A question for Shakespearean fans

[Agentt]

So....
I have only ever read a single play ever. The Merchant Of Venice.
I am completely illeterate when it comes to any form of literature of that era. Or well, dramas in general. Or literature in general.

A few days ago, my proff mentioned the book, Othelo. I don't know why, he just casually asked the class, "Do any of you know the plot of Othelo?"

Anyways, so I borrowed the book from the library.

A few questions.

Why is everyone so....dramatic?
I guess I shouldn't ask this question when I am reading a drama but is this level of drama common in plays of that time? Or just literature of that time? I once made a thread about how Sherlock Holmes books have too much of ass-kissing in them, so I do imagine speaking politely was a trend once; but...

You know, why do people say stuff like, "With God as my witness, I take an oath. I rather die than go against your cause." rather than just saying, "I promise."

And you know, if you see a stranger staring at you, you can ask, "Is there anything on my face?"

You don't have to say, "Ayye, Man, I love you, for you look beautiful; and war has taught me that all beautiful men must be honest. For vile men are not men, they shouldn't look like men. If there is any fault in what I say then let God condemn me for it, but I say this truthfully that I love you, dear stranger. So speak freely what is in your mind, be honest. If you still choose to hide your thoughts from me, then leave me be. Get out of my sight, I shall proceed to drown myself in a river, for what is use of living in a world where I can't hear the thoughts of you."


More than that is...why are people kissing each other so much?

When this first happened, I just assumed kissing was a common greeting back then, but it got extremely awkward since every person would go about explaining why the kiss happened. Like a character kissed someone's wife and just said, "Don't be mad bro, I kissed your wife because mama taught me to kiss every pretty lady I see; your wife is just so hot that it would be a shame to not kiss her."

And the husband is just, "My wife is hot, so fair enough."

Another time two men randomly kissed and were like, "No homo bro, I just kissed you to see if your lips tasted like my wife's. They don't, so I know she isn't cheating on me with you."



And another time two men were sleeping side by side when one began passionately kissing the other guy, and just said, "DUDE! I just saw this sexy dream where there was this hot chick, and we were drinking tea, and she held my hand. Sorry bro, couldn't stop myself. Good night."

 

[Twin]

It's not because you are reading a drama, its because you are reading a 'play' that everything is dramatized.
In a classical 'play', you sit in a theater with your friends. Obviously the actor needs to used stronger verbs and loud voice compared to your chattering friend to grab your attention. The character's dialogue needs to be poetic and attention grabbing at the same time. Otherwise you would probably listening to your friend chattering throughout the play instead of the play itself. If that makes sense.

Modern movies do this to for important and impactful dialogues, but in different ways since they have a lot of 'tools' available unlike these theater plays.

 

[Syringe]

I'm pretty sure this is called Melodrama, where things are exaggerated for the sake of emphasising comedy, emotions, etc since these were acted out on stages. I've watched alot of Shakesphearian plays (Tempest by far my favourite!) and they really convey this well with body language, huge sweeping movements - it's a genre of its own. Remember, plays were for entertainment.

Never seen Othelo, but alot of the ones that I have read are pretty tragic. Mcbeth, Tempest (I think was tragic), Romeo and Julliet just to name a few.

You do see some character quirks in Shakesphere's plays that can be a critique or a study of them, like Mcbeth's downward spiral + his wife due to a self-fulfilling prophecy (+lust for power), Tempest with racial undertones (and man vs nature), etc. So Othelo might have some underlaying theme associated with all the kissing.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

To be or not to be?

I don't like bees.

 

[TenderHuman]

I don't like bees.

that's why nobody loves you

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

that's why nobody loves you

And I don't love you as well.

 

[RavenRunes]

For a modern take on the Taming of the Shrew, I love 10 Things I Hate About You.
My pet peeve was with Hamlet. Like, it's all poison this, drowning that, then everyone randomly dies and....that's it. What was the point. Like he couldn't figure out where his plot was going so he killed everyone off. Like an Elizabethan GRR Martin (but shorter).
Why are they kissing so much? They're passing on the plague....

I have noticed a vague Shakespearean bent in the wuxias I like. Quite enjoy it actually. I feel like the lights should be turned down and I get an interlude for some ice cream and an orange.

 

[Mephi]

Got to agree with Twin. Shakespeare was writing for the stage. Plays are fundamentally different from novels and movie scripts, and require different way of speaking and interacting with others or the environment.

Plus, you have to take into account the time period- this was before television or other forms of instant entertainment. This kind of drama was probably the only instance of its type that the audience would encounter for weeks. It creates a different dynamic.

 

[Agentt]

So Othelo might have some underlaying theme associated with all the kissing.

Yeah, I guess.

That guy who kissed someone's wife and everyone was fine with it? It soon spirals down to both being jealous and the guy suspecting his wife is cheating on him, so I get that was to establish how strong the bro code was.

In the beginning, he is completely chill with it, but at the end he kills him for making him a cuck.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

My first encounter with Shakespeare is when I was in High School and they required us to watch a ballet production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The lines were adapted to cater to modern audiences, but what struck me was the ballet dancers who were given the fairy roles. They're cute.

(Hey, I'm of the same age as them back then.)

Next is that Hamlet movie with Denzel Washington. I love that.

 

[Corty]

I love Hamlet. Arnold played an oscar worthy role in it.

 

[georgelee5786]

Because drama is life

 

[Anon2023]

-_-

People at that time were happy at the smallest bit of entertainment. There was no special effects or television, and in order for audiences to understand the iambic lines were easier to hear even in monotone.

Also, people have always been perverts. If they could have sex lawfully on stage I’m sure Shakespeare would have done it.

 

[JayDirex]

Othello! See the movie with Larry Fishburne. He nails the character. @Agentt

 

[K5Rakitan]

Just because the writing is old doesn't mean it's good. Most people were illiterate back then, and Shakespeare's plays were written to entertain people who had never read a novel. I take it more as a study of history than as a study of literature.

 

[LinMeili]

Also, people have always been perverts. If they could have sex lawfully on stage I’m sure Shakespeare would have done it.

Hahaha!

You know that the female roles back then were played by males, right? People were so uptight then that people complained about the (totally fake stage kisses).

“such wantone gestures, such bawdie speaches: such laughing and fleering: such kissing and bussing: such clipping and culling: such winckinge and glancinge of wanton eyes”

 

[Anon2023]

Hahaha!

You know that the female roles back then were played by males, right? People were so uptight then that people complained about the (totally fake stage kisses).

“such wantone gestures, such bawdie speaches: such laughing and fleering: such kissing and bussing: such clipping and culling: such winckinge and glancinge of wanton eyes”

I’ll just invoke the real world example of how people that HATE NTR somehow end up reading lots of NTR.

thank you.

 

[CadmarLegend]

It's not because you are reading a drama, its because you are reading a 'play' that everything is dramatized.
In a classical 'play', you sit in a theater with your friends. Obviously the actor needs to used stronger verbs and loud voice compared to your chattering friend to grab your attention. The character's dialogue needs to be poetic and attention grabbing at the same time. Otherwise you would probably listening to your friend chattering throughout the play instead of the play itself. If that makes sense.

Modern movies do this to for important and impactful dialogues, but in different ways since they have a lot of 'tools' available unlike these theater plays.

As technology has advanced, the way we consume media has changed, too. Nowadays, we're finding ourselves more and more dependent on subtitles to understand what's being said on screen. In the old days, before good microphones were around, actors had to make sure their lines were spoken loud and clear. But with modern audio technology, actors have more freedom to be creative with their performances, which can include speaking softly or mumbling. While this makes for more interesting performances, it can also make it harder for audiences to understand what's being said. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[RavenRunes]

They were for sure perverts. One scene from Fanny Hill (18th century) springs to mind. As for Chaucer....Just because it's old doesn't mean it's suitable for kids!