The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 13.0162  Thursday, 24 January 2002

From:           Dana Shilling <
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Date:           Wednesday, 23 Jan 2002 10:52:13 -0500
Subject:        Skin Deep

Is any male character in any play specifically described as
good-looking? Juliet, Rosalind, and Viola are quite attracted to Romeo,
Orlando, and Orsino (respectively!) but that's not quite the same thing.
Ophelia says Hamlet used to be "the glass of fashion and the mould of
form," but again that needn't imply he was handsome, tall, or slender.
If I recall correctly, both Henry V and Hotspur describe themselves as
plain, and Richard III has quite a few words on the subject of his
loathsome ugliness.

I was surprised to agree with Charles Weinstein about anything, but I,
too, think Derek Jacobi was a terrific Hamlet in the BBC series.
Especially for a short pudgy gay guy.

Dana Shilling

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