so, livejournal genie, is there such a phrase?

[lapsedmodernist]

Earlier today I put tights on Fionn, to theophile's delight.

"Oh, I love seeing him in tights! He is like a little Hamlet!"

"Oh no!" I exclaimed. "But Hamlet was murdered!"

"Hamlet wasn't murdered," said theophile--"it's not murder if it's that...convoluted."

"It's baroque murder!" I exclaimed, then wondered out loud if that was, in fact, a concept that was ever used.

theophile suggested that it was used "to talk about murders that happened during the Baroque epoch."

But--seriously--baroque murder, anyone? And in what context?

Comments

[rezendi.livejournal.com]

The murder in Murder on the Orient Express was pretty darn baroque.

[lapsedmodernist.livejournal.com]

many of AC's murders were, no?

[beginnersmind.livejournal.com]

tights photos! We want tights photos!

Random, but you ever hear the Dream Theater song about Hamlet? I think it was called "pull me under" or something like that.

[lapsedmodernist.livejournal.com]

I will take some tights photos for you--although they are not cute tights, they are just functional black tights (hence the Hamlet).

You know what's funny? That is literally the ONE Dream Theater song I know, from, like, high school or early college or something--but I really like it and have it on my iPod. I never knew it was about Hamlet, because I never listened to the lyrics closely, but just now I looked them up and indeed so it is!

[beginnersmind.livejournal.com]

I haven't head much of their stuff, but the guy I dated for most of college loved prog-rock, and that song was the only one I liked. I think the lyrics are great.

I really like the line "I'll take seven lives for one
and then my only fathers son" It's such a great way to summarize the Hamlet plot. Since Hamlet's actions in the play are a part a regenge plot for one life (that of his father). In the play seven people die, Ophelia, Polonius, Rozencrantz, Gildenstern, Gertrude, Laertes, and the King. Then his "only father's son" aka himself, dies. Plus the line should be "father's only son". But by reordering the words to "only father's son" he reinforces the idea that he only recognises one father figure, and has rejected the new king as father (and husband to his mother). It was the bit about "watching sparrows fall" and "too much in the sun" that tipped us off to the Hamlet reference.

The Hamlet Sparrow bit about "special prodivence in the fall of a sparrow" is acutally a reference to Matthew 10:29, where Jesus, tells his disciples not to be afraid as they spread the gospel, and a sparrow "shall not fall on the ground without your Father."
So, again the father bit.

Plus, the "too much in the sun" is a play on "son".

[ludickid.livejournal.com]

I prefer "rococo murder", where someone kills you in a very fanciful and luxurious but slightly whimsical way.

[lapsedmodernist.livejournal.com]

I prefer Art Nouveau murder--like, Ophelia was murdered by Patriarchy in an Art Nouveau way with all the flowers and hair tendrils in the water.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

'baroque murder' seems like a kin term with 'bedroom farce' somehow.

[lapsedmodernist.livejournal.com]

I bet it comes shortly after "bedroom farce"...

[lapsedmodernist.livejournal.com]

OVERKILL!

does that mean that the baroque has inherent tendencies towards the redundant?

[paracelsus.livejournal.com]

I can heartily recommend Walter Benjamin's The Origin of German Tragic Drama for all your baroque murder needs!