Shakespeare involved in new collaborative work.

[dragonzfaerie]

Two Gentlemen of Lebowski hit the internet this week and is already making a bunch as “The Knave abideth” (epilogue) and I laughed at “I still read Ben Jonson manually.” (IV.iii) He is a huge fan of the movie and likes a little Shakespeare now and again, while I'm the opposite.

Doom felt that there was a problem with making The Big Lebowski into an Elizabethan play. Namely, that the dude is supposed to be the representation of his generation. I argue that the specific universality of the story makes it perfectly in keeping with Shakespeare's plays. By specific universality, I mean the way in which it tells a very specific story that is grounded in a time and place, while the ideas expressed and themes reach a more universal understanding. I usually do not make the “universal truth of the human condition” kind of Shakespeare argument. However, the way people think about Shakespeare and I think it is also the way people think about The Big Lebowski.

Much of it, I feel is really well done. Large chunks of dialog are in Iambic Pentameter while the author manages to transfer many of the jokes in the movie to the play. My biggest concern, however, is for the seeming randomness of allusions to actual Shakespearean plays, which I can see were done for comedic effect rather than to draw actual parallels between the plays.

It is a creative endeavor, and quite amusing.  I highly recommend it for a good hearty laugh.