tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231810940945474478.post1868318245192963927..comments2023-04-09T04:18:32.008-07:00Comments on Novelty: The Merchant of VeniceBrookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13893221223972984924noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231810940945474478.post-77739403760243684302010-01-24T11:36:37.023-08:002010-01-24T11:36:37.023-08:00That's a very good point. I know almost nothi...That's a very good point. I know almost nothing about him. I managed to get a degree in English (British)Literature and never take a Shakespeare class (a revelation of the state of private education in New York), so clearly I'm no authority. <br /><br />I told you I'm not any good at this debate thing - not even in writing.Brookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13893221223972984924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231810940945474478.post-18246932945180302672010-01-24T00:03:19.251-08:002010-01-24T00:03:19.251-08:00>>But why would he write them as plays, and ...>>But why would he write them as plays, and not in some other form?<br /><br />He wrote them as plays b/c there was a much larger market for drama as opposed to prose. Remember that most people at the time were illiterate. Thus, if he wanted to make money, plays were the thing.Bryan Castañedahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00932150209370920717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231810940945474478.post-42344608216596116512010-01-23T20:01:09.671-08:002010-01-23T20:01:09.671-08:00But why would he write them as plays, and not in s...But why would he write them as plays, and not in some other form? Obviously he wanted sonnets and poems read. <br /><br />I'm sure it would make him feel good that his plays are read, and maybe he expected that it would probably happen. But the reason you write a play is so that someone will stage the production. <br /><br />Some language is more enjoyable and meaningful in the written form, and other language is more appreciated if spoken in just the right way.Brookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13893221223972984924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231810940945474478.post-38225530989463410732010-01-23T11:30:15.570-08:002010-01-23T11:30:15.570-08:00>>As Professor Gentry so rightly said: "...>>As Professor Gentry so rightly said: "Shakespeare was never meant to be read. It was meant to be acted out."<br /><br />I've heard this repeated time and again too, but there's evidence that it's incorrect. Yes, absolutely the plays were meant to be acted out, but it doesn't quite end there.<br /><br />The first complete collection of his plays, the First Folio, although published after Shakespeare's death, contained a preface by 2 of Shakespeare's long-time collaborators. The preface states, "Read him therefore, and again, and again." Given that during his lifetime Shakespeare published narrative poems and sonnets, it's a safe inference that he wanted the plays to not only be performed, but read too.Bryan Castañedahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00932150209370920717noreply@blogger.com