Oberon Shakespeare Study Group

The Met's Macbeth simulcast on Saturday, Jan. 12 was a very interesting production directed by Adrian Noble. Standout for me was tenor Dimitri Pittas as MacDuff , especially in his fourth act aria " O figli miei...Ah, la paterna mano" when he responds to being told that his family has been slaughtered. Macbeth IV, iii All my pretty ones? Did you say all? -- O hell-kite! -- All? What, all my pretty chickens and their dam At one fell swoop? English translation of the Italian aria: Oh my children! You have all been killed by that tyrant, together with your poor mother! Ah, did I leave a mother and her children in the clutches of that beast? Alas, a father's hand was not there to shield you, my dear ones, from the treacherous assassins who put you to death. And in vain you called on me, a fugitive, in hiding, with your last gasp, with your last breath. Lord, bring me face to face with this tyrant, and if he escapes me let your merciful arms open to him.

Exciting news for Oberon to kick off the New Year! Not only is our first meeting next Thursday evening, January 17, but our guest speaker will be Mr. Charles Adams Kelly of Howland Research in Ann Arbor, author of Echoes and Shadows in the Texts of Shakespeare's Hamlet , a new study of the first editions of Hamlet . Mr. Kelly will tell us about his research into the issue of whether the First Quarto of Hamlet is a pirated edition, an unauthorized text, or whether it represents a legitimate development, such as an early draft, of that great play. His presentation will offer further impetus to our Hamlet project. Advance reports by Linda Theil and Richard Joyrich, who have met Mr. Kelly, are enthusiastic. This promises to be an evening of fascinating discussion. Please make sure it is on your schedule. Doors open at 6:45 at the Farmington Community Library , Room B. The library is on 12 Mile Rd. between Orchard Lake Road and Farmington Road. Hope your holiday was joyous and that yo...