Arendelle and Shakespeare
A/N: I had this idea for another sisterly one-shot. Hope you enjoy!
Ever since she was young, Elsa enjoyed the works of William Shakespeare, particularly his plays. She would spend hours reading them, one after another, never able to get enough of the amazing stories he told through his use of iambic pentameter. These days, whenever she would read a play, Anna would often join her. The two would take turns reading the characters lines, acting as if they really were in the play. In the beginning, Anna had a hard time understanding the Elizabethan language. "What is he saying?" she would ask Elsa after reading one of the lines from a play. With Elsa's help, Anna soon gained a greater understanding of the diction, and before long, became a fan of Shakespeare herself. Elsa loved all of Shakespeare's plays, but Othello was by far her favorite. It was a play that she had not only read hundreds of times before, but actually recommended it to many people. During the years that she stayed locked in her room, Elsa would close her eyes and imagine the play being performed right in front of her. It helped her pass the time during those long, lonely years.
With the gates open again, that meant that the Arendelle theatre troupe could begin performing plays again. Elsa and Anna frequently went to the theatre to watch the troupe perform. In the past year, they had seen everything from "The Way of the World" to "Life is a Dream." It was always exciting watching live theatre. The Arendelle theatre troupe were so talented at their craft that they literally made one feel as if the characters they were playing were real people. However, they had yet to perform anything by Shakespeare.
Elsa would love to see one of Shakespeare's plays performed right here in Arendelle. Not just for her and Anna's enjoyment, but for the rest of Arendelle to enjoy as well. She knew that not everyone in the kingdom was big on reading, but in the case of a play, you could watch instead of reading.
One afternoon, Elsa was in her office doing some paperwork. As she signed her name at the bottom of one of the documents, the door opened, and Anna walked in.
"Hi, Elsa! How's it going?" she said, warmly.
Elsa looked at the stack of papers she had on her desk, and groaned. "I'll be better once I get through all this paperwork. I must have signed at least a hundred documents in the last hour or so."
"Wow! That is a lot. Hey, I know what will take your mind off of all that tedious paperwork. How about a trip to the theatre?"
"I don't know, Anna. I think we've seen every production that the Arendelle Thespians have to offer. Plus, I should really get this done."
"You never know, Elsa, tonight might be the primer of a new play," Anna said. "Come on, I'll meet you downstairs."
Elsa smiled. She couldn't say no to Anna. She met Anna downstairs, and the two walked to the theatre, which was only a few minutes away from the castle. Upon entering, Anna had a huge grin on her face that Elsa couldn't help but notice.
"You sure seem happy," Elsa said. "You must have really wanted to come to the theatre tonight."
"I am happy, because tonight is the night of a very special performance," Anna explained.
"What's that?" Elsa asked.
"You'll see," Anna smiled.
The sisters took their seats up high on one of the balconies. A few minutes later, the curtains parted, and the play began. When the first actor spoke, Elsa knew instantly what play it was: Othello! Her favorite Shakespeare play. Elsa looked away from the stage, and back to Anna. The younger sister had an even bigger grin on her face.
"Did you have something to do with this?" Elsa whispered, trying to contain her excitement.
"Maybe," Anna grinned. "I might have suggested to the Arendelle Thespians that Othello is your favorite Shakespeare play, and that you had never seen a live production of it before."
Elsa was speechless. She looked back at the stage as the actors playing Iago, Roderigo and Cassio appeared on stage. It was even better than she imagined it. The actors were dressed in traditional 17th century clothing, speaking in Elizabethan language, all capturing Shakespeare's story perfectly. Elsa looked back at Anna; the two sisters making eye contact. Anna reached out a hand, and placed it on Elsa's own. "I hope you enjoy," she said.
Elsa smiled. "Anna, you know me so well. Thank you."
When the play was over, Elsa stood up, and clapped loud for the actors. It was without a doubt the best play she had ever seen. Afterwards, she and Anna went back to the castle, where they had hot chocolate by the fire. As the sipped the warm liquid from their cups, they chatted about the performance they just saw.
"The actor who played Iago was so good," Elsa said. "He really captured his cold-hearted, manipulative nature."
Anna laughed. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Elsa. In a couple of weeks, there's going to be a production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream. Interested?"
Elsa sat down her cup, and smiled. Anna was just too much. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
A/N: This is just a little idea I had. It's not that great, but I thought I'd share it. Please let me know what you think. Othello is my favorite Shakespeare play too by the way.