Week 14 - The Trophy Wives of Venice

This week's play was partly inspired by a film I saw this week, The Help.  Although I think the film was definitely a sanitized, Hollywood version of the civil rights struggles in the 1960s, it was entertaining and well-acted.  The scenes revolving around the characters played by Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard were particularly well-realized.  If you've spent any time in the South, even in the 21st century South, you can definitely recognize the passive aggression, the surface politeness, and casual cruelty of the "mean girls" in the movie.  I've definitely been on the receiving end of that sort of behavior so it was lovely to see the "mean girls" get their comeuppance in the end.

This week I was also the observer of a Facebook discussion on the merits (or lack thereof) of The Merchant of Venice.  The play is definitely not one of my favorites by Mr. Shakespeare (in my opinion, it should join Two Gentlemen of Verona and King John on the "let's never do these plays again" list.  Much of my problems with Merchant stem from my hatred of the "heroine," Portia.  It occurred to me this week that Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of the English language, wrote some of the most insufferable female characters in existence.  For every sparkling Beatrice, there seems to be a whiny Julia.  So, I decided to write about three of my least favorite Shakespearean women - Portia from Merchant, Julia from Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Helena from All's Well That Ends Well; as well as one of my favorite Shakespearean heroines, Viola from Twelfth Night.  This week's play, inspired by mean girls and Shakespeare, is The Trophy Wives of Venice.

NOTE:  I'm sure my listing of my favorites and least favorites will elicit comments like "But I love King John!" And "I've played Helena and she's awesome!"  And "Pericles is the worst play Shakespeare wrote. Why isn't it on your list?"  So, I'll just say that these are my opinions.  You may agree with me.  You may not.  But, as in politics, I'm not gonna change your mind and you're not gonna change my mind either. :)