Foliomania

DOWNTOWN WITH WILL: Monday morning, just after rush hour cleared, we headed downtown to the biggest branch of Seattle Public Libraries for a special opportunity to see rare, antiquated books containing Shakespeare's works.

Traffic was uncharacteristically easy, and we found The Best Parking Spot Ever, right outside the library door, remarkably. That meant we had some time to kill though, so we headed to a nearby drugstore and perused their offerings, which included super realistic masks of some of our favorite Seahawks. 

We eventually wandered back to the library and waited outside. I would estimate 90 percent of the 50 or so people waiting for the library to open were homeless individuals, looking for a warm place to spend the day. We made our way in with them, and watched as they each headed to what very well might be their regular daytime spots. Most headed immediately to computer workstations, plugged in headphones and settled in. A few others bolted for chairs or cubbyholes in remote parts of the 10-story, hive like library. If I were homeless in Seattle, I absolutely would consider calling the lovely Central branch of the library my home. It's gorgeous and inviting. 

We made our way to the eighth floor where the special Shakespeare folios were on display.

I'll let CJ tell you a bit more about them. ... 

The Seattle Public Library is holding an event to showcase a copy of "Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies," better known as the First Folio. The First Folio is a collection of several plays written by William Shakespeare, an iconic playwright and actor from the 16th and early 17th centuries. The First Folio was published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare's death, and was written by 2 of his partners in his acting company.

According to the Seattle Public Library's website, the Folio contains 36 plays, 18 of which were never published prior to the Folio, and may have been lost otherwise. The 18 plays published beforehand were only seen in books known as "quarto". According to the Seattle Public Library, scholars estimate that up to 750 copies of the First Folio were printed in 1623, with 233 known to exist today. In the exhibit at the Seattle Public Library, there were two folios present. One was a copy of the First Folio, opened to the iconic "to be or not to be" speech in Hamlet, and the other was the Third Folio, published approximately 40 years after Shakespeare's death. The Third Folio is rarer and more sought-after by collectors than the Second or Fourth folios, due to a large number of copies being destroyed in the great fire of London in 1666.

Personally, I noticed that in both of them, the lettering was difficult to read, due to the different nature of English 400 years ago. I also noticed that the paper in the copy of the Third Folio was seemingly subpar in quality, possibly due to the great fire.

On the wall in the room with the folios, there was other interesting information about Shakespeare and his plays, like the fact that we use several phrases and idioms heard in his plays today, like "foregone conclusion". I also learned that the famous "to be or not to be" speech from Hamlet has been read and performed by thousands of different actors and actresses, from on stage, to the radio, and on TV. Sources:http://www.spl.org/library-collection/first-foliohttp://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/facsimile/overview/book/F3.html

Below is a photo of the first folio.   

Can you find the famous quote? 

Hint: Look for "Enter Hamlet."

The Third Folio was open to "As You Like It."

Can you find the most famous line from that play? It's on page 194, about a quarter of the way down.

Interesting the old Ss look like Fs. ... 

On our way out of the exhibit, CJ had us all repeatedly go up and down the escalators on the fourth floor so that he could see an art installation over and over. 

Called "Braincast," the dynamic work is by artist Tony Oursler. A series of three video 'sculptures' projected onto ovoid objects is accompanied by a soundtrack of spoken words you can hear as you pass by. 

It's a little bit creepy, but in a hauntingly good way, to our eyes and ears.