Musings From My Heart's Canvas...

Hamlet...I guess one of the most famous works of Shakespeare.
And one of the most renowned Shakespeare quotes..."To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them."

I have not been a Shakespeare Literature fanatic ever in my life though i used to get impressed by their grandeur. Their uniqueness and richness of language and thoughts is no doubt praise worthy, but i personally never took interest in knowing them or reading them or even watching anything related to them. I have always loved works of literature and was always much inclined towards poetry, and quotes...being much of an impressive orator in my school days i always wanted to learn and recite poems. One of my faves in those days was The old priest Peter Gilligan by William Yeats, which i would have recited some million times i guess. Some other faves were Casabianca (The boy stood on the burning Deck...), The knight and the Lady, etc etc...Anyways, somehow Shakespeare and his "Period" works usually turned me off as something "Boring". Certainly if anyone is asked to quote a line of Shakespeare, then the one that will first come to anyone's mind will be Te be, or not to be...But since i never took in interest in Shakespeare i was kind of naive about this. I happened to tumble upon this quote on one of the displays in World Financial Center towers, here in New York. I remembered watching a bunch of college students rehearsing for some kind of play with a small banner stating "Hamlet: Rehearsals in Progress", may be about a month ago. I did happen to see the same group a couple of more times on my way out from office everyday. Having my office in the World Financial Center Towers definitely has given some major advantages like having free entry to some of the major events in Downtown NYC. The display at the WFC stated that they are screening Hamlet: The Prince of Denmark in the WFC Winter Garden Courtyards from 1st to 18th April.

Guess this time my love for literature has extended its boundaries cuz i was so impressed with the quote that i started searching the world wide web to know the origin of it. I never knew what Hamlet was or who wrote it or who it talks about! I have been reading all the banners and displays publicising the screening of the play at WFC...and i must admit i am so excited about it. I really dont want to miss this when its so much accessible to me. I would love to know the whole story or tragedy of Hamlet which has such inspiring and powerful lines! I know the best way to experience a story is to read it...and i have always believed that some movies/plays do not do justice to the depth of the story! Like A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks was the BEST book that i have read till now which moved me so much, but when i watched the movie...well i was not much moved nor even impressed! But may be i might never have the patience to read the Shakespearean english...and may be if i watch the play first i might start developing some interest in reading Shakespeare also. Actually i am so very impressed with all the lines that i have come across from Shakespeare on the internet, that i really wanna know the story! Must have been a real tragic one...but i wanna know what exactly Hamlet is that motivated/inspired Shakespeare to write such powerful lines! I am just hoping to catch atleast one of the shows within the next couple of weeks...else i have to hunt for a readable version of Hamlet (which i really am very much interested in reading now).
Would end the post with one more of my fave lines from Hamlet...something worth thinking...something thats definitely true! It goes like: There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.