This Season's Shakespearean Power Couples
By Kathryn Neves, guest writer
Valentine’s Day is here, bringing with it boxes of chocolates and candy hearts. This time of year, love is greeting cards and rose bouquets and heart-shaped jewelry. For Shakespeare, though, love is rarely so simple; after all, as he tells us, “the course of true love never did run smooth.”
This year at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, we’ll see three of his most sensational romances take the center stage—showing us that love can be thrilling, tragic, powerful, and even a little mischievous. Let’s take a closer look at these Shakespearean lovebirds––romantic, tragic, and just the right kind of messy for Valentine’s Day.
Rosalind and Orlando—As You Like It
“That thou didst know how many fathom deep I am in love! But it cannot be sounded: my affection hath an unknown bottom, like the bay of Portugal.” Act 4, Scene 1
As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s best romantic comedies. With mistaken identities, role reversals, and a forest full of love letters nailed to trees, this play is always an audience favorite. The story follows Rosalind and Orlando, who fall in love at the beginning of the play. After being banished from the court, Rosalind flees and disguises herself as a young man named Ganymede—and, upon meeting Orlando in the woods, offers to cure him of his lovesickness. Still disguised as a young man, she acts out a romantic relationship with Orlando––Rosalind is playing Ganymede playing Rosalind. In the end [spoiler alert], all is revealed; there’s a wedding, the lovers return to the court, and they all live happily ever after.
Rosalind and Orlando have one of the most fun relationships of any Shakespearean couple in the canon. Their witty banter rivals even Beatrice and Benedick, or Kate and Petruchio. While disguised as Ganymede, Rosalind has the freedom to say exactly as she feels, and to display her wit in all its glory. In fact, Rosalind has the most lines of any female Shakespeare character—and is the only woman to have more lines than any of the men in her play. And she fits perfectly with Orlando; from his silly love letters posted on all the trees, to Rosalind’s teasing and clever turns of phrase, these two wordsmiths are made for each other.
Antony and Cleopatra—Antony and Cleopatra
“My heart was to thy rudder tied by th’ strings, / and thou shouldst tow me after.” Act 3, Scene 11
Antony and Cleopatra is the story of the tragic and tumultuous love affair between Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and Antony, a triumvir of Rome. In the middle of a complicated and violent political conflict, Antony continually chooses Cleopatra over himself, his men, and all of Rome; [and another spoiler alert] the result of their story is a disaster that ends in a double suicide (à la Romeo and Juliet), and the formation of the new Roman Empire.
For centuries before Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, people considered Antony and Cleopatra––though older in age–– to be the prime example of star-crossed lovers. Separated by their nations and their families, caught up in violent conflict, and driven to desperation at the thought of being apart, these historical figures (and their countless fictional counterparts over the centuries) were prime fodder for Shakespeare’s pen. Like Romeo and Juliet, these lovers are overly hasty and reckless. Their rash decisions lead to heartbreak. But, like the best romantic dramas, Antony and Cleopatra’s passion is unstoppable—and always entertaining.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth—Macbeth
“This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou might’st not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee.” Act 1, Scene 5
One of Shakespeare’s most brilliant works, Macbeth is a tragic tale of ambition, greed, vulnerability, and fear coming together to cause ruin, culminating in one of the bloodiest tragedies in the English language. After three witches prophesy that he will be king, Macbeth and his wife take fate into their own hands. They murder the current king, discredit his heirs, and embark on a bloodbath that ends with dozens of bodies slain across the field of Dunsinane—[yet another spoiler alert] including themselves.
This horror and bloodshed might not seem like a great atmosphere for a romance; but believe it or not, Lady Macbeth and her husband are one of the best power couples in the entire canon. From the very beginning, Macbeth only trusts one person: his wife. Likewise, Lady M drops everything in order to support her husband’s plans (and okay, sure. Those plans are murder—but she’s a “ride-or-die” kind of wife). The Macbeths are on equal footing; something especially meaningful in Shakespeare’s time, when women were considered the property of men. They counsel and confide in each other; they make plans together; and when the danger comes, the Macbeths face it together. Really, if they weren’t committing regicide, we’d probably all be rooting for them.
Shakespeare’s greatest love stories remind us that love is rarely straightforward, and that’s what makes it unforgettable. This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating love in all its messy, wonderful forms. We hope to see you this summer for an unforgettable season of romance at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Happy Valentine’s Day!
