Two videos: One for awareness, one for fun

I decided to post two videos. This assignment has made me aware of the wealth of videos out on the web that are related to Shakespeare - from educational, to satire, to documentary, to modern versions, and so forth - the possibilities are endless!

I was particularly intrigued by our reading of King Lear, however, so I chose two videos that relate to this play in very different ways. The first is a montage video of a woman dubbed "The Shakespeare Lady." The footage was taken by a woman named Ronnie Neuhauser, who was interested in The Shakespeare Lady (named Margaret Holloway), and chose to follow her. Ronnie states, "This is a video I created for Margaret Holloway, a homeless woman who prior to being stricken with schizophrenia had attained a BA from Bennington College and an MA from Yale University. She now performs classical literature on the streets of New Haven, CT, for survival. When I met her I was so touched I knew I had to create a composition about her...Half the proceeds go directly to her. I hope this touches you and make you think about how such a problem exists in such a powerful economic country."

The first several minutes of the video are very similar, but if you skip to the end, you will see a bit more of Ronnie's message. I thought this video was an important look into how deeply Shakespeare's words can effect someone, even after being stricken with mental illness. It was also ironic to me when thinking about King Lear, and its theme of mental illness. I wonder what led this woman to the mental state that she is currently in, and why she finds solace in speaking Shakespeare's words. Does his language have a therapeutic quality?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/60451/the_shakespeare_lady/

Secondly, this video is by a group called the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, and is purely for absurd fun. It condenses the story of King Lear into 8 minutes, super-simplifying the plot with plain English language. Characters names are substituted, such as "Gonorrhea," "Ronald Regan," and "Edgar Allen Poe." However, it is not all nonsense. It pokes fun at the play in a way that is clearly aware of its themes and caricatures the characters by whittling them down to their essences. For example, Edmund the Bastard's puppet constantly mentions that he is a bastard, thus undermining the actual serious tone of Edmund's situation in the play. This video is silly, yet smart. It is made in jest, yet the man performing it appears to know his Shakespeare well. It is not necessarily kid friendly, just because it is done with sock puppets; there is adult language, and grown ups will appreciate the humor more than children.

http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/1kwj

I think both of these videos illustrate that Shakespeare's work is eternally relevant, and can manifest itself in people's lives in many ways. Some people may not know how much it has affected them, while others choose to use their knowledge to bring both joy and education to others. Long live Shakespeare!