princess-of-france:

snack-size-shakespeare:

shakespeerintomysoul:

I’ve always found it interesting that Hamlet and Mercutio’s deaths could ultimately reverse their closest friend’s strongest character trait.

Starting with Horatio: Through all the death and drama that tears Hamlet up inside, it is important that Horatio is “not passion’s slave”. He is the one able to think clearly and hold it together when Hamlet can’t and it makes sense that during Hamlet’s death he would try to kill himself out of some sense of duty. However I like the idea that Hamlet’s death could switch Horatio from a level-headed stoic to a sobbing shuddering mess completely unprepared to live without Hamlet.

Benvolio is the pacifist and voice of reason for the ill-tempered Mercutio. At Mercutio’s death Benvolio’s “brave Mercutio is dead” is usually delivered with sadness and meek regret. What I really wanna see is a Benvolio who, upon seeing his best friend die in his arms, forgets every reason he ever wanted to be peaceful. This is a Benvolio who would walk straight past Romeo, gaze set, ready to fight Tybalt himself until Romeo pulls him back.

The idea that these characters’ entire establishing trait could become something so flimsy when faced with tragedy is.. incredible

Today’s DAILY SNACK provided by: @shakespeerintomysoul who wrote this meta and who I am shamelessly reblogging it from.

This reminds me of a post I read that suggests that the real tragedy of Othello and Hamlet is that the protagonists are respectively trapped in the wrong play:

  • If Othello were in Hamlet’s situation, he’d kill Claudius quickly, efficiently, and with soldierly precision. No fuss, no dithering. Just action.
  • Whereas if Hamlet were presented with Iago’s poisonous lies, he would be incredibly suspicious, doubtful, thoughtful, and prepared to do ALL the necessary research before enacting any sort of vengeance on Desdemona.

If Shakespearean tragedy really is its own unique form, then I think it could be (simplistically) defined as the tragedy of living in the wrong world.

ihategingfreecss-remade123:

lesbianedgeworth ha risposto al tuo post “ive been laughing about this since the “true zodiac” test came out but…”

i am at least 80% positive the new aspect definitions peg bakugou as a really shitty heart player as opposed to a rage player bc he’s Pissed but doesn’t otherwise fit the rage profile

and he’d hate it so it’s really fucking funny

I, for one, support Bakugou the worst Heart player ever existed

HP parallels: A Meta Discussion

c-is-for-circinate:

So, I was watching Order of the Phoenix on cable while reading Deathly Hallows the other day, because it was just that sort of a weekend, and it got me thinking about a particular bit of meta I’d heard around: that the HP books don’t do parallels as a cycle so much as a parabola.  IE, Book 1 parallels Book 7, and 2 with 6, etc, with 4 as the turning point, where Voldemort comes back and everything changes.

The more I look at it, the more parallels I find to support the idea, both big thematic ones and little ones.  I know I’m missing a bunch, though, so I thought I’d throw this imcomplete list out there for general discussion and see what pops up!

Philosopher’s Stone and Deathly Hallows

  • Beginnings/endings (obviously)
  • Life/death/immortality are enormous themes
  • There’s a rock that can defeat death in some way
  • Somebody robs Gringotts/there is a thing with dragons
  • Anything else that can’t just be attributed to first-and-last-ing?
Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince
  • Who is the Heir of Slytherin vs. who is the Half-Blood Prince
  • Lockhart vs Slughorn, vanity, self-service
  • Meet the first horcrux (diary)/learn what horcruxes are
Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix
  • Themes of newspapers, reports, what you’re told vs what’s true
  • Dementors/dementor attacks
  • Harry uses underage magic before school starts
  • The Marauders running around Hogwarts in secret vs the DA
  • Protect The Children

I know there’s more, especially between CoS and HBP.  It’s also interesting to me how many of these things can be found in GoF but not other books–dragons, for instance, show up in PS, GoF, and DH, but don’t really have a presence anywhere else, do they?  And Rita Skeeter fits right in with the propaganda machines of PoA and OotP.