"I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth..."

Helena and Hermia, A Midsummer Night's Dream- Am slightly biased seeing as Hermia has been my perfect role since I was twelve and finally managed to play her in June in the production that I Directed, Produced, and did numerous other things to.  I love how they complement each other so well- tall and short, fair and dark, wet and fiery, but both equally worthy of love and loyalty.  They are a brilliant example of the joys and trials of female friendship and I love them dearly.

Rosalind, As You Like It- The longest female part in Shakespeare.  I partly love her because I'm so amazed and grateful that Will saw fit to create such a brilliant female character, even though he knew it was only going to be played by some squeaking boy.  (Same applies to Cleopatra.)   She's touchingly masculine, just as Orlando is touchingly feminine; her bravado and swagger is present when she's being both sexes.   She's wry, witty, self-mocking, pained and, above all, completely human.

Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing- Slightly wary about picking Beatrice because everyone loves her, which is a crap excuse, I know.  My reason for loving Beatrice is not her quick wit or sharp tongue (although I love these) but her realisation that she is too proud, that her cruelty goes beyond a joke sometimes- that she really does need to be tamed, and it is not subjugation, but merely a way of calming down, a stabilisation.  I love the balance found between her and Benedick, I love the fact they were lovers once before, I love Beatrice's essential aloneness until she has her epiphany.

Helena, All's Well That Ends Well- I maintain that this play is not a comedy.  Every time I read it, me heart breaks for her- she is an utterly tragic figure without becoming tragical.  Desperately in love with a man that she knows will never love her back, she embarks on a deperate crusade to at least get his loyalty, allowing herself to be humiliated and mocked in the process.  For all this, she is not self-pitying- she is almost overly practical, she deals with things by going and doing, even though she has no real hope.  But her love sustains her; even though she pours it away into a seive, she has more, and will always do.

Portia, The Merchant of Venice- Portia earns the title of Favourite Female Character, definitely in Shakespeare, very close to the top in general.  Everything about her characterisation is perfect: she is beautiful, yes, but also tough, clever and aware of her own limitations.  Powerless to change her situation, she tries to laugh at it instead.  She understands the way people work and tries to influence them accordingly.  She presents herself honestly: she realises that all her wealth is relative in the end- if it makes bassanio happy, then it makes her happy.  An incredibly proud, rich, heiress willingly presents herself as a prize and never becomes pathetic or objectified because everything she does, she does knowingly.  I don't go in for role models, but if I had to choose, Portia would win, hands down.

Edmund, King Lear- Breaks my heart.  He feels bitter and resentful towards the world, towards Nature itself, because he is a bastard son, and so ultimately worthless.  He goes about trying to change his stars, not in the best way, admittedly, but he tries to fight a force that cannot be fought, which I'll always love.  he craves the love and attention denied him by his father and so, when he lies dying and he sees the bodies of Regan and Goneril, the two sisters that loved him and murdered each other because of it, he proclaims, "Yet Edmund was beloved."  It is not a cry of triumph, or a final spiteful gloat, but an acknowledgement of the debt he owes them, that at the last, he has been loved.

Jaques, As You Like It- Cynical, love-hating, disillusioned- what's not to like?  The only character uninfluenced by love, he is also the only character with foresight, perspective or a broad overview of events.   He is almost a second foo, with all of the wit, but none of the wisdom, or else he would learn to be merry.  I love Jaques- the Seven Ages of man speech could not be gifted to a more deserving character.  I do think a good shag would cheer him up though.

Hal/Harry/King Henry, Henry V- The ultimate hero.  Noble, royal, blond (clearly), this guy has it all.  Goes from swaggering, drinking rapscallion to good and wise king, defined by his youth and his ardour, I was always going to love him.  Not afraid to get down and dirty with his men (oo-er), a brilliant leader, came up with some stirring stuff on the eve of battle- if I were a soldier, I'd follow him to the ends of the earth.  "The warlike Harry"- pure gold brilliance.

Hamlet, Hamlet- As is clear from my icon and new journal layout, Hamlet has wormed his way into my affections and is there to stay.  One hears so much about Hamlet that preconceptions are unavoidable.  I can only describe my reaction to reading Hamlet for the first time by borrowing from another Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet: "The very instant I saw you did my heart fly to your service."  And so it was with me; the instant Hamlet raised his head from his arms and, sitty their in his "inky cloak" uttered the words, "Seems madam?  I know not seems", I was his.  Utterly and completely.  I will not insult you by attempting a description but I find him noble, philosophical, scholarly, intelligent, funny, tortured, bewildered, confused, disillusioned, loyal, fierce, indecisive, distant, close, wise (eventually) and, above all, young.  I resent actors above the age of 30, even 25 playing Hamlet- he is a teenager.  A young man, angry, hurt and bewildered, given a task beyond his capability and in defiance of his nature, asking him to sacrifice love, family and honour to complete, and he does.  Finally, after blood and tears, he does.  He even gives up his own life, but he does what he was meant to do.  And, above all, there is a tremendous sense of unfairness- he was so young.  Surely, surely, this wasn't meant to happen to him?  But it did, and although he made many, many errors, flaws and mistakes along the way, in the end, he acted in the only way that I would have him act.