a_t_rain

This, I must say, was not a tough call at all, even though I'm not really a tragedy person (or perhaps because I'm not really a tragedy person).

( past the size of dreaming )

( All the questions )

Unlike the villain and hero questions, this one is not divided into separate categories for men and women. I suspect that it simply did not occur to the meme-makers that clowns could be female, although there are a fair number of characters who might reasonably fit into this category -- Juliet's Nurse, Maria in Twelfth Night, Audrey, Jaquenetta, Mistress Overdone, and the one I'm going to talk about in this post. (FWIW, if I were going to pick my favorite male clown, it would be Nick Bottom, for many of the same reasons as angevin2.)

( we cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdy house straight )

( All the questions )

I feel spoiled for choice on this one, because Shakespeare has so many awesome villains. I was tempted to pick Shylock, but I have a long Merchant post coming up next week; I was also very tempted by Edmund in King Lear (you may be starting to notice a pattern here). But I figured I'd go with someone who doesn't get much love.

( Some report a sea-maid spawned him, some that he was begot by two stockfishes. But it is certain that when he makes water his urine is congealed ice. )

( All the questions )

I'm afraid I must steal lareinenoire's answer to this: Othello.

( More about the Moor. And no, I didn't pick him purely for the sake of that pun. )

( All the questions )

... but you must know that I can't resist getting a chance to natter about Shakespeare for thirty consecutive days, so here goes. Stolen from angevin2 and several other people.

Your favorite play

Gah, why do they have to start with the one really impossible question? Favorite for what purpose? I'd have to say Henry V to write scholarly stuff about, Merchant of Venice or Othello to teach, Much Ado about Nothing to watch over and over, possibly Antony and Cleopatra to read. Need I go on? I mean, one of the things I love most about Shakespeare is the sheer variety.

But all right. I see that the meme has separate questions for "favorite comedy," "favorite tragedy," and "favorite history," so today I will write about my favorite neither-tragedy-nor-history-nor-quite-comedy.

( Of Bohemian beaches and bears )

( List o' questions )