Nifty site

If you find yourself bored and wanting something to read, then check this site out. It's full of interesting bits of trivia on The Tempest.

Tristan

Thou creeping, open arsed giglet!

If that sounded nifty to you, then you need to take a look at the Shakespearean Insult Generator. It takes words or phrases from Elizabethan English and combines them randomly and the end result is an extremely amusing insult! It's a great way to liven up a conversation or to vex your garden variety idiot. If you didn't click on the above link to take a gander, try here and enjoy!

Tristan

*Edit: I forgot to post another interesting site which does the same thing plus it occasionally pulls an insult directly from a miscellaneous play and displays it. You can find this site here.

The Rocky Horror Tempest Show

Hello all, Tristan here to bring you a moderately nifty internet find

I was browsing through google videos when I came across this interesting take on the Tempest



*Warning: The acting isn't great. I don't think it was meant to be, it was meant to combine a great cult movie with a literary classic (for a class or for fun, I'm not so sure, I just found the video and thought it "neat"). So don't even try to take this video seriously.

Yet another Interesting Quote for this Moment

It is I, Tristan, here with yet another installment in this fine series of quotes from a literary master.

This quote comes from the Tempest and is straight from the monster himself, Caliban

All the infections that the sun sucks up

From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him

By inch-mail a disease! his spirits hear me,

And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,

Fright me with urchin-shows, pitch me i' the mire,

Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark

Out of my way, unless he bid 'em: but

For every trifle are they set upon me;

Sometimes like apes, that mow and chatter at me,

And after bite me; then like hedgehogs, which

Lie tumbling in my barefoot way, and mount

Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I

All wound with adders, who with cloven tongues

Do hiss me into madness.

~Caliban, The Tempest Act II scene ii

I chose this particular quote because of the wonderful language used by this character. He is supposedly inferior but he speaks with such eloquence and style that one must admit that, though simple, this creature has quite the mind in his head. Even through a bout of cursing another man he speaks such gorgeous, imaginative lines.

Interesting Quote of the Moment

Hello all, it's Tristan again and I come with another Quote

For this Interesting Quote of the Moment I decided to go with something out of Hamlet. It's one of my all time favorites as it is good sound advice. In a day and age where everyone wants to be an individual (just like everyone else) it's definitely something to think on.

"This above all, to thine own self be true,
And it must follow as the night and the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
-Polonius (Hamlet, Act I Scene iii)


I hope you enjoyed this installment and look tomorrow for yet another post (if all goes according to plan, hehehe).

Interesting Quote of the Moment

Hello all, Tristan at your service.

On my quest for ideas for postings and such I decided that at least twice a week, I will present you all with an interesting line from one of the plays (to be used as many as ice breakers, points of interest, or simply as an attempt at making yourself look cool)

For this installment we have a quote from Comedy of Errors. The subject matter is something that people to this day have trouble speaking of or, on occasion, experiencing (especially with their significant other). That's right, it's all about the flatulence:

A man may break a word with you, sir, and words are but wind,
Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind.
~Dromio of Ephesus-Act III, Scene I

*Quick note: These quotes may come from ANY of Shakespeare's plays. At least one of the Interesting Quotes of the Moment each week will come from one of the plays in the syllabus, I just thought it'd be interesting to branch out a bit. Enjoy!

It's about time!

Yes friends, the wait is over! You are witnessing the first post on this blog!

This is your go to blog for any interesting tidbits on Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

We'll start this thing off with a brief summary of Act I.

The play begins aboard a ship carrying Alonso (the King of Naples), Gonzalo (a councilor), Antonio (the current Duke of Milan), Sebastian (the King's brother), and Ferdinand (son of the King). The ship is struck by storm of disastrous proportions. As the storm rages, all hands and the passengers begin to fear that all is lost (almost makes you think it's a bad soap opera waiting to happen).

In the next scene we meet Prospero (the former and rightful Duke of Milan) and Miranda (daughter of Prospero) who reside on an island near the storm and the seemingly doomed ship. Miranda begs her father (not only a duke, but a man of magical means, sit on it and spin David Copperfield) to use his powers to attempt to save the ship and all aboard. Prospero assures his daughter that all will be well. He reveals that he called the storm and assures her that none aboard will come to harm. He decides it's time that she learn more about her father and their past. He reveals to her that he was once the Duke of Milan, but he had more interest in his arcane studies than he did with governing so he let his brother Antonio manage his affairs (Yeah, this just screams "bad idea"). Conspiring with the King of Naples, who is none too fond of Prospero, Antonio wrested power away from Prospero. Miranda and her father were then put aboard an old rotted tub with little provisions and Prosperos beloved books ("I don't care what you do with the child, just leave the books alone!") and set out to sea. And so they drifted out and eventually landed ashore the island upon which they currently find themselves living for the past 12 years. Prospero, having divined that his enemies would be traveling nearby (this is now, not then, silly goose), called forth the storm ("Shazama pajama!").

The story at last completed, Prospero puts Miranda to sleep with his magic and calls for his chief servant Ariel, a spirit. Ariel tells his master that he brought the storm upon the ship as ordered. The spirit made sure all aboard the ship reached the shore safely, though in smaller separate groups. Ariel then reminds Prospero that he had kept his word and had served Prospero dutifully and without complaint and asks that Prospero hold up his end of the bargain, which would be to let his chief servant go a year early. Prospero then reminds Ariel of the horrible fate which the spirit was rescued from by Prospero. Ariel was imprisoned in a tree by a witch named Sycorax on the very same island and had died, leaving Ariel trapped (how thoughtful of her!). Prospero had come and freed the spirit (Huzzah!) and the spirit had served in payment since. Ariel, now reminded of his place, takes new orders and takes on the guise of a sea nymph and makes himself visible only to Prospero.

Prospero awakens Miranda from her magical slumber so that they could go and speak with Caliban, the dead witch Sycorax's son and now Prospero's servant. Caliban isn't too pleased with the way he's been treated. He says that Prospero, once a doting father figure, turned cold as ice once Caliban showed him the ways of the island. Prospero then berates Caliban for being ungrateful, saying that he has done much for the poor "filth" even after he tried to force himself on Miranda (throughout the discussion you can almost see the condescending look and the shaking finger from Prospero). Caliban is sent for more firewood. After he leaves, Ariel enters, having bewitched Ferdinand into following him ("Look at what I found!"). As Ferdinand enters, he and Miranda fall for each other ("You had me at hello *tear*") Prospero had planned on this (Sneaky isn't he?) and is excited that his plans for his daughter are going well, but he decided that he didn't want this relationship developing too fast so he accuses Ferdinand of being an impostor. Ferdinand gets angry (can't say as I blame the guy) and draws his sword which gives Prospero the excuse he needed to throw the young man in a cell. After all this nasty business is said and done, Prospero sends Ariel out on another errand.

Well, that'd be the end of Act I. We'll have a summary of Act II up in a couple of days.

So come on back, ya hear?