Shakespeare Teacher http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:16:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3160 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3160#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:00:08 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3160 I’m surrounding a mirror to shield it from grime;
Get an innocent person accused of a crime;
I’m just one turn in bowling; where children can climb;
And a still of a movie, one moment in time.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3160/feed 3 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3156 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3156#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:30 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3156 From the base of your neck to the base of your spine;
I’m a football position; the end of the line;
To revisit a song or a webpage design;
And to lend your support where your interests align.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Bronx Richie. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3156/feed 4 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3152 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3152#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:26 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3152 I’m the money you put up to get out of jail;
To abandon a plane when the engines all fail;
To make plans to meet up, but then later turn tail;
And when boats fill with water, you might grab a pail!

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3152/feed 6 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3126 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3126#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:02:49 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3126 I get schooled by a Globetrotter, just as we planned;
I’m the final election; high-ranking command;
The attorney or surgeon for all of the land;
I’m a Hospital soap; or Electric-named brand.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3126/feed 2 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3035 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3035#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:52:48 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3035 I’m the plate and the flatware that make up a space;
I’m to purchase an ad; put a name to a face;
I’m to put down a bet; number two in a race;
And the spot where a digit exponents its base.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Kristy. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3035/feed 3 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3029 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3029#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:00:50 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3029 I’m a station off-air; I’m a stage with no show;
I’m the absence of light; I’m a bat or a crow;
What you say when you don’t want much cream in your Joe;
And your place when there’s something you’re not meant to know.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3029/feed 2 Your Move: Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3024 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3024#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:51 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3024 The Shakespeare Teacher is out. It’s your move.

Today’s challenge is the Thursday Morning Riddle. The answer is:


PLACE

PLACE is correct. Way to go, Bill!

Now, you write the riddle.

Entries should follow the same format as earlier riddles: four lines of anapestic tetrameter with rhyme scheme AAAA (all four lines rhyme). Riddles are written in the first person (i.e., from the point of view of “Place”). Semicolons are used to mark a change in word meaning. The word “Place” should not be in the riddle, in any form.

Entries are due by February 8, and a winner will be chosen after that time.

UPDATE: Contest deadline extended until February 15. Good riddling!

UPDATE 2: Contest won by me!

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3024/feed 0 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3020 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3020#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:34 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3020 I’m an errant foul ball that just glanced off the bat;
Pay the bill to your server, then add me to that;
I am Speaker O’Neill; I’m to greet with a hat;
And a stock or a horse you’re advised to look at.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Micah. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3020/feed 2 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3015 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3015#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:15 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=3015 I’m a warning that’s given so one may prepare;
I’m a sign that you post when you need to declare;
I’m to casually see, thus becoming aware;
And I’m word to your boss you’ll no longer be there.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/3015/feed 3 Kevin Spacey as Richard III http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2997 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2997#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:31:45 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2997 On Friday evening, I went to see the Bridge Project production of Richard III, directed by Sam Mendes.

I’ve always been a fan of Kevin Spacey, particularly in American Beauty, The Usual Suspects, and Glengarry Glen Ross. I was very much looking forward to seeing him in my favorite play.

He gave a fantastic performance as Richard III, but I thought the production took too many liberties with the text for the sake of their famous headliner. Take a look at an excerpt from the production script and I think you’ll see what I mean.

ACT IV. SCENE II. London. The palace.

Sennet. Enter KING RICHARD III, in pomp, crowned; BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, and others.

KING RICHARD III
Stand all apart Cousin of Buckingham!

BUCKINGHAM
My gracious sovereign?

KING RICHARD III
Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I’ve always wanted and now I have it. I rule! But shall we wear these honours for a day? Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them?

BUCKINGHAM
Still live they and for ever may they last!

KING RICHARD III
O Buckingham, now do I play the touch,
To try if thou be current gold indeed.
I need to shape up fast: think now what I would say.

BUCKINGHAM
Say on, my loving lord.

KING RICHARD III
Cousin, thou wert not wont to be so dull:
Shall I be plain? I want to look good naked!
What sayest thou? speak suddenly; be brief.

BUCKINGHAM
Give me some breath, some little pause, my lord
Before I positively herein:
I will resolve your grace immediately.
Exit

CATESBY
The king is angry: see, he bites the lip.

KING RICHARD III
Let’s all sell our souls and work for Satan because it’s more convenient that way. Catesby!

CATESBY
My lord?

KING RICHARD III
Rumour it abroad
That Anne, my wife, is sick and like to die.

Exit CATESBY

Our marriage is just for show. A commercial for how normal we are when we’re anything but.

Enter TYRREL

Is thy name Tyrrel?

TYRREL
James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject.

KING RICHARD III
Ely always said, “I don’t believe in God, but I’m afraid of him.” Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me are those bastards in the Tower.

TYRREL
Let me have open means to come to them,
And soon I’ll rid you from the fear of them.

Exit TYRREL.

Re-enter BUCKINGHAM.

BUCKINGHAM
My Lord, I have consider’d in my mind
The late demand that you did sound me in.

KING RICHARD III
Well, let that pass. Dorset is fled to Richmond.

BUCKINGHAM
I’ve heard we have the Marquess lost, my lord.

KING RICHARD III
Lose him? We didn’t lose him. It’s not like, “Whoops! Where’d Dorset go?” HE QUIT. Someone pass the asparagus, please.

BUCKINGHAM
My lord, I claim your gift, my due by promise,
For which your honour and your faith is pawn’d;
The earldom of Hereford and the moveables
The which you promised I should possess.

KING RICHARD III
I’m really thirsty. I used to dehydrate as a kid. One time it got so bad my piss came out like snot. I’m not kidding, it was all thick and gooey.

BUCKINGHAM
What says your highness to my just demand?

KING RICHARD III
That guy is tense. Tension is a killer.

BUCKINGHAM
My lord!

KING RICHARD III
I used to be in a barbershop quartet in Skokie, Illinois. The baritone was this guy named Kip Diskin, big fat guy, I mean, like, orca fat. He was so stressed in the morning…

BUCKINGHAM
My lord, your promise for the earldom,–

KING RICHARD III
Tut, tut, thou troublest me; I am not in the giving vein to-day.

BUCKINGHAM
Why?

KING RICHARD III
Because I don’t like you.

BUCKINGHAM
Why, then resolve me whether you will or no.

KING RICHARD III
Will you go to lunch? Go to lunch. Will you go to lunch?

Exeunt all except for BUCKINGHAM

BUCKINGHAM
The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that, poof. He’s gone.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2997/feed 1 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2993 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2993#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:00:51 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2993 I’m the royals that make up twelve cards in the deck;
I’m a book that’s online you might constantly check;
I’m the area found between hairline and neck;
And the nickname of Team member Templeton Peck.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Kristy. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2993/feed 2 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2988 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2988#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:58 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2988 I’m the angle that’s found in the joint of a square;
I’m the wing who’d have government stay laissez faire;
I’m correct on the facts; I’m the co-pilot’s chair;
And the speech that stays free or the arms you may bear.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2988/feed 2 Five Years http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2985 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2985#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:12:01 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2985 Today, this blog celebrates its five-year anniversary. Right now, it has a Technorati authority of 96, which ranks me 47,629 out of over a million ranked blogs. There are currently 809 posts in 67 categories and 2,447 approved comments. As of midnight last night, there were 81,284 site visits.

As always, I remain grateful to the readers who form the other end of this partnership. To the riddle solvers and the anagram lovers and the Shakespeare teachers and the people who just like saying the word “blog.”

Here’s to another five years.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2985/feed 1 Top Ten Posts of 2011 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2964 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2964#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:25:23 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2964 This year, I present my top ten favorite posts as a countdown. Only three of the entries deal directly with the authorship question.

10. Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Floods, and Tornadoes (August 28)

Come read the story of how I survive the worst earthquake in, as far as I know, East Coast history, and completely fail to notice. However, other natural disasters of biblical proportions do manage to cause me some minor inconvenience.

9. It’s a Poor Workman Who Blames Yogi Berra: Artificial Intelligence and Jeopardy! (February 23)

A computer beat humans at Jeopardy!, and I put on my school data specialist’s cap to do an item analysis of the responses. Read through to the comments to see two veteran Shakespeare bloggers debate the nature of language and technology.

8. Question of the Week (January 3)

Is teaching an art or a science? Or is it both? Or is it neither? Once a purely philosophical topic, recent developments in the field have made it a question with far-reaching implications in practice and policy.

7. Film: Anonymous (November 13)

I was as surprised as you were, but I actually liked it. So, I give it a good review. Because to be angry with this film is to acknowledge that we are actually engaging in a discussion about authorship. We aren’t, but it was a good film nevertheless.

6. Top Ten Shakespeare Audio Productions (August 29)

This is just what it sounds like, except I actually list twenty. And Bob D fills in some titles I missed. It just goes to show that Shakespeare will always be in my heart… and in my ear.

5. Fifty Apps for the iPad (January 9)

I identify ten things the iPad does better than the iPod Touch, while linking to fifty apps you can do them with. This one was popular among friends and family, and generated a lot of traffic as well.

4. A Choice to Make (April 13)

Eric Hanushek wrote something I didn’t like, and I explain why. Of all of my rants about education reform over the year, this one was the most rambling and wild-eyed. I highly recommend it.

3. Another Story (November 22)

To further make my point about Anonymous, I spin the most ridiculous science-fiction, bodice-ripping thriller I can imagine, positing that Shakespeare was given the plays by space aliens. If you’re secure in the knowledge that Shakespeare wrote the plays, this is what Anonymous looks like to you.

2. Under the Influence (April 23)

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust asked me to participate in a project in which bloggers describe in a blog post how Shakespeare has influenced their lives. People told me they thought my contribution was funny. If they only knew…

1. The Hartfordian Theory (April 27)

Long before the Anonymous controversy started brewing, I took my own shot at the Oxfordians. Actually, my real target was the birthers, but the idea is the same. What if people questioned President Obama’s legitimacy using the same arguments that Oxfordians use to question the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays? Hilarity ensues… except for one hasty reader who somehow thought I was serious; read through to the comments.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2964/feed 2 A New Lease http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2961 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2961#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:59:06 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2961 I am happy to announce that I have renewed the lease on this domain for another three years, so the blog will have a home until December 2014 at least.

Wow, that seems so far away. I remember how far away December 2011 felt in December 2008. Now, with the Twitter and the Facebook and the iPads and the kids these days with the hair and the music, I wonder if, three years from now, there will still a place for an old-fashioned blog like this one.

Or will there be something completely different?

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2961/feed 1 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2956 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2956#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:00:07 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2956 I’m the ensemble cast of a musical play;
I’m a corporate structure, just like Fannie Mae;
I’m the guests you invite to a private soiree;
And a name that is used to imply CIA.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2956/feed 2 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2954 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2954#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:16:00 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2954 I’m a respite from work for some tea or a snack;
Take a shot at the cue ball to split up the rack;
I am taming a horse; I’m a bone with a crack;
And to add the last straw to a camel’s strained back.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Daweesa. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2954/feed 2 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2949 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2949#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:00:10 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2949 I am having two fives and then taking an ace;
I’m a dose of a drug; I’m to get to first base;
A professional killing; to punch in the face;
And the song on the charts with a laudable place.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2949/feed 2 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2946 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2946#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:00:57 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2946 I can show you your seat, or stand watch at the door;
I once dated creation at four-thousand four;
I’m the groomsman at weddings who enters before;
And an R&B singer who did well with “More.”

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Daweesa. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2946/feed 3 Thursday Morning Riddle http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2942 http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2942#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:32 +0000 Bill http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/?p=2942 I’m to misplace an object you never will find;
When the outcome of battle or sport is unkind;
When a doctor is leaving a patient behind;
Let your temper explode; or abandon your mind.

Who am I?

UPDATE: Riddle solved by Asher. See comments for answer.

]]> http://www.shakespeareteacher.com/blog/archives/2942/feed 2