Wednesday 31 October 2007

I'm being Shakespeare for Halloween

Halloween was a bust - spent researching for a paper (on the "nether worlds" in Victorian London, appropriately enough) and talking to my mom. On a break, I found myself coming to Sonnet XXIX once again in my life, and so in order to prevent myself from gaining a point of permanent banality (name that reference!) I'm posting this poem for general appreciation. Also, though, it kind of sums up my life right now. I hope you enjoy.

WHEN in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, 5
Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee,—and then my state, 10
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

4 comments:

Wiry said...

At BADA, early in our class on Acting Shakespeare, we were given the choice of three Shakespeare sonnets to turn into monologues: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?," "Two loves I have of comfort and despair," and "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes." I chose the first one, cheaply, since I already had it memorized (it was one of the bits of added text when I did Shakespeare's R&J by Joe Calarco frosh year). I delivered it from on top of a lover I had just strangled, which worked for some bits, not so much for others.

Re: personals sites - I am sorely tempted to expand outward to other places, though, honestly, I've got a pretty high volume of callers from the places I'm using now. It's just, even after I do the initial weeding, I have to take the time to talk to the 'nice' seeming ones (and THEN be disappointed that they're utterly not for me)... it's all very exhausting. Par example: during an AIM conversation last night with one, he tried to initiate cybering, which was just plain weird. Not because I'm prudish, but I always thought it was rather dumb and something that never crossed the mind of people over 16. Or maybe I'm just old-fashioned. But I still think it's pretty silly when you think about it.

Wiry said...

Oh P.S. it totally slipped my mind that you might have family and stuff reading this, so feel free to delete my last thing if it's objectionable and we can play facebook wall instead.

Spelunker said...

Yay for Mage: The Awakening reference! Man, I miss those sessions. And wow, I'm such a nerd. It's beyond help.

All I can think of now when I read that sonnet is "1984" and my crazy-after-being-tortured scene. That said, I've never actually read the whole thing before (I know, I know, bad English major!). But I find it very appropriate for where I'm at right now, as well.

p.s. Did you even get to be a piskie at all?!

S. Alexander said...

Changeling, Changeling! (Old WoD of course.)