Shakespeare and Myths About Genius

[thucythucy]

14. He very well might have visited Italy

but I don't think such a visit is absolutely necessary to account for his knowledge of Italy, which, as another poster points out on this thread, was in fact not all that well informed. I think pretty much all the plays you mention were based on earlier versions to which he would have had access.

My point about sailors had to do with his many nautical turns of phrase and metaphors. I can easily imagine him hanging out with crowds of drunken sailors, soaking up their language. Then again he might well have gone to sea--we simply don't know.

Brando is amazing in this. His "let slip the dogs of war" speech, which comes before this scene, is also stunning.

You know what else is a cool rendition of a famous Shakespeare play? Patrick Stewart doing Macbeth. Yes, that Patrick Stewart. They update the scenes and some other stuff--much of it was shot in the old forts of the Maginot Line. I read somewhere that this version was supposed to be some sort of allusion to the Ceausescu regime, of all things. Definitely worth sitting through, IMHO.

Best wishes and happy new year!