King John Act IV - #shakespearereadalong
One summary: Arthur will die. No he won‘t! Yes he was killed. No he wasn‘t. He‘s fine. Um, he‘s dead.
Another: KJ undermines his weak popular support, just as the French are invading, by having his nephew killed. While KJ and Hubert wrestle with their souls and responsibility, the Bastard tries to figure out what to do. Oh - the moms are dead too.
Such a deranged act. Thoughts? Has the Bard lost you?
Graywacke @vlwelser @batsy @Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie @Daisey @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @LitStephanie @Melismatic @mollyrotondo @jewright @CoffeeNBooks @erzascarletbookgasm @Liz_M @saresmoore @Mtroiano @catebutler 2w
GingerAntics Deranged sums it up perfectly. So many deaths suddenly. It‘s so odd. 2w
vlwelser Deranged for sure. 2w
See All 16 Comments
TheBookHippie Deranged and quite odd. 2w
merelybookish The scene when Arthur dies. 😳😂🥴 Monty Python couldn't do it better. 2w
jewright Wow! King John can‘t make up his mind. Arthur, why are you jumping off walls? And that scene with the eyes. 🤢 (edited) 2w
batsy "Oh, the mums are dead too"—I shouldn't laugh, but ? The Arthur scene was poor comedy & if I get to meet Shakespeare in the afterlife I'd ask him if he had a good laugh while writing that. I've given up trying to parse the plot, but I'm still enjoying the language. Had a #relatable moment with KJ when he says, "Do not seek to stuff my head with more ill news, for it is full." 2w
Graywacke @GingerAntics @vlwelser @TheBookHippie @merelybookish @jewright @batsy I was thinking we had a great play until this act. I like to imagine that WS was forced to change his plot, that originally he had KJ properly killing Arthur such as he did in the mythology …err, I mean history. And in my same imaginative trend, this weird back and forth game with Arthur‘s death came out. But maybe WS was just having fun. What would Monty Python do? 2w
GingerAntics @Graywacke 🤣😂🤣 yes, I feel like Shakes could team up with the Monty Python crew and make some real modern comedies. 2w
TheBookHippie @Graywacke I think he was having fun but why? I agree with @batsy the language is still good 🤣💯🎉. @GingerAntics I‘d love to hear him now he‘d have so much to work with! 2w
batsy @TheBookHippie @Graywacke Was he just really really really enjoying the ale, malmsley, and mead while writing this? 😆🍻 2w
TheBookHippie @batsy ooo that‘s a thought ! 2w
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie right? So many things he can say now he couldn‘t have back then. It would be brilliant. Terry Jones‘s medieval lit and Will‘s early modern lit would really make quite the combo. 2w
GingerAntics @batsy @TheBookHippie @Graywacke that honestly sounds plausible. Perhaps he was doing “Dry January” when he wrote the first three acts, or it was lent… then we hit February or Easter and he was so excited to have the ale and mead back he over did it a bit while writing act four. 2w
Graywacke @GingerAntics @batsy @TheBookHippie this article implies KJ was a rewrite - they argue a rewrite of his own earlier work. (It‘s 35 pages 😁) https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/wp-content/uploads/Oxfordian2010_trouble... 2w
GingerAntics @Graywacke this is the rewrite?! I‘m terrified to see the original. 2w
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