A stick-figure Shakespeare comic by Mya Lixian Gosling
Happy New Year, everyone! 2016 is (fortunately) fading in the rear view mirror of life, and I'm so excited to see where Good Tickle Brain takes me this year. Thanks for being along for the ride!
Let's make some Shakespearean New Year's Resolutions, shall we?
And just in case you missed the past couple installments of resolutions, here they are:
It's Shakespearean Character Spotlight time again!
I've seen three productions of The Merchant of Venice, but still don't feel that familiar with the play. Jessica seems to be to be one of those parts that is criminally underwritten. She has an immense impact on the play, and possibly is the root of Shylock's insane decision to claim his pound of flesh, but when you actually look at her speeches you find yourself wanting to know more. It's one of those parts that really needs an actor who can fill in the gaps in the text.(Shout-out to Sara Farb of the Stratford Festival, who was a remarkably poignant Jessica in their 2013 production.)
But regardless of how poignant the Jessica... trading your dead mother's ring for a monkey? That's just cruel, girl.
In other news, have you signed up for The Weekly Tickle Brain e-mail newsletter yet? This week's edition will be going out on Monday, and will feature (a) a digest of this week's comics, (b) a round-up of all the fun stuff I've been posting while over-extending myself on social media, (c) my review of the most important Shakespeare DVD set in the world, and (d) a behind-the-scenes peek at how I draw my super-detailed and lifelike characters! Don't miss it! Sign up today! (I promise you can unsubscribe if you don't like it, and it won't hurt my feelings.)
As most of you probably know, the U.S. held its midterm elections yesterday. I generally aim to keep post-Stuart politics off of this blog, but I thought it might be fun to interview some of our favorite characters and find out what issues were important to them in this election.
It turns out none of them are U.S. citizens, and thus are ineligible to vote, so this entire comic was an exercise in futility. Oh well.
I was summoned for jury duty today. For those of my readers who aren't familiar with the process, voir dire is when prospective jurors are questioned by the attorneys to determine if they have any biases that might influence their judgement of the case. As I received my summons, the following scene flashed into my mind:
As it happened, my number was not called and I did not have to serve, so the world was spared my terrible interpretation of Portia's great speech from the Merchant of Venice.
NOTE: I make light of it here, but I do take jury duty very seriously, and have served before. I certainly take it more seriously that Mr. Shakespeare, who somewhat cynically observes that:
"The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try."
Measure for Measure (2.1)
He's got a point, though...
Back by popular demand, here are some more Shakespearean Selfies! You can see the first set, featuring Hamlet, Juliet and Richard III, here.
We're on the downward slope of the Three Panel Plays! Only sixteen left to go!
Falstaff and the buck basket made a cameo apperance in last year's Christmas cartoon. Because grown men hiding in baskets never ceases to be amusing.
Tune in again on Monday for another pair of comedies: A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing! Apart from Macbeth, all of the "M" plays are comedies. Well, if you think Measure for Measure is funny, that is...
See all Three Panel Plays here!
Obviously, as all female roles were played by men in Elizabethan times, there were technically a lot more cross-dressers in Shakespeare, but these are the ones that cross-dressed in the context of a play. Viola and Rosalind are the really plum roles, but one of my personal favorites is Innogen from Cymbeline. She is really put through the metaphorical wringer. Special mention to Julia, who exclaims "O ME UNHAPPY!" and then faints dramatically, which, if you're going to faint, is the way to do it.
Featuring Portia from The Merchant of Venice, another one of Shakespeare's great cross-dressing heroines. I always wondered why Portia, after her triumphant legal victory in the courts of Venice, decided not to pursue a legal career. She was clearly more informed about Venetian law than any of the men in court, and could spot a sneaky, underhanded loophole from a mile away. And we're supposed to believe she goes happily back to Belmont to keep house for that well-meaning damp rag Bassanio? Pssssh.
This comic is inspired by the Stratford Festival's 2013 production of The Merchant of Venice . I've never particularly cared for Merchant as a play; I'd previously seen two stage productions and one film version, none of which really connected with me. However, the Stratford production, starring Scott Wentworth as Shylock, was phenomenal and, for a self-proclaimed cynic such as myself, surprisingly powerful. If you're within striking distance of Ontario, it closes next week. Get your tickets now!
