Great lines in Shakespeare

[xiphias]

So, Lis and I just saw Shakespeare and Company's production of King John, directed by Tina Packard, last night. This is one of those plays that's not often performed these days, although it was moderately popular in the eighteenth century.

It's a long play, with lots of characters, and I was worried that I was going to get bored, or confused, or lost.

I mean, let's face it -- at heart, I'm a groundling. I'm SLIGHTLY better socialized than the groundlings in Shakespeare's day, in that I don't usually throw stuff at the actors when I get bored, but not much.

I loved the play.

I don't know if the credit goes to Shakespeare's script, Tina Packard's direction, or the actors' skill -- or, more likely, a combination of all three -- but it was FANTASTIC. I had such a good time. I think everybody should see it.

Anyway, there's this scene, okay? The Duke of Austria is fighting for France. Some time before the start of the play, he'd killed Richard the Lionhearted, and wore a lionskin that apparently Richard had gotten from a lion he killed. Other characters are Constance, who's the widow of Geoffery, and mother of Arthur, on whose behalf France was fighting, and Philip the Bastard, who's Richard's illigitimate son, and the real hero of the play -- a brash, honorable, and violent knight, eager for the fight.

So, France and England have made peace, which pisses the HELL out of Constance, who is vituperating and cursing the King of France and everyone else who swore holy oaths to defend her claim and is now backing out of it. Austria, for instance, was GOING to fight for France, but is now backing out. . .

AUSTRIA
Lady Constance, peace!

CONSTANCE
War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war
O Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame
That bloody spoil: thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward!
Thou little valiant, great in villany!
Thou ever strong upon the stronger side!
Thou Fortune's champion that dost never fight
But when her humorous ladyship is by
To teach thee safety! thou art perjured too,
And soothest up greatness. What a fool art thou,
A ramping fool, to brag and stamp and swear
Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded slave,
Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side,
Been sworn my soldier, bidding me depend
Upon thy stars, thy fortune and thy strength,
And dost thou now fall over to my fores?
Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

AUSTRIA
O, that a man should speak those words to me!

BASTARD
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

AUSTRIA
Thou darest not say so, villain, for thy life.

BASTARD
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

It's hysterical. And he KEEPS taunting Austria this way. It's brilliant, and very, very funny. It works better on stage than written, but it's really great on stage.

I don't know why this one is so rarely performed. If performances of this can be as good as Tina Packard's, it doesn't deserve obscurity.

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I've always found King John to be one of the most boring of Shakespeare's plays. You've got me thinking of it in a new light.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Well, it's not boring the way Tina Packer does it.

[aquaeri.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've always heard of King John as boring. I think Tina Packard must have found some magic in there.

[angelovernh.livejournal.com]

Thanks.. I am not familiar with this one, though I've read probably 12 and seen at least 9 of them performed. Is this one considered a comedy?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Its full title is "The Tradgedy of King John." It's considered a history.

[navrins]

Cool. I've seen it (after reading it) and was not overly impressed, so I suspect that much of the credit goes to the company, not just Shakespeare.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I think you may be right. I think Tina Packer used lighting and set quite a bit to structure the play and give things a reasonable narrative flow, as well as to add appropriate dramatic and emotional flourishes. I mean, the whole scene where Arthur is begging Hubert not to blind him -- I can see that that, for instance, could be pretty over-the-top and basically stupid. But the way it was done in this production was damn effective, and I think that lighting and set was almost as important as the amazing acting in making that be so.