Twelfth Nights [NOT 6/1/23]

6/1/23 blue dogcollar 21
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night / Federal Theater Project, ca 1934 / https://www.loc.gov/item/musftpphotoprints.200223513/.

12 x 2

Let’s forget about the ugliness of January 6 2021 and talk instead about the fact that tonight is Twelfth Night. January 6 is the twelfth day of Christmas, so think Drummers Drumming! It is traditionally celebrated with a Twelfth Night cake, which contains a hidden bean, pea, or little baby figurine, and whoever finds it is often crowned king or queen of the party.

Twelfth Night is also the title of one of Shakespeare’s plays, and even if it generally gets shunted off to the batch of middle of the road Shakespeare, it’s still pretty great. In his time, Twelfth Night celebrations involved lots of mischief, servants pretending to be masters, and cross dressing.

Frith, William Powell; The Duel Scene from ‘Twelfth Night’ by William Shakespeare; Walker Art Gallery; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/the-duel-scene-from-twelfth-night-by-william-shakespeare-97195

So take this NOT in either of two different directions. Have you finished all the cleanup for Christmas and you’re ready to move on? Has the last drummer drummed and the have all your swans swum away? Or do you still need to take down the lights, untrim the tree and recycle the wrapping paper? There’s still some random crud I have to deal with, but the outside lights are down and the tree is gone.

Or do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? I still remember best seeing A Comedy of Errors in fourth or fifth grade, staged as a western, and even though it’s not considered close to his best, it still strikes a chord with me. It’s awfully broad humor. But maybe you’re a huge fan of a time you saw Shakespeare In The Park, or Kenneth Branagh’s filmed version of Henry V.

Twelfth Night or Twelfth Night — feel free to talk in either direction, since the subtitle of the Shakespeare version is What You Will.

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21 Comments

    • I think he had a bunch of donors and strategists telling him big money was at stake if he didn’t hold the line, but he gave up. We’ll see what the defense contractors do when the spigot gets threatened.

  3. actually…ive found myself pondering a question of the past

    where i got told off for telling someone what they should or should not take offense from

    i mean… they had a point… it is not my place to tell them what is offensive to them

    but….well to me it still wasnt offensive

    to what extent are we supposed to factor in offensive?

    who makes that call?

    why are we all supposed to agree on a base line?

    why should i confirm to someone elses offensive?

     

    i mean shit…?

     

    • I remember the incident and I didn’t think you were telling anybody what they should or shouldn’t find offensive. It seemed to me at the time that you were try to defuse the situation. Which I appreciated.
      I think if someone gets offended here it’s okay to speak up, but they should do it in a respectful manner. We’re all adults here and should be able to discuss things. Nobody has the right to try and bring down the ban hammer. Unless maybe it’s @myopicprophet.
      I do occasionally see things here that I find offensive. Sometimes I push back, as gently as I can. Other times I choose to not interact with the comment. Because it’s not MY site so ya know 🤷🏻‍♀️

       

  4. In Ireland today is Women’s Christmas. Because traditionally women are responsible for the holidays. And on the final day get to put their feet up and knock back a few. I was even less in the holiday spirit this year than usual so I took my meager decorations down before New Year’s Day.

    I like Twelfth Night, it’s light and amusing. An early rom-com.

     

      • As You Like It is another one, I like it maybe a little more. But I agree when a cast is having a good time with it they’re enjoyable. Probably doesn’t hurt that I usually see them in the park while drinking wine.

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