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Chris - it's still not usual to celebrate St George's Day, is it?
Don't worry!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 25, 2007 at 2:07 PM
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You're so right Tony! When there'rs an England match-all cars have the flag
f
lying-but St.George's day-came and went and I for one-never noticed!How disgracefull am I?
posted by
Scramble
on April 25, 2007 at 12:29 PM
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Arise, Sir Bhaskar of Swanbridge.
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 9:01 AM
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Many thanks, Kat - where's the vase?
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 8:46 AM
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posted by
Amanda__
on April 24, 2007 at 8:40 AM
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Tony, going by that I am an Enlishman. Whaddo you say?
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on April 24, 2007 at 8:05 AM
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Tony
Another good post
posted by
Kat02
on April 24, 2007 at 6:54 AM
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That's right, TAPS.
Shakespeare will remain a minority interest but I think St George's Day may well become more popular is England becomes more separate from the rest of britain in the next ten to twenty years.
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 6:42 AM
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Tonyzonit
I'm not surprised that more people are football fans than fans of Shakespeare and St. George.
posted by
TAPS.
on April 24, 2007 at 2:20 AM
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Hi Rich - good to see you - thanks!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:41 AM
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Absolutely, Bhaskar. the two are the intertwined loves of
the modern Englishman. (Actually, I lie - most of 'em hate Shakespeare!)
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:40 AM
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Thanks very much Whacky - now where's my other vase??!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:35 AM
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Drohan - there's still time. Keep trying. Recognition is sometimes slow!
Happy birthday for today!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:35 AM
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Hello Afzal - my pleasure. Nice to have an opportunity to do so.
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:33 AM
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Proc - that's interesting. The Queen does have two birthdays - one her real
one, and one the official one - it sound slike you celebrate the official date! Verily that's a good idea about Stratford, NZ, celebrating Shakespeare. I wonder why rugby is so popular in NZ. Still, i suppose some sport has got to be the top one. At least you're top of the rugby tree - here in the UK we struggle at even our top sports.
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:32 AM
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Enigmatic - as a student a few of us were driving from New York State
to Niagara Falls (at night) but they wouldn't let us in because we didn't have our passports. They thought we looked suspicious! As for whether Shakespeare is allowed in Canada, I hope so - I see no reason why not! Maybe it's less popular in the french-speaking areas. They might prefer Moliere or Racine!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:29 AM
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Scriber - things would certainly have been different without him.
Persoanlly i think his greatest contribution are those unforgettable one liners - and he also coined many words, too.
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 24, 2007 at 12:26 AM
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tony
thanks for sharing
posted by
richinstore
on April 23, 2007 at 11:09 PM
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Hi there Tony, S H A K E S P E A R E & F O O T B A L L
Reminds me of the lovers, Orlando and Rosalind in As You LIke It,
"Like Juno's swans
Still we went coupled and inseparable".
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on April 23, 2007 at 10:49 PM
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Good one!
A couple of roses
posted by
Whacky
on April 23, 2007 at 10:33 PM
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again another very beautiful poem
tonyzonit ..i was happy i thought that it is shakespear's birthday as tomorrow 25/4 is my birthday any way we can celebrate together as i used to be optimistic so may be i born to replace shakespear ..i will try very hard to leave trace of a real poet like him what do you think friend
posted by
drohan254
on April 23, 2007 at 7:59 PM
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Thanks for remembering the Bard.
posted by
afzal50
on April 23, 2007 at 7:04 PM
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In new zealnd we have a day off to celebrate queen elizabeth's birthday.
Her birthday is in April but we celebrate in June. I dont know the logic behind that. we have a town called Sratford here where all things Shakespeareian have a day of recognition and celebration. There's even a sonnet competition. Other than that we have one other religion here, rugby. long live rugby (even though Im a rugby atheist.)
posted by
proc
on April 23, 2007 at 4:08 PM
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Tony
Sorry to shock you so much! I'm a Yank. I visted Canada once, maybe twice, as a child, on our yearly, summer, family vacations - I just remember the beautiful scenery - I think we spent most of our time in the west, for example, Vancouver, British Columbia - I can't imagine why they banned you! I don't know much about their culture, except that the eastern parts of Canada, seem to have a rather snobbish attitude to us Americans - are Shakespeare's writings allowed to be taught or read in Canada?
posted by
Enigmatic68
on April 23, 2007 at 2:23 PM
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Without Shakes, half of the movies and plays would not be written...Esp.
the ones worth watching or attending...
posted by
scriber
on April 23, 2007 at 2:13 PM
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Blimey, you gave me a shock there, Enigmatic!
I thought I was being roasted alive and fed to the pigs! Anyway, Shakespeare is usually regarded as one of the best. I think it's fair to say he is a great poet first, playwright second. Of course, the novel hadn't been invented then, although there were short stories by the likes of Boccaccio and others in the renaiisance era - but Shakespeare doesn't appear to have left any significant prose. his forte then is clearly the manipulation of words and the calling up of images and acute observation in dense clusters. The characters and scenes are pretty good, but what everyone remembers are the great quotes - even when we don't know quite what they mean!! But that's because Shakespeare is palying with words, and the meaning might even be secondary to the sound and imagery of those words. Anyway, thanks for the positive vibes, mate - long live the States too (I'm assuming you're from there - it'll either be there or canada, I wager.) Canada - the only country from which i've so far been barred from entry!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 23, 2007 at 2:06 PM
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Thanks, Najwa - I know what you mean.
Shakespeare is often quite hard to read. It's mainly blank verse, and the language is outdated, of course. It takes a lot of time and study to see why he is good. I've only studied a few of his plays but i've read them all, and I'm now going through the sonnets in a very good book that gives several pages of explanation for each one. it's hard work, though!!
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 23, 2007 at 1:59 PM
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Tony
I wish you wouldn't waste people's time (mine in particular), talking about obscure "so-called" writers, like Shakespeare - the man obviously had nothing profound or relevant to say about the human condition - I think you're just bitter about the decline and fall of the British Empire! Well, thank goodness, the PCAP - Politically Correct Academia Police - are trying to purge the writings of all those despicable, dead, white, male Europeans from our (American) colleges and universities! One of our (America's) most brilliant leaders, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, led a protest some years back, in which he and his zombie followers all shouted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Western Civ. has got to go!" In case you didn't realize, you struck a nerve in me. Long live Shakespeare (THE GREATEST WRITER IN ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY) - in my humble (American) opinion - and long live Great Britain!
posted by
Enigmatic68
on April 23, 2007 at 1:47 PM
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TONY,,,,the idea in your poem depends on the writer only from inside his soul and the more I read the more I believe that William Shakespear words are very hard and some time no music in it but in any way He is our roots and we are the fruits and the flowers upon his old tree,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
the stranger
posted by
NAJWA
on April 23, 2007 at 1:33 PM
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Yes, Smartdog - it always gets a mention in the media, but
the masses don't celebrate either St George's day or Shakespeare's birth/deathday. In recent centuries / decades the emphasis was on Britishness in England, so Englishness was all but forgotten, unlike Irishness or Scottishness, because the Irish and Scots didn't and still don't see themselves as British. Now Britain is quite a weak nationality, if it exists at all, and everyone is becoming the separate components of Britain - English, Welsh, Scottish, (Ireland is not strictly part of Britain at all). So eventually St George's day will grow in importance.
posted by
Antonionioni
on April 23, 2007 at 1:00 PM
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Tony
It is puzzling the things people do or do not celebrate, and even more puzzling why. But it seems to me a good idea to remember important figures and events of the past.
-smartdog
posted by
smartdog_670
on April 23, 2007 at 12:47 PM
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