Paper Three

Eminem: The Shakespeare of our time?

Hindsight is an odd thing. It would surprise many to learn that William Shakespeare, today unanimously recognised as a brilliant and even ingenious poet and playwright, did not always possess the highly respected reputation that he does today. Renowned French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire famously referred to Shakespeare as “a drunken savage with some imagination whose plays please only in London and Canada”.[1] That Stratford’s most famous son drew such ire from a figure of such esteem is astonishing, but there is truth to the old cliché that artists are rarely properly appreciated during their lifetime.

One artist who has lived to enjoy critical acclaim but has also attracted his fair share of vitriolic detractors is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known to the world as Eminem. The rapper, songwriter and record producer has sold nearly 90 million albums worldwide, making him the best selling recording artist of the 2000s and one of the best selling artists of all time. In spite, or perhaps because, of this success, Eminem has been subject to substantial criticism concerning the content of his lyrics.  Like Shakespeare, his work is populist and appealing to the masses, but it is also defined by a strong sense of craftsmanship and artistry. Is it possible that Eminem is to our era what Shakespeare was to his?

Much like Shakespeare, Eminem is a man of humble beginnings. Born in 1972 in Detroit, the young Marshall Mathers grew up with an alcoholic mother and an absent father. The hardships he encountered while growing up proved to be effective fuel for his music and before long, his demo tape found its way to Dr. Dre, founding member of N.W.A. and one of the most respected record producers in the business. That he was impressed enough by a white rapper’s work to give him a record deal is testament to Eminem’s talent; hip hop culture at the time was largely celebrated by black audiences, and it has been noted that Dr. Dre seriously risked his reputation and credibility by going against the grain in the way he did. However, since his 1999 breakthrough with The Slim Shady LP, Eminem has not only conquered the hip-hop world but also broken into the mainstream, becoming a figure as ubiquitous in popular culture as Shakespeare himself. Eminem’s lyrics are even beginning to be studied

Critics of hip-hop are numerous and wide-ranging, with many focusing on the attitudes of misogyny and homophobia that pervade the work of many rappers. Eminem is no exception; the words “bitch”, “hoe” and “faggot” are commonly found in his songs. In a piece for The New York Times entitled In America; A Musical Betrayal, Bob Herbert opines, with a choice of words not unlike that of Voltaire, that “in Eminem’s world all women are “whores” and he is eager to rape and murder them”.[2] Such criticisms are not entirely unfounded, but they ignore the thematic resonance of Eminem’s lyrical matter. Just as works by Shakesepeare such as Macbeth explore themes of murder and sexuality in a highly vivid manner, Eminem aims to remove his audiences from their comfort zone with his harsh criticism of society. Though his ironic appropriation of hip-hop culture behaviour was harder to distinguish from actual bigotry earlier in his career, Eminem has become more mature and visibly thoughtful in recent years.

No song better displays Eminem’s linguistic dexterity and lyrical mastery than his 2000 single Stan. The song was included on his album The Marshall Mathers LP and samples British singer Dido’s hit single “Thank You”, with the lyrics being written and performed from the point of view of an obsessive fan writing increasingly personal and frustrated letters to Eminem but receiving no reply. In the final verse, Eminem finally finds the time to write a letter back, but realises his fan Stan has killed himself and his pregnant girlfriend in an intoxicated rage. The song is a chilling account of mental illness, celebrity worship and the tragedy that can occur when the two collide:

“I can relate to what you’re saying in your songs

So when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put ‘em on

Cause I don’t really got shit else so that shit helps when I’m depressed

I even got a tattoo of your name across my chest

Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds

It’s like adrenaline; the pain is such a sudden rush for me

See everything you say is real and I respect you ‘cause you tell it

My girlfriend’s jealous because I talk about you 24/7”[3]

In just eight lines, Eminem paints an amazingly three-dimensional portrait of the character Stan, hinting at undiagnosed mental and emotional problems and suppressed homoerotic desires. Not only are the lyrics rich in thematic content, but Eminem displays an impressive skill in rhythm and rhyming; not only do the last words of lines rhyme with each other as in most rap music, but Eminem also includes multiple rhyming words within individual lines such as, “So when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put ‘em on”. Despite his fame and multiple awards, I feel Eminem is underrated in terms of his linguistic prowess; his use of metaphor and wordplay is extremely similat to that of Shakespeare himself.

Whatever one’s personal stance on Eminem and the content of his music, it is undeniable that he is extremely talented. I believe it is entirely possible that hundreds of years from now, future generations will hold Eminem in the same regard as William Shakespeare. Even if this does not transpire, I believe the mere possibility to be extremely exciting and worth discussion. Indeed, the very fact that one can raise such a possibility without it seeming wholly ridiculous is testament to the possibility that Eminem’s future legacy will eclipse his current fame.

Bibliography

Armstrong, Dido, Herman, Paul and Mathers, Marshall. Stan Aftermath Entertainment: Interscope Records, 2000.

Herbert, Bob. “In America; A Musical Betrayal” The New York Times,

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/29/opinion/in-america-a-musical-betrayal.html

Voltaire. The Shakespeare Book of Lists, edited by Michael LoMonico, 34. U.S.A.: Book-mart Press, 2001.

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[1] Voltaire, “The Shakespeare Book of Lists”, ed. Michael LoMonico (U.S.A.: Book-mart Press, 2001) 34.

[2] Bob Herbert, “In America; A Musical Betrayal,” The New York Times,

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/29/opinion/in-america-a-musical-betrayal.html (accessed on April 25, 2012).

[3] Dido Armstrong, Paul Herman and Marshall Mathers, Stan (Aftermath Entertainment: Interscope Records, 2000).

She's The Man

So I wanted to discuss, however briefly, the debate that at times threatened to tear our class apart: adaptation vs. appropriation. I don't think there are many films better for solidifying one's position on the matter than the iconic Amanda Bynes vehicle She's The Man:

I think we can probably all agree that She's The Man is the latest in a long line of classic American sports films, but is it an adaptation or an appropriation? This is a question that saw tables being turned over and bins being thrown, but in my personal opinion, the two words don't mean entirely different things. There's some overlap between them, but a popular opinion seemed to be that a film claiming to be derived from a Shakespearean work can't be considered an adaptation if it doesn't include the original language. Under this definition, any film that strays from the text even slightly would have to be considered an appropriation. I have to say I disagree, and I think it's odd that this debate only seems to be had when Shakespeare is involved. How often is David Fincher's Fight Club referred to as an appropriation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel? Does anyone consider The Lord of the Rings trilogy to be anything other than an adaptation of Tolkien's work? What would it take for to be an appropriation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger's comic creation as opposed to an adaptation? All of these films make significant departures from their source material, and yet the word 'appropriation' is rarely invoked in conversations concerning them.

She's The Man retains superficial similarities to Twelfth Night, with characters such as Viola and Duke Orsino interacting in a setting named Illyria. The film also shares its major plot points with the original play. There are vast differences in execution, of course, but the narrative structure is actually very similar. To this end, it would be fair to call She's The Man a story inspired by Twelfth Night, but I'm of the opinion that it is an adaptation nonetheless. I'll put it this way: if instead of making a film, director Andy Fickman had instead organised a stage production of Twelfth Night that took place in an American high school, would the matter of adaptations vs. appropriations even be raised? It seems to be an issue unique to Shakespearean films, which I think is very odd indeed. Only the Bard could inspire such passion.

Dead Poet's Society

I've already covered the performance of Romeo and Juliet found within Hot Fuzz, but that was clearly intended for comic effect. The performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream that is featured towards the end of Dead Poets Society is far more poignant and bittersweet:

For those unfamiliar with the film (if there are such people in the world), Robert Sean Leonard's character Neil Perry desperately wishes to be an actor, but is told firmly by his father that he will be enrolling at Harvard to study medicine. Despite being expressly forbidden from doing so, Neil successfully auditions for the role of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Discovering Neil's secret, his father attends the performance, his emotions implacable. As the cast take their bows, Neil smiles proudly, with both him and the audience expecting the skill he displayed during the play to have moved his father to the point of being permitted to pursue a career as an actor. This is not the case, however, and the film departs from this expected narrative when Neil's father decides to enroll his son in military school to instill discipline in him. Unable to cope with the life his father wants for him, Neil commits suicide.

Director Peter Weir's depiction of A Midsummer Night's Dream in his film is indicative of how powerful Shakespeare can be at its best: wondrous, mysterious, playful and heartfelt. It is no surprise that Neil falls so deeply in love with acting through performing in the play, as it presents an entirely different world from his prim and proper prep school and the life of medical study that lies in his future. Ultimately, however, this fantasy becomes so important to him that he decides that he'd rather not live at all if he cannot achieve it.

Once more unto the drink, dear friends

In keeping with its prestigious reputation, the University of Oxford commonly attracts students of a wealthy, prosperous sort, with many of them hailing from old English families with significant footholds in history. Socially and financially exclusive, the Bullingdon Club is a private dining club formed over 200 years ago and can only be joined by invitation. The Club has no permanent rooms; instead, its members are historically notorious for drunkenly destroying the premises and property of others and paying for the damage afterwards. Both current Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson were members of the Bullingdon during their time at Oxford, leading to much doubt as to their ability to represent the British people as a whole and not just the wealthy elite.

The cast of the University of Manchester Drama Society's
production of Posh in February 2011 - I'm on the
far left!

First performed in London's Royal Court Theatre in 2010, Posh by Laura Wade is a play that satirises the Bullingdon and its members, taking place during a dinner meeting of the fictional Riot Club. What ensues is an evening of drunken debauchery and violence, ending in a very serious injury being inflicted upon an innocent bystander. Performing in the role of Guy Bellingfield in February 2011, I participated in one of the first amateur productions of the play in the country. I had a great time acting in the play, and I forged many of my best friendships during rehearsals.

At one point in the proceedings, the flamboyant Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt insists upon reviving a forgotten club tradition of members performing entertainments during dinner. Having received permission to perform a poem of his own creation, Hugo stands upon his chair and delivers the following verse:

Once more unto the drink, dear friends, once more,

And give a roar for all our English drunk.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As Milo's sweetness and sobriety;

But when the call to drink rings in his ears,

He'll imitate the action of the Tubester;

Stiffen the member, summon up the sword,

Disguise understanding with hard-drinking rage;

Then look like Guy with terrible aspect;

Burning eyes 'neath the wiggage of the head

Like the George Balfour; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as does a Grecian frown

O'erhang and jutty poor Dimitri's face,

Steeped in the wild and wanton Ouzo.

Now be like Ryle and stretch the gullet wide,

Be Harry the brave, and hold up every sabre

To its full height. On, you noblest Riot,

Whose blood is fet from vodka 80 proof!

Drinkers that, like so many Old Etonians

Have in these parts from morn till even drank,

Then drank some more for love of Leighton.

Dishonour not dead members; now attest

That Knights like our Lord Riot did beget you.

Be envy now to clubs of weaker blood,

And teach them how to drink. The game's afoot!

Pour out the spirits, and with glasses charged

Cry, "God for Harry, Dimitri and Alistair, James, Toby, Edward, Milo,

Hugo, Guy and George!"

As is pointed out by other club members, this is merely "a bit of Shakespeare with our names in it", but Hugo is successful in entertaining his fellow Rioters.  This is an interesting perversion of King Henry's iconic monologue from Henry V; not only does Hugo replace the patriotic and jingoistic enthusiasm of the original monologue with crude references to binge drinking, he also replaces this sense of national pride with far more elitist overtones. In particular, the reference to Old Etonians is indicative of the monied white boys club that the government has become in the last couple of years. That Hugo not only reuses but alters the words of an inherently English figure such as Shakespeare perfectly epitomises the mindset of the Riot Club: England will be theres, and they will do whatever they want with it.

The Hip Hop Shakespeare Company

Lately I've found myself fascinated by the connections between Shakespeare and hip hop, and it is likely that I will end up writing my final paper on this topic. I found a great video of the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company, founded by London rapper Akala:

Rap is an art form that is criminally undermined by its mainstream representation. Very few hip hop songs in the charts are any good, with many of them glorifying violence, sexism and homophobia. As Akala says, his work with the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company focuses on rap from the eighties and nineties, when the genre as a whole produced more socially conscious work. I don't believe the connection to be tenuous at all; the best rappers such as Ice Cube, 2Pac and Mos Def use extremely clever witticisms and wordplay to highlight and critique serious issues including gang culture, black on black violence and the treatment of women in society. Shakespeare himself was not above puns and double entendres, and many of his uses of these devices are cherished as great artistic touches. It feels as if there's an intellectual bias against hip hop - one that I hope society is able to overcome over time.

What was it Shakespeare said?

Once again, I've unfortunately run into a YouTube killjoy who has disabled embedding on their videos. For an amusing twenty second clip, click here:

http://youtu.be/gH89oDQcApM

This is an excerpt from Peep Show, my favourite English comedy show and one of my top favourites overall. The show explores the mindset of two thirty-somethings sharing a flat in Croydon, and is known for deriving humour from psychologically dark and uncomfortable subject matter. In this clip, perpetually jobless drug user Jeremy has begun to turn over a new leaf, claiming he is in love with neighbour Elena. Mark, ever sardonic and pessimistic, is highly skeptical. Unable to describe his emotions with his own words, Jez attempts, as so many have before him, to invoke the words of Shakespeare without really understanding how:

"What was it Shakespeare said?"

"He said a lot of things, Jeremy."

"He basically said something about how there are more things there than there are actual things that you can see with your eyes. That's not the exact quote."

It's interesting that if you ask somebody to quote Shakespeare, a large number of people will not fully understand the context of their own reply. For example, "To be or not to be" is often quoted by people, but how many of them know that this line refers to Hamlet's decision whether or not to kill himself? In the clip, Jeremy tries to relate what he thinks are highly romantic feelings through the use of a Shakespeare quote that doesn't even exist; his effort to appear to have cultural capital only serves to undermine his own intelligence. Peep Show is full of clever social criticism like this and I heartily recommend it to any fan of sharp and biting humour that examines the mental state of the modern man.

The Bad Sleep Well

Japanese director Akria Kurosawa is one of the most respected filmmakers in the history of the medium, receiving critical acclaim for his work and influencing a generation of now legendary directors such as Steven Speilberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorcese and George Lucas. Though his approach to narrative and story structure has been studied widely, some of Kurosawa's most famous films are actually adaptations of Shakespeare plays: Throne of Blood is based on Macbeth, Ran is based on King Lear and The Bad Sleep Well is based on Hamlet.

Rather than the characters belonging to the Danish royal family, Kurosawa sets his story within a corrupt corporation against the backdrop of a bombed-out, post-war Japan. Played by regular Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune, Koichi Nishi abandons his prominent position within the company to uncover those who conspired to murder his father and bring them to justice. The success of the modified story is testament to the universality of Shakespeare; while retaining most of the key plot points from Hamlet with few major alterations, Kurosawa uses the the story to craft a damning criticism of corporate corruption.

While the concept is an interesting take on the source material, I found myself unable to engage with the characters of the film; much like the titular bad, I found myself sleeping very well indeed. I think this may well be a fault on my part rather than Kurosawa's; having grown up with kinetic, naturalistic films, Kurosawa's theatrical and deliberately paced style was at odds with my viewing comfort zone. Despite this, I found the imagery of the film to be breathtaking, with much of the action taking place in disused quarries and bomb shelters. The bleak landscapes reflect Nishi's desperate state of mind as he struggles to find his father's killers while trying not to lose himself completely to darkness. As in the original play, The Bad Sleep Well is a detailed and methodical character study and meditation on the nature of revenge.