So, as you've probably heard, Shakespeare's grave was scanned and his skull doesn't appear to be in it. Naturally, there is only one appropriate way to respond to this sort of news:
YORICK YORICK YORICK YORICK YORICK YORICK YORICK YORICK YORICK
Thou and Thee
For some reason, I thought it would be good to do a comic about archaic English grammar. Just roll with it, could you?
It takes a very special sort of person to follow a stick figure Shakespeare webcomic in the first place, so I'm sure most of you already knew this, but I just wanted to spread the word, as I love following the "you" and "thou" usage in Shakespeare's plays.
If you want a more coherent overview of the you/thou thing, check out this page on Shakespeare's Words for a more informed viewpoint, plus a lot of cool examples of it in action.
Shakespearean Autocorrects, part 5
Yes folks, it's time once again for some more Shakespearean Autocorrects!
Erin Go Br-aaaaaugh
It's St. Patrick's Day! Last year I posted a profile of Shakespeare's only Irishman, Captain Macmorris. However, while Macmorris is the only Irishman to actually appear on stage, Ireland and the Irish do get mentioned in several other plays. Just not... in a very... complimentary... manner...
You show 'em, Macmorris.
The Soothsayer's Code
It's THE IDES OF MARCH, people! Time to celebrate with everybody's favorite hapless soothsayer.
In honor of the Ides, I've written the following short play:
The Helpful Soothsayer
SOOTHSAYER: Caesar! Beware the Ides of March!
CAESAR: Why?
SOOTHSAYER: Because Cassius and Brutus and a bunch of other people are planning to stab you to death then.
CAESAR: Wow, thanks very much, Soothsayer. I'll get right on that.
THE END
Additionally, if you want to print out your very own feel-good Ides of March mini-comic, check out my Shakespearean What-If mini-comic. Have a happy Ides and, whatever you do, don't let anyone named Casca stand behind you.
Shakespearean Vocabulary, part 3
The Tragedy of Young Siward
I've always had a soft spot for Young Siward from Macbeth. He's got four lines and a swordfight, during which he promptly dies, so one cannot rightly say he is one of Shakespeare's great roles. However, he gets a badass fight scene (usually) and basically kickstarts the entire final bloodbath, so I'm always excited to see him appear.
And so when actor Rodrigo Beilfuss, playing Young Siward in the Stratford Festival's upcoming production of Macbeth, posted this photo of the cover of his script, complete with an alternate subtitle, I felt compelled to do Young Siward justice by making him the star of his very own mini-comic.
As with all my mini-comics, you can print out and assemble your own paper copy by downloading this pdf and following these incomprehensible instructions. Be sure to check out my other mini-comics as well.
Campaign Quotes, part 1
As you just might have heard, the U.S. presidential campaign is well underway now. I thought it might be useful to start collecting some of the most appropriate Shakespearean quotes related to politics.
I love the phrase "scurvy politician".
Disillusioned with the current crop of candidates? Support the Players' Party and pick up some Shakespeare/Burbage gear at the Good Tickle Shoppe! </end shameless plug>
