Tag Archives: William Shakespeare

Mixed Feelings about “On Raglan Road”

By Robin Bates | Published: July 19, 2023

Before having second thoughts, I once was in love with Kavanagh’s “On Raglan Road.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "On Raglan Road", "Sonnet 147", Dark Lady of the Sonnets, Hilda Moriarty, Patrick Kavanagh, Unrequited love | Comments closed

Boys That Don’t Fit the Gender Stereotype

By Robin Bates | Published: July 5, 2023

Georgia has fired a teacher for sharing “My Shadow Is Purple,” thus denying her kids a narrative that they urgently need to hear.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged authoritarianism, Boy in a Dress, censorship, David Williamson, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Katherine Rinderle, L. Frank Baum, Land of Oz, LGBTQ+ issues, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Milt Diamond, My Shadow Is Purple, Stuart Scott, Supergirl, Twelfth Night | Comments closed

Prigozhin Didn’t Take the Tide at the Flood

By Robin Bates | Published: June 27, 2023

Did Prigozhin disregard Brutus’s advice, failing to take the tide when it was at its flood? If so, he might come to regret it.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Hamlet, Insurrection, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, unsuccessful coup, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin | Comments closed

Poems that Celebrate Long Marriages

By Robin Bates | Published: June 24, 2023

Two poems to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, by Kunitz and Fanthorpe.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Atlas", "River Merchant's Wife", "Sonnet 116", "Touch Me", "When You Are Old", 50th marriage anniversary, Ezra Pound, Marriage, Relationships, Stanley Kunitz, U.A. Fanthorpe, W.B. Yeats | Comments closed

A McEwan Passage to Raise Your Spirits

By Robin Bates | Published: June 8, 2023

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Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Hamlet, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, optimism, pessimism | Comments closed

The Bard Fails to Prevent Genocidal Horror

By Robin Bates | Published: May 23, 2023

Can Shakespeare break through to genocidal maniacs. O’Brien wrestles with this question in “Little Red Chairs.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Bosnian war, Edna O'Brien, Hamlet, immigrants, Julius Caesar, Little Red Chairs, Midsummer Night's Dream, Nikolai Koljević, Radovan Karadžič, war atrocities, war crimes | Comments closed

Richard III, Slimed by Shakespeare

By Robin Bates | Published: April 23, 2023

Richard III was not fairly treated by Shakespeare. Historical accuracy aside, the Bard still gave us a powerful depiction of evil.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Henry Tudor, Henry VII, propaganda, Richard III | Comments closed

Will Drag Show Bans Extend to the Bard?

By Robin Bates | Published: March 20, 2023

Will Tennessee banning drag shows extend to Shakespeare’s cross-dressing comedies?

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged cross-dressing, cross-dressing comedies, Drag shows, Twelfth Night | Comments closed

Hamlet: Shakespeare Grieving His Son?

By Robin Bates | Published: March 5, 2023

In which I explore why O’Farrell’s “Hamnet” opened up wellsprings of grief I didn’t realize were there.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Anne Hathaway, death and dying, grieving, Hamlet, Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell | Comments closed