Play Sonnet 110
Alas! ’tis true, I have gone here and there,
And made my self a motley to the view,
Gored mine own thoughts, sold cheap what is most dear,
Made old offences of affections new;
Most true it is, that I have looked on truth
Askance and strangely; but, by all above,
These blenches gave my heart another youth,
And worse essays proved thee my best of love.
Now all is done, have what shall have no end:
Mine appetite I never more will grind
On newer proof, to try an older friend,
A god in love, to whom I am confined.
Then give me welcome, next my heaven the best,
Even to thy pure and most most loving breast.
Analysis
In sonnet 110, the poet confesses to dishonest behavior, but these faults have revitalized him. He will no longer look elsewhere but devote himself to his beloved, whom he hopes will welcome him back.
Shakespeare laments that, as suspected, he has gone here and there, looked foolish, and allowed his thoughts to divide, acted as if the most valuable thing were worthless, and used new friends to commit old infidelities. He admits to treating true love strangely and with disdain, but swears by heaven, these moments when he has swerved aside has made him feel young again. By auditioning other lovers, he has proved to himself that his beloved really is the best person for him. He is done with everything but their love, which will have no end. There is no more appetite for new lovers, causing suffering to an old friend, who is now his god of love, and our poet is a monotheist. He asks to be welcomed me back by a pure and loving heart; the next best thing to heaven.
Scholar’s Corner
Not all sonnets are love stories– not even this one! It has been debated by many critics and scholars whether or not sonnet 110 was written about Shakespeare’s career in the theater or if the sonnet is of a romantic nature, while being addressed to a young man. The lines in the sonnet could be related to the stage but scholars Virginia L. Radley and David C. Redding disagree stating that sonnet 110 is, “addressed to an old friend of the poet’s.” [1]
Vazac’s Bar, Manhattan
“With its large multi-paned tudor window and arched castle-like entry door, Horseshoe Bar (also known as 7B after the corner it’s on and Vazac’s after the 1930s catering hall that it replaced a few decades ago) looks like the type of place Model T Fords would be parked outside of. The rough-hewn, dark-wood interior fixtures include a U-shaped bar enclosing a towering wall of booze that has appeared in movies like The Godfather II and Crocodile Dundee. The bar itself is the size of a moat, long enough for 31 taps of beer (the bottle selection is also extensive, spanning PBR to Leffe, a great Belgian blonde). Several of the daytime patrons are as old and weathered as the graffitoed woodwork, and certainly didn’t come of age to the tunes on the punk-heavy jukebox. During the weekends the fake-ID set fills the rickety booths and packs the aisles solid, but when the kids aren’t banging on the Spiderman pinball machine or documenting their makeout sessions in the old-time photo booth, 7B is the place to kick back, watch the game, and relax—if power chords are relaxing.” — Daniel Maurer, NY Magazine [1]
References
ACTOR – Kim Krane
Kim Krane is thrilled to be a part of the The Sonnet Project as presented by New York Shakespeare Exchange. She also works with the company as an associate producer, director and actor for ShakesBEER. Credits include: Emily Weldon in Butcher (Harold Clurman Lab), Virginia Galilei in The Life of Galileo (Cleveland Play House), Simone in Elemeno Pea (Access Theater), Naomi in KEEP (The Barrow Group), Anna in A Bright New Boise (Dobama) and Mamillius/Perdita (Cleveland Play House MFA). Kim also regularly performs for Amios Theatre Co.’s monthly theatre pressure cooker called SHOTZ at the Kraine Theatre. She is a co-founder of the production company Mastodon. She holds an MFA from the Case Western Reserve/Cleveland Play House training program and a BA from Western Michigan University.
www.kimkrane.com
DIRECTOR – Michael Mullen
Michael Mullen has been a filmmaker and actor for over ten years. NYC based, Michael has degrees in film and acting from Columbia University and Cal State University Northridge. In addition to filmmaking and acting Michael is a professor at Nassau College. More information about Michael’s films can be found on his production company’s website: www.blackboxnyc.com
STORY BY – David Lally
David Lally is an Obie award-winning playwright and has appeared in Jeff Weiss’s Obie award-winning And That’s How The Rent Gets Paid, in addition to having written, directed and produced a string of plays in NYC since 2008, including Little Edie & The Marble Faun and The White Person’s Guide To The Harlem Renaissance. He has performed improv with his own comedy group, The Oxy-Morons as well as with The Second City and The Boys in the Bathroom in Chicago. He founded Triple X Productions, which produced his Jeff award-winning Bewitched, The Musical. In television, he has been a staff writer for Entourage and Teen Wolf, script editor for ABC Family’s Bunheads and worked production on shows as diverse as Orange is the New Black and How To Make It In America. He is currently in development on two pilots for Paramount Pictures, as well as a new play to debut in 2016.