# I've always said Shakespeare would be a lot better if it had Ninjas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252 "2007-08-20T15:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/1 "2007-08-20T15:03:24Z")
[And now, thanks to HBO, it does](http://www.hbo.com/films/asyoulikeit/video/) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/2 "2007-08-20T15:09:58Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] [And now, thanks to HBO, it does](http://www.hbo.com/films/asyoulikeit/video/) [/QUOTE] I’m completely confused by that set of pictures. Sometimes its white people (and one black dude) in Japanese getups. Other times its white people in RenFair getups. What gives? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/3 "2007-08-20T15:12:27Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] I’m completely confused by that set of pictures. Sometimes its white people (and one black dude) in Japanese getups. Other times its white people in RenFair getups. What gives? -FrL- [/QUOTE] [Ah hah!](http://www.hbo.com/films/asyoulikeit/synopsis/). And it’s Kenneth Branagh! I’m frightened, but optimistic. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/4 "2007-08-20T15:15:25Z")
I see samurai but no ninjas. Unless they’re in disguise. (Historically, the [ninja](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja) functioned more as spies than as assassins, so instead of black jumpsuits they wore whatever would blend in with the crowd.) ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/5 "2007-08-20T15:16:09Z")
Color me more frightened than optimistic. I love that play, I’d hate to see it made into The Last Samurai meets Madam Butterfly, but as a comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/6 "2007-08-20T15:22:53Z")
It’s got BRIAN BLESSED, HAH! I can never watch him without recalling his turn as the king in The Blackadder. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/7 "2007-08-20T15:32:03Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] It’s got BRIAN BLESSED, HAH! I can never watch him without recalling his turn as the king in The Blackadder. [/QUOTE] I’d want to see it anyway, since I like Branagh’s Shakespeare, but with Brian Blessed it can’t fail! My favorite performance of his is Prince Vultan in[Flash Gordon.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080745/) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/8 "2007-08-20T15:57:56Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] I see samurai but no ninjas. Unless they’re in disguise. (Historically, the [ninja](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja) functioned more as spies than as assassins, so instead of black jumpsuits they wore whatever would blend in with the crowd.) [/QUOTE] You can’t see them because they are Ninjas! 😃 I believe there are some in the trailer. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/9 "2007-08-20T16:08:17Z")
Yay! I heart Branagh. And Blessed, and who on earth is that scrumptiously yummy young man they have (mis)identified as Jimmy Yuill in the sixth picture of that series? He looks awfully familiar… ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/10 "2007-08-20T17:18:23Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] I see samurai but no ninjas. Unless they’re in disguise. (Historically, the [ninja](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja) functioned more as spies than as assassins, so instead of black jumpsuits they wore whatever would blend in with the crowd.) [/QUOTE] Fun fact: The image of a ninja dressed in all black with even his head wrapped up originates in japanese theatre. The stagehands who moved pieces of the set around between scenes wore all black to be inconspicuous, so as not to distract the audience from the characters. The audience wouldn’t notice when one of the “stagehands” hid behind a piece of the set. Then later in the show, a ninja, dressed in all black, comes from out of nowhere and kills someone. After a while, the black getup became associated with real ninjas. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/11 "2007-08-20T17:59:20Z")
Did anybody else think this was a [Throne of Blood](http://imdb.com/title/tt0050613/) (or Kurosawa in general) thread? Trivia about Brian Blessed: he’s an authority on mountain climbing who’s been on several Everest expeditions (though he hasn’t made it to the summit). He’s also the best friend of Patrick Stewart and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-always-said-shakespeare-would-be-a-lot-better-if-it-had-ninjas/416252/12 "2007-08-20T18:11:23Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Trivia about Brian Blessed: … He’s also the best friend of Patrick Stewart and vice versa. [/QUOTE] Were they in the RSC together?