Thou hadst an Edward, till a Richard killed him

So I’ve chosen my first monologue for the Shakespeare performance class. Not at all surprisingly, it’s from Richard III. For the none of you that haven’t heard it already, that’s my favorite Shakespeare. I’m doing one of Queen Margaret’s seething tantrums, basically her rejoicing in the fact that Richard is picking off her enemies like the murderous tyrant he is and then laughing her way back to France.

The first week of classes was, well, a bit intimidating. My ghost stories class is going to be a lot of fun, but, well, let’s just say it fits a lot of stereotypes. It’s not called “ghost stories,” it’s called “Spectral Evidence and Narrative.” At one point the prof said we were going to “allow the blackboard to speak” for a little while, which I kind of hoped would indicate some kind of Hogwartian teaching methods. Unfortunately it meant, “let me write on the board for a while.” Also, one of the (many, many) texts for the class is called “Spectral America” which I keep trying to rework to the tune of that new Green Day song:
“Maybe I’m the spectral America
I’m not part of the undead agenda”

I had my first dramaturgical presentation on Wednesday. We covered Elizabethan comedy, the world in 1599 and how it may have influenced Shakespeare, then went through Act One. I explained about the plague, women in medieval society, and the balance of the four humours. I also proved once and for all that I am a phenomenal geek. It was maybe the most fun I’ve ever had. I was insanely nervous before class started, but once I got rolling I felt fine. In fact, I didn’t really want to sit down and shut up. I mean, there was so much more that I could have gone into but for lack of time, couldn’t. Next week: Act Two! Yellow stockings! Obscure mythological references! More word salad!