Insurmountable.  Impossible.  Or at least very, very difficult.  I have been charged with the task of coming up with a complete costume design for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream.  Those of you who know me recognize that this should be, perhaps, the coolest homework assignment ever.  “Should be” being the key phrase there.  Under normal circumstances, it would be, but these are not normal circumstances.  I have three weeks to design them.  “Three weeks,” you say, “that should be easy.”  But you forget, perhaps, that I have much more on my plate then merely designing 27+ costumes.  I have, after all, four more classes on top of Costume Design.  And they all have their fair share of end of the semester projects.  I also have to design the costumes of four characters from Romeo and Juliet.  This was changed, of course, at the last-minute, from designing four costumes to designing the complete set of costumes for four characters.  This, as you may realize, presents a much more complicated problem.  Juliet, for example, should really have at least four costumes: the masquerade, her pajamas, her day clothes, and her burial clothes.  In an act of utter rebellion, which is actually out of character for me [when it comes to homework assignments, at leat], I’m saying “fuck it.”  As far as I’m concerned, Juliet only has one outfit, wears a simple black mask to the ball, and sleeps in the nude.

Then I also have to do the scene design for Romeo and Juliet, which I’m sure will be changed on us at the last-minute.  As it stands now, we only have to design the scenery for one scene, but I’m sure it’ll be changed to the whole play, or something.  And to cap off my Fundies of Design class I have to make a winter kite.  No, I don’t have any idea what that is either, so don’t bother asking.  I’ve never even flown a kite, let alone made one; that should make the whole experience just that much more fun [please not the heavy sarcasm].  I have a scene to direct for Directing, which is being presented two weeks from yesterday.  I still don’t have my third actor and I have no idea when I’m going to find time to rehearse.  To make that whole process more fun, I also have to do a production pitch, which as far as I can tell, is going to result in me having to create yet another concept of design.  Yay…..not.

Moving on to my other major, I have a paper to write for American Lit. that’s due two weeks from Wednesday and a major final to study for, that will take place three weeks from yesterday and is thankfully my only real final.  And of course, all the readings I’m supposed to be doing.  I’m hoping the knowledge I gleaned from 12th grade Humanities will be enough to help me BS my way through the end of the semester.

Then there’s Italian, which I am suspiciously not failing.  I’m supposed to be going into the Language Teaching Center to work on the Rosetta Stone software, but I haven’t really had time and when I went to do it on Wednesday, the LTC was closed.  Go figure.  We also have a test coming up, which I’m not at all prepared for and we’re going to have to write a paper.  In Italian.  I don’t know enough Italian to write a paper!

And I’m already behind on everything because I had the swine flu last week.  That’s right, dear reader, I had the H1N1 flu, and let me tell you, it sucked.  I was sick for a week, couldn’t eat solid foods for four days, everything hurt, I had a fever, chills, a cough, absolutely no energy.  Not fun stuff.  So I missed a week of class and now November is basically over.

I had my first breakdown today.  Not first one ever, not even of this semester (those have been happening fairly regularly), but of this whole Insurmountable Task episode.  I sat on my bed, pathetically sobbing, because I have too much to do and I’m being a horrible best friend.  And then I was sobbing harder, because all I could think was “if I’m such a horrible best friend, how can I ever hope to get a boyfriend?”  By horrible best friend, I really just mean neglectful, because I’ve been so busy.  But Doc is very good with guilt trips, so I feel awful [which will inevitably just make me mad at him for making me miserable and then mad at myself for being mad at him when I am being neglectful, though justifiably so].  Meanwhile my cat was sitting in my lap, trying to comfort me with her purring as I drenched her ears in big, sloppy tears.  She’s a very tolerant cat when you’re upset.  And then I realized how pathetic it was that I was sitting in my bed with my cat, crying about how stressed and lonely I am, which only made me cry harder.  But I eventually stopped crying and took my dog for a walk and then came back up here, feeling a bit better.

So now I’m ready to begin this nearly insurmountable task and I will hopefully not have been institutionalized at the end of it.

Here goes nothing….

The other day, I spoke to a colleague of mine about the friction most women feel about the Twilight Series. They read it—they devour it—with avid interest. At the same time, they are troubled by it. It leaves a sour taste in their mouth. They feel driven to talk about it with other females. I’m intrigued by this, so I asked my colleague if she thought the books would ever be considered “Great.” Here’s how the conversation went:

Me: I’m not so sure I could say with utmost confidence that one hundred years down the road these books will be forgotten. What about you?

Her: I maintain they’re a fad.

Me: Why?

Her: They’re silly, fluff, nonsensical, and when people actually think about them they are deeply offended by the unhealthy portrayal of love and the message it sends to young people.

Me: Unhealthy portrayal of love? (I laugh) What about Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?

Her: I’m not sure I could make a comparison between the two.

Me: But isn’t it true that when Austen was published, her works were considered “fluff” by the critics?

Her: True, but her works dealt with moral issues and the culture of women in the nineteenth century.

I secretly think this is exactly what Twilight deals with (except it’s the culture of women in the twenty-first century, which perhaps makes it a bit more sensitive, and there are moral issues galore—the philosophy of waiting, self-gratification versus sacrificial love, the concept of “soul,” and the redemption of a portrayed villain). It’s not that I’m certain Twilight will make a mark on the world. It’s a popular book, but so are lots of other books. It’s more I’m curious to know why, if Twilight is such fluff and silliness as the academics suggest, do scholars not only read it, but also feel compelled to deconstruct it? Why is it promoting such prolific discussion and debate? Why do the majority of my educated friends shake their heads in condescension when they talk about the series, then go see the movie and later blog about the terrible message it sends?

Why, if it’s so egregious, does it merit such discussion? And why, if graduate students and scholars believe it to be a fad, do they waste their time writing and talking about it?

I’m beginning to wonder if the very thing the scholars are so insistent against might be made timeless by the fact they can’t stop pontificating.

Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Fair warning: If you’re not a “Twilight” series fan, you probably should move along to your next-favorite blog. The movie I’m about to review, “New Moon,” is best viewed by Twihards.

Sidebar: I fervently wish that I had been the one to coin the name “Twihards.” It’s so punny!

Yes, I count myself among not only the Twihards but also the Twimoms. And I can thank not only my #1 son but also my friends Kathy L. and Paula D. for that. The #1 son started to read the “Twilight” series based on the recommendation of another pal, Katrina, who owns a local bookstore in our small community. I had wanted a book for him that would take the sting out of the impending end of our beloved “Harry Potter” series, and Katrina recommended “Twilight.” She noted that it was really a young adult chick book, but she said that boys loved the vampires. I was sold and bought the paperback.

Really, which one? Team Edward or Team Jacob?

The #1 son enjoyed “Twilight” so much that he asked me to buy “New Moon” for him. Which, of course, I did. Then when the “Twilight” movie was about to come out last year, Kathy and Paula told me I had to read the book. Both of them were Twihard Twimoms; I almost noted a golden topaz gleam to their eyes.

In essence, those two became my book crack dealers. I read “Twilight,” and I was hooked.

Sidebar: And, of course, I mean “book crack” in the nicest way. When I was finishing up “New Moon,” #1 had already read “Eclipse.” I was flying through book two while lying on the couch. As I got to the final page, I said to #1 in an urgent, do-this-or-you’re-grounded tone, “Please get me the ‘Eclipse’ book right now!” I just had to see what happened next!

Gotta love Jacob's abs.

The #1 son and I saw “New Moon” yesterday at the $5 show, of course. It was packed. The short version of the review? Thumbs up! It was much better than the “Twilight” movie. Jacob and his pack turning into werewolves was wonderful computer-generated imagery. They did look a little more cuddly than scary at times, but that works for me, a stuffed animal lover.

Edward's abs "pale" in comparison.

Here’s what I liked about the movie:

Favorite line: Said by Jacob to Bella, who obviously still preferred vampire Edward: “Am I the wrong kind of monster?”

Alice Cullen

Favorite character: Alice Cullen, as played by Ashley Greene. Gotta love a perky, upbeat vampire!

Favorite theme: I like the compare and contrast to “Romeo and Juliet,” which Bella just happens to be studying for senior English. Bella and Edward definitely are star-crossed lovers!

Favorite part of the movie: The ending! No, not because I was glad the flick was over, but because I like how it segues nicely to the third movie.

The Cullen vampire clan and Bella

Here’s what bugged me about the movie:

Soul train of thought: Even though the discussion about whether or not vampires have souls was interesting, they never said that the reason they’re damned is because most of them have murdered humans for their blood. An important point.

Here’s your change: The movie starts out with Bella begging Edward to “change her.” If you haven’t read the books, you probably wouldn’t know that she means to change her to a vampire. That’s not made clear until near the end.

Otherwise, I thought the film did a good job of dealing with all the material in the book. Didn’t Dakota Fanning, who plays the torturing vampire Jane, look innocently evil? The Volturi were especially well-cast. In fact, the entire Italy sequence was well-done.

Edward says goodbye "forever" to Bella.

You’re probably wondering one important question: Whose side am I on—Team Edward or Team Jacob? Having two sons means that I try to never take sides (I usually just send both to their room for a dual timeout). I must say that Taylor Lautner, who plays best friend/werewolf Jacob, does have a set of abs on him. He’s buffer than the thinner Edward whose abs “pale” in comparison.

Here’s a fact that helped me make my final decision . . . for now: Lautner is a mere eight days younger than my #1 son!

Team Jacob all the way for this Twihard Twimom!

I hate, hate, hate people who look at movies–especially older movies–as just a step in the line to the movies we have today.  It’s a slap in the face to life, by extension, and I will explain why. (Foswi, this is primarily for you.)

I am a staunch historian, and I thoroughly believe in the value of studying history.  If you do not, you might as well stop reading this blog.  We’ll just never get along.  To that extent, is it useless to study ancient warfare in a modern context?  Are there no pracitical applicable lessons to be learned from tactics that defy era, technology, or weaponry?  I think you out there in someplacewhereyou’restaringatacomputerscreen should be thinking to yourself, “No, there is value in knowing that stuff…”  Because  you’re right.

Or, let’s think of this in terms of books.  Does it make sense to stop reading  Hamlet, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, The Lord of the Rings, Black Boy, Brave New World, Romeo and Juliet, The Giver, etc. just because there are the Harry Potter series, the Twilight books, the Time Traveler’s Wife, and various James Patterson and Stephen King books topping the New York Times Bestseller list?  Should we leave the past behind and only allow only what is new and pretty and shiny to be let in?

I think not.

The problem is the genre of film allows this to easily happen.  And many people who watch movies (or passively read about movies) tend to think only the little that is said without thorough investigation into the actuality of history.

Point 1: Michael Bay is awesome…but not really.

The Island

Michael Bay, as many know, is the champion of all things pretty, and mind-numbingly explosive.  After all, you don’t make a name for yourself with blockbusters like Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Island, Transformers, and Transformers II (directed all by Bay) without some level of skill.  I mean, seriously.  That’s an impressive list of movies, with impressive DVD sales, and everything.

But let us be honest.  The movies star nice looking people, blow a lot of things up, include heart-racing, adrenaline pumping, action and car chases (or meteorite destroying drill malfunctions, what have you), and fun technological advances.  They’re like James Bond films…just without James Bond.

These movies have made millions.  They have loyal fans of adults, teenagers, and children alike.  They’re fun to watch, made millions in the movie theaters.  But they suck.  They have no deeper meaning, make me thoughtful in no way, and generally make me dumber, because I actually could have been learning something while I was wasting time watching pretty people run around.

Point 2: There is more to history than just history.

Citizen Kane

A friend of mine (after reading a former post of mine) responded thusly:

I’ll disregard the opinion of anyone who thinks Citizen Kane is great for anything more than its innovative transitions and camera angles.

While said tongue-in-cheek, there is, I know, a part of him that believes this to be true.  And this is why I am angry.  I love Citizen Kane, in the same way I love Schindler’s List.  Sure it’s a little on the long side, but the story is great, the acting is believable, the direction is flawless, and the overall impact: unforgettable.

The ease with which Americans, modern people, I’m not sure who this list should (or actually does) include, forget the past when it comes to movies is disturbing.  Yes, movies are more entertaining today.  Movie from yore are a little boring.

Except that’s not true.  I defy anyone to watch The Apartment and not be complete enraptured.  Peeping Tom is one of the creepiest movies I’ve ever seen.  (If you have a Netflix account, I believe it is streaming live.   You should go watch it now.  Better than Drag Me To Hell.  Creepier.  Stranger.  More interesting.)  And you know what, It Happened One Night is the quintessential romance that cannot be improved upon in a modern way.  There are just old movies that age well, and have stayed good for a reason.  Citizen Kane is one of them.  Beyond the transitions and camera angles. (We’ve all heard the “Oh my gosh, there’s a ceiling” reaction.)  But let’s talk about the role the dining room table plays in the movie.  Did you ever think about that? Or how about the scene where Welles types out the rest of a horrible review of his wife’s disastrous operatic debut?  The acting is top notch, better than Sean Penn in Milk.

I am struck by many things.  Here’s a short list:

• People today seem so averse to watching older, or just pain old, films.
• People tend to devalue the impact of older movies because modern counterparts tends to be more engaging, which they equate with “better.”
• People tend to devalue the fact that most older movies have a deeper theme than most modern movies, even modern movies based in classic stories.

This is why the market for older movies should be booming, not dying away.  This is why people should actually sit down and become their own movie reviewer.  If you take the time to watching a movie a week, you’ll watch AFI’s Top 100 movie list in less than two year.  Probably less than a year, considering you’ve seen a lot of them.

Why is it people are so ready to agree, or disagree with the statements of critics and film historians, but are so rarely willing to make their own original statements about the movies themselves.  People, you, staring at your own screen.  Say what’s on your mind.  Be willing to say Citizen Kane sucked, but don’t you dare say it’s boring without backing it up.  I’m not about opinion’s with no evidence.

Just have an opinion, and make it your own.

The ecstasy, passion and turmoil of love- love in all its consuming forms- have been parsed and dissected over the millennia, but the essence continues to elude. Philosophers and poets have struggled to understand this most primal of human emotions, only to come up short. Plato compared love to the appreciation of beauty, but what is beauty? Descartes saw an emotion so dee[ that a lover’s soul actually merged with the soul of the person loved. Freud suspected that love was a vestige of arrested development and confined it to the couch. And yet, Shakespeare might have said it best when he asked, famously, “What is Love” and left the question to answer itself.

The failure to understand love has obviously not prevented us from falling in love. Everyday, someone is struck by Cupid’s arrow and learns, first hand, what love really means. Ask that person to explain it, however, and you will get a hundred different answers- all inadequate. She might argue that love is simply a feeling, like being happy or sad. But that would not explain how love can sometimes contradict itself, our emotions, or why we can be angry and in love with the same person at the same time. Many couples, however, are sexually passionate and may like each other without truly being in love. And then there is the argument that love is a mutual affection based on admiration, attachment and common interests. But love is much more than just a partnership. To paraphrase a familiar catch phrase, sometimes being in love means letting go.

Symbols allow us to express love in a way that words often cannot. The ineffable qualities attributed to love are eloquently captures in a visual language that has evolved for as long as man has sought to explain it. In fact, the earliest love symbols predate civilization and language itself. One of the very first examples of prehistoric art, a limestone sculpture of a pregnant woman, is thought to have been carried by male hunters as a reminder of their mates back home – a precursor perhaps of the modern-day locket. Some even argue that warmth was not the only service fire provided cavemen; it also awakened their desire for knowledge, primarily because it accompanies the desire for love. By the time man began developing a crude written language, love was one of the first symbols coined. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, for instance, the ankh represented a love shared between two people, among other things.

In the millennia since then, the vocabulary of love symbols has flourished and grown more nuanced, offering tongue-tied lovers a token for every occasion. There are gifts of courtship and signs for commitment, even gestures to express mourning over a lover’s death. Each new symbol fills a void in language created by the rising complexity of romantic relationships. Moreover, new symbols are a response to changing social mores. While love may be universal, transcending both time and place, how love is expressed symbolically is a reflection of each culture’s relation to love and sexual relationships. A culture that extolls love will glorify its virtues through rich imagery, while a repressive society will discourage and sublimate them. Seen the other way, whether it finds pleasure in romance, the way young lovers do, or responsibility and consequences, like a schoolmarm.

Some of the most magnificent symbols date back to Ancient Greece and Rome, where love and sex were treated as just another of life’s ongoing bacchanals. Pagan love was guilt-free, hedonistic and unrestrained. Bisexuality was encouraged, as were homosexual relations between men and boys. Paramours and courtesans were considered superior to wives and virtuous women, and men who managed to fall in love were considered victims of illness. In keeping with this “liberated” climate where sex was worshiped, love symbols were elevated from static tokens to the echelons of the Gods. And each God was as fickle and promiscuous as Greco-Roman relationships themselves. Cupid, the mischievous matchmaker, embodies the pleasure-seeking values of this period: a God that symbolizes the uninhibited nature  of romance, where few rules dictate where love can strike. Likewise, Venus, the impetuous love Goddess, exemplifies what was considered the enviable qualities of women: uncontrolled passion, insatiable lust and unrivaled beauty.

By the Middle ages, as Christianity swept across Europe, sex was turned into a guilty and sinful activity, more a civic duty than a biological gift. Premarital sex was forbidden and married couples could only have sex in one position and never on Sundays, and then only to conceive children. If women were sometimes relegated to sex objects in Greco-Roman culture, medieval women were second-class citizens, property given away at marriage and valued for being nurturing mothers. Romance as we know it today did not exist; love was merely a pretext for keeping families together. Pagan rituals that celebrated love were suppressed by the Catholic Church across the continent. The festival of St. Valentine’s Day, which originated in Rome to honor the God of fertility, was converted into a commemoration of a martyred saint. And the heart, the symbol of primal love between two people, was recast into a religious icon representing God’s transcendent love for man.

The start of courtly love and the creation of the romantic ideal emerged in the 11th century. Courtly love, which was based on a highly ritualized code that prescribed the behavior of ladies and their suitors, existed to serve the lady. A nobleman in love with a married woman of equally high -or higher- stature had to prove his devotion by heroic deeds and amorous writings. Once the lovers had exchanged pledges and consummated their passion, complete secrecy had to be maintained. Although the pleasures of lovemaking returned, the act itself was regarded as baser than “true love”, expressed mostly through kissing, touching and fondling. As the Protestant Reformation movement gained ground, courtly love introduced the element of romance between men and women for the first time. This revolutionary concept, in which love was based on mutual respect and admiration, elevated women from a servant to an equal, at least in matters of the heart.

This seismic shift in the regard of love- divine sacrament to emotional happiness- was attended by a largesse of love symbols. Courtiers relied on any advantage, including extravagant gifts, to win a woman’s heart. Though little jewelry was made during the Middle Ages, by the 12th century, jewelry making reached the status of a fine art. Diamonds, once reserved for monarchs as a sign of their crushing wealth, became a gift offered in marriage, while gold and other precious metals were removed from the vaults, spun into decorative forms and worn by women to show off their statute and charm. The end of this period also gave us some of the history’s greatest lovers: Romeo and Juliet, the 16th century classic story of star-crossed lovers, and Casanova, the Italian romantic born in 1725 who remains the archetypal seducer of women.

As the Victorian age arrived in the 19th century, love symbols became more baroque and laden. Outright displays of affection were discouraged, and Victorian symbols allowed lovers to express that which could not be uttered in polite company. The rise of capitalism meant the decline of nobility and the ascension of a new class of rich entrepreneurs who rejected the courtly customs in favor of a maudlin sensibility. Women, once appreciated for being dazzling and flirtatious, were now held up to prudish notions about virginity, virtue and modesty. Wedding dresses, for instance, became layered and restrictive, burying the flesh under yards of textiles. This new sensibility is perhaps best exemplified in the subtle language of flowers that allowed lovers to communicate without the knowledge of chaperones. The type of flower presented, its color, even how it was worn conveyed a particular message. And the messages themselves were decidedly Victorian: wallflowers, ivy and myrtle all represented fidelity, while lavender and foxglove were, respectively, devotion and insincerity. If a boy presented a  girl with a red rose with leaves and thorns, it meant she was feared, but he was hopeful. If the girl returned it with the leaves removed, but the thorns intact, it was a signal for him to move on.

In the 20th century, Victorian restraints gave way to a new age of romantic love that united sexual outlet, affectionate friendship and family functions in a single relationship. Spurred by a capitalist boom and the burgeoning feminist movement, relations between the sexes became more egalitarian. Marriage was based on love and happiness, rather than on economics or prescribed rituals. Dating as we know it today came into existence and young lovers were given license to experiment before taking the plunge. New love symbols emerged to express this brave new world. Anniversary gifts afforded an opportunity for spouses to celebrate their continuing love. Valentine’s Day became a secular holiday celebrated by school children and grandparents alike; everything from chocolate hearts to greeting cards flooded the marketplace. Young lovers, meanwhile, developed their own special symbols like identification bracelets, tree inscriptions and varsity jackets.

New symbols have also been coined in response to major social, political and medical events in the latter part of the 20th century. The worldwide scourge of HIV and the failure to find a cure has transformed the condom, once considered vulgar, into a  life-saving symbol of respect between lovers. The feminist revolution further realigned the boundaries between the sexes, and questioned whether certain love symbols were not themselves sexist in nature. Technology has also given us new avenues of communication through which to express and find love. As any American teenager knows, typing ‘143′ into a person’s pager translates into ‘I love you’. Emails and instant messages have revolutionized the courtship process – think of them as the 21st century’s equivalent to the handwritten love letters from the previous millennium.

It would be obvious to state that new love symbols will continue to arise as love takes on new forms. Yet, the sentiments they express will be surprisingly similar. The Gods of the Greco-Roman era may share little on the outside with the streaming 1s and 0s that make up modern-day love missives. But as their core, both hope to express that which cannot be put into words- the ineffable qualities of love that have stumped man since the beginning of history. Empires might rise and fall, wars might sever relationships, plagues might ravish generations, but love will always -always- conquer time and symbols will be its witness.

What is your symbol of love?

(Source: Assouline)

When it comes to Stratford upon Avon there is only one person to show you around and that is our dear friend Steven Healey.

Stratford upon Avon should not be confused with Stratford E15

or

It’s an easy mistake for an unsuspecting Essex girl to make as you can see from the pics above.

Stratford upon Avon is the home to William Shakespeare, the bane of many teenage childrens lives and the main staple of English taught at senior school. Stratford E15 is one of the sites for the Olympics in East London in 2012, its the drain on all our taxes for the next 3 generations but the good news is it will have the crossrail by then and we should be able to go from south to east of the river in a jiffy.

I have to admit to being a bit of a Shakespeare fan, I saw as a young girl a version of Romeo and Juliet starring Niamh Cusack (sister or cousin of John Cusack the Hollywood actor) and in the famous fight scene Mercutio drove a Porsche onto the stage. Instead of fighting with swords they used chains which echoed around the theatre. One of the secondary characters was played by a teacher from then popular TV show Grange Hill and it was utterly mesmerising and I then understood why Shakespeare had stood the test of time, he was the Martina Cole of his day

One of my top ten films is Romeo+Juliet which is billed as Shakespeare for the Tarantino generation, it has Leo DiCaprio and a young Claire Danes, and I bet every teen would understand Shakespeare after watching this. For those that haven’t seen it, it’s a must, Baz Luhrman should be commissioned to film Shakespeare’s complete works or at least Julius Caesar as well.

So, I video’d Steven with my Flip and uploaded it to Youtube and here is the outcome -  The Essex Girls Guide to Stratford

Sarah

Spoilers ahoy. I warned you. I WARNED YOU.

New Moon is my favourite book in the series for obvious reasons such as my great passion for Jacob, so it was great to see it come to life. I take movies so seriously–I love to read, but I also respond very visually to things too. This movie definitely brought out the same feelings in me that I first felt when I read the book back in winter of ‘08: gut-wrenching sadness for Bella and heartwarming joy for Jacob, Bella’s Jacob, my Jacob, the friend I wanted in my life at the time.

I appreciated how New Moon stuck to the book but also deviated in a good way. K-Stew’s acting has never really done it for me–I didn’t burst into tears until she starting screaming after the nightmares–but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Rob’s performance. They were kind of cute there.

BUT YOU KNOW WHO WAS REALLY CUTE? JACOB AND BELLA. I loved their hugging and their almost-kissing and the fact that he was shirtless throughout most of the movie. And the scene in the rain just broke my heart. But I absolutely loved Alice and Jacob’s playful banter in the kitchen UP UNTIL EDWARD YOU EMO SPARKLY CUPCAKE YOU CALLED.

Everyone in my theatre was giggling at Aro but I thought his character was pulled off very nicely. Dakota Fanning turned out to be a lot more hardcore than I thought. I’ll always love Jasper and Emmett. You can definitely see the mutual awkwardness in both Charlie and Bella’s characters. All of the werewolves were just so cute and so funny. That’s what I love about these movies: the humour.

(Oh, and the Romeo and Juliet parallels were great. Like how she woke up and a copy of the book was sitting on her pillow? BRILLIANT.)

However, the cliffy ending and the way Bella heartlessly dumped Jacob after being all OMG NO U CANT DUMP ME I NEEDS U pissed me off. It effected my overall view on the movie, but I definitely think that New Moon pwnd Twilight’s sorry ass.

So good job, Chris Weitz. I like your camera angles* and how you overall improved this movie. However, I need to have a talk with the screenwriters.

ETA: I also forgot to mention how much I loved the flash-forward scene where they’re both gaily skipping through the forest.

And now for my passive-agressive tweets.

• “Mmm, CTTF.” I got a Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty with the girls I went with after school.
• “T-minus 2 hours, 15 minutes to New Moon.”
• “I got the Cliquetionary!” I picked it up at Target in the midst of waiting nearly 2 hours in line. I read it all too. It wasn’t half as informational as I thought it would be.
• “And hear we go. May the screams of young girls be heard all over the county.”
• “This is gonna be a good audience.” They were cute. Some girls would yell out ‘10 MORE MINUTES TILL IT STARTS. 5 MORE MINUTES TILL IT STARTS.’ all the way to the previews. And they screamed and laughed at all the right moments.
• “Wait what the HELL was that?” My outrage on the cliffy ending.
• “Getting a head start on Eclipse, are we?” You’ve been warned.

*There was this one part where they were in Bella’s room and Charlie closed the door and the camera zoomed in on her picture of a wolf but then Edward came into the frame as though to illustrate how both of them are vying for her attention, oh it was love.

Lovesickness
Sheikh Salman al-Oadah

By no means is love a sickness in and of itself. Indeed, it is the only known cure for many of the problems and ailments that we as human beings suffer from. However, love can turn into an illness if it becomes obsessive, if it goes beyond its proper bounds, or if the object of love is not worthy. When such a situation develops, love indeed becomes a sickness requiring a remedy.

It is Allah’s order in the world that he sends down to it no affliction without sending down with it its cure. Love is no exception.

The treatment of this illness is as follows:

1. As with all diseases, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

This is why we must lower our gazes and resist taking a second glance at a member of the opposite sex who attracts us. Allah says: “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That will make for greater purity for them, and Allah is acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their chastity…” [Sûrah al-Nûr: 30-31]

We can see how Allah first issues the command to believing men, then repeats the command for believing women, thus emphasizing the importance of lowering our gazes. The fact that Allah addresses members of each sex individually shows just how important and relevant this matter is to people of both sexes. Indeed, these verses are one of the few occasions where Allah addresses men and women separately in the Qur’ân.

The look is the beginning that can lead to progressively greater ills. This is why Allah mentions it first, and then follows it up with the command for us to guard our chastity.

A poet long ago observed:

A glance, a smile, a friendly hello,
Some chatting, a date, then off they go!

If some of us find it difficult to carry out this command, they should write these verses down on a sheet of paper and hang them on their wall or place them on the dashboard – whatever it takes to remind them.

2. Thinking about the consequences is often a sobering dose of medicine.

The ability to think about the far-reaching consequences of our actions is one of the distinctive qualities that set humanity apart from other animals. This is why a person just does not go ahead and do everything that tickles his fancy. He first has to think about what is behind it and what will come of it.

For instance, he might pause to think, before embarking upon a certain course of action, that if he does so, he might succumb to AIDS. He might reflect upon how that dreaded disease has already claimed tens of millions of lives, how some of those who were careful – who chose only one sexual partner who even had an AIDS test – nevertheless came down with the disease.

How many people like that do we hear about, some of whom come out and admit that the disease befell them as a punishment from Allah, and hoping that it might at least expiate for their sin?

The same can be said for all the other sexually transmitted diseases. The worst thing of all is to think that an indiscreet man can infect his pious, faithful, and chaste wife with one of these vile diseases.

Another consequence to think about is pregnancy. A man who had repented for his sins once admitted to me that he had intentionally chosen to involve himself with a woman who was sterile. Regardless, Allah wanted her to fall pregnant and she did.

We should not be heedless of the consequences of our actions. Does anyone want to be responsible for someone coming into this world with no idea who his father is; someone who starts out life already disadvantaged?

Maybe one of us will pay the price for his misdeed in this world. Maybe he will get away with it here, going through life unrepentant and unscathed, only to be humiliated for it before the eyes of all on the Day of Judgment.

Some of the evil consequences of this behavior are psychological in nature. A man, once enamored of women, gets to the point that he can never be satisfied. He eternally craves variety and no degree of beauty is enough. Because of this, he may find himself eternally forbidden

Addicted to love

the lawful pleasure to be found within marriage. His senses and his sentiments have all been dulled.

Some young men travel abroad and spend their time in the company of prostitutes and other women of ill repute, but if one of them were ever to hear that his wife back home so much as looked at another man indiscreetly, he would divorce her on the spot.

One man lamented: “I would forsake all the women of the world for the sake of one woman whom I knew would get worried if I came home at night a little bit late.” This is the sentiment of any man who possesses wisdom.

3. The communion of lawful love is the best cure of all.

All of the stories of love that we find in our literature – whether it be that of Jamîl and Buthaynah, Kuthayyir and `Azzah, Qays and Laylâ, or for that matter their English equivalent Romeo and Juliet – deal with the anguish of unrequited love.

Allah has placed in what is lawful all that we need so we can dispense with what He has made unlawful. It provides the most fulfilling, satisfying, and deepest expression of love.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “We see for those who are in love nothing better than marriage.” [Sunan Ibn Mâjah (1847) and Mustadrak Hâkim (2724) with a good chain of transmission]

Lawful matrimony is what brings healing to the heart and removes its disquiet. If it is not written for a certain man and women to come together in matrimony, each of them should have faith that there are many others out there with whom Allah can enrich them with a meaningful and loving relationship.

4. Resignation and a willingness to forsake what is wrong.

No matter how painful it may be to part, it is sometimes necessary. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever maintains his chastity, does so with the grace of Allah. Whoever finds self-sufficiency does so with what Allah has enriched him. Whoever is patient draws his fortitude from Allah. And no one has been given a gift better or more bountiful than patience.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (1469) and Sahîh Muslim (1053)]

Whoever gives something up for Allah’s sake should know that Allah will give him in its stead something far better.

5. Channeling one’s energies and abilities into what is nobler, more precious, and sublime – the love of Allah

We express this love by bringing benefit to His creatures, by our obedience to Him, by our prayers, our fasts, our remembrance of Him, our supplications, and our humility. We do so by keeping the company of righteous people and by aspiring to the noblest and most beneficial of goals.

We should channel our energies into what benefits us in our worldly lives and in our faith. Allah says: “Seek Allah’s help with patience and perseverance. It is indeed difficult except upon those who are humble.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 45]

He says: “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him.” [Sûrah al-Talâq: 3]

A heart that is full of concern for others will be a heart that is full of love – but not a slave to love. It is an empty heart that falls stricken for any visitor who graces its doorstep.

We should take full advantage of our lives and be as productive as possible. We need to develop our talents, our minds, and put our creativity into practice. Yes! Be enamored – but be enamored of truth and knowledge. Be fully in love – but be in love with righteousness.

Source: Islamtoday

Related article: The Broken woman

Species Name: Dementicus Rabidicus

“OMG!  Edward Cullen is so hot!  The Twilight books are like so amazing!  I would do anything to live in that world!  Did I mention how hot Edward Cullen is?”  If I just induced you to vomitus, my job is done.  Oh wait, no it’s not, because my job is to paint a picture of why the world would be better off without these “Twi-hards,” or as they should be know, “Twi-tards.”  The tween world is all abuzz with the opening of Twilight: New Moon today in theaters.  Teenage girls with their fellow obsessives, will be lining up today, ready to cut someone’s throat if they don’t get in to see the movie based on the second of Stephanie Meyer’s books.

I can get on board with the Trekkies, the Star Wars nerds, and even the Harry Potter dorks, because at least the worlds created in those sagas were imaginative and thought provoking.  This Twilight piece of shit on the other hand, is nothing more than an overly melodramatic “Romeo and Juliet” set amidst the world of teenage vampires.  Oh!  How novel!  The fact of the matter is that the world purported in “Twilight” doesn’t have anything going for it besides fairly attractive star crossed lovers.  Fuck this franchise!

The idea of vampires glowing in the daylight would be deemed universally retarded.
We wouldn’t have to endure the pussification of vampires at the hands of Stephanie Meyers.
The internet would be significantly faster without the Twi-hards refreshing every “Twilight” fan site every 30 seconds.
Hot Topic would have to file for Chapter 11 after the hit of no one buying “I Heart Edward Cullen” t-shirts anymore.
Shakespeare wouldn’t have to come back from the dead and bitch slap Stephanie Meyers for desecrating the sanctity of “Romeo and Juliet” with her unoriginal stories.
People would realize that if they want to watch vampires and werewolves fight, they should watch the Underworld movies.  They’re a lot more fun and you get Kate Beckinsale in black latex.
• No one would have to endure the clip montages of these crappy movies with some shitty song by Evanescence or equally angsty garbage in the background:

• We could move past the vampire fad finally and onto the next fad to take the country by storm…UNICORNS!

Do me a favor?  If you’re going to the multiplex this weekend, avoid New Moon like the plague.  And while you’re at it, avoid 2012, because god knows, that movie doesn’t deserve another fucking dollar.  If everyone in the entire world avoids going to see New Moon, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid the next 28 Twilight films that are already in pre-production.  Oh who am I kidding?  This movie is probably going to break some box office record for “most misunderstood tweens in a theater at the same time,” in addition to making buttloads of cash.  So go, you Twi-hards, stand in line for hours in your one size too big Twilight t-shirts, and have your mental orgasms as you watch your silly little movie.  Me?  I’d rather go watch Precious, a movie about an inner city black teen who gets impregnated by her father twice and is mercilessly abused by her mother.  Yeah, I’d rather watch that depressing piece of shit than New Moon.

But one has to have dreams right?

Some of those women are waaaaaaay too old to be there...for shame!

I can’t believe I missed this lovely ring on the ModCloth website when I was doing my Shakespeare-inspired list of their adorable products!

Someday, when I direct Romeo and Juliet, our Juliet is definitely wearing this on her hand!

VCU’s Opera Theatre is going to be presenting Brush Up Your Shakespeare, which will be a series of scenes from the operatic versions of Shakespeare plays. The evening is said to be a mix of comedy and tragedy, and it will include scenes from Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Comedy of Errors (an interesting choice, which I personally am a fan of).

Check out the article from the Commonwealth Times by clicking here!

Romeo and Juliet opens tonight!  I love the excitement of opening night and this show has a lot of energy.  Melanie, the director, has taken a totally new approach to the piece and it shows.  Be prepared for a fast-paced show and not your grandma’s Shakespeare!

Check out what I got to preview in dress rehearsal.

-Terry

QotD: “I have no pity.”

I watched Red Dragon earlier in the day rather than tonight and I did go out with friends. I have some money left but not a lot. Not as much as I’d like. But, I made sure to trade it well, for precious liquids.

So, I’m typing this in Word so that I can fix spelling mistakes, for once. Liquids and spelling do not go together all that well. Tomorrow night promises to be even more damp, but that isn’t costly. It also promises to be smokey, considering the crowd, not my usual conspirators, but friends of friends who I approve of, some of them. Not all.

At the moment it is late into the dark and I am enjoying Lou Reed’s relaxing songs of violence and menace, sitting in the darkness of my room with the light coming from my screen and from the window, which, for once, isn’t creating an “artificial night”, but letting in the real one. Melbourne nights are bright, which I like. I enjoy slow walks home, relaxed by drink, a cool breeze, light enough to see everything but dim enough to not need sunglasses. But you still wear them, of course.

Someone has taken my lovely headphones, so I’m using my speakers. I don’t usually do that at this time of night, as I’d prefer to have it louder, but my housemates aren’t about like me tonight. The moon is away so most of the monsters are away. I can barely hear this, fuck it, it’s going up.

I feel like sitting outside, I might go do that now.

(break)

It’s nice outside tonight; I wish someone else was awake. The sun is around the other side and there’s a breeze. No stars, but the sky is always nice to look at. Cicadas can fuck off elsewhere though. Or I’ll go where they aren’t, I’m not a fan.

I’ll write more on Red Dragon another time.

I met some alright people tonight, some I knew already. Not everyone impressed me, but nobody was too bad, it was a comfortable crowd.

I want another drink, but I don’t know if I need one.

(break)

I got one.

The problem with nights like these, they have the potential for being great, long nights with friends, but there are no friends around. I’m often fine with solitude, but when I’ve been with people and I’m still in a people mood, then they’re not there. I’m just here, by myself, making incomplete sentences in the dark.

Tomorrow will be better, the words that get you through today,

Goodnight cow, goodnight moon, goodnight cow jumping over the moon,

Your damp, smoked song of violence and menace,

TDE

A favourite song from my favourite film, mentioning one of my secret passions (Shakespeare), and suddenly an amusing in-joke…

Day Seventy:  Romeo and Juliet – Dire Straits

Audience at "Kenneth MacMillan's Choreographic Imagination and Psychological Insight" Symposium. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

Earlier this month we attended the Kenneth MacMillan Choreographic Imagination and Psychological Insight Symposium at Imperial College London. Celebrating the choreographer who would have been 80 this year, this full day event was held in association with The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Institute of Psychoanalysis and drew on psychoanalysts, scholars and dancers sharing insights into MacMillan’s ballets, along with rare archival footage and live masterclasses. A full register will soon be available through the new Kenneth MacMillan official website (which goes live December 11) but here are some of our own notes and thoughts.

To backtrack a little, my first exposure to MacMillan was a televised performance of his Romeo and Juliet Balcony Pas de Deux with Natalia Makarova and Kevin McKenzie. I remember being quite taken with the lifts where Juliet expresses her delight as Romeo tries to take her to the stars. So much could be said about young love and the feeling of one’s heart brimming with happiness with such economy of movement and no mime. I didn’t know much about MacMillan then but his work struck a chord with me. Later I had the opportunity to move to London and discover, via The Royal Ballet, the extent of his choreographic vocabulary, from full-length to short works, realising that MacMillan’s ballets were all about human emotions conveyed via eloquent steps.

At the time when MacMillan quit dancing and ventured into choreography, ballet was a decorative art form which provided an escape from reality. He set out to do exactly the opposite, turning reality and human suffering into compelling dance works. Putting this into context MacMillan’s biographer Jann Parry introduced the session speaking of how he eventually became the “outsider”,  the most common leitmotif found in his works, first seen in female characters (Laiderette, Anastasia) but later appearing as males (Mayerling, Different Drummer). Kenneth had not been bullied or lonely as a child, but the death of his mother when he was 12 and the difficult relationship with his father and brother set him on a constant search for a surrogate family and for his own identity. Parry also remarked that these events led MacMillan to search for psychoanalysts to help him understand his fears and anxieties and to deal with depression. Whilst he was fascinated with Freud, MacMillan also worried about what would happen to his creative spirit if he dug too deep into his sources.

Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf and Iohna Loots as Princess Stephanie in a Masterclass of Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

We saw the practical extent to which MacMillan’s work and his creative sources provide rich psychoanalytical material. A panel headed by Dr. Luis Rodriguez de la Sierra (known to us from the “Connecting Conversations” series) offered links between MacMillan’s life experiences and his creative output. This panel juxtaposed the troubled relationship between brothers with the sibling relationship in Manon, where the older brother Lescaut “corrupts” and breaks her innocence by throwing her in Monsieur G.M.’s way; the fact that MacMillan’s father had been gassed in WWI (during the Battle of Somme) with the war aftermath from Gloria and his mother’s recurrent debilitating fits with Mayerling and Empress Elizabeth’s rejection of her attention-seeking son Crown Prince Rudolf. Another interesting discussion centered around  the fantasy of “dying together as an act of love”, an allegory present in Romeo and Juliet and in Mayerling and which the panel connected to Ernest Jones’s theory of a subconscious wish to return to the mother’s womb.

National Theatre’s Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner, the last person to work with MacMillan (in Carousel), demonstrated via video that MacMillan could convey in 5 minutes of dance “what would take a playwright 3 hours with words”. In a short pas de deux from Carousel we saw  how movement marks the evolution of the main female character, from tomboy to woman in love. Actress Nichola McAuliffe also talked about her experience with MacMillan as a stage director. She explained that British Theatre traditionally had actors “dead” from the neck below and that working with MacMillan made her think about the physicality of her characters.

Former Stuttgart Ballet dancers Vladimir Klos and Birgit Keil at the Kenneth MacMillan Symposium. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

To illustrate MacMillan’s creative methods Birgit Keil and Vladimir Klos, former Stuttgart Ballet dancers who created roles in MacMillan ballets, described how he nurtured his dancers and sought a collaborative process. A fragment of the documentary A Lot of Happiness showed the choreographer rehearsing both dancers for a Pas de Deux based on Orpheus and Eurydice, giving them pointers of the type of movement he wanted and encouraging them to try different things. Royal Ballet Artistic Director, Dame Monica Mason also spoke of her experience. Tracing a parallel between Ashton and MacMillan, she said that the first one always expressed a preference for beauty and the second for reality, no matter how ugly that could be.

Speaking about “MacMillan’s subject matter” the eminent Financial Times critic Clement Crisp recalled audience reactions to the choreographer’s work, their discomfort with seeing “appaling grief represented by agonizing, ugly shapes”. A keen supporter who has seen every single MacMillan work (but for two short pieces made for ABT), Mr. Crisp eloquently spoke of the choreographer as a man of the theatre who knew about human suffering and found a way to show those terrible moments of life via fascinating and true choreography “which is ultimately what ballet is all about”, as well as in characters which “kept living after the curtain fell”.

Begoña Cao as Manon, Fabian Reimair as Lescaut and Antony Dowson as Monsieur G.M. in a Masterclass of Kenneth MacMillan's Manon. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

The final section focused on MacMillan’s “Creativity In Spite of Adversity”, his courage to stand firm and travel to where he could realise his vision. Mr. Crisp recalled masterpieces Song of the Earth and Requiem which were created for Stuttgart Ballet after Covent Garden’s administration worried about the use of Gustav Mahler’s music for choreography and, in Requiem’s case, that sacred music could offend religious sensibilities. These points were illustrated with excerpts from the documentary “Out of Line” where Sir Peter Wright, Clement Crisp and Deborah MacMillan shared their personal views on the challenges faced by MacMillan at home and abroad and his special link with Stuttgart Ballet.

Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf and Iohna Loots as Princess Stephanie in a Masterclass of Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

In addition to the masterclasses featuring two Mayerling pas de deux (Rudolf/Empress Elisabeth and Rudolf/Princess Stephanie) with Edward Watson, Cindy Jourdain and Iohna Loots from The Royal Ballet, and the Manon pas de trois (Manon/Lescaut/Monsieur GM) with Begoña Cao, Fabian Reimair and Antony Dowson from English National Ballet, the audience also had the opportunity to watch a full screening of MacMillan’s last work for The Royal Ballet, The Judas Tree*, with Irek Mukhamedov, Michael Nunn and Leanne Benjamin. This gruesome ballet (featuring a gang rape) touches upon the theme of betrayal in various ways. Original cast members Michael Nunn and Viviana Durante emphasised to the audience how MacMillan would let dancers discover the character during the creative process which, as Nunn said, “kept you on your toes”.

With so much background and valuable insights into Kenneth MacMillan’s universe, this was an event that will certainly enrich our experience and understanding of his compelling works. We now look forward to what the new official website may bring.

*The Judas Tree will be revived by The Royal Ballet in a Triple bill dedicated to MacMillan’s 80th birthday, together with Concerto and Elite Syncopations. These three pieces represent milestones in the choreographer’s career and different sides to his work. Concerto was the first piece he created for the Deutsche Oper Ballet as Artistic Director. Elite Syncopations, his ragtime jazz ballet, was made during his tenure as The Royal Ballet’s Director while The Judas Tree, his last work for the Royal Ballet, remains one of his most challenging pieces.

The Family Prokofiev performance presented Romeo and Juliet, a symphonic suite extracted from Prokofiev’s three suites, with the “happy ending” story originally conceived by the composer, to a full house of kids.

The accompanying puppets created by puppet artist Robin Walsh brought a new dimension to a delightful performance for kids and parents alike. Here’s an interview with the artist following the Saturday evening performance.

E N C O R E !

I called Amber tonight, and she left work to come over. I guess we’re giving it one more shot. I can’t help it, she has hurt me before, but I love her and despite what she’s done, I know she does love me.

My family despises her and her I.R.A father, so the only one who knows is my sister. They all know she showed up on my birthday, but only Robynne knows we’re giving it another chance. Since we split up the last time, I’ve been sleeping on the couch most of the time, except for the few times I’ve had other women here. But I haven’t washed the sheets, because they still hold her scent, especially the pillow she likes and I’ve let no other woman put her head on that pillow.

She’s on that pillow know. Earlier tonight, we hashed some dark shit out and both of us were in tears. I trust her and believe her. She hurt me in the past and swears never to do that again. I take her word.

When she showed up tonight, she brought me a second birthday gift, a used copy of the 60’s version of Romeo and Juliet, my all time favorite film. We were going to watch it tonight, but things happened, so we’ll watch it soon enough.

I know my sister can’t keep her mouth shut, so I’ll be getting a few words from my folks soon enough, but I don’t care, it’s my life and love life, not there’s and trust me mom and dad have no room to talk with all their divorces then remarrying each other and they have one more on the way, maybe that’s where I get it.

I love my Amberella, she accepts me for the scum bag musician I am, and in too many ways she is just like me, only nine years younger. I’ve been where she’s at and she knows where I’m going. Plus her dad likes me and always has good beer and old scotch. When we were apart this last time, I still went to mass with her dad. Hell, he gave me the jacket he wore during the Troubles in Ireland in the 70’s and hooked me up with a great AK cheap. He even hooked us both up with “new” identities to go to N. Ireland once, but we both backed out but I still have the Massachusetts ID and Passport.

Enough about Sean, this is about me and my little redhead, Amber. We fit like a hand to a glove on a cold winter’s day, spiritually, mentally and physically. A new poem for her will be up soon enough. For now, a cool video/song I found while searching youtube for Romeo and Juliet, I was looking for Henry Mancini’s theme and found this,first put to scenes of the best film version of Romeo and Juliet, then again from the mid 9o’s version of Romeo and Juliet, with Leonardo Di Caprio. It’s not the music, it’s the drama.

Bleeding Love,

Let my family start their shit, Love wins. A time for us.

Today, we went through the scene analysis chart and read Romeo + Juliet, Act I, Scene i. Your homework tonight is to complete the scene analysis chart for Act I, Scene i and read and complete a similar chart about that scene.

STANFORD LIVELY ARTS : Prokofiev Project : Student Matinee : Romeo and Juliet :

• Student Matinee Teacher Guide
• Student Matinee Student Guide Grades 3-5
• Student Matinee Student Guide Grades K-2

The Story of Romeo and Juliet

A long time ago in the distant town of Verona in Italy, there lived two families called the Montagues and the Capulets. They were feuding with each other, which means they were constantly in conflict and fighting with one another. No one knows the reason for the feud, or even when it began! But it had gotten so bad, the Prince of Verona was forced to make a law against fighting. He vowed to banish, or send away from Verona, anyone who fought.

Juliet, who belonged to the Capulet family, loved games, make-believe, and playing with her nanny. Romeo Montague was a handsome young man –- he loved to daydream and to think about far off places. He also liked to spend many hours in the town square with his friends, playing practical jokes and having fun.

One day, the Capulet family held a magnificent fancy-dress ball, to which all the important families in Verona were invited. All, that is, except the Montagues. Romeo and his friends decided to go to the ball anyway, wearing masks, so they would not be recognized. Within a few minutes of arriving at the ball, Romeo saw Juliet, and instantly fell in love with her. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen!

Romeo made his way across the ballroom and asked her to dance with him — since he was wearing a mask, she did not recognize him as a Montague. But upon hearing Romeo’s sweet voice, Juliet fell in love with him, too. They agreed to meet later that night on the balcony outside of Juliet’s room, where they told each other how much they loved one another. They decided to get married, hoping that their marriage would end the conflict between their two families.

The next day in the town square the Montagues and the Capulets met once again. Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, was quick to anger and soon started another fight. Romeo, overjoyed at his decision to marry Juliet, tried to stop the fight but failed. With one quick lunge of his sword Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend. This was the last straw for Romeo. He swore revenge! He and Tybalt had a fierce sword fight, at the end of which Tybalt died. Romeo was shocked, especially since he had just killed a relative of his beloved Juliet. To make things worse, the Prince of Verona heard what happened and ordered Romeo to leave the town forever.

Before Romeo left Verona, he and Juliet made their way to the town chapel, where they were secretly married by Friar Laurence. Then Romeo and Juliet tearfully said goodbye to one another, but made plans to meet in another town the next day, run away together, and escape from all the fighting in their families.

Juliet’s marriage to Romeo and her love for him made it impossible for her to marry a man that her parents thought would make a good husband for her. So, after Romeo left, Friar Laurence gave Juliet a magic potion to drink that would make it seem like she had died — she would not have to marry the man her parents had chosen for her. She quickly wrote a letter to Romeo explaining her plan and gave it to a messenger to deliver. Then Juliet went back to her room, drank the potion, and sank into a deep, deep sleep. Word quickly got out in Verona that Juliet had died. Her family was very sad, and made preparations for her funeral.

Juliet’s letter to Romeo explaining her plan had gotten lost — Romeo learned only that she he died (though she was actually asleep), and secretly came back to Verona to see his beloved Juliet one last time. Her body had been laid out in the chapel. Overcome with sadness and knowing he would never be able to live without her, Romeo took out a bottle of poison from his pocket. With one last look at his lovely bride, he began to drink. Just then, Juliet awoke from her sleep. But, was she too late?

Friar Laurence, meanwhile, hurried to the church as fast as he could, hearing that Romeo had returned. When he finally arrived, he found Romeo and Juliet in each others’ arms. Their love for one another was so powerful and magical that is changed their bodies into beautiful spirits. Slowly, the spirits of Romeo and Juliet joined their hands and hearts. They were united in their love forever.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet inspired by Nizami’s Layli and Majnun

XXXX Arab and Habib folklore of Layla and Majnun transmitting through oral tradition of story-telling.

XXXX Latin version of Layla and Majnun

c. 550 BCE The Temple of Artemis was completed in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, Anatolia.

547 BCE The Greek city of Ephesus was conquered by the Persians under Cyrus the Great who incorporated the city along with other the Greek cities of Asia Minor into the Achaemenid Empire.

c. 100 AD Xenophon of Ephesus, Greece (fl. 2nd century–3rd century?) produced one of the earliest novels entitled Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes . It is considered by many to be the one of the sources for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was printed in 1726 and translated into English the following year. Sixteen-year-old Habrocomes and 14-year-old Anthia from Ephesus met at the festival of Artemis. Their parents attempt to send them to Egypt for their own protection but on the way they are captured by pirates and they are separated. In the long, confusing story the couple are both enslaved and suffer greatly at the hands of their captors. Their enforced journeys lead them to Italy, Syria, Rhodes, Phoenicia, Anatolia, and finally home. There are many similarities between this story and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.” Note: Xenophon of Ephesus is not the Athenian historian and soldier Xenophon. See  O’Sullivan (1995) The ancient novel.

1037-1194 Seljuks/Saljuqs Dynasty; Seljuks/Saljuqs Dynasty of Rum (Byzantium) 11th –14th C During the 12th C the Seljuks/Saljuqs empire was dividedinto three main groups: a western group comprising Anatolia, a central group covering Syria and Iraq, and an eastern group including Iran and Central Asia.

1037-1171 the Saldjuk period: ”The most likely candidate to represent the largely vanished art of Saldjuk book painting is the verse romance Warka wa Gulshah, [] written in Persian by the poet Ayyuki and signed by the painter ‘Abd al-Mu’min al-Khuyi. This suggests a provenance in north-west Persia, but Anatolia is a distinct possibility too. The manuscript (in the Topkapi Sarayi library in Istanbul) has 70 brightly coloured illustrations in strip format against a plain coloured or patterned ground, with figural types of the kind familiar in mina’i pottery, but with an unexpected additional feature: obtrusive animals which have been shown in Daneshvari to have iconographic significance, for example as symbolic and prophetic references to the action. A fragment of al-Sufi’s Fixed stars in the Bodleian Library, Oxford (ms. Or. 133), undated and unprovenanced but probably of the 13th century, might be of Persian origin. But for all the paucity of surviving material, the clear dependence of both fine ceramics and fine metalwork on manuscript painting, and illumination shows clearly enough the high profile which the arts of the book enjoyed in the Saldjuk period. And book painting in Mesopotamia after the fall of the Saldjuk dynasty often has marked Persian features, a factor which suggests the existence of an earlier pan-Saldjuk school of painting in which distinctions between Irak and Persia were perhaps not very significant (Singh 2002:1004)”  Nizami’s famous adaption of the well-known story of Layli and Majnun (1192), was similar to the Arab poet’s ʿAyyūḳī’s - Ayyuki - love story entitled Warḳa u Gulshāh which was written in Farsi.  (Singh 2002:1004) noted that  the “verse romance Warka wa Gulshah, written in Persian by the poet Ayyuki and signed by the painter ‘Abd al-Mu’min al-Khuyi [is] the most likely candidate to represent the largely vanished art of Saldjuk book painting.”

Niẓāmī states in the introduction to his poem that he accepted the assignment with some hesitation. At first, he doubted whether this tale of madness and wanderings through the wilderness would be suitable for a royal court (ed. Moscow 1965, 41 ff.). He adapted the disconnected stories to fit the requirements of a Persian romance. …In some respects, the Bedouin setting of the original has been changed under the influence of urban conditions more familiar to the poet and his audience: the young lovers become acquainted at school; the generous Nawfal is a prince in the Iranian style rather than an Arab official. Niẓāmī added a second pair of lovers, Zayn and Zaynab, in whom the love between the main characters is reflected. It is Zayn who in a dream sees Madjnūn and Laylī united in paradise at the end of the romance (Pellat, Ch et al. 2009. Brill Online.)”

1192 Nizami wrote a his famous adaption of Layli o Majnun لیلی و مجنون in Farsi. “In his adaptation, the young lovers become acquainted at school and desperately fall in love. However, they cannot see each other because of a family feud, and Layli’s family arranges for her to marry another man. It is a tragic story of undying love.” Seyed-Gohrab, Ali Asghar. 2003-06. ”Layli and Majnun: Madness and Mystic Longing.” Brill Studies in Middle Eastern Literature,  pp 76-77. excerpt: “Although Majnun was to some extent a popular figure before Nizami’s time, his popularity increased dramatically after the appearance of Nizami’s romance. By collecting information from both secular and mystical sources about Majnun, Nizami portrayed such a vivid picture of this legendary lover that all subsequent poets were inspired by him, many of them imitated him and wrote their own versions of the romance. As we shall see in the following chapters, the poet uses various characteristics deriving from ‘Udhrite love poetry and weaves them into his own Persian culture. In other words, Nizami Persianises the poem by adding several techniques borrowed from the Persian epic tradition, such as the portrayal of characters, the relationship between characters, description of time and setting, etc (Seyed-Gohrab 2003-06).”

A story Of Arabic origin[29], the poem was based on the popular Arab legend of ill-starred lovers: the poet Qays falls in love with his cousin Layla, but is prevented from marrying her by Layla’s father. Layla’s father forbids contact with Qays and Qays becomes obsessed and starts singing of his love for Layla in public. The obsession becomes so severe that he sees and evaluates everything in terms of Layla; hence his sobriquet “the possessed” (Majnun)[29]. Realizing that cannot obtain union even when other people intercede for him, he leaves society and roams naked in the desert among the beasts. However the image of Layla was so ingrained in him that he cannot eat or sleep. His only activity becomes composing poetry of longing for Layla[29]. Meanwhile Layla is married against her will, but she guards her virginity by resisting the advances of her husband. Arranging a secret meeting with Majnun, they meet, but have no physical contact. Rather they recite poetry to each other from a distance. Layla’s husband dies eventually which removes the legal obstacles to an illicit union. However Majnun is so focused on the ideal picture of Layla in his mind that he had fled to the desert. Layla dies out of grief and is buried in her bridal dress. Hearing this news, Majun rushes to her grave where he instantly dies. They are buried side by side and their grave becomes a site of pilgrimage. Someone dreams that in Paradise they are united and live as a king and queen[29]. Nezami composed his romance at the request of the Shirvanshah Akhsatan. Initially, he doubted that this simple story about the agony and pain of an Arab boy wandering in rough mountains and burning deserts would be a suitable subject for royal court poetry and his cultured audience[29]. It was his son who persuaded him to undertake the project, saying: “wherever tales of love are read, this will add spice to them”[29]. Nezami used many Arabic anecdotes in the story but also adds a strong Persian flavor to the legend[29]. He adapted the disconnected stories about Majnun to fit the requirement of a Persian romance[30]. ”The theme was chosen for the first time as the subject of a Persian narrative poem, but the precedent of the treatment of a similar subject of Arabic origin existed in ʿAyyūḳī’s Warḳa u Gulshāh. Niẓāmī states in the introduction to his poem that he accepted the assignment with some hesitation. At first, he doubted whether this tale of madness and wanderings through the wilderness would be suitable for a royal court (ed. Moscow 1965, 41 ff.). He adapted the disconnected stories to fit the requirements of a Persian romance. …In some respects, the Bedouin setting of the original has been changed under the influence of urban conditions more familiar to the poet and his audience: the young lovers become acquainted at school; the generous Nawfal is a prince in the Iranian style rather than an Arab official. Niẓāmī added a second pair of lovers, Zayn and Zaynab, in whom the love between the main characters is reflected. It is Zayn who in a dream sees Madjnūn and Laylī united in paradise at the end of the romance (Pellat, Ch et al. 2009. Brill Online.)”

1100 Persian mystic, Faridu’ud-Din Attar’s (1145/46-1221) allegory “The Conference of the Birds” which I believe is also called Mantiqu’t-Tayr Language of the Birds. This work may have inspired Herman Hesse’s “Journey to the East.” It describes the seeker’s parallel journey to self-discovery, self-actualization, self-realization through the elusive search for God.

1103 Franks massacred the entire population of Saruj, a town in northern Syria. The folk tradition included a hero called Abu Zayd from Saruj, a town in northern Syria, as told by al-Harith.

1200? Attar is said to have met Jalálu’d-Dín Rúmí (1207-1273 A.D.) when the latter was still a child and enkindled in him him with the insatiable longing for the illusive and unknowable divine essence of all things.

1476 Masuccio Salernitano’s Cinquante Novelle – Il Novellino “includes the story of Mariotto and Giannozza of Sienna, who are secretly married by a Friar, after which Mariotto quarrels with a prominent citizen, kills him and is exiled to Alexandria. Giannozza’s father chooses a husband for her but to avoid marriage, Giannozza gets a sleeping potion from the Friar, sends word to her husband of what’s going to happen, is buried, taken from the tomb by the Friar, and sets sails for Alexandria. By a cruel twist of fate, the messenger carrying her letter is captured by pirates and Mariotto, hearing she has died, returns to Sienna disguised as a pilgrim. Trying to open the tomb, he is seized and beheaded. Giannozza makes her way home to Sienna and dies in a convent. Masuccio Salernitano’s Cinquante Novelle of 1476 tells of the romance between Mariotto and Gianozza. The lovers are secretly married by a friar; Mariotto is banished for killing another citizen; Gianozza’s father chooses a husband for her and she goes to the friar for help. He gives her a sleeping potion, which she drinks; she appears to be dead and is entombed. Although she has sent a note to her husband, he does not receive it. Anguished by reports of his wife’s death, Mariotto rushes home, only to be arrested at her tomb and put to death. Gianozza subsequently dies of grief.” edit

1536 AD (942) Fuzûlî (c. 1483 – 1556) wrote his adaptation of the story, Dâstân-ı Leylî vü Mecnûn داستان ليلى و مجنون; “The Epic of Layla and Majnun” in Azerbaijani Turkish. Mehmed bin Süleyman Fuzûlî (d. 1483 Hilla – ö. 1556 Kerbela ya da Bağdat), Fuzûlî, فضولی, Fużūlī (فضولی) was the pen name of the poet Muhammad bin Suleyman (محمد بن سليما]” “Fożūlī’s fame, however, rests above all on two of his Turkish works, the Dīvān(containing several panegyrics, robāʿīs, and three hundred ḡazals; numerous editions, including A. Gölpınarlı, Istanbul, 1948, 2nd ed., 1961) and especially his Laylā wa Majnūn (ed. N. H. Onan as Leylâ vü Mecnûn, Istanbul, 1935; ed. H. Ayan, Istanbul, 1981; ed. M. Doğan, Istanbul, 1996; tr. S. Huri as Leyla and Mejnûn by Fuzûlî, London, 1970). Laylā wa Majnūn, a work in 3096 bayts, was dedicated to Oways Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Baghdad. The problem of establishing the date of its composition, 942/1536, can be regarded as solved (Sohrweide, p. 227, no. 248); as in many other cases, the date had to be reconstructed from internal evidence (the dedication) while those proposed on the basis of chronograms remain doubtful. The poem represents the culmination of the Turkish maṯnawī tradition in that it raised the personal and human love-tragedy to the plane of mystical longing and ethereal aspiration (Dankoff). Fożūlī’s avowed model for the poem is Neẓāmī’s Laylī o Majnūn; he picks up the thread of Neẓāmī’s narrative at the point where Majnūn makes the pilgrimage to Mecca, and from then on follows Neẓāmī using the same hazaj meter (Bombaci, 1970, pp. 86-87). Unlike Neẓāmī, however, Fożūlī inserts several lyric poems (twenty-twoḡazals, two morabbaʿs, and two monājāts) which, while integrated harmoniously into the narrative, at the same time take on a life of their own (Dankoff). Another, undisclosed, model for the poem is the popular narrative on the same theme by ʿAbd-Allāh Hātefī (q.v.; Bombaci, 1969, pp. 246-52; idem, 1970, pp. 84-114).” http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v10f2/v10f211.html

1535 Luigi da Porto published Istoria Novellamente Ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti. “The story is set in Verona, the lovers, Romeo and Giulietta, are aristocrats. Their families – the Montecchi and the Cappelletti – are sworn enemies. Romeo goes disguised to a Carnival ball at the Cappelletti’s house, hoping to see the object of his unrequited love. There, Giulietta falls in love with him at first sight, he abandons his pursuit of unrequited love and later climbs up to Giulietta’s balcony to woo her. Hoping their union will reconcile the two houses, they go to a Franciscan Friar, Lorenzo, who marries them hoping that peace will follow. He is wrong. At the end of the story, Giulietta awakes before Romeo dies and so they have the chance to speak to each other. Giulietta ‘drew in her breath and held it long, and then, uttering a great cry, fell dead on the corpse of Romeo’ (Symon). ” . “The first and most influential is Luigi da Porto’s 1530 version. In it, he renames the lovers Romeo Montecchi and Giulietta Capelletti; he calls the friar Lorenzo. Da Porto introduces a character called Marcuccio, a friend of Romeo’s (noted only for his icy hands); and identifies the man whom Romeo kills as Theobaldo Capelletti. Da Porto’s story adds the ball, the balcony scene, and the lovers’ double suicide at Giulietta’s tomb—which Giulietta accomplishes by holding her breath!” http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,17,8,1,6 It was commonly though that Felice Romani fashioned Bellini’s libretto “I Capuleti ed i Montecchi (1820)” after Shakespeare’s play, but it was based on Romani’s own musical tragedy entitled Giulietta e Romeo which was produced at Milan (1825). Felice Romano’s widow and biographer Emilia Branca suggested Matteo Bandello’s retelling of the story as the main source . . . p.1  Shakespeare’s own sources, Luigi da Porto’s Istoria Novellamente Ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti (Venice 1535) and its several Italian, French and English reincarnations (Collins, Michael. 1982).

1559 Pierre Boiastuau adapted Matteo Bandello’s novella of 1554 and translated it from Italian into French. Boiastuau altered the events at this point and his Romeo dies before Juliet wakes up. It was Boiastuau’s account that was translated into English in 1567 by William Painter and that formed the basis for Brooke’s The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562), Shakespeare’s primary source for the play (Holland, Peter. 2000. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Oxford University Press. p. xxxii). ”Pierre Boiastuau had Romeo go to the Capulets’ ball in hopes of seeing his unrequited love, whom Shakespeare would later call Rosaline. Boiastuau was the first to write of Juliet’s grief when her husband murders her cousin Tybalt, and his version was the first in which the character of the Apothecary appears” http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,17,8,1,6

1600 Habib Allah painted “The Concourse of the Birds” a reproduction of which is now available at the Wikimedia Commons. The original is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is an illustration of the Persian mystic, Faridu’ud-Din Attar’s allegory “The Conference of the Birds” which I believe is also called Mantiqu’t-Tayr Language of the Birds. This work may have inspired Herman Hesse’s “Journey to the East.” It describes the seeker’s parallel journey to self-discovery, self-actualization, self-realization through the elusive search for God.

1562 Arthur Brooke wrote his long poem entitled “The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet” which text is a loose translation of Boiastuau (Symon). “Arthur Brooke’s poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, published in 1564, adheres to the framework constructed in the previous stories, filling it in a bit with more developed characters and relationships. He adds the character of Benvolio, and concentrates on deepening relationships, such as Juliet’s to her father, and the Nurse’s to the lovers. Brooke’s poem slightly expands the role of Mercutio, paving the way for Shakespeare to develop one of his most fascinating characters. About 35 years later, c.1597, William Shakespeare would write the version of Romeo and Juliet that today remains the best known and loved.” http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,17,8,1,6

1566 William Painter translated Boiastuau into English under the title Palace of Pleasure. This was the version that formed the base for Brooke’s poem.

c. 1597 Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespearean stage was a “rostrum for recitation.” The 16th century audience already knew Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as the lovers’ story.

1726 Ephesiaca, a 5th-century love story was printed

1727 Ephesiaca, a 5th-century love story was translated into English.

1748 In David Garrick’s performance of Romeo and Juliet changes were introduced to Shakespeare’s original play creating more dramatic tension. The timing of Juliet’s awakening and Romeo’s dying are shifted so the anguish is even more exaggerated.

19th century Ahmed Shawqi wrote a poetic play about the tragedy. Qay’s lines from the play are sometimes confused with his actual poems. The play is considered one of the best in modern Arab poetry.

1860 Bahá’u'lláh wrote Seven Valleys – Haft-Vádí describing the spiritual journey of the soul passing through different stages, from this world to other realms which are closer to God, as first described by the 12th Century Sufi poet Attar in his Conference of the Birds. In the introduction, Bahá’u'lláh says “Some have called these Seven Valleys, and others, Seven Cities.” The stages are accomplished in order, and the goal of the journey is to follow “the Right Path”, “abandon the drop of life and come to the sea of the Life-Bestower”, and “gaze on the Beloved”.

1867 Thomas Chenery translated The Assemblies of Al-Hariri. by Al-Hariri of Basra.

1908-01-25 The renowned Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov made Fuzûlî’s adaptation of Layli and Majnun into an opera. It was staged in Baku on January 25, 1908.

1927 German author Hermann Hesse published his short novel entitled “Die Morgenlandfahrt”, in English Journey to the East. Hesse’s Journey to the East may have been inspired by Faridu’ud-Din Attar’s “The Conference of the Birds” (1100s) In the Herman Hesse short novel a League from the West undertook a pilgrimage to the East in search of The Truth. Their imaginary and real journeys traverse space and time. In the end the narrator discovers that he and the other searchers have been put through a series of challenges to test their faith.

1966 The publication of Dr. Rudolf Gelpke’s English translation and editing  The Story of Layla and Majnun by Nizami, into an English version in collaboration with E. Mattin and G. Hill Omega Publications. Many later poets have imitated Nizami’s work, even if they could not equal and certainly not surpass it; Persians, Turks, Indians, to name only the most important ones. The Persian scholar Hekmat has listed not less than forty Persians and thirteen Turkish versions of Layli and Majnun.[13]

A comprehensive analysis in English containing partial translations of Nezami’s romance Layla and Majnun examining key themes such as chastity, constancy and suffering through an analysis of the main characters was recently accomplished by Ali Asghar Seyed-Gohrab[32].

2000. Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare: four early stories of star-crossed love. Toronto: Centre for Reformation and Renaissance studies, 2000) contains four early versions of the Romeo and Juliet story: Mariotto and Ganozza by Masuccio Salernitano, A tale about two noble lovers by Luigi da Porto, The unfortunate death of two most wrethched lovers by Matteo Bandello and Of two lovers by Pierre Boaistuau.

2003 Ali Asghar Seyed-Gohrab, “Layli and Majnun: Madness and Mystic Longing” Brill Studies in Middle Eastern literature, Jun 2003, pg 76-77. excerpt: Although Majnun was to some extent a popular figure before Nizami’s time, his popularity increased dramatically after the appearance of Nizami’s romance. By collecting information from both secular and mystical sources about Majnun, Nizami portrayed such a vivid picture of this legendary lover that all subsequent poets were inspired by him, many of them imitated him and wrote their own versions of the romance. As we shall see in the following chapters, the poet uses various characteristics deriving from ‘Udhrite love poetry and weaves them into his own Persian culture. In other words, Nizami Persianises the poem by adding several techniques borrowed from the Persian epic tradition, such as the portrayal of characters, the relationship between characters, description of time and setting, etc”

Who’s Who

Abū Hamīd bin Abū Bakr Ibrāhīm (Persian: ابو حمید ابن ابوبکر ابراهیم) (born 1145-46 in Nishapur Iran – died c. 1221), much better known by his pen-names Farīd ud-Dīn (فریدالدین) and ‘Attār (عطار – the pharmacist), was a Persian Muslim poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nīshāpūr who left an everlasting influence on Persian poetry and Sufism.

Mehmed bin Süleyman Fuzûlî (d. 1483 Hilla – ö. 1556 Kerbela ya da Bağdat), Fuzûlî, فضولی, Fużūlī (فضولی) was the pen name of the poet Muhammad bin Suleyman (محمد بن سليمان) (c. 1483 – 1556). He is one of the greatest contributors to the Dîvân tradition of Turkish literature,[1] Fuzûlî wrote his collected poems (dîvân) in three different languages: Azerbaijani Turkish, Persian, and Arabic. Although his Turkish works are written in Azerbaijani, he knew both the Ottoman and the Chagatai Turkish literary traditions as well. He was also very able in mathematics and astronomy.[2]” He wrote Dâstân-ı Leylî vü Mecnûn (داستان ليلى و مجنون; “The Epic of Layla and Majnun”) in Azerbaijani Turkish in wiki

Nezāmi-ye Ganjavi (Persian: نظامی گنجوی; Kurdish: Nîzamî Gencewî, نیزامی گه‌نجه‌وی; Azerbaijani: Nizami Gəncəvi, نظامی گنجوی ;‎ 1141 to 1209), or Nezāmi (Persian:نظامی), whose formal name was Niżām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakī ibn-Mu‘ayyad, is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature[1], who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic[2][3]. His heritage is widely appreciated and shared by Afghanistan[4], Azerbaijan[5], Iran[4], andTajikistan[4]. wiki

The Persian scholar Hekmat has listed not less than forty Persians and thirteen Turkish versions of Layli and Majnun.[13]

Ali Asghar Seyed-Gohrab, “Layli and Majnun: Madness and Mystic Longing” Brill Studies in Middle Eastern literature, Jun 2003, pg 76-77. excerpt: Although Majnun was to some extent a popular figure before Nizami’s time, his popularity increased dramatically after the appearance of Nizami’s romance. By collecting information from both secular and mystical sources about Majnun, Nizami portrayed such a vivid picture of this legendary lover that all subsequent poets were inspired by him, many of them imitated him and wrote their own versions of the romance. As we shall see in the following chapters, the poet uses various characteristics deriving from ‘Udhrite love poetry and weaves them into his own Persian culture. In other words, Nizami Persianises the poem by adding several techniques borrowed from the Persian epic tradition, such as the portrayal of characters, the relationship between characters, description of time and setting, etc.

Mabillard, Amanda B.A. (Honors), from 1999-2003 (last updated 08/28/2005 compiled information for a site http://www.shakespeare-online.com/ intended to provide comprehensive and accurate information about the Bard. She also wrote the Guide to Shakespeare for About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company, where she published her original articles on Shakespeare’s life and works. Her site was listed as a Wiki source, however the link to her article, “An Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sources for Romeo and Juliet” is a deadlink.

Roz Symon is RSC’s Play Guide Writer and Editor. Royal Shakespeare Company is a new Romeo and Juliet Play Guide, a unique resource offering readers detailed insights to the process of theatre. Through extracts from rehearsal diaries and a series of interviews with directors, designers and actors, you can learn more about Peter Gill’s production of Romeo and Juliet [RSC 2004-5] and more about the play in general. The Guide also offers practical, entertaining ways for students, teachers and life-long learners to explore a 400-year old performance text. The Guide includes photographs of past productions, film versions of the play, the Royal Shakespeare Company rehearsal process, Shakespeare’s life and times, stage fighting or design issues. His site was listed as a Wiki source.

Notes

Aleppo (Halab in Arabic): Syria’s second city located on the river Qoueiq in north-west Syria

Webliography and Bibliography

Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare: four early stories of star-crossed love. Toronto: Centre for Reformation and Renaissance studies, 2000) contains four early versions of the Romeo and Juliet story: Mariotto and Ganozzaby Masuccio Salernitano, A tale about two noble lovers by Luigi da Porto, The unfortunate death of two most wretched lovers by Matteo Bandello and Of two lovers by Pierre Boaistuau.

ArRalm. “The Original Legend in Arabic Literature” ArtArena. Accessed January 26, 2008.

Branca, Emilia. 1882. Felice Romani ed i più riputati maestri di musica del suo tempo: cenni …

Chenery, Thomas, Trans. 1867. The Assemblies of Al-Hariri. Williams and Norgate: London and Edinburgh.

Coker, J. T. 2000. “Follow Your Heart: The Story of Layla and Majnun.” Sunrise. June/July. Theosophical University Press.

Collins, Michael. 1982. “The Literary Background of Bellini’s I Capuleti ed i Montecchi.” Journal of the American Musicological Society 35:3:532-538 University of California Press on behalf of the American Musicological Society. http://www.jstor.org/stable/830986

Fuzulî. Leylâ ve Mecnun. Ed. Muhammet Nur Doğan. ISBN 975-08-0198-9.

Ḥarīrī. The assemblies of al-Harīri: translated from the Arabic, with an …, Volume 9

Holland, Peter. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare,

Levenson, Jill L. 1984. “Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare.” Studies in Philology. 81: 3:325-347. University of North Carolina Press. Summer.  http://www.jstor.org/stable/4174179

Mabillard, Amanda. 2007. “An Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sources for Romeo and Juliet”. Shakespeare Online. Unable to access January 26, 2008.

O’Sullivan, J. N. 1995. Xenophon of Ephesus: His Compositional Technique and the Birth of the Novel. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter.

Pellat, Ch; van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. Excerpts: “The theme was chosen for the first time as the subject of a Persian narrative poem, but the precedent of the treatment of a similar subject of Arabic origin existed in ʿAyyūḳī’s Warḳa u Gulshāh. Niẓāmī states in the introduction to his poem that he accepted the assignment with some hesitation. At first, he doubted whether this tale of madness and wanderings through the wilderness would be suitable for a royal court (ed. Moscow 1965, 41 ff.). He adapted the disconnected stories to fit the requirements of a Persian romance. …In some respects, the Bedouin setting of the original has been changed under the influence of urban conditions more familiar to the poet and his audience: the young lovers become acquainted at school; the generous Nawfal is a prince in the Iranian style rather than an Arab official. Niẓāmī added a second pair of lovers, Zayn and Zaynab, in whom the love between the main characters is reflected. It is Zayn who in a dream sees Madjnūn and Laylī united in paradise at the end of the romance (Pellat, Ch et al. 2009. Brill Online.)”

Perlm. “Layli and Madjnun in Persian Literature” >> ArtArena. Accessed January 26, 2008.

Rabbani, Faraz. 2006. “Loss of Meaning.” Islamica Magazine. No. 15.

Seyed-Gohrab, Ali Asghar. 2003-06. ”Layli and Majnun: Madness and Mystic Longing.” Brill Studies in Middle Eastern Literature,  pp 76-77. excerpt: “Although Majnun was to some extent a popular figure before Nizami’s time, his popularity increased dramatically after the appearance of Nizami’s romance. By collecting information from both secular and mystical sources about Majnun, Nizami portrayed such a vivid picture of this legendary lover that all subsequent poets were inspired by him, many of them imitated him and wrote their own versions of the romance. As we shall see in the following chapters, the poet uses various characteristics deriving from ‘Udhrite love poetry and weaves them into his own Persian culture. In other words, Nizami Persianises the poem by adding several techniques borrowed from the Persian epic tradition, such as the portrayal of characters, the relationship between characters, description of time and setting, etc.”

Symon, Roz. “Romeo and Juliet sources.” Royal Shakespeare Company Play Guide. >> Royal Shakespeare Company. http://www.rsc.org.uk/romeo/about/sources.html >> Royal Shakespeare Company site. Accessed January 26, 2008.

Wikipedia Layla and Majnun http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layla_and_Majnun#_note-3 Last accessed January 26, 2008.

Mabillard, Amanda. 2007. “An Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sources for Romeo and Juliet”. Shakespeare Online. (09/12/07) , [1] . On Shakespeare’s sources for Romeo and Juliet see further [2] , the Royal Shakespeare Company site, [3].

Miss Q loves her books.  She doesn’t doesn’t discriminate, neither do we.  These are the books we read to her throughout this bright Thursday:

The Berenstain Bears’ and the Trouble with Chores by Stan and Jan Berenstain

The only problem?  When Sister Bear points to a dog mess on the rug, and says, “I know it’s my week to clean up Little Lady’s calling cards.  It’s just that I’m waiting for them to dry.  They’ll be easier to scoop that way.”  Grodie-to-the-max.

Christmas Angel by Quinlan B. Lee

Clifford the Big Red Dog is a puppy and learns about Christmas.  Miss Q is up for Clifford any time of the year.

Grover, Messenger of Love by Patricia Thackray

Grover does tasks for star-crossed lovers.  Unlike Romeo and Juliet, this one has a happy ending; though poor Grover is put through the ringer.  Smooch to Grover.

Cars: A Day at the Races by Frank Berrios

Lightning McQueen returns to Radiator Springs and starts up a racing school.  No mention of his girlfriend Sally – did they break up?  Best part about the book is getting to say, “Ka-chow!”

Cars: Night Vision by Dennis “Rocket” Shealy

Lightning, Mater and Sherif meet Gudmund and learn how to spelunk.  Wish I had night-vision goggles.

The Berenstain Bears’ and the Week at Grandma’s by Stan and Jan Berenstain

This book actually helped me feel better about leaving Miss Q, on the rare occasions we have to have someone watch her.  (Another topic for another entry.)  Not sure I was the target audience when Stan and Jan wrote the book.

The Berenstain Bears’ and the New Baby by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Let’s just say, having Brother and Papa leave the house to make Brother a new bed; and returning to find a new baby sister, wasn’t exactly what we were looking for in baby-prep books.  But Miss Q enjoys it.

Amazing Airplanes by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker

Fantastic.  Miss Q adores airplanes.  It explains matter-of-factly about them, but in a nice cartoonish, easy to read style.  Two thumbs up from everybody in our household.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

A classic.  Love it.  Miss Q loves it too – especially when Alexander says he’s going to Australia.  She often beats me to the punch.

Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy

A cute story about a puppy who wanders around asking different animals to kiss him.  In the end, he realizes his mama’s kiss is the best.  Miss Q could have told him that; spared him kissing a pig.

This was an average day’s read.  We’ve never pushed reading on her, she just genuinely loves having stories read to her.  There are so many stories I can’t wait for her to discover, and one day, too soon, she will.

By Rory Reynolds

HOLYWOOD composer Craig Armstrong enjoyed a degree of success when he was given an honourary doctorate at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh yesterday.

The Glasgow-born soundtrack writer – who has penned scores for blockbuster hits Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge – accepted the award from Edinburgh Napier University for an outstanding career in the music industry.

The two-time BAFTA award-winner took some time out from working on the score of Michael Douglas thriller Wall Street 2 to congratulate music students for graduating.

He said: “I would like to thank the university for this honourary degree.

“I have received a number of awards over my lifetime but this one is particularly meaningful, as it has its roots embedded in education and learning.

“Institutions like the Edinburgh Napier School of Music are so important and help nurture the next generation of musical talent.

“I wish the many gifted students graduating from the School of Music today all the very best and hope that, just as I have been inspired by their achievements, they are inspired by mine.”

The world-renowned, Golden Globe-winning composer who has worked on the Oscar-winning Ray Charles biopic Ray, has in the past collaborated with U2, Madonna and Pavarotti.

Edinburgh Napier Principal Professor Dame Joan Stringer said that graduates were “thrilled” to have Craig there on their big day.

She said: “We are delighted to be honouring individuals who have made such significant contributions to enriching our culture, building our economies and serving our communities.

“Their achievements, together with their qualities, will serve to inspire our students.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

It’s not that I regret the choices I’ve made. Had I planned my life carefully I doubt very much I’d be in a happier situation than this. Everything is as I’d want it – we’re leaving Soham, moving into a beautiful place in the country, I’m writing for a living and my husband is earning enough that we can start saving up for a house.

And yet…

It’s the lost potential. Now that I’m settled, I’m starting to realise that there isn’t just me anymore. The enormity of the commitment I’ve made is weighing heavily on my conscience and for the first time, I’m wondering if I am selfless enough to sustain my current life. I have to think of S- now when I go swanning off up the country, have to remember that I can’t just pick up everything at the drop of a hat like I used to, sail up to Edinburgh and to hell with the petrol costs. There is someone else depending on my income, on my presence. On me.

As soon as I stepped through the door an hour ago I desperately wanted to turn around, get back into the afore-mentioned Ford and hightail it to the border, never to look back… although saying that, perhaps Charlie Micra is a wiser move as taking my own car wouldn’t constitute theft…

Either way, I’m beginning to doubt my strength of character. In order to keep things as they are, in this state of socially accepted security, I have to give up so much of my old life, of my old self. I saw an ex while I was at home, and though he was happy with his wife and their child, my immediate thought was, “Ha! Dodged that bullet!” He seemed to have given up on an interesting life. He drove a Vauxhall for fuck sake – the car for people who just don’t care anymore.

I shouldn’t be thinking like that. I shouldn’t look at someone in the position I have been aiming for – consciously or not – and want to crow about how, by not being burdened by responsibility, I am better off. And the really ridiculous thing is that I do have responsibilities. I just end up sitting behind the wheel of the car, seeing the intoxicating signs that say ‘The North’ and I forget everything. I’m on the road with two of my best friends and I never want it to end. I just want to drive until we lose the land and keep going by boat, by rail, by whatever we can find.

I stood at the top of Bennachie with J- this week and felt free, like I’d been released from the stagnating thoughts that finally killed the last vestiges of my creativity – worrying about work, houses and all the other things that we fill our lives with and which don’t matter. I never want to stay still again – never want to stop trying to reach the roof of the world with people I adore. I just find myself moving further and further from my old dreams and buying into the life I swore I’d never have.

First comes love, second comes marriage, then comes the baby in the golden carriage.

I used to strive towards living on a boat in the Norfolk Broads, with a big fat cat for company. I wanted to be the girl from ‘Drops of Jupiter’ by Train* and have countless almost-love affairs, full of meaningful glances and not-quite-touches and break the hearts of everyone who saw me. I wanted to write the most tragic love story since Romeo and Juliet, and I wanted people to laugh along with it. I wanted to die unexpectedly at the age of 45 in a road accident involving a Black Shadow motorcycle, and tell the man who’d been my true love all along, from my death bed, that it had all been for him.

But I don’t suppose I’m that interesting. I’m a writer, afterall, and I dream about people like this. In reality, I clean my house, cook my dinners and don’t go tearing half way across the country to announce my feelings in epic speeches. I don’t visit the people I love often enough and make the usual excuses as to why. For the most part, I even drive the speed limit.

No, it’s not that I regret the choices I’ve made – I am happy – but I do wonder what possibilities are closed to me now. I don’t want to let another day slip by without making something that the sentimental side of my brain can call a memory, and that the rest of me will feel is an adventure. I want to drive down side roads without knowing where they go, start walking at dawn into the wild blue yonder and find myself in places I’d never otherwise have found. And whilst I’ll never be the girl in the boat who breaks hearts, maybe I can be something closer to her than I am now. Perhaps my life and hers aren’t all that incompatible afterall.

First thing tomorrow, I’m driving out to Wicken Fen – far too fast – with my Moleskine and a pencil. It’s time to write my tragedy.

_____

*Now that she’s back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there’s a time to change, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey

But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself out there?

Now that she’s back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does Tae-Bo
Reminds me that there’s room to grow, hey

Now that she’s back in the atmosphere
I’m afraid that she might think of me as
Plain ol’ Jane told a story about a man
Who was too afraid to fly so he never did land

But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way?

And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?
Was it everything you wanted to find?
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself out there

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you
Even when I know you’re wrong?

Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance
Five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me?

But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way?

But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

And tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself?

And did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day?
And did you fall for a shooting star?
Fall for a shooting star?
And now you’re lonely looking for yourself out there