Saturday, May 24, 2008

Note to a young playwright or screenwriter

Fifteen or twenty years from now, come back to the Democratic primary race of 2008 and look carefully at the character arc of Hillary Clinton. This is material from which Shakespearean tragedy arises. In the posts below are some resources to get started -- but within the year, no doubt, the books on this subject will begin to appear, and by the time you are ready to write, you'll have more material than you know what to do with. This is a classic story: an admirable and ambitious hero with a character flaw that betrays her. Trust me, this is remarkable material -- but it needs distance to remove it from the political passions of its time, in order to see the larger character arc more clearly, and to make the story universal. This is great stuff. Treat the material with respect and write the fine play it deserves. Good luck.

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