A Few Questions, Mr. Shakespeare

[Dave Monroe]

The New York Times
Saturday, November 9th, 2002
THINK TANK
A Few Questions, Mr. Shakespeare

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington fielded
nearly 1,500 inquiries last year from high school
students, teachers and interested readers. The
library's newsletter, Folger News, contains the column
"Ask a Librarian," in which the reference staff shares
some of these questions and answers. Below are some of
her favorites. 

Q. I recently saw the movie adaptation of "Titus
Andronicus" and was shocked by the level of violence.
How do I explain Shakespeare's seeming
"bloody-mindedness" to my nieces and nephews?

A. The incidence of violence in Shakespeare's plays
may seem high to modern audiences, but it was not that
unusual within the context of his time. If anything,
Shakespeare was more moderate than many dramatists of
the early 17th century. Keep in mind, too, that when
the good citizens of London weren't attending plays at
the Globe, they might well be watching bear baiting,
cock fighting or public executions. Those who consider
today's society too violent would doubtless cringe at
the idea of spending an entertaining afternoon at a
hanging or a beheading (at least, we hope they
would!).

For more information, see "Shakespearean Tragedy"
(1992), an anthology in which the editor, John
Drakakis, includes sections called "Tragedy and the
Social Order" and "Tragedy and Violence"; the chapter
"Crimes and Accountability" by Theodor Meron in his
book "Bloody Constraint: War and Chivalry in
Shakespeare" (1998); and Molly Smith's book "The
Darker World Within: Evil in the Tragedies of
Shakespeare and His Successors" (1991).

Do Othello and Desdemona ever consummate their
marriage? They seem to be interrupted by other matters
on their wedding night.

These kinds of questions are always difficult. Why
didn't Hamlet just take over after his father's death?
Are Hamlet and Ophelia ever lovers? Part of the
problem is that — even though we know we're not
supposed to — we assume a full life for Shakespeare's
characters outside their plays. They become that real
to us. 

As far as Othello and Desdemona are concerned, the
short answer is that we don't know. The play never
makes it clear, which is why Shakespearean scholars
have come down on both sides of the issue. The editor
of the recent new Arden edition, E. A. J. Honigmann,
believes that they did....  The Folger's own head of
reference, Georgianna Ziegler, sides with the
consummation camp....

What words and phrases did Shakespeare coin?

>From the "spectacled" "pedant" to the "schoolboy," all
"gentlefolk" recognize Shakespeare as a "fathomless"
"fount" of coinages. The "honey-tongued" Bard had no
"rival," nor could he "sate" his "never-ending"
"addiction" to "madcap," "flowery" (or
"foul-mouthed"!) neologisms. Even "time-honored"
"exposure" cannot "besmirch" our "amazement" at the
"countless" and "useful" words that lend "radiance" to
our "lackluster" lives. All in a "day's work!"

In "Brush Up Your Shakespeare!" the author, Michael
Macrone, confesses that it's not always easy to
determine who first coined a word, but notes that the
Oxford English Dictionary attributes all of the
[quoted] words above (and some 500 more) to
Shakespeare.  

How did men cover up their beards if they played
women's roles in Shakespeare's theater?

Usually boys played women's parts onstage, so there
was no problem about beards. In fact, Hamlet jokes
with one of the actors who visit the court in Denmark:
"Why, thy face is valanced since I saw thee last,"
meaning that the boy has reached puberty and started
to grow a beard. Since his voice would change about
the same time ... that would signal the end of female
roles for him. Older men probably played female roles
from time to time, such as comic figures like Juliet's
Nurse. In that case, they would probably shave off any
beard.

What was the name of the youngest actor to perform
Shakespeare?

At the age of 13, William Henry West Betty (1791-1874)
took the London theater world by storm.... After his
brief but hectic London success, audiences just as
quickly turned against him, and he was hissed off the
stage. His attempted comeback, years later, was
virtually ignored.

Ellen Terry, however, beat out Master Betty. She
performed Mamillius in "The Winter's Tale" at the age
of 8, in 1856.

How many words did Shakespeare write?

This is a popular question and may be answered by
looking at Marvin Spevack's concordances to
Shakespeare's works. The complete works consist of
884,647 words and 118,406 lines.  

What did Shakespeare's son die of?

We don't really know how Shakespeare's young son,
Hamnet, died.... 

What are the shortest and longest plays?

The shortest play: "Comedy of Errors" with 1,787 lines
and 14,369 words. The longest play: "Hamlet" with
4,042 lines and 29,551 words.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/09/arts/09TANK.html

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