The Two Noble Kinsmen

The Two Noble Kinsmen

by William Shakespeare

★★★

As I work my way through the complete list ofShakespeare's plays, I'm stumbling upon many of his lesser-known works with little to no knowledge going into them. It's an interesting way to approach Shakespeare, because so many of the plays we read of his are ones we already familiar with before we ever reach the actual text. Shows like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet are woven into the tapestry of pop culture in so many different ways that we learn the story even if we haven't read the book.

Unlike those shows, I had no previous knowledge of The Two Noble Kinsmen before I started it. In my head I kept confusing it with The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and there's good reason for that. Both plays take a pair of best friends and then pit them against each other for the love of a woman. I can't help but wonder if this ever happened to Shakespeare, because he seems to bring it up a lot. Did he have some friend who was kind of a jerk and kept going after whoever his buddy Bill had a crush on?

In The Two Noble Kinsmen we meet Palamon and Arcite. They are devoted friends… until they see Emilia. After that it’s every man for himself. Unfortunately another woman, the daughter of a jailer, falls for one of the two men, Palamon. So now she’s trapped in this horrible cycle too. In the end, one kinsman ends up with the girl and everyone is “happy”. It’s all tied up a bit too neatly to be believable.

It’s also one of Shakespeare’s more frustrating plays when it comes to the women. No one seems to care what Emilia or the jailer’s daughter actually wants. I felt like the women in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, particularly Silvia, are much stronger characters.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s Shakespeare’s final play, but not his strongest. A tidy ending and weak female characters don’t leave a great lasting impression, but it still holds some beautiful language from Shakespeare. 

“This world's a city full of straying streets, and death's the market-place where each one meets.”

Richard II

Richard II

by William Shakespeare

★★★☆

Richard II is the first play in the Henriad (second tetralogy). It is followed by the three plays, Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; and Henry V. Shakespeare’s histories have always been his most intimidating works for me. Richard III and Henry V are obviously incredible, but some of the others, like this one, ramble on with so many different names that it can be hard to follow. I decided it was time to just dive in and start at the chronological beginning.

The Wars of the Roses play out in eight different works beginning with Richard II; then Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI Part 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III. This play introduces many of the major players that have a role throughout the rest of those plays.

It's about the fall of a king, the shifting of power, unhappy subjects and the plotting that leads to the king’s downfall. There's a beautiful scene between Richard II and his wife in act five. She’s watching he husband lose his power and is heartbroken for him…

“But soft, but see, or rather do not see,

My fair rose wither: yet look up, behold,

That you in pity may dissolve to dew,

And wash him fresh again with true-love tears.”

I recently saw a film version of this one and it was fantastic. It was such a wonderful portrayal and those individuals will stick in my mind as those characters. Also I saw it at the Old Vic in London and Kevin Spacey played Richard II a few years ago. It was a wonderful performance. I’ve found that Shakespeare works so much better for me in book form if I’ve had a chance to see it performed live first.

BOTTOM LINE: A beautiful portrait of the tenuous nature of power and the bittersweet nature of victory. It can be hard to follow because of the sheer number of characters and shifting alliances.  If possible I'd recommend seeing a play or movie version before reading it because it's easier to follow the text when you can put a face with the name.

“I wasted time, and now doth time waste me;

For now hath time made me his numb'ring clock;

My thoughts are minutes, and with sighs they jar

Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch,

Whereto my finger, like a dial's point,

Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears.”

Mini Reviews: Plays

After the Fall

by Arthur Miller

★★★ 

Quentin, a lawyer, reflects on his two marriages and his current relationship through a running inner monologue throughout the play. It’s a painfully biographical piece, one that mirrors the playwright’s own life. It chronicles the main character's life as her falls in love with a young woman, his marriage ends, and he gets remarried to the young woman who has now become an international star and sex symbol. 

The second wife, Maggie, is incredibly troubled, insecure, and jealous. She has a drinking and drug problem and is an obvious parallel for Marilyn Monroe. Their relationship is doomed from the start. They are unhappy together because they can't trust each other. 

BOTTOM LINE: The play is so heartbreakingly raw and intimate. Miller was working through his own marriage in this play, and that truthfulness adds a layer of depth that fiction often can’t reach. Not an easy play to read, but very real look at the ways we can harm the people we love the most. 

“I saw clearly only when I saw with love. Or can one ever remember love? It's like trying to summon up the smell of roses in a cellar. You might see a rose, but never the perfume. And that's the truth of roses, 
isn't it? — The perfume?” 

Six Characters in Search of an Author

by Luigi Pirandello

★★★ 

This creepy little one act play is strange but also captivating. A theatre crew is about to start a rehearsal when six people show up asking for help. They need someone to listen to their story and they want to perform it at the theatre. The crew finally agrees and is quickly drawn into the world the create. 

The six people are claiming to be characters created by an author who never completed their story. They want nothing more than to know how their tale ends. The idea for the book alone is enough of a reason to read it.  

BOTTOM LINE: It's an eerie little book and a production I would love to see preformed some day. I'm sure seeing it would pack a bigger punch.  

"Like most people I can only act the part I've chosen for myself, or that's been chosen for me. But as you see, the role sometimes runs away from me, and I get a little melodramatic. All of us do."

The Shakespeare Project

  

For years I've slowly been working my way through the complete works of William Shakespeare. In addition to reading his plays, my goal is to see a live performance and a film version (when available) of each one. I'm going to keep track of what I've seen in this post and I'll link to reviews of the plays here as well. If you want to join me please do and feel free to grab the button above!

COMEDIES
The Comedy of Errors: Book / Play / Movie
The Taming of the Shrew: Book / Play (2) / Movie (2 and 3)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona: Book / Play (2) / Movie
Love's Labour's Lost: Book / Play / Movie
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Book / Play (2) / Movie (2)
The Merchant of Venice: Book / Play / Movie
The Merry Wives of Windsor: Book / Play  2/ Movie
Much Ado about Nothing: Book / Play / Movie (2 and 3)
As You Like It: Book / Play  2/ Movie
Twelfth Night: Book / Play (2, 3, and 4) / Movie 2
The History of Troilus and Cressida: Book / Play / Movie
 All's Well That Ends Well: Book / Play /  Movie 
Measure for Measure: Book / Play / Movie

HISTORIES
Richard II: Book / Play (2)/ Movie
Henry IV, Part I: Book / Play / Movie (2)
Henry IV, Part II: Book / Play / Movie
Henry V: Book / Play (2) / Movie (2)
Henry VI, Part I: Book / Play / Movie
Henry VI, Part II: Book / Play / Movie
Henry VI, Part III: Book / Play / Movie
Richard III: Book / Play / Movie
King John: Book / Play / Movie
Henry VIII: Book / Play / Movie

TRAGEDIES
Titus Andronicus: Book / Play / Movie
Romeo and Juliet: Book / Play (2, 3 and 4) / Movie (2)
Julius Caesar: Book / Play (2) / Movie
Hamlet: Book / Play (2 and 3) / Movie (2, 3, 4, and 5)
Othello: Book / Play 2/ Movie
King Lear: Book / Play 2 / Movie 2
Macbeth: Book / Play (2) / Movie
Antony and Cleopatra: Book / Play / Movie
Coriolanus: Book / Play (2) / Movie 2
Timon of Athens: Book / Play / Movie

ROMANCES
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Book / Play / Movie (2)
Cymbeline: Book / Play / Movie
The Winter's Tale: Book / Play / Movie
The Tempest: Book / Play (2 and 3) / Movie
The Two Noble Kinsmen: Book / Play / Movie

*I've listed the plays in the order and category that they are listed in the Riverside Shakespeare. I only cross completely through the title when I've completed all three categories.

Photo by moi.