Campaign Trials: The Issues

Let's see what the candidates have to say about some of this election's major issues... in their own words, naturally.

I'm not terribly familiar with Marlowe - the only one of his plays that I've seen so far is Edward II - but I just love "HOLLA, YE PAMPERED JADES OF ASIA", which Tamburlaine declaims as he enters on a chariot drawn by captive kings. It's so unapologetically dramatic. Plus, Pistol totally riffs off of it in 2 Henry IV. 

Tune in on Thursday to see what the popular support for Shakespeare and Marlowe is like. And remember to pick up your Shakespeare election gear from the Good Tickle Shoppe! (Sorry, Marlowe supporters...)

Campaign Trials: The Rivals

You can't (or rather you shouldn't) have a presidential election with only one candidate, and who better to challenge Shakespeare than his contemporary, that dramatic genius and trail-blazing playwright CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE!

The heavily-bearded gentleman is Edward "Ned" Alleyn, also known as Ben Affleck from Shakespeare in Love, who played many of Marlowe's leading men, including Faustus and Tamburlaine. It's a bit weird, when you picture him as a closely-cropped Ben Affleck, to find out that he actually had a great big bushy beard.

Tune in next week as the campaigns get underway, and don't forget to pick up some limited-time-only Shakespeare campaign gear from the Good Tickle Shoppe! 

Campaign Trials: The Annoucement

Aaaand we're back! Thanks for giving me a week off to catch up and work on other projects. Let's get back to business...

That's Richard Burbage, Shakespeare's leading man and business partner. They make a great team, don't they? I'd certainly prefer to see them on my TV every night as opposed to... certain other people. Person. Thing. 

Speaking of which, this is your last chance to pick up my election-themed t-shirts and bumper stickers from the Good Tickle Shoppe! These won't be reprinted (obviously) so get 'em before they're gone. I'll be wearing my t-shirt at the polls next month!

(PS - I am not in any way endorsing you to write in Shakespeare on your ballot. Please don't do that.)

Twelfth Night: Final Summary

Aaaand we're finally done with Twelfth Night! In case you missed the last four months of comics, and don't have time to go back and read them all, here's what happened:

Finishing a play means it's time to add up the numbers and decide whether it's a comedy or a tragedy. Let's take a look!

Three marriages and no deaths of named characters means this play is almost certainly a comedy. Hurrah! (Just don't ask me how long I think Sir Toby and Maria's marriage will last..)

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1, part 1 | 5.1, part 2 | 5.1, part 3 | 5.1, part 4 | 5.1, part 5 | 5.1, part 6 | Summary

On Break! 

Hey all! Due to several time-sensitive projects that I need to wrap up (one of them being the long-awaited flowchart poster) plus the very inconveniently-timed mental breakdown of the hitherto-but-no-longer trusty computer on which I draw all my comics, I will be taking next week off. I'll be back on Tuesday, October 11 with your regularly scheduled Shakespeare comics. Thanks for your patience and understanding! 

Twelfth Night: Act 5, Scene 1 (part 6)

It's take a while to get through all the twists and turns and subplots, but we're finally here at the end!

Not pictured: Antonio, sent packing for being a notable pirate and not fitting in the heteronormative dramatic resolution. 

Tune in again on Thursday for a finally summary of Twelfth Night!

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1, part 1 | 5.1, part 2 | 5.1, part 3 | 5.1, part 4 | 5.1, part 5 | 5.1, part 6

Twelfth Night: Act 5, Scene 1 (part 5)

We're ALMOST THERE! Let's just see about wrapping up this loose thread labeled "MALVOLIO", shall we?

I had an alternate phrase penciled in for Malvolio's last frame there, but I try to keep this site as kid-friendly as possible. 

Tune in next week for the grand finale!

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1, part 1 | 5.1, part 2 | 5.1, part 3 | 5.1, part 4 | 5.1, part 5

Twelfth Night: Act 5, Scene 1 (part 4)

THE END IS IN SIGHT. Let's clear up this whole "twin" mess first...

A couple of notes:

  1. Olivia's "Most wonderful!" line is one of the best lines ever. I use it all the time, even when not confronted with doppelgangers of my beloved.

  2. You have to feel for Olivia. Yes, part of her attraction to Cesario is purely physical, but a great deal of it is to "his" intellect, eloquence, and sensitivity. I always feel like marrying Sebastian after being in love with Cesario must be like getting a fortune cookie with no fortune in it.

  3. Is anyone more relieved than Orsino?

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1, part 1 | 5.1, part 2 | 5.1, part 3 | 5.1, part 4

I'm Hunchbacked (a Hamilton parody)

I had a lot of fun putting together a Hamlet-themed  Hamilton parody of "Wait for It" a month ago, and, as one cannot desire too much of a good thing, I've gone ahead and done another one. From one English king to another...

(Here's the song it's based on, if you haven't heard it yet, sung by King George III to the American colonies.)

Thanks again to Dan Beaulieu of the Seven Stages Shakespeare Company and No Holds Bard Podcast for being my sounding board on this comic. 

If you like Shakespeare/musical theatre mash-ups, be sure to also check out The Sound of Hamlet and Into the (Shakespearean) Woods!

Shakespeare Flowchart Poster News!