I’m somewhat of a Shakespeare fan, so I really enjoyed Casina. The reason I enjoyed Casina so much were its similarities to Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Both plays deal with manipulation and public humiliation in order to resolve issues of love and betrayal. I also enjoyed how all of the characters of Casina are rude and unethical like in Seinfeld and Friends. These negative traits lead to some really great insults, mostly at the expense of Lysidamus who I found myself comparing to Shakespeare's Don John. I also enjoyed the variation of the Emperor with no clothes story that The Braggart Soldier portrayed. In the original Hans Christian Andersen story, the Emperor thinks he’s wearing beautiful robes that can only be seen by intelligent or powerful people due to the lies of two clothing salesmen. In reality, the Emperor is walking around naked and his subjects being mocking him for his stupidity. In The Braggart Soldier, everyone but Pyrgopolynices knows that Pyrgopolynices is not as accomplished as he thinks he is. The braggadocious nature of Pyrgopolynices makes for a very humorous character, especially in the age of Donald Trump. While I like both plays, I prefer the Shakspeare/Seinfeld esque story of Casina due its great humor .
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