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I watched The first episode in THE HOLLOW CROWN (Richard II) last night and it was frankly amazing, though I'm not really qualified to say why it was amazing. The best part of watching a film or play (after one has read the play) is seeing the various scenes come alive and seeing the characters come alive. Ben Wishaw plays a rather effeminate Richard II and you truly get the idea that he's not fit to wear the crown, and yet the pathos he shows upon losing the crown to "Proud Bolingbroke" is breathtaking, leaving no doubt why this play is called a tragedy. The whole cast is amazing here (including Patrick Stewart as John of Gaunt). I'm looking forward to seeing Henry IV, part 1 next.

Here's a scene from the Hollow Crown that shows both Richard and Henry Bolingbroke. Notice how Christ-like Richard is here when his arms are outstretched. What a brilliant scene . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQQyyMyTHa0

Geo wrote:
The best part of watching a film or play (after one has read the play) is seeing the various scenes come alive and seeing the characters come alive.

So true, and I agree that this particular film really does the play justice, something I noticed about the film though is the condensing of some dialog, not that it matters much as the cinematography compensates and the story moves along well. For me the cast puts it all on the line, real emotion can be scene from all the major players. The link you provide give one the opportunity to compare different actors portraying the same roll, it's really quite something to witness the progression of those portrayals.

This is the clip I meant to post . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXGkbBbXVSA

Richard's frequent references to Christ in Shakespeare's text show a kind of Messiah complex and they really play that up in THE HOLLOW CROWN. In the Director's comments, they discussed the possibility that Richard II had narcissistic personality disorder or perhaps was schizophrenic. They modeled his character in part on Michael Jackson and in part on Jim Morrison. Some interesting choices!

MJ+JM=R2
very Very interesting, It is an absolute shame that our pop stars die without ever knowing what some of their legacies become. A mental experiment is imagining a meeting between Jackson and Morrison, divergent personalities to say the least. I told someone once that we suffer from the premature loss of great artist, the idea went over their head, but its true, we all lose.
Geo; thanks for setting up the whole WS thread, I learned a lot.

Thanks, Taylor. I learned a lot from you guys. Let me know when you're ready for another play. Someone else can pick the next one!

Hello, I'm new and I'm just finding my way around the forum, so sorry if I blunder somewhere. I have been looking for a serious online book club and I was very happy to see that you are discussing Shakespeare. It seems to me that you are looking at Henry IV now and are perhaps already planning to move on to the next play. I wanted to ask of you have already chosen the next play and if so, which one? I would like to join your discussions from the start, but feel that I need some time to read the play and maybe even to get hold of the text.

be10:
Hello, I'm new and I'm just finding my way around the forum, so sorry if I blunder somewhere. I have been looking for a serious online book club and I was very happy to see that you are discussing Shakespeare. It seems to me that you are looking at Henry IV now and are perhaps already planning to move on to the next play. I wanted to ask of you have already chosen the next play and if so, which one? I would like to join your discussions from the start, but feel that I need some time to read the play and maybe even to get hold of the text.

First; Welcome to BT , I enjoyed the Shakespeare discussion myself. There hasn't been any further discussion planned, but that does not mean there won't be, the idea was to set up a permanent form for WS, but that's really predicated on member participation/enthusiasm, Suggest a play to discuss, get the ball rolling. Research the play you'd like to discuss, and make your most creative pitch, for people here enthusiasm is contagious. Don't get hung up on blunders, here you are among friends

I think I have come to the right place to thank you for welcoming me to the forum.
Predictably, I would be inclined to opt for one of the tragedies, perhaps Macbeth. I know the outline of the plot, as many do, but I have never read the play or seen it performed, which makes me feel that there is a yawning gap in my knowledge.
I feel that Macbeth might be a rewarding text to look at closely, partly becuse of the language, partly because the themes that run through this play are still relevant today, which could, of course, apply to almost all of WS's plays, but Macbeth has the added attraction for me of being, I suspect, a very powerful psychological drama. I like the idea of delving into the minds of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, exploring the interaction between these two highly obsessed individuals and examining their mental desintegration.