A comment on the green-eyed monster play

During last night’s dinner (see post below) the topic of what to do with out-of-town visitors came up. I was asked if I had taken my group last week-end to American Players Theater. I replied that I hadn’t because they were performing Othello and I didn’t much care for Othello.

Dead silence. You could hear the proverbial grease sizzle on a hot platter in the kitchen 1 mile away.

Finally, The Question sprang to the lips of one shocked listener: “You don’t like Othello? Is there something WRONG with Othello? What the hell is the matter with you??” (perhaps I only imagined that last part).

I couldn’t think of a reason for my anti-Othello stance. I quickly went on assure everyone that I did like Twelfth Night and Macbeth alright, and blog readers have heard me rave about Romeo and Juliet (a bit déclassé these days perhaps, but what can I say, it’s the truth), just so everyone would resume eating and the dreaded silence-after-a-bombshell would cease to be (or not to be).

This morning, still burning with shame I clicked through my favorite online presses and lo and behold, what light through yonder paper shined if not an article in the International Herald Tribune (here) on Shakespeare-hate.

The author describes the waning popularity in England for the works of William S.. According to the journalist, this is for good reason, which can be summarized thus: boring and incomprehensible.

I wouldn’t go that far. Listening to the poetry of Juliet’s speech to Romeo is, in my opinion, unbelievably moving. Tear-jerking, in fact, in its loveliness. And how about Macbeth’s words:

“Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”

Whoa! That’s positively chilling!

But I am with the IHT writer when he says this about professed Shakespeare-love:
"There are those who believe that to sprinkle his words into a conversation shows how smart they are. Discussing politics, you might hear someone say: "A peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience." You know it's Shakespeare because you don't have a clue what it means. But you feel obliged to nod knowingly."

I feel empowered after reading this. Suddenly I feel no compulsion to suck up to the Othello lovers amongst you. Chances are you don’t much care for it either but are afraid to admit it. What's wrong with it? Plenty! It’s depressing, it’s long and it gives us the green-eyed monster label to a perfectly normal feeling that every person in the world experiences now and then.