a Shakespeare question for all of you

[angevin2]

Is there any scene in the entire canon that is more boring than the one in the French camp on the eve of Agincourt?

I find that particular scene remarkable because it is composed entirely of dirty jokes and snark, and still manages to be excruciatingly dull. I cannot think of another scene in Shakespeare that matches it for boredom.

Comments

[kindkit]

Am I allowed to count all of the casket scenes in The Merchant of Venice as one scene? Because they are, and therein lies the problem.

ETA: Edited to fix massive title fail.

[angevin2]

Yeah, I think those count. And that's a pretty good answer, actually...

[ihamlet]

Aw, man. I'd take that scene any day over the scene between Malcolm and Macduff in England. The most exciting part is when Ross ambles in to play the harbinger of death (again), and even that's boring if Macduff doesn't crumple in the right way.

[kindkit]

Aw, I like that scene. I think it gets right at one of the big problems at the heart of the play, which is that everyone's aware of the problematic nature of absolute monarchy--what if the king's EVIL?--but as it's literally unthinkinable to have a country without a monarch, there's no way around it.

[colliemommie]

OT, but obligatory:

Nick Farrell, YUMMMMMM...

[kindkit]

Ooh, another Nicholas Farrell fan, yay!

[angriest]

I was going to mention the casket scenes in Merchant too.

I don't mind the French camp scene - it can help show a difference between the Constable, who's a professional soldier, and the Dauphin and his mate (going blank with names), who are basically just boys talking themselves up.

[tekalynn]

I love what they do with it in the Branagh version, because they really bring out the tension and twitchiness among the French nobility. He also, IIRC, cut it to ribbons, which probably helps.

[angevin2]

He also, IIRC, cut it to ribbons, which probably helps.

He took out about half of it, yeah. Also he put Montjoy into the scene as the voice of reason, which isn't in the text but I don't think I've ever seen a production that didn't.

[tekalynn]

I have SUCH a crush on Montjoy.

[angevin2]

I used to, but then there was This Guy who used his name as an internet handle and now there is badness.

[lauzeta]

THANK YOU.