When a man's verses cannot be understood, nor a man's good wit seconded with the forward child understanding, it strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little room. (As You Like It - 3iii)
Few works of literature have inspired such scrutiny and debate as the sonnets of Shakespeare - providing, as they appear to, a tantalising glimpse into the closest thing we have to a direct autobiography of the Bard. Despite all the attention though, the search for connections in the 154 poems to the life and loves of the glover's-son-made-good from Stratford-upon-Avon has proven fairly elusive. Seen through the portals of other potential candidates for the authorship of the works/brand we call Shakespeare however, the sonnets appear to reveal all manner of credible parallel scenarios, narratives and individuals.
Though the literature on the subject of alternative authorship is now substantial, and continually growing, I wanted to create a space to share thoughts, insights, interpretations and links in particular respect of the sonnets. As well as blog posts, I'm also hoping to curate a library of recordings of the poems, by a variety of different people - in the form of self made short films that include the text of a sonnet; sometimes relating to unorthodox readings of the historical or literary aspects of the work, but more often reflecting inspired personal parallels, memories and narratives.
And thus I open the floor to anyone who is interested in sharing creative thoughts, and indeed their own videos, inspired by these texts. it.
Few works of literature have inspired such scrutiny and debate as the sonnets of Shakespeare - providing, as they appear to, a tantalising glimpse into the closest thing we have to a direct autobiography of the Bard. Despite all the attention though, the search for connections in the 154 poems to the life and loves of the glover's-son-made-good from Stratford-upon-Avon has proven fairly elusive. Seen through the portals of other potential candidates for the authorship of the works/brand we call Shakespeare however, the sonnets appear to reveal all manner of credible parallel scenarios, narratives and individuals.
Though the literature on the subject of alternative authorship is now substantial, and continually growing, I wanted to create a space to share thoughts, insights, interpretations and links in particular respect of the sonnets. As well as blog posts, I'm also hoping to curate a library of recordings of the poems, by a variety of different people - in the form of self made short films that include the text of a sonnet; sometimes relating to unorthodox readings of the historical or literary aspects of the work, but more often reflecting inspired personal parallels, memories and narratives.
And thus I open the floor to anyone who is interested in sharing creative thoughts, and indeed their own videos, inspired by these texts. it.
60
The concluding part of the trilogy considers mortality. When I visited the Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia, an unexpected encounter occurred as chunks of the colossal glacier ruptured and fell into the waters below. This memory contains the sensation of loss with the unstoppable, uncontrollable force of time which is reflected in Sonnet 60. It taught me about silence and humility in the vastness and ferocity of nature as well as an openness to transformation in the ever deepening mysteries and cycles of life.
This triptych offers varying viewpoints for each sonnet from looking straight into mesmeric flames, to gazing upwards at the eternal moon and concluding down into icy ashes, reflecting on the potent nature of lust, love and loss. LL
This triptych offers varying viewpoints for each sonnet from looking straight into mesmeric flames, to gazing upwards at the eternal moon and concluding down into icy ashes, reflecting on the potent nature of lust, love and loss. LL
