Shakespeare Fan Club

[kafka]

Best M of V quote:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

[hoosieranna]

I'm on a fence about M of V. Portia is one of my favorite fictional characters, but the resolution of Jessica's "Jewishness" problem is a little too neat. I've always felt kind of bad for Shylock. Yeah, he was a bad guy in the play, but how much of that is due to the anti-Semitic feelings of the time?

edit: His speech makes me tear up.

Favorites are probably The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Nadezhda

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='kafka' post='1843369' date='Apr 22 2009, 01:44 AM']Best M of V quote:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.[/quote]

I had to memorize that last week

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Nadezhda' post='1843658' date='Apr 22 2009, 05:19 PM']I'm on a fence about M of V. Portia is one of my favorite fictional characters, but the resolution of Jessica's "Jewishness" problem is a little too neat. I've always felt kind of bad for Shylock. Yeah, he was a bad guy in the play, but how much of that is due to the anti-Semitic feelings of the time?

edit: His speech makes me tear up.

Favorites are probably The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing.[/quote]

Shouldn't we be glad that Jessica converted to Catholicism?

[hoosieranna]

I don't know. Should you?

Edited April 22, 2009 by Nadezhda

[MIKolbe]

yeah, should we?

[The Bus Station]

The only Shakespeare I can say I really like is King Lear -- and I do like it a lot.

The end.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='MIkolbe' post='1843843' date='Apr 22 2009, 07:33 PM']yeah, should we?[/quote]

Of course! Why wouldn't you want Jessica to become Catholic?

[rizz_loves_jesus]

[quote name='CrossCuT' post='1842422' date='Apr 21 2009, 11:23 AM']"If music be the food of love, play on."[/quote]

Whoa, I didn't know that was Shakespeare!

Anyways...

[i]Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty...[/i]

[Saint Therese]

Hamlet is my favorite: "Angels and ministers of grace defend us..."

[hoosieranna]

Warning, long quote:

"What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."

Now how's THAT for a pep talk?

[AdAltareDei]

[quote name='Resurrexi' post='1842032' date='Apr 20 2009, 09:42 PM']He's more than alright! he's amazing![/quote]

Yep yep!

Agreed.

Whats your favourite? I am reading "Much Ado About Nothing" at the moment, its hilarious.

[kafka]

[quote name='Nadezhda' post='1844281' date='Apr 23 2009, 09:15 AM']Warning, long quote:


Now how's THAT for a pep talk?[/quote]
yeah I would term that powerhouse. In the upper tier of best pep talks ever.

[Resurrexi]

Happy Birthday, William!

[MIKolbe]

you should refer to him as Mr. Shakespeare