FoxTrot Classics by Bill Amend for January 26, 2024

Macbeth was a murderer, King Lear was just an idiot

They both have kings in them, but you can only say the title of one of them.

Not quite clear on the concept, is he?

It is rumored that both were written by infinite monkeys.

The Scottish play is cursed, while King Lear is a legend.

The Blackadder featuring the Scottish play is one of my favorite episodes of all TV. The two actors who play the actors still crack me up.

And ironically, “Brevity is the soul of wit” (from Hamlet) is spoken by Polonius, who blathers on and on till the queen tells him to get to the point.

I would do poorly. What little Shakespeare I’ve read, I’ve forgotten. I probably would have done better if I had actually seen the plays, but 1960’s technology in high school didn’t support that. We were lucky to have overhead projectors.

Well, it was a little unexpected that he even knew both had five acts.

At least read the Coles Notes so you have some idea of what the plays are about!

They are two acts that are hard to follow.

Fun fact: The division of Shakespeare’s plays into Acts (five each) wasn’t done by Shakespeare, but was introduced by the compilers of the First Folio (published around the time of his death).

Shakespeare wrote his plays as a simple succession of scenes; whenever the stage is empty of actors, one scene ends and the next begins.

MP – Get on with it!

Is this really a common assignment? Other than having kings as main characters these are very different plays.

Shades of Calvin, more teacher’s lounge material…

Time to get the crib notes

Tried in High School to muddle through the plays, now most of my knowledge of Shakespeare comes from Christopher Moore novels.

That’s actually more than I know about either one … and more than I know about any of Shakespeare’s plays.

We did the Scottish Play at school. Its all about whether or not Birnam Wood will come unto Dunsinane. I never did find out. But “multitudinous seas incarnadine” was good. I liked that.I think someone got killed, but I don’t remember the detective’s name.

All the world’s a stage, and Peter Fox is barely a player.

They are both tragedies so everyone dies at the end,

There are a lot of very intelligent people who read this comic strip!