Shakespeare Archives | Kelly Bulkeley

New Dream Research in 2019

Kelly Bulkeley — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 23:51:16 +0000

Dreaming, play, theater, science, religion, social and political crisis. Jung, Freud, Shakespeare, a troupe of immigrant artists, Alice in Wonderland, Lucrecia de Leon, the US President. These are the topics and the people I will be discussing most frequently in a series of presentations lining up for 2019. Each presentation will speak directly to the interests of a …

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Dreams and Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Kelly Bulkeley — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 20:54:21 +0000

Uncanny dreams and deathly sleep haunt the most famous lovers in literary history. The woeful story of Juliet and her Romeo has several ominous references to beds, sleep, and dreams. These nocturnal elements reflect the tension between the passionate yearnings of the young lovers and the tragic fate that awaits them. As Friar Laurence vainly …

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Dreams and Shakespeare: Othello

Kelly Bulkeley — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 01:24:58 +0000

Shakespeare’s most cunning villain turns sleep and dreaming against his enemies. At the center of Shakespeare’s dark tragedy is the cruel dynamic between Othello, a magnificent warrior and heroic leader, and Iago, his resentful subordinate. (In the current production at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Chris Butler performs in the title role, and Iago is played …

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Dreams and Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Kelly Bulkeley — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 00:45:24 +0000

Jealous paranoia cannot distinguish between dreaming and waking in one of Shakespeare’s bawdiest works. There are several reasons why “The Merry Wives of Windsor” has generally been considered one of Shakespeare’s minor plays. It’s an absurd, bawdy farce set in an English country village around 1600, bereft of any epic characters, grand locales, or soaring …

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Dreams and Shakespeare: Henry IV Part II

Kelly Bulkeley — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 23:58:35 +0000

To be a king, one must give up sleep and dreams in favor of the ruling duties of waking life. This is the grim truth that animates much of the action in Henry IV Part II. The second chapter of prince Hal’s transformation into King Henry V contains two of the most vivid references to …

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Dreams and Shakespeare: Henry IV Part I

Kelly Bulkeley — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 00:31:27 +0000

Sleep is both a gentle source of earthly pleasure and a stressful battlefield of military violence in Shakespeare’s stirring portrait of a young Prince. The play opens with Henry IV, the 15th century English King, planning his military strategy against various enemies who are threatening rebellion. One of the rebel leaders is Henry “Hotspur” Percy, the …

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Dreams and Shakespeare: Julius Caesar

Kelly Bulkeley — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 23:07:47 +0000

Prophetic dreams of doom go unheeded in Shakespeare’s tragedy about violent political strife among the greatest leaders of ancient Rome. In Julius Caesar, strange dreams and nightmares join with other frightening portents to besiege the people of Rome from all sides. Terrible storms, weird avian behavior, and a haunting Soothsayer add to the pervasive sense …

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Shakespeare Dream Quotes

Kelly Bulkeley — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:59:42 +0000

In honor of the April 26, 1564 baptism of William Shakespeare and his death on April 23, 1616, I have gathered a few of the best quotes about dreams from characters in his plays. Let me know if you’ve got other good ones! Prospero: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and …

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Dreams in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Kelly Bulkeley — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:14:35 +0000

A dream researcher friend asked if knew anything about the role of dreams in Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” since she could not find any good info on the web. Here’s my response, which she suggested I post: One way to think of this play is as a commentary on the glorious folly …

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