Spotlight On ANONYMOUS: Shakespeare's Top 5 Moments

 

Today we continue our special series consisting of five entries total, each of which highlight a different facet of the rich and wonderful world of William Shakespeare and all with a particular emphasis on the controversial new feature film that explores the time, place, politics and goings-on of the Elizabethan era and focuses on the possibility that the true author of the esteemed plays we now know may very well have been someone else entirely - Edward de Vere - and how the question of the canon's true creation then comes into play - ANONYMOUS.

"All the world's a stage," after all, so it should come as no surprise that acts of lust, bloodshed and betrayal would exist in the actual life - or even the supposed one - of the man who created the most bloody and thought-provoking tragedies in the history of literature - whoever he may have actually been. Perhaps some brief analysis of the finest leading players, most memorable lines and moments, as well as an exploration of other notable acts of grand betrayal in Shakespeare's plays will aid us on the journey to understanding the thesis of ANONYMOUS and bring us into a closer relationship with the individual who penned the greatest plays in the English language.

Now that we have already analyzed the top ten male and female Shakespearean performers of the last few decades as well as the most memorable lines, today we are going to take a look at some of the most famous scenes and noted moments from Shakespeare's plays - by both laymen and scholars - with some of the best audiovisual examples of each in their dramatic context - including clips from MACBETH, THE WINTER'S TALE, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, KING LEAR and more!

Be sure to check out the introductory essay in this SPOTLIGHT ON ANONYMOUS series here, as well as the three previous columns in this 5 Top 5 special series singling out the top present day leading men and leading ladies of Shakespeare on film and onscreen, as well as best lines.

A little bit AMADEUS, with a touch of TIMON OF ATHENS; a dash of DANGEROUS LIASONS and a heaping of HENRY IV: Parts 1 and 2; a generous helping of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE with a wink to MERCHANT OF VENICE; a bit of BARRY LYNDON and a hint at HAMLET; romance and jealousy ala Romeo & Juliet; Iago-ian sexual intrigue evocative of OTHELLO; maybe even a malicious, macabre moment of murderous violence or two reminiscent of MACBETH; then, all of it collectively taken, shaken, stirred and whipped up into a visual feast only the man behind THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW could possibly conjure up - like THE TEMPEST's Trinculo himself. That is only some of what ANONYMOUS can and could very well turn out to be. Find out for yourself on October 28!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

The tragedies, comedies, histories and latter plays of William Shakespeare are littered with dramatic moments rife with conflict and pathos, as well as moving political speeches in the histories and astounding flights of fancy in the comedies, yet it is the latter plays that possibly possesses the most magic and innovative instances of all. Indeed, a true survey selection of some of the finest moments from Shakespeare's work should undoubtedly include many more scenes of incredible worth and emotional value than is even allowed here given our 5 Top 5 format, yet even this handful of scenes goes a long way in representing Shakespeare as best as possible insofar as unforgettable moments of violence and terror, elegantly dramatically designed burgeoning insanity, sweet and savory revenge, and even relative redemption - many taken from his very finest works and featuring even more of his most remembered dialogical exchanges. While one would immediately assume the tragedies would have the lion's share of the best and most unforgettable scenes, that is not necessarily the case given the sweep and unsettled scores in many of the histories and the latter plays if one were to compile a much larger list than this. The comedies, too, have their own delightful charms, though they tend to lack powerful scenes leaving quite the impact of some on our countdown today which is why they are unfortunately given slightly less emphasis. Clearly, the highest drama and tragedy offers the most significant mimesis, thus many of the most memorable moments are a result that indescribable connection between playwright and audience - a particularly pronounced relationship given the work of William Shakespeare, no doubt.

#5 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - A Pound Of Flesh

While THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is one of those impossible-to-categorize plays in Shakespeare's canon, it is decidedly a drama with comedic overtones - though it certainly falls far short of a true tragedy or full-out comedy or history - yet, the pound of flesh scene has turned stomachs and elicited worried gasps for hundreds of years. Of course, while the deed is ultimately never fulfilled, it is a sword's hair away at every turn of the page and clip of crisp dialouge. Witness two of the great Shakespearean actors of our age, Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, perform the courtroom scene below.

#4 KING LEAR - Dividing The Kingdom

KING LEAR is filled with memorable and devastating scenes, particularly as it subtly slips into the visual embodiment of the surrealism and outlandishness of Lear's own descent into madness, yet even in the very first scene of the tragedy Lear's penchant for high-strung domestic drama and his very apparent increasing loss of sanity is amply evident. Watch highly-respected American icon Orson Welles as Lear - featuring the dividing of the kingdom between his three daughters - in this classic clip of the towering tragedy.

#3 THE WINTER'S TALE - The Bear

One of the most quoted stage directions in all of Shakespeare is the seemingly absurd "Exit pursued by a bear" in THE WINTER'S TALE, yet, if we consider that the same play has a woman turning to stone and, twenty years later, the same statue coming to life, it is part and parcel of the weird and mystical play world of Shakespeare's final play. See the best production of THE WINTER'S TALE on video and witness the scrappy and breathtaking coup de theatre employed to pull of this most difficult of stage directions in this clip of the Anthony Sher/Leontes production of this complex and ultimately heartwarming latter play.

 

#2 TITUS ANDRONICUS - The Pie

Cannibalistic meat pies are not just elemental ingredients in the recipe of Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD's gargantuan success - it is also the ultimate revenge pay-off for the sins against the dismembered title character in Shakespeare's first and bloodiest tragedy, TITUS ANDRONICUS. Watch Hannibal Lector himself - Anthony Hopkins - feed Tamora - as played by a devilish Jessica Lange - her very own sons, served in a pastry shell, as directed by Julie Taymor in her fearless and truly awesome film imagining of the war-torn and ulta-gruesome historical drama here.

#1 MACBETH - The Weird Sisters

Particularly applicable given the spooky and scary season of the year being upon us right now, two of the most famous phrases in all of Shakespeare - neither of which, incidentally, made our recent Top 5 Lines list - may actually be uttered by three tertiary but thematically integral characters in the bloody, ravaging tragedy of MACBETH - "Double, double, toil and trouble," and "Something wicked this way comes"; both as intoned by the three witches from the woods. See the three weird sisters in all their creepy, unholy, nude glory in this clip from Roman Polanski's terrifying and explicit 1971 film version of the war analogy tragedy. WARNING: Contains nudity and violence.

So, which Shakespeare scene is the most fondly remembered of all for you? Besides the scenes and lines featured in the ten moments we have recently viewed in our 5 Top 5 Shakespeare countdown, what moments mean the utmost to you? With so many exquisite choices to choose from in any of the four genres - not even counting the Sonnets and other works - it is difficult to arrive at any one that is anything less than stunningly stupendous. Nonetheless, these are undoubtedly some of the richest cream of the very best crop as far as Shakespeare is concerned, as any would agree.

Be sure to stay tuned to BroadwayWorld for all things ANONYMOUS as we anticipate its release in movie theaters on October 28. Also, check back soon for our last 5 Top 5 feature, highlighting the Bard's most memorable moments of deception. Also, be sure to check out the forthcoming essay all about ANONYMOUS-esque moments of deception in musical theatre coming up soon!