Shakespeare Wins Gold at the Olympic Games!
Happy New Year to all our readers. This is a big year for Shakespeare. It’s not a very well known fact, but Shakespeare played a role in winning the... more »
“Alas Poor Yorick” Soliloquy Analysis
Read Hamlet’s “Alas poor Yorick” quote below, along with a modern English translation and analysis.
Spoke by Hamlet, Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1:
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,
that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one
now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my lady’s chamber, and tell her, let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must
come; make her laugh at that.
Alas Poor Yorick Quote in modern English
Hamlet is in a graveyard, where some gravediggers are digging Ophelia’s grave. He has found what he takes to be the skull of a court jester, Yorick, who had befriended him as a child. Here, again, Hamlet is reflecting heavily on life and death. His friend, Horatio, is with him and he’s talking to him. Alas, poor Yorick, I actually knew him, Horatio. He was brimming with jokes and he was wonderfully creative. He carried me on his back a thousand times, and now, when I think about it it’s horrible, it makes me angry. Here were the lips that I kissed I don’t know how many times. Where are your barbed jokes now? Your high-jinx? Your songs? Your moments of jesting that used to set all those at the table roaring with laughter? Not one left to mock that grin you have. Sad? Now go to my lady’s room and tell her to plaster herself with makeup because she has to come to this function. Make her laugh at that.
Read Hamlet in modern English >>
-
New Years Resolutions for Shakespeare’s Characters
As we open our eyes to 2012 and the new year, custom dictates we make the odd new year’s resolution to try and keep (at least until the end... more »
-
Shakespeare and Christmas
I often come across the question ‘Why is there so little of Christmas in the works of Shakespeare?’. In all of his works, Shakespeare uses the word ‘Christmas’ only... more »
-
The Twelve Days of Shakespeare’s Christmas
Full festive marks to the American Shakespeare Centre for their inspirational “12 Days of Christmas” with a Shakespeare twist! They ran a poll over a few weeks to get... more »
-
Yet Another Social Media No Sweat Shakespeare Site!
That’s right folks, along with our Facebook page and twitter presence, No Sweat Shakespeare has now launched a Google+ page! It’s early days – and we’re really only just... more »
-
10 Things To Do In Shakespeare’s London
London is the world’s top tourist destination, and so it should be. There are far more beautiful great cities, regarding their natural settings – Cape Town, Sydney, Rio –... more »
-
Shakespeare Tube Map
Wow, how did we miss this one first time round? Apparently the Royal Shakespeare Company had this version of the London Underground map made up many years ago, showing... more »
-
Shakespeare’s Theatrical Props
Last week I went to the theatre to see a contemporary play set in an English stately home. When the stage lights came up the audience was confronted with... more »
-
A Prayer Before Dying – A Favorite Shakespeare Moment
We’ve teamed up with the most excellent Master of Verona (aka David Blixt) to trade blog posts this week. Here’s his take on one of his all time favorite... more »
-
Tony Blair, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the Emperor Nero
What have Hamlet, Tony Blair, H.G. Wells, David Frost, the Emperor Nero, Brian Clough, the White Rabbit and Kenneth Williams got in common? This is an easy one: they’ve... more »