Forsooth, It's Time for Shakespeare

     After two weeks of watching sports events and riding buses, tubes and trains, it was time to give the brain some exercise with a little Shakespeare.  And where else would one watch Shakespeare than at the Globe Theatre, where the Bard once played parts in his own plays.  The Globe has been rebuilt of course, but as true to original dimensions and construction as conceivable.  Be prepared for wooden bench seating (cushions may be rented) and the center of the more or less round structure is open in the middle so that the public may stand around the semi-circular stage.
     The play this day was Henry V, which is having a renaissance of sorts.  Executive training companies use Henry's speech to spur his army to victory as a model of management.  Here is a line you will recognize, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."  The greatly outnumbered army under Henry routed the French at Agincourt as Henry added most of France to his empire and proceeded to woo and marry the daughter of the French King.
     Watching Shakespeare on stage really brings life to the script as actors use visual and physical expression to engage the audience and play for laughs.  Shakespeare wanted humor in his plays, but it took the actors to bring it out.
     Shakespeare's contribution to the English language cannot be overestimated.  He picked up conversation in use from the London streets to put in more general use and he often invented words and phrases to try them out.  For a humorous piece on our use of Shakespeare go to http://voices.yahoo.com/you-might-quoting-shakespeare-without-realizing-345786.html