Welcome back for the second half of the Round of Sixteen! But who will be competing? For that, I have to announce the winners from Round 1, Part 4: Katharina Minola puts up a good fight, but she’s no match for England’s hero-king, and Henry V wins that bout 44-10. Our other fighting ladies in this bracket, however, gave the gentlemen a run for their money. Macduff just barely squeaked ahead of Cleopatra (28-25), and Macbeth didn’t have much more of an advantage over Tamora (31-23). Finally, in the battle of the Roman generals, Coriolanus‘s brutal drive wins out over Enobarbus’s more indulgent nature, 30-19. So that’s Henry V, Macduff, Macbeth, and Coriolanus advancing to the Round of Sixteen, giving us today’s matches:
Match 21: Titus Andronicus vs Joan of Arc
Match 22: Prospero vs Harry ‘Hotspur’ Percy
Match 23: Henry V vs Macduff
Match 24: Macbeth vs Coriolanus
My picks: Titus makes short work of Joan la Pucelle. Her claims to divine guidance aren’t going to wash with him, so I feel he’ll have no problem dealing with the Gallic trollop. I put Hotspur over Prospero, easy — if he isn’t cowed by Glendower, he’s not going to be impressed by Prospero’s airy spirits. Hal versus Macduff is a hard one, not least because I think very highly of both fighters and have affection for them both. I think this will be a close match — What makes a man fight harder, inspiration or despair? Being of an optimistic nature myself, I give the edge to inspiration, so I think good Henry V will triumph. Finally, for Macbeth versus Coriolanus, I’m just not sure. I may have to wait for some opinions from the rest of you before I make my decision on that one.
These polls will be open until next Thursday. Don’t forget to vote on the Round of Sixteen, Part 1, and check back next week for the Quarterfinals.