Thank you all very much for your helpful comments yesterday. I shall make notes; you've all given me a lot to think about. I'll reply soon.
It's been an 'interesting' and tiring morning, which means I've been taking it very this afternoon. I had a routine zoom consultation with a consultant at the ILD (interstitial lung disease) clinic to review the results of the lung function tests I did at the end of January. Broadly speaking I have stabilised at this new (lower) level after dipping noticeably at the beginning of 2024, so that's good news.
So, instead of an interesting post, may I offer two wonderful performances of Shakespeare; Dame Judi Dench on a Graham Norton show 2 years ago;
And, most amazingly, Sir Ian McKellen on a chat show in the USA a few nights ago!
They deliver the words with such clarity of meaning. If only I had known it could be like this when I was slogging through Shakespeare in boring, boring English lessons at school...
I loved Dame Judi's book 'Shakespeare, the man who pays the rent'. It's fantastic to read, even better to listen to as an audiobook. So 'unstuffy', so real.
I was so lucky in high school to have a really good English Lit teacher. We had Romeo and Juliet as our book that year and he really broke it down into language we could recognise. I still remember that class and him. Great teacher!
ReplyDeleteOur eng lit teachers clearly loved literature but seemed so ancient and fossilised, like the spinsters from obe of the books they held so dear, that they couldn't connect with us callow teenagers.
DeleteYou're right. They do speak so clearly. If everyone spoke that way I'd understand a lot more of what's being said. (As it is I rely on cc).
ReplyDeleteThey make Shakespeare's language alive.
DeleteFantastic actors, the both of them.
ReplyDeleteOh yes.
DeleteI adore how the great actors can just recite Shakespeare at will.
ReplyDeleteIn the Shakespeare book by Judi Dench, the reader, Barbara Flynn (excellent, sounds just like JD) recites that sonnet in exactly yhe same way. They obviously learn the pauses and expression with the words, like a musician and the music.
DeleteI've seen Ian McKellen live and it was a wonderful experience, not Shakespeare but The Cherry Tree by Chekov.. And very good news about your health.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet seeing him live was quite something.
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