1st to the 7th of January 2024
On reading Shakespeare for the first time, Ramblin' with Jack Wilson, various miscellanea.
Resolution
Notes on reading Shakespeare for the first time
In December I read Richard II, this month was Julius Caesar, next up is King Richard III. I intend to read at least one a month until they are all done.
Shakespeare was ruined for me at school. I remember a dimly lit room and something about a king, trees and witches. It moved me not. I had recently graduated myself from the ‘junior’ to the ‘adult’ library and was happily making my way through the manly rough and ready novels of Hammond Innes, Alistair MacLean and Ian Fleming, a young boy wanted action! Who needed these obscure Scottish manoeuvrings?
Was it poor teaching? Perhaps another teacher would have brought the play to life, perhaps it was just me?
Thinking back on it now, why didn't the history teacher and English teacher get together over a cup of tea and decide to collaborate, the historian would present the context of 11th century Britain while the English teach would introduce us to the play. The two would compliment one another, give flavour, conflict, bring both subjects alive!
Since leaving school, and particularly in the last decade, I've felt a gap in my reading, references to Shakespeare's plays continue, endlessly, to crop up and it felt increasing odd that I, as an Englishman, and a self-professed lover of books, did not know the man's work.
I'm experimenting with different approaches to the plays:
Ignoring the introduction, read the play from start to finish, read a commentary, watch a film (many on YouTube).
Read a commentary, read the play, watch a film.
Watch a film, read the play, read a commentary.
I'm undecided on to what extent I should understand each and every line of the play. With the first two plays I'd guess that I did not fully understand a third of the lines. Would I accept this from a contemporary work of fiction? Of course not. But if I stop every time to look up a line (Chat GPT has helped here) then it will take me twice as long to finish the work. Maybe this is not a problem if I'm 'getting' the main thrust of the play from two-thirds that are understood? I'm still undecided on this.
Have you had similar experiences with Shakespeare? I'd love to know your approach.
Recollection
Triple Hep and Blue
This month’s jazz pick is Ramblin’, a 1966 offering from pianist Jack Wilson and his quartet.
Wilson is an underrated jazz man, which is odd, because he had a sensitive touch and a fine musical sensibility. Covering all the bases of modern jazz, his music combined elements of hard bop, cool jazz and soul-jazz, all tied together by his tasteful playing.
Line up: Jack Wilson on piano; Roy Ayers sets the vibes; Monk Montgomery thumbs the bass and one Varner Barlow beats the drums.
Ramblin’ is an album of covers, my selections from YouTube are Sidewinder and Stolen Moments:
Until next week!
Hi Martin (Dave Saunders here)
Since you ask I'll say my 2p worth about Shakespeare. I did Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra and the Tempest at A level and they have really stayed with me like a gift. The thing that has stayed with me is not so much the plots but the themes that run through plays and the way these link with the poetry (esp metaphor). My advice would be to maybe a) watch movie or play at theatre, b) read A level or even GCSE study notes as it will pull out the good stuff then c) read again. tbh honest without being taught it Im not sure I would have spotted all the good stuff. My favourite lines, which probably won't look that good on paper but have stayed with me:
'In my salad days, when I was green in judgement' (Cleo, as a mature woman, looking back on her youth)
'Sleep, which knits up the ravelled sleeve of care' (Macbeth, in the context of lack of sleep psychosis since he killed the king)
'Come, unsex me here' (Lady M, deciding to go full in on ambition by any means necessary).
There is a version of Macbeth on streaming at the moment that was made in 2015 that has a somewhat big name cast
Fassbender
Couttilard
Sean Harris
Paddy Considine
but for whatever reason I really didn't enjoy it, the sound mixing was terrible so had to watch with Closed Captions and it seemed to really drag on and on