How could I go through this day without mentioning you? The first book I ever read in English was Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I know it’s a play, and yes, I also know that 12 years old is probably too young to understand the depths of love, sex, and suicide. But it was one of those things that made me feel cool.
I’d go to the library at school, slide my card across the desk, and ask for the book like I was already a college student. How silly and innocent I was. But I love that memory, and it’s beautiful that it’s tied to such a transcendent masterpiece.
After watching Pedro Pascal read an excerpt from the play, I felt inspired to share another monologue that brought me to tears: Richard II (Act 3, Scene 2).
KING RICHARD II:
For within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state, and grinning at his pomp;
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear’d, and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life
Were brass impregnable, and humour’d thus,
Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell, king!
Cover your heads and mock not flesh and blood
With solemn reverence; throw away respect,
Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty,
For you have but mistook me all this while;
I live with bread like you, feel want,
Taste grief, need friends; subjected thus,
How can you say to me, I am a king?”
And here’s the marvelous interpretation of this incredibly powerful acting by the talented Josh O’Connor, portraying a young Prince Charles in The Crown.
There’s a Shakespearean intensity in the way I created my characters for Seven Dimensions (coming soon!). To me, it was important to reflect on how an actor would approach these characters. Even though it’s a novel, not a play, I nurtured their personalities as if the story were meant for the stage rather than the page. This approach just made sense to me—it was the only way I could see the book coming to life. Spoiler: It works wonderfully. Yes, it took five years to get it right, but every second was worth it.
So, today, I want to say: Thank you, Master. I hope I can make you proud, Father of Literature.