From what I remember of Shakespeare from high school, he got really famous because he showed us that Kings and Queens were just as foolish as the rest of us. They got jealous and threw kingdoms away, went crazy at the wrong time, picked useless fights, fell in love with the wrong person and were easily blinded by greed.
Woody Allen has also gotten famous by showing us how we are all united by folly, except he usually picks more accessible, often out-of-work, characters to do so. But he goes for the blue jugular vein of royalty in Blue Jasmine, which I just finished watching and am writing about because I cannot wake my sleeping husband to discuss.
I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t watched it, but I will say that I am absolutely amazed by how well he twisted the infamous Madoff scandal into a Shakespearean tale. He made the story less about the FBI doing its job and more about basic human emotions, like jealousy and lust. In doing so, Allen brought a real-life tragedy that took place in a removed Park Avenue penthouse as close to home as sliced bread.
Almost every great book I read or movie I see hinges on someone doing something stupid. So, I want to make sure I try to heed the warning, and share the warning. Perhaps there is nothing much to be done. But, at the very least, do not ever get jealous and drunk and on the phone at the same time.