Tomorrow night I am planning on seeing A Midsummers Night’s Dream. The production is to be out doors in a park on a mid-summers’ night and starts at 8 p.m. That may still be considered evening, not night. I am not too worked up about it as the event is free. I am excited to Shakespeare performed live on a stage whether it is evening or night. It will be change for me since I usually start my day reading a Shakespeare sonnet.
For the past few months, I have been reading a Shakespeare sonnet nearly every morning. It makes for nice five minute mind focusing exercise to start the day. It’s not the Shakespeare so much as the duration of the exercise that works for me. I access No Sweat Shakespeare to read the sonnet in the original. I kick my mind into gear trying to figure it out. This is the part of the routine that does my mind the most good. Next, I read the modern interpretation. At times, I get it, and other times not so much. As a reward, I watch and listen to Patrick Stewart read said sonnet, which then sends me off to the next part of my morning in good frame of mind.
And so I am more than half way finished with the 154 of these enjoyable enigmas. So I thought it would be a good time to list my favorite verse or line from them so far. I may add my own clarification for the heck of it. Here you go.
- “The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell”
- “Thy eyes are constant stars”
- “And many maiden gardens, yet unset, with virtuous wish would bear you living flowers.”- I garden so I liked this one. I have no idea what it means.
- “Like old men of less truth than tongue”-Old men, young men, young women, old women, most all of us, anyone on Twitter.
- “Whatever star that guides my moving”
- “I all alone beweep my outcast state.”- you and everyone else who’s ever taken a breath.
- I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought-” see above
- Sonnet 32 simply for the word “equipage“
- “I in thy abundance am sufficed” Many parents will relate to this line
- “When I most wink, then do my eyes best see”- And he lived before television, phones, the internet. This is as true then as now. Your subconscious mind doesn’t want anything from you but your attention.
Well, hell. I only make it to the mid-40’s. I had a blast. Hope you did too!
