Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Selected Works

Hello everyone!!

Here are two selections of literature that I really liked. I hope that everyone enjoys them as much as I do! Some of them give a slight background, so that it makes more sense. Anthony D.

Macbeth - William Shakespeare

Macbeth became king of Scotland after murdering the previous king. He has held the crown through violence and more murder. His wife supported him, then went mad, and he has just learned that she has died. However, he knows that he must shortly fight a battle for his crown, and his life, and he knows that he will lose. These are the reflections of an evil man who realises that he has lost everything.

Macbeth: She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.
Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.


Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson

I.
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

II.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Their’s not to make reply,
Their’s not to reason why,
Their’s but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

III.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

IV.
Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

V.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

VI.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!


Good huh? Got to love stuff by Tennyson and Shakespeare! ~T.D.

15 comments:

  1. I am reading Macbeth right now. I really like that piece. The play Macbeth is very intense. I'm liking it.
    And I LOVE The Charge of the Light Brigade. It's so exciting. I memorized it long ago. But alas, I don't think I can recite it from memory anymore.

    Anyway, wonderful pieces indeed!
    When will we have the next book post?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I absolutely am intrigued (I am pretty sure that I spelled that wrong, but I am too lazy to look it up in the dictionary)with the Macbeth storyline. I think about it incessantly. Also, the "Charge of the Light Brigade" is probably one of my most favorite Tennyson poems. I really like "Lancelot and Elaine", but it was way too long to post here. There should be another book post in the next couple of days... hopefully. Until then, we can psychoanalyze (yes, that is how you spell it) the poems that are posted.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, I did spell "intrigued" correctly!! Wow, I guess I am not as deficient in spelling as I thought!

    Just a tip to everyone: It is helpful to look stuff up before you say it, rather than after!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So...let's talk about swords. Aragorn has taught be a thing or two about them. I think they are quite fascinating. How about you?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am positively enthralled by swords.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I believe my favorite swords are those of the medieval and renaissaunce eras.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The really heavy ones are difficult for me to lift though. How very heavy some of them are!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, the older the sword, the heavier.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Maybe I could post about swords. With blogger, the possibilities are endless.

    That sounded rather like a commercial.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Already? Well in that case, I shall go now too. See ya' everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Another cool epic poem is Chesterton's Ballad of the White Horse. I had to read that for school.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love The Charge of the Light Brigade !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete