In my minds eye, I see a large feast hall with a huge fire pit in the middle, pigs roasting over it, the sweet smell of rushes underfoot, the sound of a harpist in the corner, course after course of phenomenal food served to delight and amaze, people laughing and talking, political intrigue in each raise of a glass, as I return to my kitchen, the size of a house with a staff of a hundred, to get things ready for the next day when feasting will begin again.

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Since the Vikings were known as fierce fighters, Hlšdver must have been one of the biggest and baddest. After all, the King Tryggvason handpicked him as a guard. But history has a way of forgetting the names of supernumeraries like guards. Usually, only the most important rulers are remembered after a thousand years. So why is Hlšdver still remembered?

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Adapting Shakespeare's venerable works to suit a specific audience has taken many forms in today's society. Like Dallas' Shakespeare in the Park, which routinely portrays a different, unique setting for each play, from a 19th century Spanish Romeo and Juliet, to a 1920s-style setting for Comedy of Errors, performing companies throughout the world take license with settings and costumes. There is another genre, however, that takes more than a few liberties with Shakespeare's work, parodying Shakespeare in rare, comedic form.

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