An Antic Disposition

It always seems to me that a kind of madness takes over the toads during the month of April, as many of us attempt to write 30 poems in 30 days. We get to the fourth week and wonder why we set ourselves such an insurmountable task to begin with.

Since today is the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and death, I have delved into the archives to read up on what he had to say about madness... a favoured theme in several plays and poems. I came across an interesting article, to be found HERE for those who are interested. I have also provided a few memorable quotes, but they are by no means prescriptive.

Laurence Olivier as Hamlet (1948)

Hamlet:

But come—
Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on—

Hamlet Act 1, scene 5, 168 - 172

Theseus:

Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
More than cool reason ever comprehends.
The lunatic, the lover and the poet
Are of imagination all compact.

Midsummer Night's Dream Act 5, scene 1, 4 - 8

Macbeth:

Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd,
Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,
Raze out the written troubles of the brain,
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart?

Macbeth Act 5, scene 3, 40–45


Our focus for this prompt is The Mind: those troubles of the brain, shaping fantasies and antic dispositions which make us human.

Kerry Says ~ Let's Tip Our Hats to the Bard

It is 400 years ago to the day that William Shakespeare died (and if legend is true, 452 since he was born). It would be remiss of this community of poets to allow the day to slip by without at least a nod in the direction of the progenitor of modern English literature.

Source
The Daily Mail
Fair use

I read an interesting article recently which brought home how valuable a contribution Shakespeare made to the archives of the world. A set of four extremely rare folios will be sold at auction in May, and are expected to fetch £ 1.3 million. The full article can be read at The Daily Mail UK.

Detail of Visscher's Panorama of London
showing the Globe Theatre (1616)

Another example of historical commemoration this year, is that of artist Robin Reynolds' redrawing of the 1616 Visscher engraving, which details the city of London from Whitehall to St Katharine’s Dock and has been described as one of the most 'recognisable and historic' images of London. Read more HERE. Within Reynold's view of current day London, taken from the same vantage point as the original, he has embedded 41 hidden references to the works of Shakespeare. If you enjoy searching for hidden objects, and have some time to spare, I would recommend the challenge of looking for each one at Visscher Redrawn: Hunt the Shakespeare.

Our Challenge:

I do not want this prompt to be another tried and tested Shakespeare bonanza. Rather, I would encourage you to approach the topic of "things Shakespearean" in a different way. Our world is a very different place to the one he inhabited, and many would question the relevance of Shakespeare's work today. If you could save only one piece of his body of work - one name, one line, one title, one sonnet, one play - which would it be?

This is one suggestion to get the ideas flowing. I am setting no strict parameters, but ask that some reference be made to the Bard, in his honour on this particular day.