Stuff About Books and Literature

Romeo and Juliet. Image Frank Dicksee Love Shakespeare or just enjoy seeing fine productions of classic plays?  If you are in the area, you should pop along to the Stratford Festival in Ontario. For decades the Stratford Festival has produced stimulating, thought-provoking productions of Shakespeare’s plays and other classical works.   It's 2013 performance list includes Romeo and Juliet , Merchant of Venice , Othello and Measure for Measure . Check out their visitor information for location, accommodation and dining and  calendar of events to select and book in advance what great performances you want to experience while you are there.

Shakespearean actor Ben Crystal as Hamlet. Image Ben Crystal . William Shakespeare's work can be a bit tricky for people of any age to fully comprehend but if taught in the right may or made accessible kids may get to enjoy the Bard's work. The following links may lead you to resources that can help kids reach and understand Shakespeare's classic, well known plays and poetry and help adults too.   Shakespeare Websites for Children   Shakespeare for Kids - Games, colouring, activities, mazes. ShakespeareKids - An introduction to the world of Shakespeare for kids No Sweat Shakespeare - Shakespeare's plays designed to be read by kids. Online Resources for Parents and Teachers In Search of Shakespeare  - A Public Broadcasting Service resource for educators. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - The complete plays and poetry of William Shakespeare, nicely organised into genres - comedy, history, tragedy, and poetry. The Reduced Shakespeare Company ...

Murderers - image by PetroleumJelliffe   Mothers who have the potential to murder their children occur in literature. Shakespeare penned a fine example - Lady Macbeth. At the end of act one of Macbeth , Lady Macbeth, angry at her husband’s inability to commit to her murderous scheme to kill Duncan, declares she would choose to kill an infant to achieve the throne Mac I.vii.55 - 58  How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me; I would, while it was smiling in my face Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this. In real life, cases of maternal filicide are on the increase.  According to the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph , on March 7, 2011, US born Theresa Riggi,  47, who stabbed her children to death in Edinburgh, UK, pleaded guilty to the charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She made her plea, the Scottish equivalent of manslaughter, at Edinburgh’s Hi...

David and Ben Crystal Get stuck sometimes reading Shakespeare's works? Do you really know the true meaning of Juliet's famous line "...wherefore art thou Romeo?" You might not be the only one because world famous language expert, David Crystal , and his son, Shakespearean actor Ben Crystal , report their internet site, Shakespeare's Words , now has users from every country in the world.  “The site has become an entity in its own right,” says Ben Crystal. Ben Crystal as Hamlet Their website is the online version of their best-selling glossary and language companion listed below. Read more about this invaluable online companion on Digital Journal . On the subject of Apps, while chatting with Ben, he mentioned that his Shakespeare Sonnets iPad App is already out - check out more information on his blog Shakespeare on Toast . Some of Ben and David Crystal's publications:     Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion   Think On My Words: ...

David and Ben Crystal Internationally famous linguist, Professor David Crystal , together with world-renowned Shakespearean actor and author, Ben Crystal , who built the website Shakespeare's Words , have now moved into App support for Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod. For more about their App read my article on Digital Journal. David and Ben Crystal built the website Shakespeare's Words , an online version of their best-selling book,  Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion David and Ben's web site integrates the full text of the all the Shakespearean plays and poems with an online Glossary, allowing readers to search for any word or phrase in Shakespeare's works during reading.  Here are some other works written by David and Ben Crystal in connection to Shakespeare and the language of the Bard: Think On My Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Language   Shakespeare On Toast : Getting A Taste For The Bard     Shakespear...

Paul Meier - Dialect coach Shakespeare devotees now have Shakespeare's best loved comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream available in its original 16th century pronunciation on DVD.  Dialect coach and Kansas University Theatre Professor, Paul Meier , worked together with internationally famous Linguist, David Crystal on the stage production. Watch a scene on YouTube   or view the trailer .  After chatting with Paul Meier, director of the project, he mentioned that the  90-minute audio production in OP of the radio drama  of the play, has also now been released.  Click here for Paul Meier's production script of A Midsummer Night's Dream and c heck into his page dedicated to Shakespeare . If you want to know more about accents and dialects, the first half dozen of Pauls' 24 dialect instruction publications are now out as enhanced eBooks on iTunes. Have a look at Paul's Standard British English and General American  Dialect   on i...