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Fun With Shakespeare

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Whistler
Post subject: Fun With Shakespeare
Posted: Sat 15 Oct , 2005 4:47 pm
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A very long time ago, while I was still writing Tolkien parodies at TORC, I thought it might be interesting to write a portion of LOTR as an Elizabethan drama. Shakespeare being my favorite author to parody, I wondered how he might have approached the material. First, I decided to forget about Tolkien and imagine that the story was either actual history or actual mythology. With Tolkien out of the way I could do as I pleased, as Shakespeare would have done. So none of what follows (and not much follows!) has its counterpart in Tolkien's text. It's the last word in revisionism, as are Henry V and Julius Caesar.

One point: apart from the obvious comedy added by Sam (and of course the author's foolishness in putting his foot into such an enormous shoe) what follows isn't meant to be a joke. Rather, I've played it as straight as I am able. It's simply a little literary experiment.

The setting is the Council of Elrond, where a very cranky Boromir is making some condescending remarks about the future Ringbearer, and about hobbits in general. The "high" characters (Boromir and Gimli) speak in verse (proper iambic pentameter) while Sam (a "low" character) speaks in prose. Gandalf is of course a “highâ€

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Sassafras
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Posted: Sat 15 Oct , 2005 5:06 pm
through the looking glass
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:clap: :clap: :clap:

Bravo! Encore! Encore!

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Alatar
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Posted: Sun 16 Oct , 2005 12:14 am
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I skipped the Soliloqouy from a Cubicle, but the Play is superb.


Scribe on Bard!

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Whistler
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Posted: Sun 16 Oct , 2005 12:21 am
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Nobody reads the soliloquy. My masterpiece, and who cares? Ah, well!

Anyway, it's got decapitations and all sorts of entertaining stuff. I put it out at work for a while, and I think it made the managers nervous. You can't place too high a value on a thing like that.

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EdaintheRanger
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Posted: Sun 16 Oct , 2005 8:59 pm
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Ohh Coool. I like this. An ode to the Bard. :)

Thanx muchly for sharing this with us Whistler.

They may fill our hours with drudge. They may strive for our minds, but they shall never take our humanity!

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Impenitent
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Posted: Mon 17 Oct , 2005 1:30 am
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Whistler, I enjoyed your soliloquy very much! What a wonderful way to sublimate your rage and frustration - you must have indulged in a satisfied chuckle by the time you ended it.

And I note an oliphant snuck in; I guess you can take the Whistler out of middle earth but there's no getting middle earth out of Whistler.

The snippet of your play was terrific! :clap: I realise it would be a mammoth project to re-interpret the whole but it would be so fascinating to treat the entire story to re-interpretation in this way! And to stage it!

I'm dreaming, but what fun it would be!

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Whistler
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Posted: Mon 17 Oct , 2005 3:28 am
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Many thanks, Impenitent. So somebody actually read that ponderous soliloquy! Who’d have thought it would happen?

Did you know that “oliphantâ€

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truehobbit
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Posted: Sun 04 Dec , 2005 9:09 pm
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:LMAO: :damnfunny: :clap:



What a great idea, Whistler!
And I'm probably a bit crazy, but I liked the soliloquy even better than the play. :D

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laureanna
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Posted: Sun 04 Dec , 2005 9:31 pm
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Hey! there's no decapitations. You said there would be decapitations, so went back and read it again.

:rage:
But that's OK. I liked it anyway.


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