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Shakespeare

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Shakespeare

A Poem on Shakespeare’s Possibly Missing Skull, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
April 23, 2025
Poetry, Shakespeare
20 Comments
. Bardic Bones Who dug the dust? Who didn’t spare the stones? Who churned the earth that festered with a curse? Who had the gall to judder bardic bones, To steal the skull from him who gilded verse? These...

‘Sonnet 18’: A Song Inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet by Gunny Markefka

The Society
April 23, 2025
Music, Poetry, Shakespeare
8 Comments
. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all...

Sonnets for Shakespeare’s Birthday, by Margaret Coats

The Society
April 23, 2025
Poetry, Shakespeare
18 Comments
. The Comedy of Rosalind ---As You Like It I show more mirth than I am mistress of. This forest and my folly prompted change Of sex, and my disguise dissembles love. I’m altered by men’s hose and doublet...
poetry/mantyk/shakespeare

‘Imitating Shakespeare’s Sonnet 107’ by James Sale

The Society
December 15, 2024
Love Poems, Poetry, Shakespeare
18 Comments
. Imitating Shakespeare’s Sonnet 107 . Sonnet 107 __by William Shakespeare Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul Of the wide world dreaming on things to come, Can yet the lease of my true love...

Two Poems Inspired by Shakespeare Quotations, by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
May 20, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Shakespeare
25 Comments
. Miss Crespo’s Halloween Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures; ‘tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted devil. —Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene 2 Silhouettes in...

‘A Shakespeare Garden Stroll’: A Poem by Margaret Coats

The Society
April 23, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Shakespeare
22 Comments
. A Shakespeare Garden Stroll Of all the blooms, I like the lily best. Might you prefer a deep vermilion rose? Well, each to earth some special good can give; Let’s glean what naturally in season grows. At...

On the Occasion of William Shakespeare’s Birthday: ‘Shakespeare’s Women’ by Brian Yapko

The Society
April 23, 2024
Beauty, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
26 Comments
. Shakespeare's Women for Susan Jarvis Bryant, who has a spiritual home in Stratford-on-Avon It’s April 23rd. The rain is pouring And from the Gulf the Poet can hear thunder. She sips Earl Grey. Her regal...

‘Not Sonnet 18… Yet’ and Other Poetry for Shakespeare’s Birthday, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
April 22, 2024
Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
40 Comments
. Not Sonnet 18… Yet I strain in vain to sparkle like the Bard. I strive to spill slick iambs by the ream. Comparing thee to spring in my backyard Just doesn’t thrill like Will’s lush summer dream. My...

‘Shakespeare Re-placed: Re-Verse Engineering’: Poetry by James A. Tweedie

The Society
January 12, 2024
Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
14 Comments
. Shakespeare Re-placed Re-Verse Engineering In the picture above, SCP poet James A. Tweedie has taken the image of Venus from Botticelli’s Primavera and relocated her to the upstairs bathroom in his home....

On Paintings by Hunt and Millais: Two Ekphrastic Poems by James A. Tweedie

The Society
November 3, 2023
Art, Ekphrastic, Poetry, Shakespeare
17 Comments
. Two Ekphrastic Poems . The Light of the World, Holman Hunt As predawn darkness shrouds the land, With warm-lit lantern in his hand The risen Jesus stands before A rusted, weed-choked, shuttered door And...
poetry/tweedie/music

A Madrigal Setting for ‘Come Away’ from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, by James A. Tweedie (Updated)

The Society
September 5, 2023
Music, Poetry, Shakespeare
6 Comments
. A Madrigal Setting Music composed by James A. Tweedie for William Shakespeare's "Come Away" from Twelfth Night. Words by William Shakespeare are below. . . Come away, come away, death, __And in sad...
poem/tweedie/shakespeare

Sonnet Summaries of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts I & II, and Henry V, by James A. Tweedie

The Society
August 22, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare
9 Comments
. Henry IV, Part I In Henry IV Part 1 the king’s possessed By fears that Harry Hotspur wants him dead. While Henry’s son Prince Harry is obsessed With drinking with his friends at the Boar’s Head. The...
poetry/mantyk/shakespeare

Appreciating Shakespeare Video & Intro to Hollow Crown’s Richard II Production

The Society
August 19, 2023
Education, Essays, Poetry, Shakespeare, Video
8 Comments
. . . . . Appreciating Shakespeare by Evan Mantyk Why do people think Shakespeare is so great? Why do they keep returning to his plays 400 years later? And for other classical literature, even thousands...
poem/sale/culture

‘Good Friday, Revisiting Glamis’: A Poem by James Sale

The Society
July 18, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare
17 Comments
. Good Friday, Revisiting Glamis "Not in the legions Of horrid Hell can come a devil more damn'd In evils, to top Macbeth" ---Shakespeare The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in...
poem/bryant/shakespeare

Poems for Shakespeare’s Birthday in an Era of A.I. Poetry, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
April 23, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Satire, Shakespeare
29 Comments
. Bardic Bots Will Shakespeare has been rendered obsolete. Bill’s quillings are a patriarchal scandal. His iambs lack that fresh, progressive beat. Barred from Avon is his current handle. As lost as...
poem/smagacz/life

‘Parque España, Mexico City’ and Other Sonnets by Geoffrey Smagacz

The Society
April 10, 2023
Beauty, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
8 Comments
. Parque España, Mexico City I walked until I couldn't walk without at least alighting on a city bench, the first that had a shaded seat, about ten yards from workers digging out a trench to place a pipe to...

‘How to Write Contemporary Poetry’ and ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ by Brian Yapko

The Society
March 21, 2023
Culture, Education, Humor, Pantoum, Poetry, Satire, Shakespeare
35 Comments
. How to Write Contemporary Poetry a pantoum in free verse composition keep letters lower case. dump classical tradition then cite the marketplace. keep letters lower case make use of ampersands then cite the...

‘The Three Democrats of the 2020 Election’ by Phil S. Rogers, after Macbeth

The Society
October 29, 2022
Covid-19, Culture, Poetry, Satire, Shakespeare
18 Comments
. The Three Democrats of the 2020 Election after Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1 Scene: Thunder illuminates a 2020 calendar page in an undisclosed conference room where a pot bubbles on an electric...

‘A Southern Italian’s Reply to Shakespeare’ by Bradley Samore

The Society
October 24, 2022
Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
10 Comments
. A Southern Italian’s Reply to Shakespeare If you compare me to a summer’s day then, Bill, your mind has melted in the heat. Let’s go inside, there’s no one on the street. Just look at how the...

‘Non Existent’ and Other Poetry by Gary Borck

The Society
August 9, 2022
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Readings, Shakespeare
12 Comments
. . Non Existent One day my body disappeared, __nor could I touch or taste, but I could feel the flood of tears __that filled my missing face. My presence was by no-one known. __Not felt, nor seen, nor...

‘Cordelia’s Choice’ by Brian Yapko

The Society
July 28, 2022
Beauty, Poetry, Shakespeare
18 Comments
. Cordelia's Choice Ye gods, what should I do with such ill news? My father, once the king, is now insane And stripped of dignity. What must I choose To set things right? Yet, pray, why should I fain Raise up...

‘Creativity, Originality, and Eccentricity’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
July 22, 2022
Essays, Poetry, Shakespeare
38 Comments
. Creativity, Originality, and Eccentricity by Joseph S. Salemi I don’t know why it should be so, but I have a propensity to attract the attention of eccentric persons. Three times, at three separate...

University Program to Remove Sonnets as Part of ‘Decolonising the Curriculum’

The Society
May 17, 2022
Education, Poetry, Shakespeare
25 Comments
. According to The Telegraph, the University of Salford is planning to remove sonnets from its Creative Writing program.  The reason? They are "products of white western culture" and the University of Salford...

Four Poems for Shakespeare’s Birthday, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
April 22, 2022
Culture, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare, Villanelle
15 Comments
. Remembering Ophelia His scathing tongue had thrust her to the edge. It nudged her through the willow’s sunless fringe. She teetered on that petal-littered ledge Where Hades howls and bluest moons...

The Merchant of Venice Student Edition—PDF and Complete Text

The Society
April 13, 2022
Education, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
12 Comments
. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Classical Poets Student Edition Adapted by Evan Mantyk to retain the meaning of each line within the original poetic form, including blank and sometimes rhyming...

‘Lady Macbeth’s Regret’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
October 22, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare
44 Comments
. Lady Macbeth’s Regret Soft hands that led her smitten lord to bedInflamed the flare and thrust of his desire.Cool hands that won his trust and soothed his dread,Now sting and burn in licks of Hades’...

A Poem for the 457th Birthday of Shakespeare, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
April 22, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
43 Comments
. Bardolatry He boasted an iambic ear, That playwright with insight, Shakespeare; Yes, Measure for Measure He’s given much pleasure With Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear. The Bard’s jealous...

On Rembrandt’s ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
January 21, 2021
Art, Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare
17 Comments
. On Rembrandt's "Return of the Prodigal Son" Three centuries have passed since it was wrought--- A work of art transcendent yet humane. The tender play of feelings Rembrandt caught: A wastrel son disgraced,...

‘Prince Hamlet Speaks About Election Fraud’ by Evan Mantyk

The Society
December 14, 2020
Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare
34 Comments
. . Prince Hamlet Speaks About Election Fraud Prince Hamlet speaks about election fraud:"O villainy! Ho! Let the door be locked.Treachery! Seek it out." And this we laud:A voice half crazy yet all true that...

‘Perfectionist Inclined’ and Other Poetry by Lynn Kong

The Society
November 7, 2020
Beauty, Culture, High School Submissions, Poetry, Shakespeare
8 Comments
  Perfectionist Inclined Maligned by self-encasing brine, defined By certainty's demise, self-image lies Within a shrine. Perfectionist inclined, I crouch transfixed in infinite surmise: Confined by...

How NOT to Hate Shakespeare: TED Talk by Rob Crisell

The Society
October 13, 2019
Culture, Education, Poetry, Shakespeare, Video
2 Comments
...

Winners Announced: A Line of Shakespeare Poetry Contest

The Society
July 1, 2019
Beauty, Culture, From the Society, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Shakespeare
2 Comments
Judges: Michael Curtis, Amy Foreman, Reid McGrath, Adam Sedia A few words from Judge Michael Curtis: In apology: If you, fair writer, did not win, take heart, This juror read for craft more than for...

A Line of Shakespeare Poetry Contest

The Society
May 8, 2019
Culture, Education, From the Society, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Shakespeare
148 Comments
Winners announced here! Write a short poem that begins with one line from any Shakespeare play or poem. The poem should be two to four lines in length. Post it in the comments section below under your...

A ‘Birthday Apology’ to Shakespeare on his 455th, and Other Poetry by Joe Tessitore

The Society
April 26, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
8 Comments
  Birthday Apology William Shakespeare was born April 26, 1564 If all the world’s a stage, and all the men are women, myne eye be true, I gauge; her beard doth need a...

‘Moscow Zoo’ and Other Poetry by A.M. Juster

The Society
January 20, 2019
Poetry, Shakespeare
13 Comments
Moscow Zoo We saw the mass grave at the Moscow Zoo. A sullen man dug up a human skull Then held it high for journalists to view. Forensic specialists arrived to cull Remains and clues from this...

Video: A Reading of Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

The Society
June 14, 2018
Beauty, Culture, Music, Poetry, Readings, Shakespeare, Video
A short film by Gleb Zavlanov. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxnDmkKqaF4&feature=youtu.be Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds...

10 Favorite Shakespeare Sonnets

The Society
May 24, 2018
Beauty, Culture, Education, Essays, Poetry, Shakespeare
16 Comments
By James A. Tweedie Call me a snob but I am generally attracted to what is commonly referred to as “great art” or the “masterpieces.” Over the years I have looked at famous paintings and I have looked...

10 Greatest Shakespeare Sonnets: An Immortal Series

The Society
April 8, 2018
Beauty, Best Poems, Culture, Education, Essays, Poetry, Shakespeare
9 Comments
By David B. Gosselin William Shakespeare (baptized April 26, 1564 - died April 23, 1616) is arguably the greatest writer in any language. His poetry is not only one of the most exalted examples of what an...

Essay: Are Shakespeare and Dante Dead White European Males? (Part 1)

The Society
October 30, 2017
Beauty, Essays, Poetry, Shakespeare
5 Comments
By David Gosselin The answer to the above question is of course no. Shakespeare and Dante are not dead because every true poet is immortal. However, much of our contemporary thinkers seem to be under the...

‘A Shakespeare Reverie’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
June 26, 2017
Culture, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
6 Comments
Inspired by the Ashland, Oregon, Shakespeare Festival Narrator: William Shakespeare—Shakspere? Shaksper? Shakespear? Shackespeare? Shake-and-Bake-speare?—died but did not Go to heaven. Sent instead...
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  1. Margaret Coats on ‘Wedding Night’ by Christine de Pisan, Translated by Margaret CoatsMay 29, 2025

    Yes indeed, Adam, that worldview and mindset are worth remarking because, though admirable in themselves, they are mostly strange to…

  2. Margaret Coats on ‘How I Spent My Spring Vacation’: Poetry and Photography by James A. TweedieMay 28, 2025

    Glad to hear from you, Peter. Well remember your mountaineering and travel poems. Best wishes always.

  3. Margaret Coats on ‘On a Raging Storm’ and Other Poetry by Jeff KemperMay 28, 2025

    "Cuneiform" applies well to the "writing" of a raging storm. I'm sure Adrianna will remember the first visit to the…

  4. James A. Tweedie on ‘How I Spent My Spring Vacation’: Poetry and Photography by James A. TweedieMay 28, 2025

    Peter Hartley has asked me to post this comment on his behalf: The photographs of your trip around the earth…

  5. C.B. Anderson on ‘A Taste of Northern New England’ and Other Poems by C.B. AndersonMay 28, 2025

    If snakes tasted as good as lobster, I would welcome more into our country. But ....

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