Post #2225802
2026-03-02 05:24 UTC
,,, I have of late, but wherefore I know not lost all my mirth ...
... this goodly frame the earth it seems but a sterile promintory ...
... this most excellent canopy, the air, look you ...
... this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire ...
...why it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.
Replies (3)
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@GeePawHill@mastodon.social 2026-03-02 05:25
Reading it, or seeing it on stage, or listening to it in "Hair", one is *stunned*.
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@LiquorVicar@mastodon.social 2026-03-02 09:33
@GeePawHill@mastodon.social it's also used as the soliloquy at the end of Withnail and I IIRC.
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@ShaulaEvans@zirk.us 2026-03-02 13:47
@GeePawHill@mastodon.social There is a marvelous bit in the first episode of the RSC's Playing Shakespeare series with John Barton, where he has Ian McKellen illustrate a point using that opening line from the Merchant of Venice. It's a stellar acting lesson but whether you're an actor or not, it's a joy to watch McKellen do his thing. https://youtu.be/D2VnxiW3oqk?t=852 #TheMerchantOfVenice #IanMcKellen #JohnBarton #Shakespeare #PlayingShakespeare #Acting #Performance #Theatre