Last week I gave you an introduction to the Folger Library and a sneak peek at what's inside the Folger vaults. Today we wrap up my tour of the vaults.

Besides the shiny King Lear quarto and the obligatory First Folio and the Queen Elizabeth Bible, my noble guides Abbie and Alan had selected a number of other items from the collection that they thought would be of interest to me. This included a transcription of Shakespeare long-lost and totally-not-forged play King Vortigern, several comic book adaptations of Shakespeare, and...

Flipping through comic book adaptations of Macbeth and Twelfth Night. I am part of a noble tradition.  (Photo by Kate Pitt.)

Shakespeare rubber ducky. This is how cool the Folger is: this ducky is part of their collection. It's in the vaults. It has a call number. It's in the original packaging.

The Shakespeare ducky is probably as good a symbol as any for one of the things I loved most about the Folger Shakespeare Library. Yes, they have unparalleled collections and resources and knowledge and scholarship in the field of Shakespearean studies. They also appear to have a sense of humor, or, at the very least, an appreciation for the lighter side of Shakespeareana, and are happy to add an anime adaptation of Twelfth Night and a rubber ducky with questionable facial hair to the same collection that houses the most First Folios in the world. Pop culture Shakespeare is not shunned here - it is embraced, and that makes me so very happy.

Anyways... let's get back to the tour. After working our way through the table of wonders, Abbie and Alan led me back into the stacks, so I could see some volumes in their natural habitat. This, unsurprisingly, led to several more magical encounters.

My intrepid guides, posing with me and a Shakespeare rubber ducky. (Photo by Kate Pitt.)

You see, there are 234 surviving copies of First Folios on this earth. Each one is unique and magical and sparkly ponies and all that. BUT there is only ONE surviving first quarto of Titus Andronicus in the whole world, and IT WAS JUST SITTING THERE ON THE SHELF IN FRONT OF ME. I kind of lost control.

All the quartos, just hanging out on a shelf together, like NO BIG DEAL. Surviving quartos are, by and large, even rarer than Folios - the disposable paperbacks of their day.

In case you've ever wondered what I look like when I realize that I'm staring at the only first quarto of Titus Andronicus in existence... I look like this. (Photo by Kate Pitt.)

Of course, the Folger has a lot of stuff that is unique. I'm kicking myself now about not asking about the False Folio or some of Shakespeare's legal documents or other gems of the Folger collection, but there was a lot to process at the time and I was really busy bouncing up and down in excitement. Speaking of which...

Again, I must note that Abbie and Alan were, in fact, very supportive of me making "EEEEEEE" noises. 

Alan, just casually browsing the shelves of Folios. I know several of them are out on tour, but that's STILL A LOT OF FOLIOS.

Selfie with Folios. 

That wraps up my tour of the Folger Shakespeare Library vaults! Many thanks, again and always, to Alan and Abbie for being such fantastic, enthusiastic, and good-humored guides. Thanks also to the other assorted Folger staff members that I met on my tour, who all made me feel incredibly welcome. And thanks especially to Kate Pitt, for arranging all the details of this fantastic day for me.

Possibly the only time I thought about the benefits of a selfie stick. Hard to fit all this education awesomeness into a single frame.

Also, I wasn't able to make a comic of this, because sitting around a table having an excellent discussion about Shakespeare education in schools is hard to turn into a comic, but extra-special thanks to the Folger Education Department for meeting up with me and giving me a lot of exciting things to think about. 

Tune in Thursday for a re-cap of my talk at the Folger Theatre!

It's another looooong post today, folks, but that's because I just haven't been able to stop reliving my dream trip to the Folger Shakespeare Library. This is the last one, though, and wraps up the highlights of my Free Folger Friday talk on April 29. Thanks to everyone who came!

First, I had to show up early before the talk for a sound check.

You see... about a year ago I was daydreaming about being interviewed about my comic and thought "Oh gosh, if anyone ever asks me what my favorite speech from Shakespeare is, I'd better have a good answer." So I went out and memorized one of the most notorious monologues in the entire canon, the Salic Law speech from Henry V 1.2. I've always had a soft spot for this speech, despite its reputation as a horrible, rambling, brain-twister of a speech that is almost always cut down in performance. In case you're interested, here's one of my favorite renditions of the speech, courtesy of the great Tony Church:

Anyways, when Brandon, the Folger Theatre's sound guy, asked me to talk so he could adjust the levels of my mic, I seized the opportunity to finally deliver the Salic Law speech on stage and, more importantly, in front of a captive audience who couldn't run away. It was glorious.

The talk itself was a conversation between me at Kate Pitt, who works with the Folger's public programs unit and is an absolutely lovely human being. We chatted about how I got into Shakespeare (my dad's fault, mostly), how I started drawing stick figures (literally cannot draw anything else), and, most excitingly, the future of Good Tickle Brain.

Actually, I'm really excited about going full-time on Good Tickle Brain. There are SO many projects I want to work on, and now I can at least pretend that I'll have enough time to get to all of them. (If you're interested in supporting me, please visit the Good Tickle Brain Patreon page, which I've just launched. More on that later...)

Then it was time for Q&A with the audience! 

To be perfectly honest, I've only seen Timon of Athens once in my life. It was a brilliant production with some devastating performances, but much-younger-me totally failed to engage with the material, which crucially didn't involve people running around hitting each other with swords. I'd actually genuinely love to see Timon again and give it another chance, now that I am older and pretending to be wiser.

Anyways... if you're in the DC area you should totally go see the Folger's production of Timon of Athens next year because (a) it doesn't get performed very often and who knows when you'll have a chance to see it again, and (b) it's probably going to be awesome. 

After the Q&A, a large whiteboard was rolled out and I did some live-drawing. It wasn't my best work, artistically, because I've never drawn my stick figures that large before, but it got the point across. The point being "STICK FIGURES ARE NOT HARD TO DRAW". 

I then asked the audience to give me a secondary character from Shakespeare's plays, about whom I would then draw an impromptu three-panel play. Someone (sorry, I can't remember your name!) shouted out "Toby Belch", so I got to work. 

Here's the final comic, cleaned up from its whiteboard incarnation:

It may not be my best work, but it's the first time I've tried improv comic-ing, which was quite a lot of fun!

Anyways, a HUGE "thank you!" to everyone who showed up to my talk and to everyone who stopped by afterwards to chat and get things signed. You were such a great audience, so warm and welcoming, that I complete forgot to be a nervous wreck at the prospect of speaking for the first time in public about my comic. 

If you want to see photos of the event, check out this album on Facebook - all photos by Brittany Diliberto over at Bee Two Sweet Photography. 

Thanks (again) to the Folger for inviting me to come play in their wonderful playground, and thanks (again and always) to Kate Pitt for masterminding everything and geeking out with me about how awesome Emilia is. I can't wait to come back.

Hey everyone! As I mentioned obliquely in yesterday's post, I am now working full-time on Good Tickle Brain! This is very exciting, as it means I have more time to devote to other cool projects (priority #1 = making that flowchart poster a reality) besides just rushing to get each week's comics out on time. 

Of course, working full-time on Good Tickle Brain does come with it's own set of challenges, so, if you're interested in supporting my work, I've set up a Patreon page. Here, let me tell you all about it in this dorky, awkward, yet hopefully somehow endearing video that I made!

You can read up much more about how it works, plus see examples of the various rewards, over at my Patreon page. 

Again, I want to stress that Good Tickle Brain will continue to be a totally free webcomic. If you don't want to support me, or want to support me but can't afford to, that's absolutely fine. You can still come here twice a week for Shakespeare comics, and I will still love you. But, if you have the means, your patronage will help me take Good Tickle Brain to newer and geekier heights than ever before.

It's going to be a fun ride! Thank you so much!

Shakespeare's clowns have a reputation, founded or unfounded, for being extremely challenging for modern audiences to digest. In this week's comics, we take a closer look at one particularly egregious offender: Dogberry.

Poor old Dogberry... Nobody understands him.

...no, I mean, seriously... nobody understands a word he's saying...

In case you missed it, Good Tickle Brain is now on Patreon! Help support my work creating stick figure Shakespeare comics and get fun rewards, like bonus comics and video drawing tutorials!

On the opposite end of the clown spectrum from Dogberry (totally oblivious idiot) is Touchstone (brilliant, witty conversationalist). However, he often goes overboard, which can be just as incomprehensible...

Moral of the story: Don't get into an argument with Touchstone.

Tune in again next week, when we'll launch on another scene-by-scene adventure!

In case you missed it, Good Tickle Brain is now on Patreon! Help support my work creating stick figure Shakespeare comics and get fun rewards, like bonus comics and video drawing tutorials!

Time for another scene-by-scene retelling of an entire Shakespeare play! This time around I'm going to try my hand at adapting my first comedy, and it's one of my favorites: Twelfth Night. 

Let's get thing started with a good old who's who...

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Also, be sure to check out my Patreon page! For a small monthly subscription, you not only help me continue making stick figure Shakespeare comics, but you also get access to a variety of fun, exclusive perks!

You've checked out the dramatis personae, so let's get right into the opening scene of Twelfth Night, with one of Shakespeare's most famous opening lines!

Orsino is such a drama queen. He's also kind of an obsessive stalker at this point, with no respect for boundaries or for other people's feelings.

Don't be like Orsino, guys. He's got some good lines, but his interpersonal skills need help. Tune in next week to see if he gets it!

Good Tickle Brain on Air!

When I was at the Folger Shakespeare Library, I had the good fortune to chat with Austin Tichenor of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, who kindly interviewed me for their weekly podcast. It is now up and you can listen to me and Austin chatting about Good Tickle Brain! 

Also (and I swear I'll stop harping on about this soon) be sure to check out my Patreon page! For a small monthly subscription, you not only help me continue making stick figure Shakespeare comics, but you also get access to a variety of fun, exclusive perks!

My scene-by-scene re-telling of Twelfth Night saunters on, with today's comic seeing the introduction of one of Shakespeare's great female leads: Viola. 

FUN FACT: The name "Viola" isn't actually mentioned by any character until the last scene of the play! We literally have no idea what her real name is until the last scene. 

OTHER FUN FACT: "Viola" is pronounced "VIE-oh-lah" and not, as I originally thought in my youth,  "vee-OH-lah". One is a famous Shakespearean heroine, the other is a massively underrated string instrument.

And don't ask me about her cunning plan to disguise herself as a singing eunuch. I don't know. I just don't know.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2

Everyone has been talking about the Countess Olivia, so let's swing over to her household and see what's going on over there!

I love Sir Andrew. He's a total idiot, but such an endearing one. Sir Toby, meanwhile, is a dick. 

FUN FACT: Maria's name is pronounced "mah-RYE-ah" and not "mah-REE-ah". Fortunately, "Toby" and "Andrew" are pronounced pretty much like you'd expect them to be.

Dramatis Personae | 1. 1 | 1.2 | 1.3

Since we last saw Viola back in act 1, scene 2, she's had a haircut, found some clothes that look exactly like the clothes her drowned brother wore, adopted the name "Cesario", and has managed to inveigle her way into the inner circle of Duke Orsino. Whatever else she is, she's resourceful. 

As we move forward through Twelfth Night, here are some things to keep in mind:

1.  In Shakespeare's time, women weren't allowed to act on the stage, so all the female roles would have been played by boys. This makes everybody's total inability to realize that Cesario is actually a girl much more understandable.
2. If you are going to see a production of Twelfth Night, please do not get hung up on how much Cesario does NOT look like a boy (unless you're seeing an all-male production). It's called "willing suspension of disbelief". 
3. Having said that, please do feel free to laugh at how totally clueless everybody is about Cesario's true gender identity. No one in Illyria is particularly sharp on the uptake.

Tune in Thursday to see what happens when "Cesario" meets Olivia!

Dramatis Personae | 1. 1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 

While Cesario (a.k.a. Viola) in changing into her travelling trousers, let's nip over to Olivia's household and meet the much-discussed countess herself! Oh, and her fool too. Because every Shakespeare comedy needs a fool, apparently.

 To be honest, I find Feste one of the most tolerable fools in Shakespeare. Most of his jokes are at least recognizably funny (that is, you recognize that they're supposed to be funny), plus he's got a core of morose cynicism that makes him a rather interesting character in his own right. 

Tune in again next week to see what happens when Cesario met Olivia! 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 

So, when we last left the Countess Olivia, she was in mourning for her dead brother and refusing to entertain any of Orsino's ham-fisted overtures of love...

SO CLOSE, Malvolio, and yet SO FAR...

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2

I've discovered that I'm pretty terrible at writing reviews because (a) I tend to like everything and (b) if I don't like something, I don't want to make anyone feel bad by saying so. Fortunately, I liked the Stratford Festival's latest production of As You Like It. 

In case you've never seen As You Like It before, here's what happens in it.

No, it doesn't really make a lot of sense. No, you shouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy. 

As You Like It is playing at the Stratford Festival until October 22. If you've ever wanted to be a tree in the forest of Arden, this is your big chance. 

THE PLOT SO FAR: Orisno orders his young attendant, Cesario, to go win Olivia's love for him (Orsino), but Olivia is in mourning for her dead brother and "Cesario" is actually a cross-dressing girl named Viola, who is secretly in love with Orsino.

....you know, just your typical run-of-the-mill Shakespearean love triangle.

The "wooing" scene between Cesario and Olivia is one of my favorites. It's got some great poetry (see: the famous "willow cabin" speech) but, more importantly, is just plain charming. Olivia's flustration and panic at realizing she's falling in love with this page boy is simply adorable. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3

So, we've met Viola, who is in mourning for her brother who she believes was lost at sea, and who is now masquerading as a boy who just happens to look exactly like the aforementioned brother.

Let's meet the brother!

Boy/girl twins are never identical, but DON'T LET THIS FACT DISRUPT YOUR SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF. Just go on accepting that "Cesario" looks exactly like Sebastian. It'll make the subsequent plot hijinks much easier to digest. 

Also, someone give Antonio a hug. He needs a hug.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1

There's a new comic book available in my Shoppe! I've collected my scene-by-scene Macbeth comics, re-drawn all the artwork digitally (so it looks a lot cleaner and neater) and added exclusive commentary. Check it out today! 

As I've said before, I'm pretty bad at writing reviews because (a) I tend to like everything and (b) if I don't like something, I don't want to make anyone feel bad by saying so. So it was with some trepidation that I decided to review the Stratford Festival's production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, because I have disliked all my past encounters with Arthur Miller and didn't see how that was possibly going to change.

Before I start my review, this is what All My Sons is about:

As you can see, there's a lot of angst. I'm allergic to angst. So... how did I like it?

Seriously, this was really confusing for me because I went in 100% sure that I would enjoy the performances but hate the play... but I ended up loving EVERYTHING.

I'm not making this up, you guys. I enjoyed an Arthur Miller play. Send help. 

THE PLOT SO FAR: Cesario (Viola) has just left Olivia, whom he (she) was wooing on behalf of Orsino. Little does he (she) realize that his (her) proxy wooing has been more effective than he (she) thought...

Pronouns, eh?

I love the "I left no ring with her" monologue. It's funny, wistful, sad, all in one. Here's Judi Dench showing you how it's done:

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1 | 2.2

There's a new comic book available in my Shoppe! I've collected my scene-by-scene Macbeth comics, re-drawn all the artwork digitally (so it looks a lot cleaner and neater) and added exclusive commentary. Check it out today! 

So, Twelfth Night has basically two plots. One has clearly emerged by now: Viola's disguise as Cesario and the resulting love triangle between her, Orsino, and Olivia. The second one, which could be called the comedic subplot, is going to get underway in this week's scenes. 

He might throw good parties, but nothing will shake my conviction that Sir Toby is a jerk. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1

THE STORY SO FAR: While Viola is struggling with a cross-dressed love triangle, Sir Toby is busy partying into the wee hours of the night, accompanied (and funded) by his pal and patsy, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. This does not amuse Malvolio.

This bit of the scene actually has two of my favorite lines. One classic line is Sir Toby's "Dost thou think that because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" It's basically one of the best lines to trot out when someone is being smug and superior. LET'S HEAR IT FOR CAKES AND ALE. 

The second line I love is Sir Andrew's plaintive "I was adored once too." It's pathetic for a number of reasons, mostly because (a) it's part of a whole series of exchanges where Sir Andrew is basically running around after the big kids shouting "Oooh! Me too!" in a desperate attempt to win approval, and (b) it implies, probably accurately, that Sir Andrew is no longer adored.

When you're done giving Antonio a hug, give Sir Andrew a hug too. He needs a hug.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2

THE STORY SO FAR: Orsino sent Cesario (who is actually Viola and is in love with him) to woo Olivia on his behalf. Olivia fell in love with Cesario, who returns to Orsino to find him still moping about self-indulgently, wallowing in love-sickness.

The interplay between Viola and Orsino in this scene is adorable. She matches all his posturing with genuine, eloquent sentiment, and you can see him starting to think more seriously about his little pretty "boy" friend. 

Incidentally, in my favorite TV program of all time, John Barton's Playing Shakespeare, Barton rehearses this entire scene with Judi Dench and Richard Pasco. It's well worth a watch over your lunch break or something. Here's a sub-par YouTube clip of it:

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1