Sara
asked
Nicole Galland:
What is your favourite Shakespeare play and why? Why do you think it is the most special, what stands out for you the most?
Nicole Galland
Choosing a favorite one is hard - depends on my mood!
The easy answer is Othello. My novel I, Iago is a retelling of that play. I've helped adapt more than 2 dozen of Shakespeare's works, but Othello is the one I've lived in the deepest. It has such a clean, clear dramatic arc. Shakespeare loved to juggle subplots or change course unexpectedly - yet nearly every syllable in every line of Othello is there to push the story toward its tragic climax. And Iago is a charismatic villain because of how he works the audience - I have a weakness for bad guys with a twinkle in their eye. (Since I married the fellow who played Iago for me, I guess I am a little biased...)
If I'm in a mood for more variation (Othello is like a locomotive that goes from A to B without detouring as many of his plays do), I think I'd choose either Richard III (a tragic history with some terrifically strong women, and Richard, although evil, is at least as charismatic as Iago) or Twelfth Night (which has a wide range of comedic style from highbrow to fart jokes, but also an underlying poignant soulfulness). And when I'm feeling a little ADD, Midsummer Night's Dream is the polar opposite of Othello - it's all over the map - literally, structurally and emotionally.
The easy answer is Othello. My novel I, Iago is a retelling of that play. I've helped adapt more than 2 dozen of Shakespeare's works, but Othello is the one I've lived in the deepest. It has such a clean, clear dramatic arc. Shakespeare loved to juggle subplots or change course unexpectedly - yet nearly every syllable in every line of Othello is there to push the story toward its tragic climax. And Iago is a charismatic villain because of how he works the audience - I have a weakness for bad guys with a twinkle in their eye. (Since I married the fellow who played Iago for me, I guess I am a little biased...)
If I'm in a mood for more variation (Othello is like a locomotive that goes from A to B without detouring as many of his plays do), I think I'd choose either Richard III (a tragic history with some terrifically strong women, and Richard, although evil, is at least as charismatic as Iago) or Twelfth Night (which has a wide range of comedic style from highbrow to fart jokes, but also an underlying poignant soulfulness). And when I'm feeling a little ADD, Midsummer Night's Dream is the polar opposite of Othello - it's all over the map - literally, structurally and emotionally.
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