Montague, or: Capulet

Posted on by ben Alexander

Blank verse in honor of The Bard

O William Shakespeare, wherefore art thou a commoner?
Disregard your profession's low esteem.
Seven lost years have given rise to myths
And conjecture piques curiosity.
Social status is but arbitrary:
Thou art The Bard, though not a commoner.
What's a commoner? It is nor mind nor heart
Nor force nor soul nor any other part
Essential to a man. O disclaim thy status.
What's in a rank? He whom we call a bard
In any other clothes would write as sweet;
So Shakespeare would, were he not a poet,
Retain that sheer genius which he owes
Regardless of rank. Dear Bard, doff cheap norms,
And for those norms, which are no part of thee,
inspire masses.

d’Verse poetics prompt: Homage to The Bard

Below is a list of titles of some of Shakespeare’s plays. At d’Verse, poets have been encouraged to do ONE of the following:

  1. Write a poem based on the theme of your chosen play (be sure to mention which play you have chosen at the end of your poem, or use the play’s title as your poem’s title).
  2. Use your chosen title somewhere within your poem (you can also use it as the title of the poem, if you wish).
  3. For those of you who like an extra challenge, you can attempt to weave several (or all) of these play titles into your poem:

Romeo and Juliet
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Twelfth Night
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Tempest
Othello
Macbeth
The Taming of the Shrew
Cymbelline
A Winter’s Tale
Julius Caesar
Hamlet
The Merchant of Venice

Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

29 thoughts on “Montague, or: Capulet”

  8. You do him very proud Poet
    His life story, what we don’t know and what we do
    Indeed inspired many who took on the cloak of discipline to plough through and enact his work.
    The conjectures are many and folk delight going off on their own trajectory
    But you as part of the chosen few
    Poses the intrinsic questions and essentials, then take off on your Shakespearen journey.

    I had to breathe and take my time to follow the flow of your Shakespeare thought
    Thou art The Bard

Comments are closed.