Tag Archives: Billy Shakes

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Shakespeare Best Sonnets

February 6, 2015 Web Master

Reading Shakespeare’s best sonnets can be challenging especially when it is not included in the repertoire that you’re supposed to practice. It’s understandable anyway how some sonnets only get analyzed whenever you feel like browsing some of them to read on your free time and realize the aspects that made them extra interesting.

Well, writers will be writers and they would always find inspiration when they need it, modesty be damned. In case you’re a prude, consider yourself warned. I never pretended to be a decent man as I have urges that make me read some lines with colorful images hovering above my head. Just like the advice Mercutio gave his forlorn friend, Romeo, in the play “Romeo and Juliet”:

If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.
Now will he sit under a medlar tree
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were! Oh, that she were
An open arse, and thou a poperin pear

In what way can love not hit the mark? While Romeo had to intimately talk to Juliet in order to realize how much she loved him too, a little advice went naughty once you try re-reading the lines. Too bad, Romeo is too innocent to realize it. Just in case you missed the line that says “open arse”, you then would realize that Romeo needed to pop her in pear. Well, that escalated quickly. Then again, you know teenagers always have had issues with raging hormones.

And speaking of hormones, The Bard must have thought of Adonis as someone too hot and alluring for the Roman goddess Venus to resist. Too bad he’s a prick. But what is it really that the latter found attractive in this arrogant prick? Let’s face it. Some good-looking men deliberately act the part of the prick because it makes them extra attractive. It must have been that air of mystery that engulfs them in such a facade. Such is his sex appeal that Shakespeare found it fitting for Venus to say:

‘Fondling,’ she saith, ‘since I have hemm’d thee here
Within the circuit of this ivory pale,
I’ll be a park, and thou shalt be my deer;
Feed where thou wilt, on mountain or in dale:
Graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry,
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.

Parks are meant for walking. Deers are meant for hunting. Tread on those hills and find some nice fountains gone gushing. And you realize it’s the Roman goddess of love gone rhyming. When erotica is sweetened with the help of double entrende, it makes you guess what Adonis is thinking. Which pair of lips should he be grazing?

And just when you thought it’s only women that are good with messing with their lovers’ heads, think again. One memorable exchange occurred in the play “Hamlet” between Hamlet and Ophelia. Ophelia is trying to strike up a decent conversation with Hamlet even if she can sense how his sanity is starting to get the best of him. The dialogue went as this.

HAMLET
Lady, shall I lie in your lap?

OPHELIA
No, my lord.

HAMLET
I mean, my head upon your lap.

OPHELIA
Ay, my lord.

HAMLET
Do you think I meant country matters?

OPHELIA
I think nothing, my lord.

HAMLET
That’s a fair thought to lie between maid’s legs.

OPHELIA
What is, my lord?

HAMLET
Nothing.

It’s all in the head and it’s a discussion about the head. In a sense, just when you thought that the welcome malice is all in Ophelia’s head when it comes to discussing where Hamlet may enter his head, Hamlet would twist the conversation about a place to lay his head. Sometimes Ophelia interprets the conversation as Hamlet giving her head only for Hamlet to adjust his choice of words in a way to refer to her lap as a resting place for his head. Then he mentioned resting “between maid’s legs” and Ophelia is confused all over again. See? Even our own heads got messed along with theirs.

If reading between the lines recited in several soliloquy stanzas delivered in plays like “Hamlet” hasn’t messed you up just yet, go and watch us in full crazy glory as I mess up with your heads as well. It would be a blast for me to play the titular role of Hamlet at DITO Bahay ng Sining. Updates, play dates and ticket prices would be displayed at my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club, and at my Twitter account @kuyamanzano. I would appreciate it very much if you would follow both accounts on social media for real-time updates. See you there.

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Shakespeare Background

January 29, 2015 Web Master

Every legend has an origin or a background. While William Shakespeare is more known today as the playwright that wrote timeless classics like “King Lear”, “Macbeth”, “Othello”, and “Hamlet”, he occasionally dabbled in acting. In this vein, we then explore how he started – in a theater troupe called “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”. Knowing them would give us a background about The Bard as a member of his troupe and how they presented his works onstage.

“The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” was formed during the reign of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I. They got their name from Henry Carey, their patron from whom the name “Lord Chamberlain” was taken. This troupe originally consisted of 8 members that shared the profits in case the play earned more than what it spent and debts since the rent needs to be paid. This then made them known as “the eight sharers”, a system that became prevalent throughout their existence. The eight-sharer platform eventually became a business system for them. Whenever one leaves the troupe, another will come in to fill that vacated “sharer status”.

The men that really kept the troupe assembled in the beginning consisted of James Burbage, the theater impressario, and his sons Cuthbert who became a theater builder and Richard who became one of the most celebrated actors of his era. Richard Burbage played most of the lead roles in this troupe. Since much of his earlier roles were not documented much, there was a speculation that he played female roles too as women are prohibited from joining the theater during the 1500’s. Most plays that Shakespeare wrote premiered with Burbage playing the title role like “King Lear”, “Richard II“, “Othello” and “Hamlet”.

And since most plays included a comedy role, the role often ended up with Willliam Kempe. Kempe is noted for his dancing skill and comic timing. For this reason, he became associated with such roles like Dogberry in “Much Ado About Nothing“, Peter in “Romeo and Juliet“, and Bottom (I like his name) in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream“. But his signature role turned out to be Falstaff, a character found in 3 of Shakespeare’s plays. Falstaff may actually be the most popular comic character that Shakespeare ever created – a character whose adventures are presented most of the time for laughs. Falstaff may be the best proof of how Shakespeare added depth to characters even if the genre is comedy, proving how even comedies still serve as theatrical challenges to anyone interested to play such roles.

While some of Shakespeare’s works don’t aim for historical accuracy, it still elicited controversy once in a while. The only recorded controversy so far of this theater troupe is their “special performance” of “Richard II”. At that time, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was planning a revolt against Elizabeth I. His supporters then commissioned the said performance as if they are already conditioning the public of the Queen’s downfall. The Queen herself became aware of the propaganda, sensing that the character alluded to her was Richard II himself. It put the troupe in bad favor with Her Majesty. If not for one of the performers, Augustine Philips, testifying that they were offered 40 shillings more than their usual fee, they will not get pardoned. Because of this, the troupe got to perform again for Her Majesty the day before the 2nd Earl of Essex got executed by guillotine.

Shakespeare stayed with the troupe even if “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” changed their name several times depending on who patronized them. Finally, they earned the name “The King’s Men” after James I of England got crowned and patronized the troupe.

Before Hollywood stepped in to produce their versions of Shakespeare’s classic plays, 3 of the best-selling plays ever performed were remade by renowned Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi as operas: “Macbeth”, “Otello” (Othello) and “Falstaff”. It gave Italians an idea about Shakespeare presented in a genre they can appreciate best. French composer Ambroise Thomas, on the other hand, remade “Hamlet” for the French audience to enjoy and appreciate Shakespeare’s classic tragedy.

Shakespeare as a writer indeed inspired several generations despite the common notion of how his characters served as the toughest challenges ever encountered by any actor serious with theater. This is why it will be a fascinating event to witness my performance as the disturbed soul, Hamlet. Details are on the poster. For more updates, please click “Like” on my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club, and follow me on Twitter @kuyamanzano. See you there.

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Shakespeare Books: Random Commentary of Shakespeare’s Works

January 24, 2015 Web Master

Reading Shakespeare in its original form can be taxing for someone like me whose mother tongue is not even English. What more for the native English speakers who happened to be compatriots of the The Bard? It can put your mental stamina to the test especially when faced with text peppered with apostrophes and Victorian references that may not be always applicable today.

So how about analyzing the storylines as condensed in the books found on Project Gutenberg? Summarized versions of the books are found there for everyone to get a gist on the play that some folks plan to stage. A few ideas won’t hurt granted that I remove the spoilers. If you insist on the spoilers, just click on the images to see them.

Shakespeare Books: Random Commentary of Shakespeare’s Works — Screenshot from the 1936 film, “As You Like It”

– As You Like It

Perhaps the laziest title ever, it was the story about Orlando and Rosalind. The fact that Orlando had a brother who treated him like crap and Rosalind’s father got exiled by his brother to steal the duke title meant destiny. Well, more like finding a kindred spirit except that the next time Orlando met Rosalind, he didn’t recognize her anymore. Rosalind disguised herself as a guy when she escaped her uncle with her cousin, Celia, who in turn disguised herself as a poor lady. Yeah, long before Pinoys enjoyed gender-bending soaps from J-Drama and K-Drama, The Bard has been writing stuff like this. “As You Like It” is his best among them though. And the part about lazy titles has some truth to it too.

– Macbeth

Originally titled “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, it is about Macbeth who realized he got some malevolence in him the moment he received the prophecy from the 3 witches about him being the next king of Scotland. He never knew he wanted to be king until Lady Macbeth pushed him to. Maybe she’s just the flicker needed. So he killed the king. She framed the sons and the remaining heirs to the throne escaped, which gets you thinking what kind of upbringing they received. He accumulated power and wealth and thought that he’s invincible. The moment he realized that his reign is endangered, he had to go back to the 3 witches who told him about prophecies related to the only things that can endanger his rule. Too bad he read them all wrong especially the part about no human being born of a woman could ever kill him.

– Romeo and Juliet

If there is one love story that set the trend for most soaps today, it’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Young teens that fell in love way before they realized their families are enemies, sometimes it serves as a commentary about how the young fall too fast and think too slow. Not that falling in love is a bad thing but a series of coincidences and a whole lot of recklessness later [SPOILER ALERT], the couple is dead. And it all began with a letter that did not make it to the recipient. Such is the time when smartphones don’t exist yet.

– Othello

A tale of jealousy gone wrong, it showed how the jealousy of Iago spurned him to push Othello to be jealous of his wife, Desdemona. And all because Othello picked Cassio instead of Iago for promotion. Iago then made it look like Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, driving Othello mad with jealousy. Knowing how the opera version composed by Giuseppe Verdi chose to focus on this drama shows how Othello, as much as he is dubbed as “The Lion of Venice”, is just as guilible and powerless when it comes to wolves in sheep’s clothing just like Iago. Othello chose to believe his new aide instead of his own wife and it produced irreversible and painful consequences. I told you I won’t spoil much.

– Hamlet

And of course, Hamlet, the inspiration behind Lion King except that it was not mentioned in the animated film whether Scar had to marry Simba’s mom to be king. Here, it’s the marriage between his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle, Claudius. He was like “Mom, Dad’s barely a year dead and you got remarried? And to uncle, of all people?” It drove him nuts and jumped to the conclusion that no woman can’t live without a man, to hell with being a virtuous woman. He delivered a series of soliloquies that suggested he’s bonkers. He pushed Ophelia away before he could cheat on him (I told you he’s bonkers) and staged his plan for vengeance that could have suggested that he may not be as bonkers as we thought him to be. One big guarantee is that it turned out to be the greatest play that The Bard had ever written.

And so was the title of the play that I will be headlining as shown on the dates written on the poster. Everybody knew I’m bonkers and I can’t blame them if that’s best criteria they used for casting me as Hamlet. I hope to see you there. Don’t worry, I don’t bite. I would appreciate it more if you like my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club, and follow me on Twitter @kuyamanzano. Gracias!

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Shakespeare Biography: Focusing on the Man Himself

January 23, 2015 Web Master

From nicknames “The Bard” and “Billy Shakes” at least according to some fans, Shakespeare will always be one of the most celebrated writers in English literature. When a playwright demands acting depth even from characters meant to be funny, you know you have a writer that at least knows what to ask of his actors.

But as the man identified separately from his writings, who is William Shakespeare really? Until now, records disputed the date of his birth. So the only other proof that he had ever been born is his baptismal certificate which states that Shakespeare was born on April 26, 1564. On whether this was the earliest case of a baptismal certificate being accepted as a legitimate proof that a person is born, it is not much of an issue anymore. Shakespeare existed because a portfolio got preserved along with his works. It can possibly be summarized into a bio-data but then again, we can go the resume route if we wanted to delve deeper into the professional himself.

His father, John Shakespeare, was an Englishman who moved to Stratford to work as an apprentice glover and tanner of feathers. He married Mary Arden sometime between 1556 and 1558. So it must have been years before Mary finally had a date with the stork and popped out William for the English literary world to enjoy. Well, not that early, I must say.

He had to be educated first, of course. His father sent him to the Stratford Grammar School near their home on Herley St the moment William turned 7 years old. No record matching such claim existed though. Besides he had to quit school at age 13 because his father could no longer afford him. They must have been that poor.

Everyone is free to speculate what kept him preoccupied between quitting school and becoming an actor-playwright as not much is said about it either. Suggestions about a legal career or an academic career are welcome. Historians are still disputing some claims anyway.

It was recorded though that in November 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, not the actress since the Anne Hathaway that William married was born April 1556. (In case you don’t believe me, please watch the movie “One Day” and listen to that horrible English accent.) They had 3 kids, 2 of which are twins. Susanna was the eldest, born May 26, 1583. The twins are Hamlet and Judith, named after William’s closest friends.

Not all of his works are plays. The plague in 1593 forced theaters to close shop until the plague is contained. This gave him time to write his non-dramatic poetry. I know a website that even shared how perverted his poetry is once in a while especially when bored. If not for the “occasional inspiration”, publishers in his time will not realize the literary gem “Venus and Adonis” turned out to be.

Once the plague was over, he resumed his theater career and joined The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the theater troupe that served as his drama lab for future hits like “Richard III”, “King Lear”, “Othello” and “Hamlet”.

How did Shakespeare die then? Some people still consider it as a mystery since nobody dies from drinking too hard in one night. One night is not enough to broil your liver but who know how long and how hard had he been drinking prior to that night? Besides, at the time of death, another plague is starting to take over in the form of typhus. Another set of speculations to entertain then.

As for reliving the works of Shakespeare today, I would highly recommend that you watch our take on one of his toughest plays ever staged, “Hamlet“. To get constantly updated about this project and the next upcoming projects that I am currently committed to, please like my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club, and follow me on Twitter @kuyamanzano. Gracias!

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