Insult Me Again!

               So about once every two moths I go on a MLIA binge and read it for a few hours over a few day span. This week I happens to be the week. While on this morning I found the following references to Shakespeare:

Help!!!!!!

I am taking a poll for a project I have started working on. I want to know if you had a choice and could see or hear a performance of any Shakespeare play which one would it be?

Slipped My Mind

                So last week I was a ditz more so than I have been any other time this semester! Bobby Singer would have called me an idgit (idiot). I was forgetting things left and right and one things I forgot has to do with a post. Specifically the post about Shakespeare's life. Most of you probably know this already but just in case here it is.

               People were very superstitious during Shakespeare's time. They also had a problem with over population of grave yard plots. One thing they did to solve this problem was employ bone (grave) diggers . There job was to dig up old grave so that new bodies could be buried (Ophelia's grave) and then burn the bones. This is said to be where the term bonfire came from, originally they were known as bone fires.

"Double, Double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Let me preface this by saying I have no idea why some of this is blocked off in white and every time I try to fix it I just cause more damage so I am washing my hands of it and you all get it the way it is. Hope it is not too distracting! So reading Hamlet (I know that was forever ago) got me curious about ghost stories in the Elizabethan period. Doing research on ghost brought up the issue of witches. So here are my findings on Ghosts and Witches! 

Midterm: Whitney

     So Whitney I figure you are going to read this so I addressed it to you, I feel like things like this are less intimidating that way!        

Midterm: Me

1    Learning Outcomes:


                I have for the most part put up two post a week adn commented on at least two posts a week. Also as part of this I made an effort in class and outside to share what I was learning and doing. I tried to let the class know about movies and the conversation with Fred Adams online and in class as well as planning activities with others in the class in other classes we have together.

Movie Night!

Hey just a reminder I am going to see Othello tonight with my friend Jenna for all those who want to come! It is on the main floor of the SWKT just follow the crowds of people and maybe we'll meet up, hope to see you there!

The Conversation Transcribed

So here is the conversation, it was really fun he knows so much I couldn't believe the stuff he seemed to just pull from no where! Also this post corresponds with the post below which is the research I did to prepare for the call.

Fred: Fred Adams

Cara: Hi Mr. Adams, this is Cara Call, sorry to call late there was a problem with the phone

Fred: Oh that is alright Cara dear I knew you would call when you could. 

Cara: Is it alright if I record this conversation?

Fred: Oh of course!

Cara: Thank you, let me put you on speaker real quick, okay. 

Fred: Okay the first one was from Sarah Jane is she there?

Cara: Um she couldn’t make it today

Fred: She talks mainly about the pre-performances the atmosphere created besides the actual productions. So costumes things like that she wondered if they were authentic from Shakespeare’s time were there other things going on? There were other things going on. Of course Shakespeare’s Globe Theater was located right by the bear pits so there was dog and bear fights going on.   Moorish dancers often were surrounding the theater and dancing attracting a lot of attention with their bells and their ribbons, and then of course there were vendors so everyone singing out their wares and the various calls of the city. So we really kind of recreated that scene with our green show

About the Author

This is what I complied in an effort to prepare for the conversation with Mr. Adams, this is meant to correlate with the next post to come which will be the transcription of the conversation with him.

Talking With Fred in room 4116**

So I am going to call Fred Adams tomorrow at eleven and you are all welcome to come. I don't know where yet but I asked Professor Burton to help arrange a room but I haven't heard back from him yet I will fill you all in when I know, I will just add it this post and add something to the title so you know I have add the room number.  Hope you can make it!

**Professor Burton got us a room in the JFSB rm 4116. It is on of the conference rooms in the back corner.

Seeing Othello *REVISED*

**REVISION**

So I forgot that I have plans tonight so I will actually be going to the 9:00 showing on Friday. I am sorry for the trouble I am just having a really ditzy week!

So I feel a little sheepish. I wanted Othello to be playing Wednesday at five in the International Cinema so somehow I got it into my head that it was. However, scheduling cannot read my mind so . . . Othello is playing the on the main floor of the SWKT on Tuesday (today)  at 7:30, Friday  9:00, Saturday 3:00, 9:30.

The movie is the 1995 version with Oliver Parker and is two hours longs. This is a good opportunity because they edited the movie for us! 

What do you think folks?

I sent Mr. Adams the questions and this is what I prefaced the with:


Mr. Adams,

Thank you for responding to my email. I am sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you, I wanted to give my classmates an opportunity to ask some question of their own. They were really excited when they heard you had replied. This is a long list of questions so we appreciate whatever you have time for. If it would be easier for you if we were to arrange a phone interview that would work, whatever is most convenient for you works for me. We really value you taking the time to reply our questions.

Thank you,

Cara Call

This is his response: 

Cara,  I have the questions printed out and will carefully go over each of them.  I can respond briefly via e-mail or if you want I would be happy to entertain a phone call.  Talk to your classmates and determine what is best.  Fred


So what do you all want to do? 

I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!! / Last call for questions

Mr. Adams emailed me! I have to be honest I was not expecting anything back so this is amazing!

This is the email I sent him.

Questions?

So folks as part of my two previous posts I have tried to get in contact with Dr. Greenblatt and Fred Adams through e-mail. All I had to do was call Harvard's undergrad number and they gave me Dr. Greenblatt's e-mail, and call the general number for the festival and they gave me an e-mail address and they will read my email and forward it on, pretty dang simple! I have not heard back from either yet, but I am still crossing my fingers. In the email I asked if it would be alright if I were to ask them some questions about Shakespeare and his works. These are both highly educated and individuals regarding the bard. So needless to say I am worried about asking a stupid question. So far the question I have are:

How I Found Out About Mr. Adams and A Biography

Fred C. Adams is the founder of the Shakespearean festival in Cedar City. This festival has won awards as the best Shakespearean Festival there is. I highly recommend it.  I am not trying to sound pompous by saying I went, the only way I went was because my aunt needed a chauffeur and she likes me.

Macbeth . . . McCain? Hamlet . . .Obama?: Colbert Interviews Greeblatt

For my writing for children and adolescents class each student was supposed to contact an editor and ask them things they would like writers to know and then it was put on a site that provided information for on many publishers for any one who had ever taken the class.

I decided to apply the same method of learning to this class. I am currently working on contact individuals who are said to be Shakespeare experts and I am going to ask them to share their favorite story or aspect of Shakespeare. I have not done this yet I am still in search mode but in my searching I found a video clip that I wanted to share. It is from The Colbert Report so just laugh don't get offended! I tried to find it on youtube but could not and I could not figure out how to post it to youtube so here is the link!


http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/186547/october-02-2008/shakespearean-candidates---stephen-greenblatt

Ready! Aim! Fire! Weaponry In the Renaissance Era

Do you all know that blonde joke that uses the title in it? That is what I was thinking of when I wrote the title.

THIS POST IS ONLY REALLY LONG BECAUSE OF THE PICTURES!!!

 Reading Henry V sparked my interest in a number of ways. The first way was that I became curious about weaponry in the Renaissance era. The very dramatic flailing of the sword is the stereotypically imagined weapon of warfare but I figured there had to be more. So deciding that it would be a good post relating to my topic I did some research. A quick visit to wiki for ideas revealed a list and further research provided definitions. Below are my findings: