FREE!
Now Thrive The Armorers
Arms, Armor, and Chivalry in Shakespeare’s Works
Lecture by Scott Farrell
SATURDAY OCTOBER 20 AT 2:00 PM.
MISSION VALLEY LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM
2123 Fenton Parkway (next to IKEA near COSTCO) · San Diego, CA
The image of the knight in armor looms large throughout the works of Shakespeare – in battle scenes in plays like Henry V or Macbeth, of course, but also in the duels in Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, and in the language of courtly romance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. Having a first-hand understanding of the function and terminology of medieval armor (as much of Shakespeare’s audience would) and the traditions and culture of chivalry (which is at the heart of much of Shakespeare’s language of love and seduction) can provide a whole new understanding of many of Shakespeare’s scenes and characters.
Scott Farrell is the director of the Chivalry Today Educational Program, San Diego’s premier instructor of medieval swordsmanship, and teaching artist with Intrepid Theatre Company’s “Shakespeare For A New Generation” school tour. From the Battle of Agincourt, to duels in the streets of Verona, to young lovers wooing at the court of Duke Theseus, come join Scott for a fascinating exploration of, and an up-close look at swords, armor, and the ideals of chivalry in the works of Shakespeare.
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FREE!
SUNDAY JULY 15 2018 AT 2:00 PM.
MISSION VALLEY LIBRARY
2123 Fenton Parkway (next to IKEA near COSTCo) · San Diego, CA
Hear ye! Hear ye! The San Diego Shakespeare Society is proud to reinstate its acclaimed lecture series. On Sunday, July 15th, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., at the Mission Valley Library, Professor Bryan H. Wildenthal will speak on “Shakespeare and Law.”
One of the earliest Shakespearean scholars and editors, Edmond Malone (himself also a lawyer), wrote in 1780 that Shakespeare’s “knowledge and application of legal terms, seems … not … acquired by casual observation” but “has the appearance of technical skill; and he is so fond of displaying it on all occasions, that there is … some ground for supposing that he was early initiated in at least the forms of law.”
But modern scholars have questioned and debated how well Shakespeare really knew the law, and the issue has become entangled with the ever-controversial Shakespeare Authorship Question (SAQ).
Enjoy a tour through legal and cultural history with Professor Wildenthal as he discusses and tries to untangle these fascinating issues, including quotations and discussions of key Shakespeare plays (and even a sonnet) touching upon the law.
Bryan H. Wildenthal is Professor of Law Emeritus, Thomas Jefferson School of Law (San Diego), where he was on the full-time faculty for 22 years (1996–2018) and still teaches as a Visiting Professor. He also taught at Chicago-Kent College of Law during 1994–96. He was born in Houston, into a family with deep roots in Texas, but grew up mainly in Michigan. He received his A.B. (with honors) and J.D. (with distinction) from Stanford, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review. After law school he clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. (in Montgomery, Alabama), and Chief Justice Michael F. Cavanagh of the Michigan Supreme Court, and practiced law for two years with a leading firm in Washington, D.C.
His legal scholarship focuses on constitutional law, Civil War and Reconstruction legal history, American Indian law (Native American tribal-federal-state relations), and the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
Bryan became an avid Shakespeare fan as a teenager, and in recent years has become more interested in the Shakespeare Authorship Question (SAQ).