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A paranoid rant by Leontes (The Winter’s Tale)

A paranoid rant by Leontes (The Winter’s Tale)

I was just watching a YouTube video that featured the great Victor Garber reading this speech from The Winter’s Tale. Even though it’s a…
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Cory Howell
One of Juliet’s underrated speeches

One of Juliet’s underrated speeches

I was considering some of the excellent speeches that show up in Shakespeare’s works that aren’t the big ones (like “To be or not to be” or…
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Cory Howell
To be or not to be — the other version

To be or not to be — the other version

Most English speakers are at least passingly familiar with Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy. But not everyone has seen or…
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Cory Howell
The best players in the world…

The best players in the world…

This is possibly one of the funniest lines in Hamlet: Polonius’s introduction of the visiting troupe of players.
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Cory Howell
“And what’s he then that says I play the villain?”

“And what’s he then that says I play the villain?”

I’ve been watching the RSC production of Othello from 1990, starring Willard White as Othello and Ian McKellen as Iago. McKellen’s Iago is…
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Cory Howell
Once more unto the breach…

Once more unto the breach…

As this past Sunday was St. George’s Day, I was reminded of King Henry V’s shout at the end of this famous speech, “Cry ‘God for Harry…
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Cory Howell
The “rude mechanicals” present…Pyramus & Thisbe

The “rude mechanicals” present…Pyramus & Thisbe

Certainly, one of the funniest scenes in all of Shakespeare happens in the final act of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, when the “rude…
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Cory Howell
Sonnet VIII

Sonnet VIII

I think all the passages I’ve shared here on Bites of Bard have been my favorites from the plays. But over the past year or so, I’ve tried…
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Cory Howell
Running in a half marathon on Shakespeare’s birthday

Running in a half marathon on Shakespeare’s birthday

Tomorrow, I will be running in my second half marathon ever, at the age of 52. My first one was back in November of 2021, and this year’s…
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Cory Howell
Hamlet’s acting

Hamlet’s acting

If you’ve browsed through the passages I’ve shared here on Bites of Bard, it’s probably not too difficult to figure out which of…
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Cory Howell
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