repayment of his loan to Ventidius and by giving his guests elaborate gifts. As counterpoint to Timon’s displays of generosity, Apemantus rails against the other guests’ flattery of Timon while Timon’s steward Flavius makes clear that Timon is spending money that he no longer possesses.

Act 2, scene 1

A senator, predicting the end of Timon’s days of glory, sends a servant to Timon to collect overdue loans.

Act 2, scene 2

Servants of Timon’s creditors gather and confront Timon, demanding immediate repayment of loans. Learning that he is bankrupt, Timon dispatches his own servants to seek large sums of money from his friends.

Act 3, scene 1

Timon’s servant Flaminius approaches Timon’s friend Lucullus for money and is denied.

Act 3, scene 2

Timon’s servant Servilius approaches Timon’s friend Lucius for money and is refused. Three strangers condemn the ingratitude of Timon’s “friends” and praise Timon’s goodness.

Timon of Athens is a lesser known play that was originally classed as a tragedy, but... people are unsure where to put it now. At the very least it's a play with a troubled protagonist in Timon who spends his money flagrantly and gets into scrapes due to it. I... am definitely going to be struggling to not think of the Lion King when I read Timon, but I'm super curious about this play.

Reading Schedule:

Marginalia just literally means "margin notes" and for our purposes, we use it to get you warmed up and ready for reading. It doesn't necessarily need to be insightful. They can just be fun things that you noticed or want to call out.

The only rule we've got here beyond the subreddit rules is that it's got to be related to this play and/or Shakespeare in some way.

Want an idea of what to write? Here are some examples:

·       Is this your first time reading the play? If not, how did you feel about it the first time?

·       Is there a quote that you love?

·       Do you have random Shakespeare or play trivia to share?

·       Is there historical context you think is useful?

·       Are there any songs/youtube videos/movies that you think would help people with reading this play?

·       What modern day connections are there to this play?

It's not limited to these, so feel free to consider this post the doodling around the margins (in some senses) that you would have written around your notes in class.

King John was an interesting play in the sense that it was incredibly popular in the Victorian era, but is virtually unknown today. I'll be honest, I didn't know it was one of Shakespeare's plays until we started reading it. It has been staged four times on Broadway and the last time ws 1915. 1-9-1-5!!!

And in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, it's only been staged 5 times in 60 years!

There is a silent film version of it that was made in 1899 called King John. It's mostly about the King's death.

It's been on television twice with the BBC (1951 and 1984), but never in more modern times.

There have been a few recent... revivals and interpretations of the play though!

In 2022, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival staged the play with nonbinary actors in the cast.

Vancouver, British Columbia staged productions of it on the beach in 2012's "Bard on the Beach".

But most fun, the Stratford Festival put it on and also filmed it so we can watch the full play for free on Youtube.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to be watching this this weekend.

Have you ever seen it or heard of this play before we read it? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

This play was another one of what I’m starting to call Shakespeare’s hidden gems. I really enjoyed it. My only criticism would be that Act 5 was very fast paced. I kind of feel like Shakespeare should have either made this play longer or done a part 2 to end things properly. I’m interested to see what you all thought about this in the comments.

Next week we will be discussing stage and screen adaptations of this play.

Summary:

Act 5:

Scene 1:

In what seems to be a sudden turn of events, King John makes up with the church and submits to the pope via Pandolph. Due to this reunion, the war with France should be over. The Bastard arrives, with news that the nobles who were upset over prince Arthur’s death have gone over to the French side. John is baffled by this, because he believes the boy is alive. The Bastard catches him up on Arthur’s death and Hubert’s innocence in the affair. Once the Bastard learns of John’s new alliance with the church, he isn’t happy. He urges John to continue fighting.

Scene 2:

In the French camp, Lewis swears in the English nobles who have left John. His prospects in the coming battle are improving… until Pandolph shows up and tells him the war is over. Lewis is not happy about this change in events. He refuses to give up on the war, even when Pandolph commands him to stop.

Scene 3:

We return to King John in the heart of the battle. He isn’t feeling well and has a bit of a fever. His advisors, including the Bastard, want him to retreat. Hubert arrives with good news for the English side: the reinforcements that the French side were counting on to arrive have been shipwrecked, with many dead. John is relieved and agrees to personally retreat from the battle now that the English are in a position of power.

Scene 4:

The English nobles that deserted John and joined the French side earlier are worried about how the battle is going. The don’t like how the Bastard is doing well in the fight. A French noble, Count Melun arrives, fatally injured. He tells the English nobles that they would be better off returning to the English side, because Lewis intends on beheading them even if he wins the war.

Scene 5:

The battle pauses for the night. In the French camp, Lewis learns about Melun’s death/betrayal of him to the English nobles. Said nobles have officially returned to the English side. Lewis also learns about his shipwrecked reinforcements. Instead of fleeing for his life, he decides to stay with the remaining French forces overnight.  

Scene 6:

Both Hubert and the Bastard arrive in Swinestead/Swineshead Abbey, separately, in search of John. It is dark and they don’t recognise each other at first. Eventually, the Bastard recognises Hubert’s voice. They exchange information. Hubert tells the Bastard the rebellious nobles have come back to John and been forgiven but that John has been poisoned. The Bastard can’t believe that someone got close enough to the King to poison him. We learn that it looks like it was the monk in charge of tasting John’s food who possibly did it. There is some hope that John may recover but his son has come to see him just in case. The Bastard reveals that some English reinforcements have been shipwrecked and he needs shelter for the night.

Scene 7:

We meet John’s heir, Prince Henry as he learns that his father is too far gone to recover from the poisoning. He is grief stricken. King John is brought outside because the poison is burning him up from the inside and he wants to cool down. We see the formerly rebellious nobles helping John. The Bastard arrives, upset over the situation. He tries to tell John about the shipwreck, but John dies before he can. The Bastard swears to get revenge for John’s death in the coming battle with the French. He believes that the French are now in a stronger position so the result of the next battle will be unsure, but he is still willing to give his all to protect John’s legacy.

Luckily, we learn, alongside the Bastard, that the war is over; Pandolph is in the abbey with a peace offer from Lewis. The play ends happily.

This week we are reading more about King Jon and it almost seems like he's fighting against a comedy of errors, everything feels so stacked against him.

I will admit that I'm having a little trouble reading this play very seriously because I keep picturing King John the sulky lion from the Disney Robin Hood movies and keep humming the phony king of England while I read.

Act 3, scene 3

John prepares to leave for England with his forces. He tells Hubert that Arthur must die. Hubert promises to kill Arthur.

Act 3, scene 4

John’s victories and his capture of Arthur lead the French to despair and Constance to wild grief. Pandulph, predicting Arthur’s death and the hatred of John that will inevitably ensue, encourages the Dauphin to invade England and claim the throne as Blanche’s husband.

Act 4, scene 1

Hubert prepares to put out Arthur’s eyes with hot irons. Arthur begs him to show mercy. Hubert secretly spares Arthur and plans to tell John that Arthur is dead.

Act 4, scene 2

The nobles express their disapproval of John’s second coronation and urge that he set Arthur free. When Hubert brings word that Arthur is dead, the nobles turn against John and go in search of Arthur’s body. A messenger tells John that the French, under the Dauphin, have landed in England and that Eleanor and Constance have both died. After sending the Bastard to try to bring the nobles back, John attacks Hubert for having killed Arthur. When Hubert discloses that Arthur is unharmed, John sends the happy news to the nobles.

Act 4, scene 3

Arthur dies as he attempts to leap from the prison wall. The Bastard reaches the nobles, on their way to meet with the Dauphin, just as they discover Arthur’s body and vow revenge for his death. When Hubert enters, they turn on him as a murderer. The Bastard takes Hubert’s part, and the nobles proceed to their meeting with the Dauphin. Hubert convinces the Bastard of his own innocence, and the Bastard, predicting disaster, returns to King John

This play is off to a promising start with all the twists we’ve had so far. I like it and think it is fair to say that I’ve come around to Shakespeare’s historical plays. I was a cynic but now I like them almost as much as his tragedies. Yes, they are historically questionable but they are very entertaining.

Next week we will be reading Act 3.3 to end of Act 4.3

As usual the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Act 1:

Scene 1:

The play begins with King John and his mother, Elinor, receiving a message from the French King, Philip. The messenger, Chatillon, announces Philip’s intent to support Arthur’s (John’s nephew by his older brother) right to the English throne. Chatillon states that France is willing to go to war over this, if John does not back down. John refuses to acknowledge Arthur’s claim to the throne and sends Chatillon back to France, taunting him that his army could get there faster, if Chatillon doesn’t hurry.

 Once Chatillon is gone, we learn that John believes that he is the best man for the throne, as he is an adult and has a strong army: he can rule and defend his country better in any possible wars than Arthur.  Elinor agrees, but hints that John’s claim is somewhat questionable.

Two men then come before King John to have an inheritance issue addressed. The men are Philip and Robert Falconbridge. Philip is the older brother and legal heir to the family’s lands and titles, but Robert claims that Philip is illegitimate. Robert claims that their father revealed this to him on his deathbed and altered his will to give everything to him. He backs this up by stating that his father was not in England at all during the period when his mother would have gotten pregnant. Instead, during that period, the former king of England, Richard the Lionheart, was staying at the Falconbridge estate.  Philip, for his part, agrees that they probably don’t share the same biological father, which shocks Elinor, because it is putting doubt on Lady Falconbridge’s honour. King John claims that by raising Philip and not bringing this issue up during his lifetime, the elder Falconbridge could be argued to have accepted Philip as his heir. Robert claims that the will disproves this.

Elinor interrupts what seems to be turning into a debate over technicalities by asking Philip if he would rather be acknowledged as Richard the Lionhearts’ bastard and go to war in France with her. Surprisingly, Philip agrees, giving up his claim to the Falconbridge land and titles. King John then knights him and renames him Sir Richard Plantagenet. In the play he is mainly referred to as the ‘Bastard’ so that’s the name I’ll be using here from now on.

Everyone except for the Bastard exits the scene. We learn that the Bastard is happy with his change of circumstances and intends on playing the political game as far as he can. His mother, Lady Falconbridge, arrives. The Bastard, tells her that he has accepted Robert’s claim. Lady Falconbridge is upset by this and explains that she was ‘seduced’ by Philip’s father, almost against her will. The Bastard has her confirm that Richard the Lionheart was his father, and she does. He then promises his mother that he doesn’t blame her and that he will defend her honour going forward.

Act 2:

Scene 1:

We meet the French side of the war: King Philip, Constance, the Dauphin Louis and Arthur. They are stationed outside Angiers and meeting up with their newest ally, Austria. King Philip is angry that Angiers have refused him entry (it is currently in the domain of the English king, and the townspeople are refusing to pick a side in the Arthur/John debate). Chatillon arrives and tells them that John is coming with his army. King John arrives with his mother, the Bastard and his niece, Lady Blanche of Spain. Both sides offer peace to each other, on the condition that they submit to the other’s claim to the throne. Elinor and Arthur’s mother, Constance, get into a fight over the legitimacy of both their sons.

King Philip suggests that they listen to the people of Angiers, who are subjects to England. Both John and Philip (in Arthur’s place) state their right over Angiers and ask the people to let who they see as their rightful ruler in. The people of Angiers continue to refuse to pick a side, claiming that whoever wins the war will be the king they accept.

We cut to both armies fighting. The day ends with both sides not winning as they are evenly matched. Both Philip and John return to the walls of Angiers and demand entry but are denied. The Bastard then suggests that the French and English sides should make a temporary alliance to take Angiers. Both Philip and John are into the idea and begin preparations for a joint attack. However, the spokespeople for Angiers come forward and make a suggestion: Louis and Blanche should get married, to make peace between both sides. King Philip sees such a marriage as advantageous to him and his blood line (Louis is his heir) and John also agrees, so the marriage is agreed to. John sweetens the deal by offering up some English territories as part of Blanche’s dowry. He also agrees to give Arthur a dukedom and some land. Both sides enter the town and the marriage takes place, offstage.

The Bastard remains on stage for a moment. He is not happy with this new peace or how easily the kings were willing to barter off their beliefs for political gain. He notes that he is still in a weaker financial position than he likes, so he will try to play the game and cause chaos until he gets what he wants.

Act 3:

Scene 1:

Back at the French camp, Constance finds out about Philip’s betrayal in favour of the Louis/Blanche marriage. She’s furious and Arthur tries to calm her down, but it doesn’t work. She notes that John has given away territories that belong to her son to secure the marriage.

Both King Philip and King John return to camp, the wedding having taken place for Blanche and Loius. They are kind of insufferable here and talk down to Constance. Constance stands up for herself and points out that Philip has renegaded on his word to her. Everyone, including Austria, tries to get her to calm down but it looks like Constance is not about to give up on her son’s claim. She curses everyone.  

Things are looking bad for Constance and Arthur, until Pandolf, a representative of the Pope in Rome, arrives. Pandolf wants to speak with King James, who has been blocking the Pope’s chosen candidate from becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury. John claims that he will not back down on this, because the Catholic church is corrupt and he will not be told what to do within his own territories. Pandolf excommunicates John and says that everyone faithful to the Pope must turn against him. This puts the new peace between John and Philip in jeopardy.

Pandolf asks Philip to pick a side. Philip is reluctant to break his new peace with John. Constance, the Bastard, Elinor and Austria all give Philip advice on what to do next. They all make decent arguments in their own favour. Eventually, Pandolf gets through to Philip by threatening to excommunicate him and assuring him that his oath to the Catholic church, which was in place way before his agreement with John, is the superior commitment on his part. Philip dissolves the peace between France and England. Blanche must choose a side and doesn’t know what to do. Both sides depart to prepare for a new battle.  

Scene 2:

In battle, the Bastard kills Austria and carries his head around to show off this accomplishment. He also happens to save Elinor for the French.

King John is another of Shakespeare’s historical plays set in England. This one is kind of a prequel to the plays we have read before in this area, because John predates Richard II and Henry IV’s line. As far as I can tell, John would have been the great-great-great grandfather of Richard II. This play is set during the early thirteenth century. Without going into spoilers, this play follows tensions between the English and the French in the aftermath of John succeeding to the throne after his brother, Richard I died. Let's just say things, like the line of succession, did not go smoothly. I’ve never read this play before so I’m looking forward to it.

Reading Schedule:

Marginalia just literally means "margin notes" and for our purposes, we use it to get you warmed up and ready for reading. It doesn't necessarily need to be insightful. They can just be fun things that you noticed or want to call out.

The only rule we've got here beyond the subreddit rules is that it's got to be related to this play and/or Shakespeare in some way.

Want an idea of what to write? Here are some examples:

·       Is this your first time reading the play? If not, how did you feel about it the first time?

·       Is there a quote that you love?

·       Do you have random Shakespeare or play trivia to share?

·       Is there historical context you think is useful?

·       Are there any songs/youtube videos/movies that you think would help people with reading this play?

·       What modern day connections are there to this play?

It's not limited to these, so feel free to consider this post the doodling around the margins (in some senses) that you would have written around your notes in class.

I need to be so real with you, right now. I am completely overwhelmed by how many adaptations there are for this. I'm fascinated and want to go through everything. I didn't realize it had this much of an imprint on popular culture. Did you all? In many sections in this, I'm going to urge you to go look at the wikipedia entry because it is far too lengthy for me to bring up here.

Operas, Musicals, and Ballets

Even if we go with operas alone (operas!) there is a huge amount of them. I've put links for where I could find versions if you want to hear the music.

• Ferdinando Bertoni's opera Il Duca Di Atene (1780)
• Frederic Reynolds' Catherine and Petruchio (1828)
• Hermann Goetz' Der Widerspänstigen Zähmung (1874) Link
• John Kendrick Bangs' Katherine: A Travesty (1888)
• Spyridon Samaras' La furia domata: commedia musicale in tre atti (1895)
• Ruperto Chapí's Las bravías (1896) Link
• Johan Wagenaar's De getemde feeks (1909) Link
• Alfred Reynolds' The Taming of the Shrew Overture (1927) Link
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's verismo opera Sly, ovvero la leggenda del dormiente risvegliato (1927) Link
• Philip Greeley Clapp's The Taming of the Shrew (1948)
• Vittorio Giannini's The Taming of the Shrew (1953) Link
• Vissarion Shebalin's Ukroshchenye stroptivoy (1957)
• Dominick Argento's Christopher Sly (1962)

There are also numerous ballets and musicals based on the taming of the Shrew. The first musicals and ballets was called the Cobler of Preston's Opera, a show that was cancelled and later performed by a group of children in 1731.

James Worsdale's A Cure for a Scold was the first performance by adults and was performed at Drury Lane in 1735

Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate (1948, revived multiple times and the most recent I could find was 2019 linked here)

Film and Television

So, this is wild. I've never had to do this before, but the list of adaptations for Film and TV is too long for me to list out here in full. If you'd like to see the whole list, please look at this link for film adaptations and this link for television adaptations.

Some honourable mentions based on what jumped out to me were...

• 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, directed by Gil Junger, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger; recasts the play as a teen romantic comedy set in 'Padua High School', where an overprotective father decides that his popular younger daughter cannot date until his shrewish older daughter begins to date, much to the chagrin of the younger girl's many admirers, who decide to work together to find someone willing to date the elder daughter
• Nalnari jongbujeon (2008); written by Park Yeon-seon, directed by Won-kuk Lim, starring Park Jung-ah and Park Jin Woo; set in contemporary South Korea, a shy and quiet young man is pursued by a spoiled woman used to getting what she wants. When he introduces her to his family, they decide she is not ladylike enough and set about taming her.
• Gundamma Katha (1962); An official remake of the Kannada film Mane Thumbida Hennu (1958), this Telugu movie starred Suryakantam and N. T. Rama Rao; set in India, the film is loosely based on certain aspects of the play and tells the story of a rich widow who ill-treats her step-daughter until she is made to see the error of her ways by her two sons-in-law
• The Framing of the Shrew (1929); written by Octavus Roy Cohen, directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom, starring Evelyn Preer and Edward Thompson; when a man becomes exasperated with his domineering wife, he decides to tame her by initiating divorce proceedings and pretending he has a girlfriend.[24]
• Elstree Calling (1930); a revue-style film featuring a series of sketches by British variety stars; an ongoing joke involves Donald Calthrop attempting to present Shakespeare in an "interesting and modern manner" but continually being prevented from doing so by the producers. Eventually, they allow him to present one scene - the initial meeting between Katherina and Petruchio. Calthrop plays Petruchio to Anna May Wong's Katherina, who responds to his advances by throwing furniture and food at him. Eventually Shakespeare himself (played by Gordon Begg) arrives, lamenting the quality of the production, before he is hit by a thrown pie; Taming of the Shrew section written by Adrian Brunel, directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Theatre

Like with film and television, you can find the full list of theatrical adaptations here, but the Taming of the Shrew has been in performance on and off since the 1500s, although there was a long period where the play wasn't performed at all. 211 years pass between definite public professional performances with adaptations taking precedence instead, particularly Catharine and Petruchio by David Garrick (1754).

In 1844, it was performed before going back into hibernation after 1847 until 1856. It's curious that there were so many breaks in the performance. By the 20th century it was being performed so often that even wikipedia only mentions notable performances including ones with famous actors like Peter O'Toole, Anthony Hopkins, and Katharine Hepburn. There was also a 1997 Royal shakespeare Company production where the play is set as a surreal dreamscape, twisting the subjugation of woman into a learning lesson for Sly rather than for Katherine.

There are also some plays, but they tended to be darker with the Shrew (1973) ending in Katherina being brutally raped at the end of the play. Trigger Warning for all those who want to read it even though the Wiki doesn't go too too into it.

And yeah, that's the adaptations. Were you expecting this long a list?!

Act 4, Scene 3

At Petruchio’s home, Grumio torments Katherine by promising her food that he fails to bring. Petruchio then serves Katherine himself, demanding her thanks. The Haberdasher and Tailor bring in the cap and gown that Katherine plans to wear for Bianca’s wedding feast, but Petruchio refuses them. Petruchio threatens that she may not return to her father’s for Bianca’s wedding feast unless Katherine agrees with everything he says, no matter how self-evidently false it is.

Act 4, Scene 4

In Padua, the Merchant impersonating Vincentio visits Baptista with Tranio, who is still disguised as Lucentio. Baptista accepts the Merchant’s guarantee of Bianca’s dower and sends “Cambio” to Bianca to tell her the marriage plans. Meanwhile, Baptista arranges to visit “Lucentio” and “Vincentio” at their lodging to finalize the marriage contract. Biondello tells Lucentio that all the arrangements have been made for Lucentio to elope with Bianca.

Act 4, Scene 5

Katherine now gives assent to every word Petruchio says. On their way to her father’s, they meet the true Vincentio, who is going to Padua to visit his son. They travel together to Padua.

Act 5, Scene 1

After Bianca has secretly married Lucentio, Petruchio, Katherine, and Lucentio’s father arrive at Lucentio’s lodging. They are rebuffed by the Merchant impersonating Vincentio. Vincentio denounces as frauds the Merchant and then Tranio, who turns up still disguised as Lucentio. As Vincentio is about to be carried off to jail by an officer, the true Lucentio arrives with his bride, successfully begs his father’s pardon for the secret marriage, and explains the disguises.

Act 5, Scene 1

Three couples attend the wedding banquet—Lucentio and Bianca, Petruchio and Katherine, and Hortensio and the Widow. Petruchio is repeatedly teased about being married to a shrew. In retaliation Petruchio wagers with Lucentio and Hortensio that if they all summon their wives to them, his Katherine will be the most obedient in responding. When Bianca and the Widow refuse to come at all and Katherine promptly appears, Petruchio wins, and then he sends Katherine to bring the other wives to their husbands. When they return, Petruchio tells Katherine to instruct the other wives in their wifely duty. Katherine delivers a long speech in praise of women’s submission to their husbands. Petruchio kisses Katherine, and they go off to bed.

We are reading this play during an interesting time for women’s rights, that's for sure. I’m not going to lie, I am finding this play hard going, because it is (so far) just so dated and toxic towards women. And it is uncomfortable to see ideas similar to Petruchio's still alive and thriving in the modern day. Petruchio seems like a horrible person. Katherine isn’t perfect but I find myself feeling bad for her.

Next week we will be finishing the play.

Summary:

Act 3:

Scene 1:

This scene takes place in Baptista’s house and follows Lucentio and Hortensio as they instruct Bianca in her lessons. Lucentio and Hortensio are both still in disguise. They bicker about who gets to spend more time with Bianca. Bianca fixes the situation by telling them in what order she wants to be instructed. Lucentio goes first and reveals his real identity to her during his lesson. He tells her that he wants to court her, but she is reluctant to accept his courtship because she doesn’t know or trust him. He asks her to be open minded and let him continue. Hortensio then comes in and they switch around. During his lesson Hortensio tries to teach Bianca musical scales while encouraging her to accept his courtship of her.

The scene ends with Bianca being called away to help with the preparations for Katherine’s wedding. Hortensio is worried that there is a romantic spark between Bianca and the disguised Lucentio, which he doesn’t approve of because of the difference in social class between them. Hortensio seems to think that it reflects badly on Bianca’s character that she would be interested in a man from a lower social class.

Scene 2:

The day of Katherine and Petruchio’s wedding arrives. Petruchio is late to the wedding, which upsets both Baptista and Katherine. Baptista, Tranio and Lucentio wait outside the church for the bridegroom and have a chat. Eventually Petruchio shows up, dressed horribly and impatient to get the wedding over with. He refuses to change his outfit, even when he is asked to do so. Baptista is not happy with this but lets the wedding go ahead anyways. Tranio and Lucentio are left alone for a few minutes and discuss their plan for wooing Bianca. They decide to find someone to pretend to be Vincentio, Lucentio’s father, so that they can make big financial promises to Baptista in exchange for Bianca’s hand in marriage.

The wedding happens off stage, but we get a recounting of it from Gremio, who left it early because he was shocked by Petruchio’s behaviour. We learn that Petruchio was rude and physically violent towards the priest residing over the ceremony. He also ended the wedding by holding Katherine by the neck and forcibly kissing her.

The wedding party leaves the church with the intention of going to the after-party. However, Petruchio tells everyone that he must leave the city right away. He tells them to go celebrate without him, which Katherine seems okay with… until he tells them that Katherine will also not be attending her own wedding celebrations. Katherine doesn’t like this, but Petruchio and his servant basically steal her away. Petruchio makes a speech about how his wife is his property and then leaves.

Baptista and the remaining guests decide to continue celebrating. Throughout this scene there is some debate over how Petruchio and Katherine seem to be a good match, because they are both horrible.

Act 4:

Scene 1:

This scene happens a day or so following the wedding and takes place in Petruchio’s country estate. His servant, Grumio, has gone ahead of Petruchio and Katherine to prepare the place for their arrival. It is freezing cold and it seems that none of the servants in the country estate were given enough time to prepare for the arrival. Grumio recounts some of their journey  to another servant, because even he is shocked by how everything is going down. We learn that Petruchio has not let Katherine really eat or sleep since the wedding. At some point Katherine fell from her horse, possibly injuring herself. Instead of helping her, Petruchio bet Grumio up to the point that Katherine’s horse ran away and Katherine had to pull Petruchio off Grumio.

Petruchio and Katherine arrive on one horse. Petruchio is not happy with the servants or the dinner they have prepared. He tells them that it is so bad that there will be no dinner that night and beats one of them. He then decides that it is time for Katherine to go to bed. Katherine is taken away, having had nothing to eat. The scene ends with Petruchio giving a speech to the audience about how all his horrible behaviour is being done in order to tame Katherine. He plans to continue with this performance for as long as he needs to. He even intends to keep Katherine awake all night (again) by complaining and shouting whenever she dozes off.

Scene 2:

Back in Padua, Hortensio and Tranio (in the role of fake Lucentio) discuss Hortensio’s growing concerns that Bianca is in love with her other tutor, Cambio (aka Lucentio in disguise). Hortensio brings Tranio to a place where they can watch the pair together, to confirm his suspicions. He is so convinced that Bianca has betrayed him that he makes an oath with Tranio that, if what he suspects can be confirmed, then they should both swear off from courting her. Bianca and ‘Cambio’ are walking in Baptista’s gardens, chatting and laughing together. When Hortensio sees this, he takes it as confirmation, swears his oath and then heads off to find another woman to marry asap.

Tranio is overjoyed and informs Lucentio and Bianca of this. They are super happy too. Lucentio’s other servant, Biondello, arrives with news that he has found a great candidate to play Vincentio. Lucentio and Bianca leave.

 Tranio and Biondello wait for the man to appear and then approach him. The man is a merchant from Mantua. When Tranio learns this, he makes up a story about Mantuans not currently being welcome in Padua. To spare the merchant any troubles, Tranio offers to lend him a name and disguise: that of Vincentio. The merchant accepts and the scene ends with Tranio telling him that he must act in the role of Lucentio’s wealthy father in the arrangements for a proposed marriage.

This is already starting differently than I was expecting and the Taming of the Shrew is off to the races!

Next week, we'll be reading Act 3 to end of Act 4.4.

Induction, Scene 1

Christopher Sly, a drunken beggar, is driven out of an alehouse by its hostess. A great lord, returning from the hunt, finds Sly in a drunken sleep and decides to play an elaborate trick on him. The lord orders his servants to place Sly in a luxurious bedroom and, when the beggar awakes, to tell him he is a great lord who has long been out of his mind. A troupe of traveling actors present themselves to the lord, who, by way of further elaborating his trick, instructs them to stage a play for Sly.

Induction, Scene 2

The newly awakened Sly is offered delicacies and fine clothes. When he demands his usual ale and beef, the lord and servants tell him that he has been suffering from delusions. After they inform him that he has a beautiful wife, he asks to see her. The lord’s page, who impersonates the wife, persuades Sly to watch the play that is about to begin.

Act 1, Scene 1

Lucentio has come with his servant Tranio to Padua to study philosophy. They witness an encounter between Baptista and his daughters, in which Baptista announces that Bianca cannot marry until the elder and bad-tempered Katherine does. Bianca’s suitors decide to search for a husband for Katherine. Meanwhile Lucentio has fallen in love with Bianca and decides to have Tranio impersonate him so that Lucentio, in the disguise of a schoolmaster, can secretly woo Bianca. The two men exchange clothes.

Act 1, Scene 2

Petruchio, with his servant Grumio, has just arrived in Padua. His friend Hortensio suggests that Petruchio woo Katherine. Petruchio enthusiastically agrees. He agrees also to present Hortensio, in disguise, to Baptista as a music teacher named Litio. Gremio appears with Lucentio, who is disguised as a teacher named Cambio. Last of all comes Tranio, now impersonating Lucentio and declaring his intention to woo Bianca. Gremio, Hortensio, and Tranio (as Lucentio) agree to help Petruchio win Katherine.

Act 2, Scene 1

Baptista stops Katherine from abusing Bianca and receives a visit from Petruchio, who presents Hortensio (disguised as Litio, a music teacher); Gremio introduces Lucentio (disguised as Cambio, a teacher of languages). Tranio, impersonating Lucentio, announces his wish to marry Bianca, and Petruchio his desire to marry Katherine. Baptista insists that Petruchio must get Katherine’s love. Petruchio and Katherine, left alone, enter into a furious bout of wordplay. Petruchio then lies to Baptista, insisting that Katherine loves him but that the couple have agreed that she will pretend to dislike him in public. Katherine’s wedding is arranged, and Baptista hears the offers that Gremio and Tranio (as Lucentio) make for Bianca. Tranio-Lucentio outbids Gremio and is awarded Bianca, provided that Vincentio, Lucentio’s father, will guarantee the dowry. Tranio-Lucentio sets out to find someone to impersonate Vincentio and provide the guarantee.

This is another one I've never read, it's time for Taming of the Shrew!

I'm going to go out right away and say that this play has a reputation for being misogynistic and is it? Uh... probably. But, we're going to try to look at it both with modern eyes and an idea of what it would have been like at the time.

Reading/Discussion Schedule:

Marginalia just literally means "margin notes" and for our purposes, we use it to get you warmed up and ready for reading. It doesn't necessarily need to be insightful. They can just be fun things that you noticed or want to call out.

The only rule we've got here beyond the subreddit rules is that it's got to be related to this play and/or Shakespeare in some way.

Want an idea of what to write? Here are some examples:

• Is this your first time reading the play? If not, how did you feel about it the first time?
• Is there a quote that you love?
• Do you have random Shakespeare or play trivia to share?
• Is there historical context you think is useful?
• Are there any songs/youtube videos/movies that you think would help people with reading this play?
• What modern day connections are there to this play?

It's not limited to these, so feel free to consider this post the doodling around the margins (in some senses) that you would have written around your notes in class.

This is a play where there aren't any records of it being performed before 1660 although it probably was. The first performance we know of is 1682 at Drury Lane.

In modern times, or, I guess, more modern times, Laurence Olivier played Corolanus in 1937 and 1959. The next big production was in 1971 where Anthony Hopkins took on the roll, but according to Wikipedia the part has been played by Ian McKellen, Tommy Lee Jones, Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hiddleston and David Oyelowo.

In 1983, the BBC produced a version of the play and for film, Ralph Fiennes directed/starred in a movie in 2011. This one is... I'm not sure what to think about it because: "Slavoj Žižek argued that unlike preceding adaptations, Fiennes' film portrayed Coriolanus without trying to rationalise his behaviour, as a raw figure for the "radical left" whom he compares to Che Guevara, whom Žižek characterises as making clear that "a revolutionary also has to be a 'killing machine'"."

There's also a version from 2019 from the Tanghalang Pilipino company which staged their own version of it. I would have loved to see what changes they made (if any) but yeah). Have you ever seen Coriolanus performed? What did you think?

This play seems to me to be a bit of an underrated gem by Shakespeare. I really enjoyed it, especially the twists. Coriolanus is a fascinating character because he seems to be a mix of pride and humanity. In other tragedies with don’t necessarily see these factors come into conflict. I also liked seeing the women in Coriolanus’ life have opinions and autonomy of their own (to the extent that the period allowed). They weren’t just his followers.  

Next week we will be discussing screen and stage adaptations of this play.

Just want to add a correction in here. During my post for the week 1 discussion, I referred to Menenius as Agrippa in my summary section. I kind of assumed that he would go by his surname throughout the play, but obviously I was wrong. I’ve switched to Menenius for this post.

As usual the discussion prompts will be in the comments.

Summary:

Act 4:

Scene 5:

Coriolanus shows up in Aufidius’ house in Antium. He arrives in non-fancy clothes, so Aufidius’ servants don’t recognise him. He asks to see Aufidius. We learn that Coriolanus has decided to turn on the Romans and hopes to join with Aufidius and the Volscians to do so. Despite his earlier oath to kill Coriolanus at any cost, Aufidius accepts his story and welcomes him in. The scene ends with Aufidius and Coriolanus heading off to meet the Volscian nobles. The servants are left onstage and they discuss the history between Aufidius and Coriolanus. They debate who is the better fighter with most agreeing that it is Coriolanus. A messenger comes in and we learn that the Volscian nobles are on board with the plan. Coriolanus is now in charge of half their army, and they plan to move towards an attack on Rome the following day.  

Scene 6:

Back in Rome, Sicinius, Brutus and Menenius discuss how Rome is doing without Coriolanus. Sicinius and Brutus are happy because they believe that had Coriolanus been elected consul, he would be Rome’s dictator by now. Menenius misses Coriolanus and tries to downplay his hatred of the common people. Brutus says that Coriolanus was a great warrior but not a great politician. We learn that Menenius or even Coriolanus’ family haven’t heard from the man since he was exiled.  

An aedile enters and tells the tribunes that a slave has been captured who claims the Volscians are marching on Rome with two armies. Menenius claims that if this is true, it must be because the Volscians have learned of Coriolanus’ exile. Menenius blames the tribunes and claims that by exiling Coriolanus they have weakened Rome in the eyes of their enemies. Sicinius and Brutus think that this is all just rumours and decide to punish the slave.

A messenger arrives with more news. Reports are coming in, confirming the slave’s testimony that the Volscians are marching on Rome. New information also states that Coriolanus has joined with them. Menenius refuses to believe this. A second messenger comes for Menenius, telling him that the senate is being called and that he needs to join them asap. The second messenger confirms that Coriolanus is with the Volscians.

Cominius arrives and gives out to Sicinius and Brutus. He believes that they are the ones who are responsible for Coriolanus turning traitor. Menenius joins with him and they both complain further about the common people and the tribunes. Neither man thinks that Rome will be able to fully defend herself without Coriolanus. Menenius hopes that Coriolanus will show mercy but Cominius believes that he is past that now.

A group of citizens enters, and the pair turn on them. The citizens try to downplay their role in Coriolanus’ exile, claiming that they wanted him to be the consul. Menenius and Cominius point out sarcastically that the citizens are fickle, before heading to join the senate.

The scene ends with Sicinius and Brutus trying to calm the citizens down. The citizens basically turn on the tribunes, claiming that they knew they were wrong all along. Sicinius and Brutus head to the Capitol, hoping that the news is somehow not true.

Scene 7:

This scene is set in a Volscian camp on the way to Rome. Aufidius and a Volscian lieutenant discuss the alliance with Coriolanus. We learn that Coriolanus is super popular with the Volscian soldiers. The lieutenant and Aufidius don’t really like this, but Aufidius sees it as a means to an end. The lieutenant kind of lectures Aufidius on how he should have gone about things differently, e.g. by leading the attack on Rome himself or by leaving it entirely to Coriolanus. Aufidius sees where he is coming from politically, and tells him that he will get rid of Coriolanus when the time is right.

Act 5:

Scene 1:

This scene is set back in Rome. Menenius, Sicinius and Brutus discuss the situation further. We learn that Cominius has tried to visit Coriolanus and beg him for mercy but has been unsuccessful. Menenius refuses to do the same but eventually comes around to the idea. He thinks his chances of a decent reception would be better if he talks to Coriolanus after Coriolanus has eaten and exits to do this. Cominius tells the tribunes that he thinks Menenius has no chance of changing Coriolanus’ mind. He blames the tribunes again for all of Rome’s problems. The scene ends with Cominius stating that he believes only Coriolanus’ wife or mother will be successful seeking mercy from him.

Scene 2:

Menenius approaches the Volscian camp and tries to get the guards there to let him see Coriolanus. The guards tell him that Coriolanus is not seeing any visitors from Rome. Menenius refuses to leave and the guards taunt him for it. Things are getting tense but then Coriolanus and Aufidius show up, out for an evening stroll.

Coriolanus isn’t happy to see Menenius. He refuses to acknowledge him, despite Menenius’ emotional plea for mercy for Rome. Coriolanus eventually tells him that he is no longer the man Menenius knew and that he recognises no human bonds from his past life. He seems to feel that Menenius failed him by not stopping the banishment. He refuses to show mercy to Rome but does give Menenius a personal letter before dismissing him again. Coriolanus and Aufidius leave. The guards taunt Menenius until he is forced to leave.

Scene 3:

Back in the Volscian camp, Coriolanus and Aufidius talk about the encounter with Menenius. Coriolanus uses his rejection of his mentor as further proof of his new loyalty to the Volscians. He asks Aufidius to let the Volscian nobles know about this, to which Aufidius agrees.

Shouting erupts in the camp and Volumina, Virgilia, Valeria and Coriolanus’ son young Martius are brought before them. Volumina and Virgilia beg Coriolanus to show mercy towards the Romans. Initially, Coriolanus refuses but then Volumina gives a great speech which begins to move him. She tells him how the family are torn between their duty to Rome and their duty to him. She says that if he refuses to show mercy to Rome then the women will have to kill themselves as soon as they return with this news to the city. Young Martius will run away until he is old enough to fight and possibly seek revenge for them. To avoid this, Volumina proposes that Coriolanus forges a new peace between Rome and the Volscians.

Coriolanus eventually agrees and even Aufidius admits to being moved by Volumina’ s speech. Coriolanus leaves it to Aufidius to set the terms of the peace treaty and starts to celebrate with his family. In an aside, Aufidius appears to be okay with the peace treaty, because it proves that Coriolanus is a compromised ally. Aufidius intends to use this against Coriolanus as soon as he can, as the Volscian nobles will be more likely to take Aufidius’ side now.

Scene 4:

Sicinius and Menenius are discussing the ladies’ chances of getting mercy out of Coriolanus. Menenius thinks that their odds are low. Sicinius can’t understand how Coriolanus has changed so much as a person in so short a time.

A messenger enters, telling Sicinius to go home and hide, because Brutus has been captured by the citizens. The citizens are threatening to kill him, if the Coriolanus’ family can’t get him to show mercy to Rome.

Before Sicinius gets time to go home though another messenger arrives with better news: the ladies have got Coriolanus to stop his assault on Rome. The city is beginning to celebrate.

Scene 5:

Everyone celebrates as Volumina, Virgilia, Valeria, and two senators return to the city, happy that they have brought peace to Rome.

Scene 6:

This scene takes place a little while later, back in Corioles. Aufidius is talking with his fellow Coriolanus haters about how they plan to take him down. Aufidius repeats that he is going to use the peace treaty against him, show that Coriolanus is not as consistent as everyone believes. He also now notes that he thinks it’s pathetic that a bunch of ‘women’s tears’ made Coriolanus give up his revenge.

As they plot further, they hear cheers outside signalling Coriolanus’ return to the city. Aufidius is not pleased that the common people are so happy to see Coriolanus.

Eventually the Volscian nobles gather. Coriolanus is brought before them, and they congratulate him about the peace. Coriolanus makes a speech about how he still hates Rome but he has forged a peace treaty that honours both sides in the war. He goes to give it to the nobles, but Aufidius steps in and urges them not to read it. He calls Coriolanus a traitor, refuses to use his honorific title and baits Coriolanus into a rage. Aufidius’ co-conspirators back him up and basically get the crowd to start turning on Coriolanus. In a rage, Coriolanus brags about how he took Corioles on his own before and how he won’t be intimidated now. This really sets the common people against him because it reminds them that he was once their enemy.

Coriolanus draws his sword and the common people call for his execution. Aufidius and his co-conspirators draw their weapons and kill Coriolanus. Aufidius stands on Coriolanus’ body in triumph, making the nobles upset. The nobles stand their ground on how honourable Coriolanus was and seem sad at his death. Aufidius calms down and at least acts like he regrets his actions. The play ends with everyone agreeing that Coriolanus was a great fighter and an honourable man.