Chaucer & Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London some time between 1340 - 44 the exact date is unknown. He did go to France with the military some time in the 1360's but nothing definate is known until 1366 when he married Philippa Roet. She died some years later and he continued to enjoy the wealth of her family until 1385 when he became Justice of the Peace in Kent. Chaucer wrote a few poems before he started his narrative poem style. The Canterbury Tales was unfinished when he passed away in 1400. He was buried in the Church at Westminster Abby and a monument was built in his honor in 1555 in the Poet's Corner of the church.

The Canterbury Tales one of the most famous narrative style poems follows a group on a pilgrimage. Along the way we get a good look at each character this style of writing was very descriptive and you can really envision each character. The pardoner was the one that stuck out the most to me. I think it was because I could really think of some one that he represents. The main focus of this story was the corruption of the church and religion was a huge issue for the people of this time. There was a lot of change going on and this poem seemed to capture all of the different views on that.

http://www.online-literature.com/chaucer/

Sophocles

Sophocles born in 496 B.C.E. in Colonus, Greece. He showed great talent from a very early age he excelled in music while in school then became one of the greatest writers of tragedies known to date.He wrote in three different styles yet the last group the tragedies are the only ones that are still in existence. It is believed that he wrote some 125 plays but only 7 are known to still be in around to date. One of the many he wrote in the later years was Oedipus the King.

In Oedipus the King this story kept me very intrigued with the twists of fate, and how they tried to change it. Although Oedipus thought he was doing the right thing by living his "parents" so that his fortune would not come true he ends up running right to the very thing he was trying to leave. I was hurt when Jocasta took her own life due to the pain she must have felt from loosing her husband then finding out she had married and bore children with her own son. This story was 100% tragic, but fascinating all the way. It just goes to show that what is meant to be will be. Since so many twist and turns happened along this story but in the end the fortune came true just as they had all been told it would.

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Sophocles.html

Looking for Richard

I found this is to be a very interesting and different look at Shakespeare. This 1996 film is starring and directed by Al Pacino one of my favorite actors. I love The Godfather, Scarface & Carlito's Way, but this was a very different look than I am used to seeing him in. Based on Richard III but it is set in New York and the actors switch back and forth between being in and out of more traditional costumes. The film is somewhat a documentary on the making of a film it has a lot interviews with people on the streets when the crew travels to England to see the Globe Theater and Shakespeare's birth place. I liked it because it was kind of out side the box but still payed tribute to the original works. Al Pacino had said that he wanted to change the opinion of the average movie goers view on Shakespeare. Since while doing the interviews for the opening of the movie many comments were that this type of movie or play is boring and he wanted to show everyone why he loves Shakespeare. I think that he was able to get his views across in this film because it was easier to understand than many traditional films based on the plays from this time period.

http://www.reelviews.net/movies/l/looking.html

Reflections of Othello

Othello was a great story off jealousy, deception and honor. Othello does show a lot of honor when he admits that he was wrong in killing his wife Desdemona. Once he realized that he had been played by the people around him he was remorseful for what he had done. Iago was like the master mind behind the plot to frame Desdemona and I think he was just evil he is jealous of Othello and that lead him to do many things. Emilia and Cassio were not innocent by any means but I also think that they seemed to just follow behind Iago and not ask and questions about what they were doing. I also find it interesting how Othello's very own mother had told him that who ever he gave the handkerchief to would be his true love, but he still took the word of others instead of listening to his wife. That just goes to prove that mom always know best. Othello should have listened to his mother then all of those people would not have had to die. In the end Othello does know the truth about Desdemona and the guilt for what he has done is just too much for him to bare.

The life and times of William Shakespeare

William was the third child born to John and Mary Shakespeare in 1564 the exact date is unknown. It is only believed that he attended the King's New Grammar School of Stratford and never attended a University that we know of. He married at age 18 an older woman named Anne Hathaway and the two of them had three children.

His first poem Venus and Adonis was registered in 1593. In the early 1600's many of Shakespeare's writings were published without his permission. During this time it is believed that he had left his family for some twenty years while he worked on his writings. Not long after in 1616 he passed away. His tombstone read... "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbare, to digg the dust enclosed here!, Blest be ye man that spares thes stones, And curst be he that moues my bones." They say that it is a curse on anyone who dares to move his body.

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/biography/shakespeare_biography.htm