It turns out I did sign up for Apple+. I blame (and thank) Chuck for the Severance recommendation. I am doing my best to spread the contagion. It's a great show.
Tonight I started watching The Tragedy of MacBeth. I think MacBeth and Hamlet are neck and neck for the title of most overrated Shakespearean plays. I'm a sucker for both. And come on - Denzel, Frances, and Brendan? What a cast.
I couldn't watch it all the way through. It prompted too many thoughts, which is a good thing. That ambition, the greed. How much is enough?
I'm obsessed with Byzantine history, and MacBeth has some things in common with John Tzimisces (Tzimiskes). Tzimisces was loved by his troops and killed (or had killed?) his uncle to become emperor. By most counts a very successful emperor. But at what cost? That's the eternal question, isn't it? No cost, better food, more perks vs. guilt, anguish, and judgement (yea, I prefer the e). Does George Bush wake up at night in cold sweats thinking about deaths in Iraq, or does he look forward to painting and mischievously handing a candy to Michelle Obama?
I'm hoping to see a Shakespearean play with characters named Hunter, James, Don Jr., Eric, Jared, and Ivanka. Joe and Don Sr. can leer on in the background. Corruption by any other name...