Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2005-12-11 10:23 am
rionaleonhart) wrote2005-12-11 10:23 am
Entry tags:
What Do You Love About Squid?
I am bored, and will therefore post an interview meme. Hooray or something!
Leave me a comment, in which you ask me five (or whatever; I'm not exactly going to go 'OMG YOU DID NOT THINK OF FIVE DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO ANSWER A MERE THREE?') questions. I will try to answer them, as if you couldn't have guessed that. Maybe there is a meme somewhere where the point actually is to ask questions without having them answered, but this is not it.
Behind the cut, I'm going to ramble about what, exactly, it was that made me like the ShakespeaRe-Told Macbeth adaptation so much. I'll shut up about it eventually, Ipromise think. Maybe.
I think that what I really like about the ShakespeaRe-Told adaptation is the fact that they've really taken the time to make Macbeth a likeable character.
You see, I love pre-insanity Macbeth. Absolutely adore him. I love it when he's reminiscing about eating sparrow, and when he's rambling about the origin of squid, and when he's randomly snogging Banquo in the corridors. I love all that. Before he goes insane, I really couldn't adore him more.
And because of that, it's not just a case of 'oh, look, Macbeth's going crazy'. It's that Macbeth is going crazy, and I really don't want him to go crazy, I want him to stay this character I love, and I know that he won't, and it is horrible to watch in a kind of brilliant way.
It's also nice that, while he is called something along the lines of 'that hated tyrant' in the original play but the audience sees very little of why people would think that of him, in the adaptation it's much more clear why people might resent him.
The other thing I love is the relationship between Macbeth and Banquo (OH MAN I BET YOU NEVER SAW THAT ONE COMING). Y'see, in the original play the two of them don't seem to be especially close - using the formal 'you' when speaking to each other, et cetera. In the adaptation, however, they are quite clearlymadly in love very close friends, and so when Macbeth has him killed it has much more pathos.
On the downside, there are aspects that jar: the 'milk of human kindness' line does not fit in a modern setting, and the 'I have given suck' speech that Lady Macbeth gives makes so much more sense in the original:
ORIGINAL:
LADY MACBETH: I would have killed my own child for you - why won't you kill Duncan for me, you wimp?
ADAPTATION:
ELLA: We had a child. He died. LET'S KILL DUNCAN HOORAY.
Gripes aside, I really do love the adaptation, although I'm starting to get a bit worried about the fact that I've applied to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fanfic100 for it, for the following reasons:
- Cooking is a pretty major part of Macbeth's life.
- I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT COOKING.
Possibly I should try to learn to cook, which would have the dual advantages of a) making me more knowledgeable about what I am writing, and b) my gaining a skill which is pretty important in order to, y'know, live. Hmm.
Leave me a comment, in which you ask me five (or whatever; I'm not exactly going to go 'OMG YOU DID NOT THINK OF FIVE DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO ANSWER A MERE THREE?') questions. I will try to answer them, as if you couldn't have guessed that. Maybe there is a meme somewhere where the point actually is to ask questions without having them answered, but this is not it.
Behind the cut, I'm going to ramble about what, exactly, it was that made me like the ShakespeaRe-Told Macbeth adaptation so much. I'll shut up about it eventually, I
I think that what I really like about the ShakespeaRe-Told adaptation is the fact that they've really taken the time to make Macbeth a likeable character.
You see, I love pre-insanity Macbeth. Absolutely adore him. I love it when he's reminiscing about eating sparrow, and when he's rambling about the origin of squid, and when he's randomly snogging Banquo in the corridors. I love all that. Before he goes insane, I really couldn't adore him more.
And because of that, it's not just a case of 'oh, look, Macbeth's going crazy'. It's that Macbeth is going crazy, and I really don't want him to go crazy, I want him to stay this character I love, and I know that he won't, and it is horrible to watch in a kind of brilliant way.
It's also nice that, while he is called something along the lines of 'that hated tyrant' in the original play but the audience sees very little of why people would think that of him, in the adaptation it's much more clear why people might resent him.
The other thing I love is the relationship between Macbeth and Banquo (OH MAN I BET YOU NEVER SAW THAT ONE COMING). Y'see, in the original play the two of them don't seem to be especially close - using the formal 'you' when speaking to each other, et cetera. In the adaptation, however, they are quite clearly
On the downside, there are aspects that jar: the 'milk of human kindness' line does not fit in a modern setting, and the 'I have given suck' speech that Lady Macbeth gives makes so much more sense in the original:
ORIGINAL:
LADY MACBETH: I would have killed my own child for you - why won't you kill Duncan for me, you wimp?
ADAPTATION:
ELLA: We had a child. He died. LET'S KILL DUNCAN HOORAY.
Gripes aside, I really do love the adaptation, although I'm starting to get a bit worried about the fact that I've applied to
fanfic100 for it, for the following reasons:- Cooking is a pretty major part of Macbeth's life.
- I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT COOKING.
Possibly I should try to learn to cook, which would have the dual advantages of a) making me more knowledgeable about what I am writing, and b) my gaining a skill which is pretty important in order to, y'know, live. Hmm.
no subject
2/ Hello Kitty or Garfield? (Random is good, yes)
3/ You're stranded on a desert island with Johnny Depp - do you hold his head under the water until the bubbles stop or sex him to within an inch of his life?
4/ What's your favourite crack-pairing?
I wouldn't mind seeing an adaptation of Macbeth myself,
especially one with mansexeven with the downsides. *vaguely remembers enjoying that play in English*no subject
Not sure about this; I actually don't watch many movies. I did really enjoy Lola Rennt when we saw it in my German lesson, and even more when I saw it again with subtitles, because yay for alternate outcomes and hypnotising red hair! The most recent movie I saw was Goblet of Fire, which I liked very much, but that was mainly because Barty Junior was much more sexy than insane murderers should be allowed to be.
...and I also found Macbeth extremely attractive in the adaptation, and now I'm wondering whether I could possibly have worse taste in men, but I digress!
Hello Kitty or Garfield?
I'd say Garfield, mainly because I've actually read some of the Garfield comic strips (snarky cats! always a good thing!) and know absolutely nothing about Hello Kitty. I'm not hugely familiar with either of them, though.
You're stranded on a desert island with Johnny Depp - do you hold his head under the water until the bubbles stop or sex him to within an inch of his life?
Heh. Probably neither, because I don't exactly want to kill the only company I have (plus the fact that I don't have anything against him, although I don't know what kind of opinion I'd form when I'd actually met him), but I'm not into shagging people I don't really know, and it's unlikely that there'll be any protection readily available, and seriously, when you're trapped on a desert island the last thing you want is to give birth.
What's your favourite crack-pairing?
Probably Torn/Pecker, from the Jak and Daxter series of games.
Torn is this kind of elf-ish guy. He's the one on the right in this picture (please note: not actual ingame graphics), the one with the facial tattoo.
Pecker is a constantly-sarcastic, brightly-coloured cross between a monkey and a macaw.
I'm not sure whether they ever speak to each other. I haven't got a clue how I even came up with the pairing. BUT OH BOY IS IT MEANT TO BE OR WHAT?
no subject
- I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT COOKING.]
Hire Patrick. Yus.
1) YOU are trapped in an ELEVATOR. This ELEVATOR is the one in BALAMB GARDEN. There is an arm of DALEKS, CLOSING IN on your current POSITITON. Of the FF8 main cast, WHO do you leave outside to deal with the first wave and WHO do you lock in the elevator with you as a last-ditch line of DEFENSE?
2) ALLCAPS WHY
3) Comedies or tragedies? For what ungodly reason?
4) Why you never come on AIM? &/ divulge your super-secret AIM identity?
5) I got very little sleep last night. Does it show?
no subject
...hmm. I guess I'd keep Rinoa in there with me, because with any luck she'd have some kind of neat Sorceress powers with which to fight the Daleks without actually leaving the lift. Selphie I would send out to fight, because her Trusty Rocket Launcher might be able to put a dent in the Daleks.
ALLCAPS WHY
ALLCAPS BECAUSE
...to properly answer, because I find random bursts of allcaps oddly hilarious I KNOW NOT WHY.
Comedies or tragedies? For what ungodly reason?
Tragedies, by far.
This is mainly because tragedies involve more GOING INSANE than comedies do, and I love me some insane protagonists. Also because most of the plays that I know were written by Shakespeare, and he wrote some great tragedies (Macbeth! Othello! Romeo and Juliet in which the titular characters are total idiots but Mercutio and Tybalt are awesome! I'm reading Hamlet at the moment, and it isn't as ungodly boring and confusing as I found it the last time I attempted it!) but the vast majority of his comedies are just this huge mess of awful awful puns. What I really hate is when he sticks a Clown in the middle of one of his tragedies, because when you've got all this lovely manipulation and insanity and suddenly there's some guy making tasteless jokes it really ruins the mood. STICK TO THE TRAGEDY, SHAKESPEARE.
Why you never come on AIM? &/ divulge your super-secret AIM identity?
I do not have AIM. I think that this is a reasonable excuse.
I got very little sleep last night. Does it show?
Yes. Yes it does.
no subject
2) Why do you keep insisting that you prefer hurrah, when huzzah is a) clearly the better word and b) the one you use more often?
3) Is it true that you STOLE MY SLAVE GNOMES?
4) TV or theatre? I mean, if cost weren't an issue. [/obligatory serious question]
5) Go on then, what *do* you love about squid?
no subject
I have cunningly been hiding inside, so no! I have, however, realised how cold it is in here, and that's pretty damn cold, so I imagine it's not much fun out there.
Why do you keep insisting that you prefer hurrah, when huzzah is a) clearly the better word and b) the one you use more often?
a) IT IS TOTALLY NOT. 'HURRAH' IS CLOSER TO 'HARRIET', AND THE GOODNESS OF ANYTHING IS OBVIOUSLY DETERMINED BY HOW SIMILAR IT IS TO MY NAME.
b) IT IS TOTALLY NOT. I ONLY EVER USE IT AROUND YOU. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY USING YOUR WEIRD MIND CONTROL POWERS TO MAKE ME SAY HUZZAH.
Is it true that you STOLE MY SLAVE GNOMES?
No. Absolutely not. What would make you think that? *shifty eyes*
TV or theatre? I mean, if cost weren't an issue.
Probably TV, because there are just so many things you can't do with theatre. Have you ever tried theatre-ing an animation? DISASTERRIFIC.
Go on then, what *do* you love about squid?
The word. Really. This is not just because of what Macbeth says; I really do love the word.
no subject
there is a mispelling in this icon
QUESTION THE FIRST:
What is the difference between Macbeth and Hamlet?
QUESTION THE SECOND:
What is the difference between Hamlet and Macbeth, as expressed through dance?
QUESTION THE THIRD:
Italics, ALL CAPS, bold, or un-needed exclamation marks!!!!!!!?
I think that is all the questions I have! Idly, as I recall, the original meme had a bizzare circle of the asker turning into the askee, but it got very confusing and I had several thousand comments in that entry and stopped answering people.
Re: there is a mispelling in this icon
Macbeth:
Witches: You are Thane of Glamis!
Macbeth: So I am!
Witches: You are also Thane of Cawdor!
Macbeth: Wait, what?
Witches: You shall be King!
Macbeth: You're barking mad, you are.
Witches: And also all your sons are going to be King, Banquo, but nobody cares about you.
Messenger: Hey, Macbeth, you've just been made Thane of Cawdor!
Macbeth: Hey, cool. Maybe that being King thing will work out as well.
Lady Macbeth: Kill the King.
Macbeth: No.
Lady Macbeth: Kill the King.
Macbeth: Seriously, no.
Lady Macbeth: KILL THE KING, YOU WIMP.
Macbeth: FINE. (kills the King)
(interlude in which Macbeth and Banquo shag) *
Macbeth: You know, I'm not entirely comfortable with this whole Banquo's-sons-being-kings thing. I don't like to think that I've killed Duncan just for them to rip the crown from me. Also, Banquo is intelligent and generally a threat. (has Banquo killed)
Banquo's Ghost: Hi.
Macbeth: ...OKAY, WHOEVER'S DOING THAT, THAT IS SO NOT FUNNY. (generally flips out)
Macbeth: Hey, witches, what's going to happen?
Witches: Beware Macduff! Also, nobody born of woman can harm you.
Macbeth: I'm getting mixed messages here.
Witches: Also, a huge line of Banquo's descendents are going to be kings, one after another.
Macbeth: ...oh.
Witches: Well, we did tell you.
Macbeth: I'm really not happy about this.
Witches: (dance)
Macbeth: Although Macduff is in all probability born of woman, I think I'll have him killed anyway. Just to be safe.
Murderer: Well, he's not here, so I can't kill him for you, but I sure can butcher his family!
Malcolm: Y'see, Macduff, although I'm really the rightful King, it's probably best that I'm not the ruler, because I shag everything that moves.
Macduff: ...I see.
Ross: Hey, Macduff.
Macduff: Hi! So, how are my wife and children?
Ross: Oh, they're absolutely fine.
Macduff: Well, that's good.
Ross: Also, I have awful news.
Macduff: ...yes?
Ross: Awful news! Awful, awful news of awfulness!
Macduff: ...yes?
Ross: You know that wife and children that I said were fine? Well, actually, they're all dead.
Macduff: My children?
Ross: Yes.
Macduff: My wife too?
Ross: Yes.
Malcolm: Well, that's okay, because we can take similar revenge!
Macduff: (who seems inexplicably to know that it was Macbeth, despite it not having been mentioned)
He has no children - All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? - O hell-kite! - All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?
Ross: YES. ALL. Also, who the hell comes up with a spontaneous extended metaphor like that at a time like this?
Lady Macbeth: Although I outwardly show little remorse, I wash my hands obsessively and talk to myself in my sleep about the bloodstains that will NEVER BE WASHED AWAY OH NO. I am generally going crazy. I think I'll kill myself now. (does so)
Seyton: Your wife has killed herself.
Macbeth: I so don't care about that.
Macduff: You are not my favourite person in the world right now.
Macbeth: Ha! You can't hurt me, you're born of woman!
Macduff: Ha! I was delivered by Caesarian section!
Macbeth: I swear that doesn't count. (gets killed)
Hamlet:
Ghost: Hi. I am doomed to wander the Earth because I didn't have time to repent before I died.
Hamlet: Alas, poor ghost! **
Ghost: I am also your father, the King of Denmark. I think. Riona's knowledge of this play is a little sketchy. Anyway, your uncle murdered me so that he could become King.
Hamlet: I SHALL AVENGE YOU! (does nothing for a really really long time)
Everyone: (dies)
...these summaries are just slightly unbalanced length-wise, mainly because I adore Macbeth and haven't actually read Hamlet properly yet.
* This may not be in your version of the text.
** This line is actually in the play. I find it absolutely hilarious, and I don't know why.
Re: there is a mispelling in this icon
Macbeth is a dance that gets steadily more evil (WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A GRADUALLY EVILISING DANCE LOOKS LIKE GO TO THE BACK OF THE CLASS) and eventually the dancer decapitates either himself or his dancing partner, depending on how many people are dancing. If a large number are dancing, one of them kills all the others one by one until only himself and one other person is left, at which point the other person kills him.
Hamlet is a dance in which the dancer stands very still for a very long time, occasionally looking as if he is about to actually dance but then failing to, and then dies.
ANSWER THE THIRD:
Italics, definitely. I have never written a page of anything that did not include italics. I do love random allcaps, though. I used to use superfluous exclamation marks, but those were in The Days Of My Youth Of Which We Do Not Speak.
'Askee' is an awesome word. I totally did not strip out the asker-askee switch part because I can never think of questions, nope nope.
Re: there is a mispelling in this icon
Your fondness for italicness makes me pleased like a pleased thing; your summaries likewise. I suppose I shall have to read Macbeth, I guess.
It's odd that I can ready, say, A Midsummer Night's Dream and have no problem at all with the language, but Romeo & Juliet becomes inexplicable five minutes in. This is a sidenote.