Five Plays, Five Days

The Bard--loved by many, hated by some, and generally considered the premiere poet and playwright of all time.  Shakespeare, William Shakespeare is how he might introduce himself in the style of another world-renowned Brit.  No theatre tour would be complete without a study of at least one Shakespeare's works, and I today I just wrapped up a week of class studying not one, but five.

Shakespeare is hard.  The language, at times archaic and decipherable only through footnotes, can be difficult; after all, it was meant to be heard, not read.  This week we studied Titus Andronicus, King Lear, 1 and 2 Henry IV, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.  While classes were only a glance and introduction to these works, a variety of themes and trends were found throughout them all, such as loyalty (political and filial), history and its perversions, and the disparities of youth and age.

Clearly, Shakespeare understood his world and our own very well.  His works are universal and timeless, enchanting and illuminating...

....and sometimes difficult to muddle through.  But viewing these works on stage in their proper form will surely be a delight that I cannot wait to see, and these are just five of the many plays I'll view during my time in London.  Look forward to (maybe?) one more post before I head off to that marvelous city.  Cheers!  RK

First Post!

Hello and congratulations for making it past the cheesy title!  My name is Ryan Key and I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Arkansas studying music composition and international relations in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program.  The aim of this blog is to share my experience in the Theatre in London summer program with the university, fellow students, and of course my family and friends (hi, mom!).  This will be my first trip abroad and I am extremely excited!  I plan to post a couple more times from the states and then my journey begins... RK