The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

by Christopher Marlowe

COME live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.

There will we sit upon the rocks
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.

There will I make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.

A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull,
Fair linèd slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold.

A belt of straw and ivy buds
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my Love.

Thy silver dishes for thy meat
As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be
Prepared each day for thee and me.

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my Love.

"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe. Public Domain.

As Time Goes By

The British As Time Goes By shows that romance doesn't end when a person turns say 40. With Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, As Time Goes By, delights with witty repartee as the sitcom shows a couple who met in their youth during Korean war. They were engaged, but a letter never reaches her and their relationship ends.

Fast forward to our current era and they meet again and rekindle their love while trading witticisms.

In recent times they reunite due to happy coincidence. Each episode is full of wit and a British level of heart. My PBS station features As Time Goes By on Saturdays at 7pm.

Brooke's Toast

I've become a fan of the CW drama One Tree Hill, a fan with some some reservations, when the show gets too far fetched. (Where are Jake's parents when he needs them? Peyton's dad when she was stalked?)

Yet I must commend the show for it's high's. It's bold to have a married high school couple stay married as Nathan and Haley have. I sure didn't expect that, but it is believable. The premise of Lucas and Nathan being half brothers, one shunned, the other beloved - in the beginning - works.

There have been several good scenes including this one, in which despite having her own heart broken when she learns her best friend loves her boyfriend, Brooke has the selflessness and grace under pressure to offer this.

* It's a shame I can't embed this video. That capability was disabled.

You've Got Mail

Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in a perfect movie in my book. It's smart and witty. I love the banter between Ryan and Hanks. Every plot development is completely natural. I not only cared about this opposites-attract couple getting together, I really cared about the little bookstore. I hate seeing it close down each time I watch this modern classic.

The supporting cast is strong; each character is unique, real. Everyone's playing at the top of their game. I wish they'd reunite for some project, not necessarily a sequel.

I really miss this level of quality in film. Where are the new romantic comedies of this ilk?

She Stoops to Conquer

I finished my May classic for my book club. We're reading Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, an 18th century comedy. Well, it was pretty good, though I think dated. The plot hinges on mistaken identities and there's some romance, but really if the couple hadn't gotten together that would have been fine and the humor wasn't that great. I liked it better than Misanthrope, but that's not a ringing endorsement. If I were giving a course on British drama or even 18th century literature, this would not be required reading. Perhaps I'm change my mind after the online discussion.

Actually, I doubt it. The plot is so contrived.

Shakespeare's Sonnet 116

I'm memorizing this Shakespearean sonnet. It appears in several films and TV shows like Sense & Sensibility and One Tree Hill.

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz

by Pablo Naruda

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

I saw the part I've put in bold on a subway sigh.

Much Ado About Nothing

A strong ensemble cast make this Shakespearean comedy a delight. Well, the only weak link was Keanu Reeves, who was wooden throughout. Otherwise I enjoyed this story and especially relished how merry everyone was. I have to use that word "merry" as the people in the story were so happy, in a way that we just aren't nowadays.

I hadn't seen or read this play before and liked the language, as one would expect. Denzel Washington was great as were Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branaugh. Michael Keaton was kind of odd in his role, but not as bad as Reeves. I know he was the villian, but Keanu just seemed so constipated throughout the story.

I liked the costumes and the setting in the summer at an Italian villa. The pretend horses the nobles and guards rode were taken from Monty Python, but I didn't think that worked. Yet there was enough that was good to keep watching.

I was surprised at how serious things got at the climax. We just don't go that far in comedies. All seemed lost for a while.

It's a fun way to check a classic off one's bucket list.

Sandra Found This

Sandra found this gem on YouTube. It's Matthew MacFayden reading Shakespeare's Sonnet 29.

Favorite Films

Off the top of my head my favorite Romantic Comedy films are:

• You've Got Mail
• When Harry Met Sally
• Sabrina, the original with Audrey Hepburn
  
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Philadelphia Story
• Emma
  
• Once, though it's not quite a comedy
• About a Boy
• Sense and Sensibility
• French Kiss, I'm quite a Meg Ryan fan
• Breakfast at Tiffany's, I'm a big Audrey Hepburn fan
  

Mission

I love Romantic Comedies and this blog will serve to share my opinions, my pics and pans on the genre.

I'll feature films, TV programs, novels and YouTube finds, from classic to modern stories.