even mediocre Jacobean tragedy has its pleasures

[truepenny]

[For context: The Tyrant, whom we last saw clandestinely exhuming the body of the Lady, has brought the corpse back to court and demanded a make-up artist come to paint its face, so it will not, as he says, look fearfully on him. The Lady's lover Govianus has disguised himself as an artist and decorated the corpse, which the Tyrant, who is certifiably nuttier than a box of squirrels, has just kissed.]

TYRANT. I talk so long to death, I'm sick myself.
  Methinks an evil scent still follows me.
GOVIANUS. Maybe 'tis nothing but the colour, sir,
  That I laid on.
TYRANT.           Is that so strong?
GOVIANUS.                            Yes, faith, sir.
  'Twas the best poison I could get for money.

--The Second Maiden's Tragedy 5.2.121-25.

Comments

[libskrat]

Damn. I didn't think anything could out-sick _Grisel y Mirabella_. This just did it. I am thoroughly impressed.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I don't know Grisel y Mirabella, but, yeah, this has become the new industry standard.

[libskrat]

Capsule summary: Grisel loves Princess Mirabella. King Daddy doesn't approve. Grisel and Mirabella are caught in The Act and executed, despite much tedious pleading from the Queen and her mouthpiece, because the King's mouthpiece is just that much more convincing. (Or not. It's a very doubletalky, ambiguous debate. Aside from being deadly dull.)

Queen is pissed off at King's mouthpiece, who (it just so happens) is in love with one of her servingmaids. Said servingmaid tempts him to the Queen's dining room, where (after some more tedious rhetoric) the Queen and all her women boil him up and eat him.

I am so not kidding.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

How, um, charming. Much like what happens at the end of Titus Andronicus (and Thyestes, Medea, and the story of Philomela)--although I think the twist of having the offended party eat the offender, rather than feeding the offender his/her children, is a new one. Deliberate cannibalism. Wow.

You're right, though. 2nd Maiden trumps that. Not only is it sick--it's also kinky.

There are perks in this whole dissertation-writing thing after all.

[calanthe-b.livejournal.com]

~sigh~ There's really nothing that can quite match a good revenge tragedy, is there...

So what do you say

[tamnonlinear.livejournal.com]

when people start arguing that modern entertainment is immoral and disgusting? Let's have some nice classical theater from the good old days!

Wow. That scene is just sick. Witty and cruel and sick.

Am trying to picture a 17th century playhouse with a Parental Guidance warning outside the theater.

and I like the phrase 'nuttier than a box of squirrels'. Good Australian phrase is 'wackier than a cut snake'.