Shakespeare and Dragons
May. 19th, 2022 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearLast night, I went to see '& Juliet', which was a trip that had been mooted in April 2020 and only just got rearranged.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it overall. It took me a while to get into it, but I was fully invested by the interval. I loved the diversity of the cast and the inclusiveness of the romantic storylines. I love Anne Hathaway - her opinions, her enthusiasm, her forthrightness, all awesome. When the nurse first appeared, she was presented as the token 'fat character whose only role is to be funny', which I found really disappointing, particularly considering the range of representation throughout the rest of the play. BUT - she then got her own subplot (and a name!) that was all about her finding her own path and happiness and truth, which was awesome and what finally got me engaging with the story. So that was good. And then, after rejecting all the different pressures, finding her own voice and fighting for agency - Juliet got back together wtih Romeo at the end and I was really disappointed. I understand she still made a choice for herself, and changing the story to a romantic comedy meant that everyone had to get paired off by the end (why???) - but it just seemed to devalue the whole point of the play, which was for Juliet to find a different destiny. Ah well - overall, it was a lot of fun. And there was one particular dancer in the troupe of players, who drew my eye in every number - they were all good, but there was just something about this one that told me he only really felt alive and truly himself when he was dancing, and it was a joy to witness. So, for that and for Angelique's subplot (the nurse), I'm glad I went.
Today, I also finished listening to When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. It took me a while to get into it, since the opening sections contained a lot of exposition, background information and discussion of the various issues being explored (which in some cases were too heavy-handed and in other cases were too subtle to come across very clearly). To being with, and at certain points throughout, it felt very ponderous, despite the excellent message and interesting narrative perspective.
However, once the story really got going, all the relationship dynamics and the protagonist's aspirations and struggles really got me invested, and it was an excellent story. What really got me thinking was the complexity of the ethics. Alex, as viewpoint character, was very sympathetic but I didn't wholly agree with some of her attitudes, particularly in relation to her sister, Beatrice. But, the main dragon character, Marla, while representing the desired independence and power of women, also demonstrated attitudes I disagreed with, in terms of her refusal to apologise for abandoning her obligations, and also being dismissive of Alex's feelings in a lot of ways.
So, it was a very interesting and quite challenging book in places. And I felt the conclusion brought everything to a close very well. It's a just a shame the narrative was rather encumbered by the dense sections of 'telling' the history, as it was a really intriguing premise, with a lot of interesting things to say.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it overall. It took me a while to get into it, but I was fully invested by the interval. I loved the diversity of the cast and the inclusiveness of the romantic storylines. I love Anne Hathaway - her opinions, her enthusiasm, her forthrightness, all awesome. When the nurse first appeared, she was presented as the token 'fat character whose only role is to be funny', which I found really disappointing, particularly considering the range of representation throughout the rest of the play. BUT - she then got her own subplot (and a name!) that was all about her finding her own path and happiness and truth, which was awesome and what finally got me engaging with the story. So that was good. And then, after rejecting all the different pressures, finding her own voice and fighting for agency - Juliet got back together wtih Romeo at the end and I was really disappointed. I understand she still made a choice for herself, and changing the story to a romantic comedy meant that everyone had to get paired off by the end (why???) - but it just seemed to devalue the whole point of the play, which was for Juliet to find a different destiny. Ah well - overall, it was a lot of fun. And there was one particular dancer in the troupe of players, who drew my eye in every number - they were all good, but there was just something about this one that told me he only really felt alive and truly himself when he was dancing, and it was a joy to witness. So, for that and for Angelique's subplot (the nurse), I'm glad I went.
Today, I also finished listening to When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. It took me a while to get into it, since the opening sections contained a lot of exposition, background information and discussion of the various issues being explored (which in some cases were too heavy-handed and in other cases were too subtle to come across very clearly). To being with, and at certain points throughout, it felt very ponderous, despite the excellent message and interesting narrative perspective.
However, once the story really got going, all the relationship dynamics and the protagonist's aspirations and struggles really got me invested, and it was an excellent story. What really got me thinking was the complexity of the ethics. Alex, as viewpoint character, was very sympathetic but I didn't wholly agree with some of her attitudes, particularly in relation to her sister, Beatrice. But, the main dragon character, Marla, while representing the desired independence and power of women, also demonstrated attitudes I disagreed with, in terms of her refusal to apologise for abandoning her obligations, and also being dismissive of Alex's feelings in a lot of ways.
So, it was a very interesting and quite challenging book in places. And I felt the conclusion brought everything to a close very well. It's a just a shame the narrative was rather encumbered by the dense sections of 'telling' the history, as it was a really intriguing premise, with a lot of interesting things to say.
