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Royal wedding Excitment builds
Freaky weather in Athenian Forest
Acting advice from a local talent
DUKETAKESACTION
EGEUSDEMANDS
Dear Reader
This week’s issue of the Athenian Chronicle touches on the inside scoop of the main events happening in Athens, including the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta the mysterious weather changes and Nick Bottom’s guide to acting Have a good look at are advice columns and the latest fashion styles Hope you enjoy this issue!
CONTENTS 4 Review of Pyramus and Thisbe There is much anticipation over the upcoming play set to feature at The Duke's wedding entertainment lineup 5 Wretched Weather! Strange things in the weather being reported 8 A GUIDE TO EXCEPTIONAL ACTING 101 Explore the world of acting through Nick Bottoms first hand experience 9 SHAKESPEAREAN BANTER Some natter from the Bard 10 - 11 AGONY AUNT Hear the concerns of our woeful lovers of Athens 12 Have you heard? Latest gossip! THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE 6-7 ROYAL WEDDING EXCITEMENT BUILDS 3 EGEUS DEMANDS DUKE TAKES ACTION! T H E A T H E N I A N C H R O N I C L E | 2
13 ACTORS
Year 6 Writer's
NEEDED
INSIDE SCOOP
THE INSIDE SCOOP IN THE PALACE REVEALED - DAUGHTER REFUSES TO MARRY!
On 20th January, a townsman named Egeus was seen storming into the Duke’s palace with his daughter, Hermia, in tow He apparently went to complain that his daughter was ignoring his wishes for her to marry Demetrius.
Egeus has claimed that he wants the best for his daughter and thinks she should abide by his wishes to marry Demetrius
An informant in the palace claims that the Duke told Hermia that, “To you your father should be as a God, one that composed your beauties; ye, and one to whom you are but a form in wax by him imprinted, and within his power to leave the figure, or disfigure it. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.” Hermia responded by addressing the Duke which shocked onlookers and apparently her father
By Sawyer, Sam, Thomas and Myles
Lysander implored the Duke that he was as “rich and brave” as Demetrius, and he had the best intentions in marrying Egeus’ daughter He also called into doubt Demetrius’s morals, exposing that he had led another woman, Helena, on, and that she was devastated that he had neglected his promise to her
However, Lysander, Hermia’s true love, is causing problems in Egeus’ preference Hermia now refuses to leave her love for Demetrius.
The reported response, to this catastrophe of love, by the Duke was simple, “If she has no interest for love in Demetrius she has two options: death or the option to become a Nun with no interest in men and a devotion to God”
That is the latest news and we eagerly wait to see the outcome of this matter
26 January
1637
T H E A T H E N I A N C H R O N I C L E | 3
THEATRE
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
By Fred and Teddy
REVIEWOFPYRAMUS ANDTHISBE
Yesterday a small group of young actors performed the tragic tale of two young lovers called Pyramus and Thisbe who kill themselves for love This performance was in honour of our Duke and Duchesses wedding day The play was incredibly funny, The thing is, no one seemed to know how to act There was one young man playing a woman who didn’t seem very enthusiastic: his fake voice was too deep to be a woman ’ s Another actor named Bottom (the weaver), seemed to think that he was the best and no one else mattered When the man playing the lion roared, I could barely hear it It was as frail as an old man
The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is supposed to be a tragedy, not utterly tragic!
DUKE TALK
THEDUKE'SREVIEW
“
Personally, I think the play was dreadful I don’t know what everyone else thinks but this is my opinion Not one of the actors knew what they were doing They even used a lamp for the moon and person for the wall I mean you could have performed the play when the moon was shining One other thing as well, not one of the actors knew half of their lines ”
MEETTHEMECHANICALS LOCALS
The group who performed the play are known as the Mechanicals This group consists of, Bottom (the weaver), Peter Quince, Flute, Snout, Snug and Starveling. Here we have a little snippet of the mechanicals opinion of their performance
Bottom: "Firstly, I would like to say how proud I am of my performance Don’t you guys think that I did well?"
Quince: "We all did!"
Snug: "It was brilliant!"
Starveling and Snout: "We are just so good!"
There you have it, all smug and proud Honestly, I don’t know how many times I will have to tell you, but I tell you with all my heart - don’t waste you precious money!
T H E A T H E N I A N C H R O N I C L E | 4
WRETCHED WEATHER
The weather forecast
So, I am sure you know what the weather has been doing, and if you don't you'll find out in this article Today I’m here to interview Nadine Croce to investigate the strange weather everywhere.
There has been continuous wind, lighting and rain which is causing many houses to fall down It is also unnaturally cold for this time of year so I suggest you wrap yourself up to get warm and seek shelter
The interview with Nadine Croce
Q: So, Nadine tell me, what you think is the cause of these terrific storms
A: Well Ursula I think since the storms, the rain and the lightning have been sighted by quite a lot of people round the forests so I think there has been something in the forest causing this
Q: So Nadine what do you think we can do to stop this?
By Ursula and Nadine
A: I don’t know but the mood of this is angry and if this is true, I think that something unnatural is causing it; so we need to get scientists to figure out the problem ”
F I N D O U T T H E L A T E S T U P D A T E
N O M A D I C | 2 4 sendusyourstoryat
onicleweather.com Z O E A G A F Y A S A Y S “ M Y F A M I L Y H A S M O V E D T O T H E T O W N H A L L D U E T O M Y H O U S E B E I N G S T R U C K B Y L I G H T I N G M Y S O N I S I N A C R I T I C A L C O N D I T I O N . H E N R Y S M I T H R E P O R T S T H A T H E S A W A B O U T 2 0 H O U S E S F A L L D O W N THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE | 5
www @athenianchr
ROYAL WEDDING EXCITEMENT BUILDS
by Elodie, Rosie, Hattie and Isabella
As Athens prepares for what people are calling “the wedding of the century”, our reporters have been working around the clock to give you the full scoop on what’s happening around our city in these exciting times. ``
Though few have set eyes upon our future Duchess, the Athenian Chronicle has uncovered the exotic story to our Duke’s bride.
Raised a princess, Hippolyta grew up in the Amazon, becoming the fierce warrior Queen that our Duke fell head-over heels in love with. It started when he was taken captive by Hippolyta’s tribe when he was on an exhibition into the deepest depths of the jungle. The Duke was taken to see her, and they immediately fell in love. Hippolyta ordered for his release immediately, and they travelled back to Athens together. As soon as they got back, Theseus sent out a messenger declaring their marriage. Now, preparations are well underway, and the Athenian Chronicle has interviewed some of the key workers in planning the wedding for you to enjoy all the behind-the-scenes action building up to the celebration the city’s buzzing about
Our star reporter Emilia Moondial has been interviewing the upcoming wedding’s lead planner, Mark Obsidian.
Q: So, Mark how are you planning to pull this major event off?
A: This is a very important event for everybody, so it is crucial I give the Duke and future Duchess their dream wedding. I want to incorporate notes of Hippolyta’s home, the Amazon and I’d like the presence of the bold tones that the couples love. I’m thinking dark red roses and huge sunflowers with sprigs of forget-me-nots and daisies on the table.
Q: How are you going to use your experience to help you create the perfect atmosphere for the love birds?
A: Well, in the past I have gone for a floral theme; that has worked quite well. It gives a lovely feel to the occasion. It brings out the bride’s dress beautifully. I could also go for a traditional feeling wedding with pale tones like white with a very long service. That type of wedding in the past has been a bit boring, so I’m using bold tones and large arrangements and ornaments to really enlarge the experience for everyone, especially the happy couple
L I F E S T Y L E J A N U A R Y 1 6 3 7 THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE | 6
Q: Right. What are you going to do with seating at the banquet? There’ll be lots of guests, so you need to fit the maximum amount of people in the minimum amount of space.
A: The guests will be seated at a long table, and I’ll arrange it so the newly-weds sit next to each other at the head, the closer seats given to the Bridesmaids and Best men, then family members.
Q: Perfect. Talking of banquets, we ’ re now going to have a chat with the head chef Loui Pistachio. Tell me, Loui, what ingredients are you going to use for the main meal and dessert at the wedding.
A: Bonjour Emilia. For the main course I’ll be serving wild boar, with a fresh berry sauce and olives stuffed with the hottest peppers, a combination of the Duke’s love of boar and the future Duchess’s favourite dish. For dessert I’ll be serving a traditional wedding dish from Hippolyta’s home tribe, pancakes topped with herbs and nuts, with fruit sauce made with the freshest fruits of the Amazon rainforest, very exotic.
Emilia: Delicious! Now, we were going to interview the wedding dress designer Archibald Silk, but unfortunately he was too busy at the time, as he has been having some difficulty with highwaymen high jacking his fabric delivery. Luckily, he managed to find the space in his timetable to send over his sketches and ideas for the foreign bride’s wedding attire.
L I F E S T Y L E J A N U A R Y 1 6 3 7 T H E M A I N O U T F I T F O R T H E I R S P E C I A L D A Y . A P E A R L W H I T E D R E S S B L E N D E D W I T H A D A R K E R R O S E E M B R O I D E R E D S I L K F O R H I P P O L Y T A , B R I N G I N G O U T T H E O R I G I N A L T R I B A L S T Y L E THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE | 7
By Nick Bottom (actor extraordinaire)
26 January 1637
This is my 10-step guide to be an incredible performer:
1. Always overact – some people may disagree with this point; however, it is my experience that over acting is the best thing to do because it draws the audience’s attention to you and nothing else.
2.Never frighten the audience, as it can lead to terrible consequences. In my current play, "Pyramus and Thisbe" we have agreed as a cast, to be careful not to frighten the ladies so we have put in a prologue.
3.Always repeat the same action twice.
4.Be prepared to play EVERY part. As an actor your diversity and range are essential
A guide to exceptional acting 101
“To be or not to be”, the famous words echoed by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s recent production. As an actor there is nothing, I love more than to immerse myself in a play, and truly embody a part.
By Seb and Felix
5.Never be afraid to play the role of a woman –you can make use of a high-pitched voice to fool your audience.
6.If writing a script, include as many puns as possible. It draws ever one into the play
7.Costumes are essential but try not to make the costumes too realistic for some men and the ladies will be very scared and you might get sued.
8.Make everything elaborate and enlarged so everyone can see.
9.You need to be amazing at absolutely everything and wear the latest makeup you can find
10.Wear the latest fashion so that you will be so amazing you will attract every woman in the theatre.
ENTERTAINMENT
T H E A T H E N I A N C H R O N I C L E | 8
H A K E S P E A R E A N
B A N T E R
By Sam and Thomas
This is Sam Liddle reporting on some of Shakespeare’s latest phrases. For instance, jealousy, the green-eyed monster, meaning envy is so strong it can make one sick. In this article we will be talking about some of Shakespeare’s most famous quotes.
“Your own flesh and blood” means that you’re related to someone that you are describing.
If you have read about Hermia's dilemma, you could say Egeus is being cruel to be kind when forcing his daughter, Hermia to marry Demetrius because it is tough love or is it really being too harsh?
Also, with Shakespeare you have to dress well because the clothes 'maketh' the man, so you are judged by the way you are dressed If you dressed badly, you could be a fool or a blinking idiot.
“Something wicked this way comes” means a person is so evil, he or she is not human.
S
I T ' S G R E E K T O M E
William Shakespeare
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Agony Aunt/ Uncle
ATHENTIAN PROBLEMS ANSWERED HERE
DearMr.AgonyAunt, IamwritingtoyoutotellyouthatIamverysad. Mybest(andmaybeonly)friendHermia,isjustso popular Hereyessparklelikethesun,herhairisas smoothassilk Alltheboysloveher IjustwishI lookedlikeher.ThenDemetriuswouldnoticeme; maybeevenlikeme.Hermiatoldmethatsheand Lysanderwererunningawaysothattheycouldbe together Ireallydon’tknowifIshouldtell Demetriusthattheyhaverunawayforgood;then hemightlikememore,orhemightrunawayas well.OhhIwishIlookedlikeHermia.Althoughheis unkindandourrelationshipdoesn’tfeelasgood.I stilllovehimthough Istillreallylovehim SOOOO much Ineedtoknowwhattodo,please!Whether totellDemetriusortryadifferenttacticaltogether. OhIjustdon’tknow.PleaseAgonyAunt.Helpme!!!
Helena
DearAgonyaunt
Myfatherwantsmetomarrythisman,butmyheartisseton another!Thingshadbeengoingsowell,meandthemanI lovewereeatingtogether,weweredoingeverythingtogether, wewerehappyandthenmyfathercomesinandboomhe ruinseverything!Iamplanningtorunawaywiththeloveof mylife,shouldI?MybestfriendwantstomarrythemanI hate,andhedoesn’tloveher IfIdon’trunawaythenIwill becomeanunsingingmercilesslyorworsedie,spending eternity,foreverunderground Lifeless!Ineedyourhelp desperatelypleaseAgonyAunt,anythingthatwouldhelpI wouldreallyappreciate
SincerelyHermia
Yousoundsosad!That’swhyI’mheretohelpyou maketherightdecision Youshouldthinkhard aboutthisdecision.Demetriusisn’tyourtruelove, heisn’ttheone!Youshouldtellhimabout LysanderandHermiarunningawayandthen,he mayrealisehelovesyou!Ifyouarenotbrave enoughtotellDemetrius,thentellEgeus.Youwill nevereverseeHermiaagainifyoudon’ttell someone,inonewaythatisgood,inanotheritis bad Ifyoutellanyoneaboutthemrunningaway thenHermiawillbeveryangrywithyou,ifyou don’tyouwillmarryDemetrius It’sfriendshipor marriage!IfyouwanttomarryDemetrius,then tellhimorEgeus
Ican’thelpyouanymoretherestisuptoyou, Sincerely,Mr.AgonyAunt
DearsweetHermia
Iamverysorrytohearofyourdiscomfortandpaininthese times Itsoundsveryhardforyoutofindthecorrectchoice It soundslikesomeonelikeyoucouldneverdealwiththehard lovelesslifeofaNun Ialsoamnotgoingtowritetoyouand saythatIthinkthatyoushoulddie Itisverysadthatyour fatherwantsyoutomarryanother,sothatleavesrunning away Itwillbedifficultleavingallyourfriendsandfamily behindbutifyoulovethisoneandwantalifewithhimthen youmustrunaway Donotletwordofanescapespread aroundthough,oryourfatherwillkeepyousafeandyouwill sufferthelifeyoudesperatelydonotwanttoinherit
Safetravels,AgonyAuntxxx
DearHelena
THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE | 10
Agony Aunt/ Uncle
DearAA, IwritetoyoubecausethemanIlovedoesn’t lovemeback I’vealwaysadmiredhim,buthe’s constantlyabusingme,andontopofallthat,he lovesmybestfriend!Ijustdon’tunderstandit. ThemoreIcomplimenthim,themoreheresents me,andthemoreherunsawaythemoreIwant tochasehim Atfirst,Ithoughthewasplaying hardtoget,butnowhe’stakingittothenext level.Howcomeeveryonelovesmybestfriend whenI’mcompletelystarvedofadmiration?Her hairisasshinyasthestarsandsoftassilk, cascadinglikeawaterfalldownherbeautifully curvedback,andeventhoughshe’sinlovewith another,whoshe’sgoingtorunawaywith tonight,mydarlingadoresherthemoreforit. Sheresentshim,yethefollowsheraroundlikea hound,likeIfollowhim,insteadofgivingupand comingtome WhatamItodo?
Pleasehelpme, Jealousgirl
DearAgonyAunt, Iamsoangry!Mybestfriendhasallthe boys,nomatterhowhardItrynoneof theboyslikeme;it’ssoannoying Agghhh!Shelikesanidioticman,butI’m notheretotellyouaboutthat.Yousee, her father,wantshertomarrya handsomemannamedDemetrius(I knowthisbecauseheisthemanIlove!)
She isrefusingtowedhimbecauseshe lovesanother,whichisgreatforme becauseIloveDemetriusbutnomatter howmuchIlovehimhestilllooksatme androllshiseyes Canyougiveme someadvice,please?
Yourssincerely,Helena
DearJealousgirl, Thankyouforwritingtome.I’vereadyourletterand itseemsyouareinatroublesometaleofunrequited love.Icanseehowupsettingandpainfulthismaybe foryou Manyhaveexperiencedthisthroughouttime, andthisissomeadviceIwouldgivetoyou.
Yousaythemorethatyoutrythemoreheresents you,sohowabouttryingsomethingdifferent?You couldtryignoringhim,thatwayhemightstartto missyourattention
Enjoythethingsyouhaveinlifeandstopcomparing yourselftoothers Whenyouarefocusedonthings thatdohaveinlifehemaybedrawntoyourenergy. Ifthatdoesn’tworkhemightnotbetheoneforyou, wecan’talwaysseewhatisroundthecorner,you deservetobeadmiredforallyouruniquequalities Lovedoesnotalwayshavereason.Keepthepeople whogenuinelyloveyouclose Itsoundslikeyouarebothchasingsomethingyou cannothave Howaboutacceptingthingsasthey areandtrustthatyouarestrongandresourceful; thingswillworkoutintheend.
Yourstruly, A.A.
DearmostbeautifulHelena,
I’msosorrytohearyourtragedy.Iwasn’tthemost attractivemyself.I’msureyouwillbeabletofind anothermanashandsomeasthisDemetrius.AsIam notanexperiencedlover,Iwon’tbeabletoprovide muchadvice,however,IwilltryashardasIcantohelp. Ifyoudon’tmindtryingtofindanotherman,youshould tryandgoforthatoption.Listeningtoyourstory,Ijust don’tthinkthatyou’llwinhisloveoverunlessyourdo somethingterriblyhorribletothatbestieofyours However,personallyIwouldjustloseinterestinthisman calledDemetriusandpoisonhimfornotlovingmethe wayIlovedhim ButIthinkthebestthingforyoutodo,if youdon’twanttoproceedwiththefirstoptionthatis,try toleadyourbestfriendawayfromthatman continuously,sothattheyrarelyseeeachother Whilst you’redoingthattryandorganiseasecretivemeeting withyourfriend’sfatherandtellhimaboutalltheterrible thingsthatDemetriushasdoneandmakehimlose favourwithEgeus
IhopeIhavegivenyouanideaaboutwhattodowith thisterriblesituation
Yoursdearest, AgonyAunt
Agony Aunt/Uncle x
THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE | 11
HAVE YOU HEARD?
The latest update on our lovers of
Athens!
By Milo, Piers and Ralph
There has been talk going around that Helena has been following Demetrius even when Demetrius is deterring her advance. She has been seen clinging on him. It is clear Demetrius is interested in Hermia and the more he gives her love, the more Hermia gives him hate as she has openly expressed love for Lysander. It is rumoured that Lysander and Demetrius are vying for her love. WATCH THIS SPACE!
The latest updates to get you through the day This major news will make your day. Demetrius has said that Helena was dragging his leg to be with him. Some say it is all false, but others have said to saw it. Do you think it is realm or is it nonsense?
By Amber, Carson and Jenny
Titania, the queen of the fairies has fallen in love with Nick Bottom the weaver! Has the ‘Love-in-idleness’ changed the love-life of Titania? What happened!! Is it true love? Will it stay? Rumour has it that she’s been put under a strong love potion. The local villagers say that the love could have come from a purple flower where the bolt of cupid fell. But who would do this to Titania the queen of fairies? Possibly Puck a mischievous fairy or maybe even Oberon as they have been reported in other newspapers of having fights recently which has also affected the weather.
Cupids bow and arrow has changed direction and lead Titania to a different person, a donkey! He doesn’t know he has a weird, ass’s head! The queen’s fairies said” Titania woke up to hear Bottom singing She loved his singing so much she wanted him to sing again! His singing wasn’t even that good ”
GOSSIP
THE ATHENIAN CHRONICLE | 12
ACTORS NEEDED MEN ONLY
ACTORS ARE NEEDED FOR A RECASTING OF SHAKESPEARE’S A PLAY CALLED PYRAMUS AND THISBE, WHICH WILL BE PERFORMED INFRONT OF THE DUKE ON HIS WEDDING DAY. IF YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS SPECIAL OCCASION, THEN COME TO THE WOODS AT NOON ON THE 29TH OF JANUARY. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE VIOLENCE, THEN YOU SHOULD NOT COME TO THE PLAY. IF YOU ARE SHY, THE SAME RULE APPLIES. THE PART OF PYRAMUS MUST BE BRAVE, DRAMATIC AND STRONG, THE PART OF THISBE MUST BE SOMEONE WHO HASN’T DEVELOPED A BEARD YET AND ABLE TO HAVE A VOICE HIGH ENOUGH TO FOOL THE DUKE. THE WALL, MOONLIGHT AND LION DON’T NEED TO DO MUCH.
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