Shakespeare @ MindSay

Al Crosetti vindt in een oud boek een brief van een Engelsman uit de 16e eeuw die beweert dat hij voor de overheid Shakespeare heeft bespioneerd en kennis bezit over de plek waar een laatste, volledig onbekend, toneelstuk van de bard is verborgen. Bij de brief zitten een aantal documenten in geheimschrift -- waarschijnlijk de spionagerapporten met mogelijk de informatie over de vindplaats van dat toneelstuk. Als dat allemaal echt waar is, zijn deze documenten al enkele tonnen waard, en het toneelstuk zelf zou niet minder opleveren dan een fortuin. Jake Mishin, een auteursrechtadvocaat, wordt ingeschakeld door een Engelse professor die de brief tegen een veel te lage prijs van Crosetti heeft afgetroggeld.
De professor wordt gevonden, vermoord na marteling, en zonder dat Crosetti en Mishkin van elkaar weten worden ze beide achterna gezeten door een stel criminelen die blijkbaar via de professor op het spoor van het kostbare manuscript zijn gezet. Beide mannen gaan zelf op zoek naar het manuscript. Al zou het gaan om een vervalsing, ze worden pas met rust gelaten als ze dat onomstotelijk kunnen aantonen, of het echte manuscript overhandigen aan degene die achter de schermen aan de touwtjes trekt.

'Jake, if this guy spied on William Shakespeare, if he wrote down reports, if he described Shakespeare's life the way he described his own miserable life... oh, Jesus, that would be something real. Not just speculation based on the use of images in the second act of King fucking Lear, but actual data. Who he saw, what he said, his ordinary speech, what he believed, what he ate and drank, was he a big tipper, how long was his dick... Jake, you have no fucking idea.'
'Well, I have some idea what that manuscript play would be worth.' He rolled his eyes and made a show of fanning his face. 'Oh, that. We are not going to even think about that. No, I will be creaming in my panties if we can even get hold of those ciphered letters he mentions. No wonder old Bulstrode was playing it so close, the poor bastard. Not to speak ill of the dead, but you might've thought that after all I did for him he would've given me a little peek when this fell into his hands.'
'It must've driven him crazy. He didn't say anything to his niece either.'
'Yes. Poor woman. You don't have any idea where these spy letters could be?'
'I don't, but what I want to know now, and maybe you can help me here, is why a Russian gangster is interested in them enough to commit a federal crime. He's probably not in the Modern Language Association.'

Voor wie een rechtlijnig 'zou het een echte Shakespeare zijn' verhaal wil, zal de opzet van dit boek veel te wijdlopig zijn. Ik vond het één van de betere verhalen in dit genre, onder andere omdat tot op het allerlaatst onduidelijk blijft wie er nu precies achter het manuscript aanzitten, en of ze misschien met z'n allen om de tuin zijn geleid door een briljante vervalser. De vertellers van het verhaal zijn, in afwisselende hoofstukken, Mishkin en Crosetti, die voor het grootste deel van het boek niet van elkaars bestaan weten en daarna ook niet alle informatie met elkaar delen. Door deze vorm wordt de lezer heel lang meegevoerd in hun wantrouwen en achterdocht, en die nog te versterken omdat de lezer merkt dat de vertellers ook niet altijd het achterste van hun tong laten zien.

Well, my anticipated trip that I've been waiting for ever since I got the permission form was today. We got on the coach bus (I sat with Sam. ^^) and we drove up to Stratford. It was an hour or two, but oddly enough, it went by quickly.

Once we got off the bus, we were told that we were free to wander around and check out some of the stores in downtown. Sam and Chantal stuck with me, and we went to the Tourist area to grab ourselves a map so we wouldn't get lost. I'm glad I recommended that before doing anything else. I never bought anything. We were actually bored for most of our exploring.

Then we went to see West Side Story at the theater we walked all the way up to for 20 minutes. The performances was so epic!! I loved it! The choreography was amazing, the acting was too - and I loved the musical pieces. I was thinking about my mom the whole time throughout that performance, though (she loves musicals just as much as I do), and I even told her when she picked me up when the bus arrived back at my school that she would have loved it so much. She was disappointed that she never went. She remains determined that, if another musical comes up that I'm going to for another field trip, she's going to - no matter what anybody else says. XD I wish I could've brought her back something...

The third good thing about all this is that I've got a lot of sparking, influence, and inspiration to continue on my Juliet Perspective now. I never worked on it when I was on the bus, but I have most of the weekend to catch up and work on it, which is good.

I wish you all could have came! D: Oh well. ^^ Wish you were all pocket-sized.

At this moment. I finished the final Act...

If you're going to read it for yourself, then leave, because I'm going to throw out a spoiler here.

....PRETTY MUCH ALL THE CHARACTERS DIE. DDD: It's was so depressing! Some were even my favourites, too! DX
But it was a really beautiful and well-written play. I loved it.

And, I find that when I'm reading one of Shakespeare's plays - I get so absorbed in it that I forget that I'm actually reading. It appears in my mind that it's all actually happening... And with Shakespeare, I really grow to love the characters. Not that I don't like characters when I'm reading a novel, but in a play, it just seems like I'm more involved. Like I'm actually in it, or something.

Well... It's not a wonder they call it a tragedy. Another curtain closes. I'm sad it's over, but glad it's finished - like Much Ado About Nothing. I feel weird. Maybe it's because nearly everybody died, but. I feel sad, but happy at the same time. I feel like I don't know what to do, really. It's really... Odd.

Anybody else ever feel that way? When a character you've grown to really like just dies? When that happens, what do you feel...?

Well... The good news is I've now read three Shakespearean plays. Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. Tragedy, Comedy, Tragedy...

Guess what, though? A comedy is next! The Merchant of Venice! :3 I can't wait to start it. ^^

Eh...
What now?

My day was good. In Math, we had a small test - not a pushover, finished it in less than 20 minutes. Then I read a few more pages of Hamlet.

In English, we went to an Easter assembly my school held. It was pretty good.

In History, we did some more research on prohibition in the 1900's - answered a few questions.

And in Computers, Becca, Sam, and I were competing to see who could finish wordsearches the quickest. I won one, out of like... Eight. xD Hilarious moments, though. :3

I went to Youth tonight. Saw Myles, and everything - and then my Youth Pastor, Ryan, chose ten people to reenact the Easter story (the crucifixion). I was Pilate, and people said I sounded REALLY mean. xD
Oh, and Anna, Myles' co-worker, mentor, and tutor is currently trying to cope through a recent divorce with her husband that had just became official this week. As she said it, I knew she was close to crying. She also has a very little girl, as well. Anna is such a warm-hearted, good person, even though we aren't that close. So, please, just keep her in your thoughts...

But, whoopie, I have four days off. I'm going to savour this time greatly. :33

I'm not in a random mood, no. The song that's playing on my laptop is called the 'Llama Song' - and that's just three words of it. XD Maybe I'll post it so you can join in the randomness. :3

My day was good. In Math, I read some Hamlet (I'm almost done reading it!! Can you believe it?!), and we took up some work.

In English, we watched more of Romeo & Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes version, of course!).

In History, we were given  these final projects that's due sometime during May. It's about historical events that took place in the 50's and 60's. I'm doing mine on the Berlin Wall. I had a stupid moment, as I was browsing books in our school library. I was with Kristy.
Me: I wonder where the Berlin Wall was...
Kristy: ...Berlin, Emily.
Me *laughing*: Oh, right!
xD

In Computers, I read some more Hamlet. Sam and I are finished with our projects. I hope to finish this play tonight. It's not terrible, it's actually really great, but I just... Wanna read a comedy after this. XD You get sick of people dying after a while.

I went out with ML today. She took me to this comfy little place downtown, where I've never been. We just talked about all sorts of things; mainly over the stuff that I told her about in my E-Mails I've been sending her - where, I've been all open and stuff with everything. Nothing but completely honest. I really enjoyed it, though - she reassured me that we'll do it again.

And I just finished a pizza. :3 Pepperoni, Cheese, Ham, and Chicken. Yummy! ^^

I have Friday and Monday off - so that makes it a four day weekend. And next week, I have only three days where I technically go to school.

Monday - Off.
Tuesday - School.
Wednesday - School.
Thursday - School.
Friday - Fieldtrip! ^^


....JOIN IN THE RANDOMNESS. :333