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#i really like how he writes female characters. he also has a flair for macabre set pieces and spectacle
britneyshakespeare · 27 days
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Let slaves in mind be servile to their fears;
Our heart is high instarred in brighter spheres.
Fernando, IV.ii of Love's Sacrifice (1633) by John Ford
#i almost didn't read this play#john ford#poetry#caroline drama#english literature#there are 5 ford plays in this collection i borrowed from the library#and it's a loan from another library in the state which means it can't be renewed#i had read tis pity in a book i donated to savers and then decided i wanted to read perkin warbeck by ford#and maybe some others since tis pity was just so good#the broken heart was intriguing from a quote by charles lamb in the intro#and the lover's melancholy interested me since it was a tragicomedy#so those three plays (broken heart/warbeck/melancholy) i knew i had to read#and i had half a mind like yeah if i don't have much time before the due date i might return it wo reading sacrifice#(and i also read a few other things in between ford plays to just get a breather)#love's sacrifice might be his second best after tis pity#the broken heart was really good too. warbeck was a little strange but not bad. melancholy was... i had notes#but i still really enjoyed all 3#lover's melancholy and perkin warbeck suffer in comparison with the expectations i had from shakespeare's tragicomedies and history plays#they're still very worthwhile but ford is at his best in the tragic form#i really like how he writes female characters. he also has a flair for macabre set pieces and spectacle#i would love to direct any of these plays someday#i think all the time about how id direct like a bbc television shakespeare series but for other lesserknown playwrights#i would give so much to be able to bring ford's work to a general audience today#he has so much to say and is so entertaining
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