Wyrd Sisters Discussion *Spoilers*

[Dotsie]

Aah, that's it then. Bad parenting

[Tristan]

What is your favourite moment/are your favourite moments from Wyrd Sisters?

I love the three poor old wood-gatherers in the forest. While reading it I couldn't stop laughing. I still don't know the meaning of "lawks", but it sounded really funny in the context.

[Tonyblack]

Lawks! Don't you know that?

[Tristan]

I understood it was an expression of surprise...

This is a stereotypical utterance of a Cockney house-servant in literature, particularly 19th century and early 20th century literature, but by the end of the 20th century its use had become primarily ironic outside of historical fiction.

...But I didn't know this. 19th century English literature is not exactly my cup of tea.

[Tonyblack]

You now have one week to read or reread Thud! for the discussion that starts on Monday 1st March.

[Tonyblack]

I quite like the bit where Tomjon tries his 'word' magic on the bandits and it doesn't work. There's the confidence of the troupe that Tomjon is going to sort things out, followed by the disbelief that the bandit leader is immune.

In some ways it parallels what happens with the witches after the rumours about them have been spread. Granny nearly gets knocked over by a cart because her Headology doesn't work any longer. In many ways, Tomjon's skills are not unlike Granny's Headology.

[Draywoman]

I'd just like to share that this was my first ever Discworld play. Our local group picked it for their spring production last year, sight unseen, and none of them had ever read a discworld book in their lives! I ended up getting roped in as an adviser and then co-opted on stage because there were more characters than actors.

To try and explain the Shakespearean undertones, then the Discworld overlay, then Stephen's abridgements, followed by the complications of cross-dressing due to a surfeit of actresses (e.g. Tomjon & Verence II) left the cast utterly convinced that the whole thing was a mistake. Most of the 'jokes' bypassed even the actors who gave them, despite my best efforts. By the time we did the dress rehearsal I just wanted to crawl into a hole & hibernate

We musty have done something right, though, the audiences not only laughed every night, they did so in all the right places for the right cues


A number of the 'actors' still couldn't work out why, though

[Tonyblack]

It was the first DW play I ever saw and a big hit with DW fans and people who had never read any before.

[Draywoman]

That was the crazy part; it's not a big village and I know probably the majority of likely Discworld readers in it. They are very few. Nonetheless, the audience got every joke while the cast still had no idea...

On second thoughts, maybe that's a reflection on my abilities as an interpreter of things Discworldian...

[Tonyblack]

People prejudge Discworld. They decide they won't like it without even trying.

Say what you like about the plays and the movies, they at least give people a taste of DW. I think Terry gained a lot of readers through the plays and movies.

[Draywoman]

You're right. They're not always my flagon of Winkles but 'all publicity is good publicity'.

I'm trying to persuade our lot to have another go next year, maybe Gaurds, Guards. I may have scuppered it by saying we needed a full-functional, forty foot, fire-breathing dragon, though...

[Tonyblack]

On the Bernard Cornwell site I admin, we often get newbies who have see the Sharpe TV series with Sean Bean but not read any of the books. When they do try the books they quickly see how superior they are and go on to read all the other books as well.

Getting back on topic.

Throughout the book, the fool insists that he has to be loyal until death. He actually causes the witches a lot of trouble because of his advice to the Felmets - and yet ultimately he doesn't remain loyal.

What changes his attitude?

[Draywoman]

I think he goes along, reluctantly, with the 'loyalty to the master' thing until Granny bids 'the truth to have it's.....day' and the real story is re-enacted. That's when he realises that his loyalty should have stayed with the old king, his real master, and, in his absence, to the kingdom itself. This is even clearer when you get to Lords and Ladies and there's the bit when they find he's sleeping inside the bedroom door - the door to the kingdom...

We know he's not the real successor according to Roundworld genetics, but on Discworld?

[theoldlibrarian]

For me, by far the best part of the book was near the beginning where the witches go to see the play and Granny keeps interupting. I laughed all the way through

[Tristan]

I agree, I think he is always trying to be loyal to the kingdom. Firstly he helpes Lord Felmet (the king), but later on he realises that's not being loyal to the kingdom at all and helps the witches.

And of course, his loyalty makes him the perfect king for Lancre.