AND TO EAT NO FISH

[fulselden]

Ok, so in the eighteenth century a dude by the name of Nahum Tate took King Lear and ADDED SCHMOOP, transforming it into a heart-wrenching tale of victory against the odds with an added soppy love story for Edgar and Cordelia.

Instead of '[...] He hates him / That would upon the rack of this tough world / Stretch him out longer', lucky audiences were treated to:

Edgar: Our drooping Country now erects her Head,
Peace spreads her balmy Wings, and Plenty Blooms.
Divine Cordelia, all the Gods can witness
How much thy Love to Empire I prefer!
Thy bright Example shall convince the World
(Whatever Storms of Fortune are decreed)
That Truth and Vertue shall at last succeed.

... It is not even laughable : (

BUT I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY HAS IMPROVED WHEN IT COMES TO SHAKESPEARE FIC (OR APPROXIMATIONS THEREOF).

Witness Kate Beaton's work of majesty, which plenty of you have probably already seen and which it is possible other people will not find as lolarious as I do. I probably wouldn't either if I hadn't recently watched Peter Brook's version of Lear done in a style which can be summed up as POST-SIXTIES-NUCLEAR-AGE-APOCALYPTIC. I am sorry! I will not normally spam like this! But oh my expletive deleted, rotflmao. Also, WEEPING.

Comments

[laughingrat]

People softening-up Shakespeare. IDEK. That's a great cartoon though.

[fulselden]

Oh man, Shakespeare-softening was like AN INDUSTRY in the eighteenth century. But yes, I'm glad you liked it - Kate Beaton is always awesome, but this is just spectacular because of course Lear itself is already playing with comedy. Also, Lady Macbeth cameo!

[terajk]

See, and I thought Hamlet would be a better candidate for shmoopification than King Lear. (*shudders*)

But that comic...man! (Lady Macbeth cameo! Hahahaha!)

[fulselden]

Yep, *shudder*.

and I thought Hamlet would be a better candidate for shmoopification than King Lear.

Oh no, Hamlet got (even more) woobiefied and simultaneously made into a daring action hero (LOLOLOL), at least by actor/producer/celebrity David Garrick, who did stuff like have him finish off Claudius quickly and cleanly with one swift stab and make Horatio and an alive!Laertes join hands in friendship over his deathbed.

Also, the most famous set piece in Garrick's Hamlet was his start of horror upon first seeing his father's ghost. A moment which Garrick later fine-tuned by investing in A MECHANICAL WIG WHICH STOOD UP AUTOMATICALLY TO EXPRESS HIS SHOCK.

Oh, eighteenth century!

And I'm glad you enjoyed the comic, oh man. A tricky thing to pull off, but Kate Beaton is just the best!

[cofax7]

Kate Beaton is an international treasure. I even have a t-shirt!

[fulselden]

She is one of my very favourite things in all the internet. And much as it should probably shame me to admit it, practically everything I know about Canadian history I learned from her!

[terajk]

OMGWTF? eighteenth-century? I was joking!

have him finish off Claudius quickly and cleanly with one swift stab and make Horatio and an alive!Laertes join hands in friendship over his deathbed.

(!!!)

Next you'll tell me there's a Macbeth out there in which the lead decides against killing people and gives them candy instead.

*backs away from the 18th century in horror*

[fulselden]

... Well, actually ... heh, no, Macbeth got off fairly lightly as far as I know - I think they just added some extra song and dance numbers and used it as an excuse for shiny new special effects like flying witches.

And, oh eighteenth century! You gotta love them (well, maybe not Nahum Tate) - they weren't afraid of no random out-of-date playwright from Stratford! Though mind you it's guys like Garrick who really started the Shakespeare industry by deifying Shakespeare as the SWAN OF AVON, etc. All at the same time as spicing up Hamlet with pop-up wigs!