The Tempest

It's about why the absence of Prospero’s wife is significant to the play and explains the different meanings behind her absence. Because of the absence of a wife and mother for Miranda in the play, a void is created which Prospero fills with the characters of Sycorax and Caliban. In the play, Prospero acts as both Miranda’s father and mother, and even goes describes his and Miranda’s trip to the island as a “birth:” a new beginning, a clean slate. The author of the article continues to look at aspects of women’s roles in traditional Shakespearian plays and how the absence of a mother for Miranda and a wife for Prospero affects the play.
The lines: When I have decked the sea with drops of full salt/Under my burden groaned, which raised in me/An undergoing stomach, to bear up/Against what should ensue.” (Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 155-158) take on new meaning after reading the article. Because at this point Prospero is acting as both father and mother of Miranda, this description of how they reached the island can be seen in a new light. This is Prospero acting as a motherly figure in a different way by giving Miranda a “birth” but in a different way then a physical one. This is a birth for Miranda into a new world, with the gift of redemption. She is free on this island from Miranda’s unsavory biological mother whose “wombs have borne bad sons” (Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 118-120).
On the whole, I tend to agree with the author that the absence of Prospero’s wife and Miranda’s mother is an important aspect of Shakespeare’s wife. However, I may not agree with the author as to the extent of the importance the absence is. I think there are much more and much more important things going on in the play to be focused with such a small detail such as this absence of a mother figure. I think the author clearly connotes his feelings and supports his argument clearly, it is just up to the reader to decide whether or not to agree with this reasoning, but on the whole it is a good argument that is well supported with examples and lines from the text.

The Winter's Tale

The theatrical production of The Winter’s Tale that we watched in class was very interesting. Viewing the piece definitely aided in my understanding of the play as have all the other visual representations of the plays we have watched in class, including the ones performed by fellow classmates. Certain characters stood out to me as being different than the way I interpreted them when I read the text by myself without seeing it performed. The character of Paulina in particular played a smaller role in the play when I read it then when it was performed. I saw Paulina as sort of an aid to Hermione and not much more. In the production however, Paulina was one of the main characters who acted as the glue in the play by connecting other characters and tying the plot together. For instance, it was Paulina who adamantly scolded Leontes for his actions against Hermione in such a way that he questioned himself. I did not gather this from the text. Also, from the production I got the feeling that Hermione was in fact alive for those sixteen years and that it was Paulina who had been harboring her. I feel like that because she knew for a fact that the statue of Hermione would move if she asked it to, like it was really just a person and she was getting confirmation from Hermione that it would be okay if Hermione entered back into his life before she told Hermione that it would be okay for her to reveal herself as alive. I didn’t really get the image of Hermione as being resurrected or coming back to life in the scene we saw in class, it looked to me as if she had been alive the whole time.
Also, the character of Hermione was represented in a way that I had not thought about in the text. It seemed as though she was quite passive when she was seen in the trial and I don’t know if that’s because she thought she was helpless and could not change her fate at that point or what but she seemed rather indifferent to me during the whole trial. The lines at the beginning of ACT II SCENE II from Hermione demonstrate this:

Since what I am to say must be but that
Which contradicts my accusation and
The testimony on my part no other
But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me
To say 'not guilty:' mine integrity
Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,
Be so received. But thus: if powers divine
Behold our human actions, as they do,
I doubt not then but innocence shall make
False accusation blush and tyranny

In these lines, Hermione seemed rather passive and accepting. When I read the text I saw her as having passionate defense for herself and I saw her fighting for her life.
I wouldn’t change much about the play. I didn’t really like the actor who played Leontes; I maybe would have tried to find someone besides that. Besides that, it was a good production but just different than how I interpreted it when I read it.

Othello Blog

In “’Mulattos,’ ‘Blacks,’ and ‘Indian Moors’: Othello and Early Modern Constructions of Human Difference,” by Michael Neill, the argument is made that race plays a larger role in the play than many may believe and that the aspect of race should not be overlooked when viewing the play from a critical standpoint. Michael Neill references an essay written about Othello by Emily C. Bartels which basically states that Othello’s ethnicity occupies one slot and his professional interests occupy another slot. Othello is “a dual, rather than divided, identity” character. Also, it is presumed by the author that when Iago puts the thoughts of infidelity in Othello’s head causing the violent actions of Othello, it is because of Othello’s ethnicity that these actions are able to be carried out. Also, race is used in the play to demonstrate how Othello is visibly different than the population and that even with this difference he is seen as a civil and respected person in the Venetian society. Neill makes references to show the similarity between Shylock from “The Merchant of Venice” and Othello in that they are both outcasts in the society, albeit Othello more visibly due to the color of his skin. He also describes how the term “Moor” has a rather vague meaning but for the most part it was a somewhat derogatory term for dark skinned people.
The article definitely aids in my understanding of the play as I did not really take into much account how race affected the play, or how big of a role it really playing in understanding the play. It is clearer now why Othello had to marry Brabantio’s daughter in the middle of the night because he would have never have received Brabantio’s blessing for the marriage. Also the way Iago speaks about Othello to Brabantio in act one scene one it is clear how much race is important to this society. In lines 113-118 Iago states: “Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse. You’ll have your nephews neigh to you. You’ll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.” Iago refers to Othello as “A Barbary horse” which is a clear derogatory slur about the Moor of Venice and this shocks and outrages Brabantio that his daughter would marry a dark skinned person. In act one scene three they even hold a little trial over the marriage to make sure the claims are true. It really sheds light on the fact that it would be an outrage for a marriage like this to happen and that it must be confirmed; if it wasn’t there would be consequences for Othello and Iago for spreading false rumors of that kind.
I thought the article did a good job of elaborating on the idea of race in the play as well as providing a small background of how race was interpreted and used in the time in which the play was written. Overall the article was very beneficial to my understanding of the play and it interests me very much that there are things within the lines that I may not pick up the first time reading but it is exciting to find new things that have always been there.

7th Blog

The texts we have read so far have been both challenging and engaging. I found Richard II to be the most challenging of the works so far. The language, to me at least, read a little more complex than the other pieces we read. For me it was a little more difficult to extract what the characters were saying from the Shakespearian English. Because of this reason, I enjoyed this play the least of all the ones we’ve read so far. I guess a study aid like ‘No Fear Shakespeare’ or something to that effect (which I could not find for this text) would have helped me to better understand what the characters were saying and meaning, and then the text may have been more enjoyable to me. I have used these translation devices for other texts we have read to great success as the break down exactly what the characters are intending to communicate. When you place the actual text and the aid side by side, a lot is accomplished and the reader benefits more from these texts in my point of view. I did however enjoy very much the group performance for this piece and I think they did a fantastic job! The man who played Richard in the first performance was great and very enthusiastic about his role.
The Merchant of Venice was by far my favorite play of the semester so far. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been to Venice before so I pictured it and the plot worked great, or weather the story itself was so interesting to me but I thought that play was very interesting and well written. I thought the characterization in that story was excellent and the diversity among the characters was great. The cross-dressing and disguise found in some of the plays we have read also adds a dynamic and interesting addition to the play. Gender roles are confused and toyed with and this makes the plays more interesting and unique.
I believe that this class will be very relevant to my future work in classes because as of yesterday I signed up for a senior seminar with the subject of Shakespeare’s sonnets. I chose the subject of Shakespeare’s sonnets specifically because we studied them in this class and I enjoyed them very much. I also felt they were taught excellently in this class and that I had a firm grasp on the concepts found in the sonnets as well as the meaning of them. I chose that seminar topic because after Merchant of Venice, the sonnets were my favorite part of the class. The sonnets are very interesting to me because even though many are similar and related in some sense, no two are exactly the same. Each one adds a sense of uniqueness and has its own character.
All in all the semester has been both challenging and interesting thus far and although I have enjoyed some texts more than others, the class as a whole has been thoroughly enjoyable.

12th Night

The film adaptation we viewed in class was an excellent supplement to the reading. By creating a visual representation, the reader is able to put faces to names if they so chose by viewing a unique interpretation of the film. The way the characters were portrayed in the film was my favorite part. By adding such well known and talented actors as Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter, the roles are portrayed to their full potential and more viewers are drawn in due to the popularity of the actors and actresses. My favorite performance was by Mel Smith who played the drunken buffoon Sir Toby Belch. The character performed onscreen was indeed portrayed one hundred times better than I could have ever imagined him while I was reading the text. The bumbling, belching, drunken Belch was the comic relief of the movie and always entertaining while onscreen. Whether he was playing pranks on Malvolio or dancing with the lady’s maid, Belch was a delight to have onscreen. The portrayal of Cessario was rather well performed as well. She was obviously a woman to the viewer which made some of the scenes more comical. The play text was understandably slightly altered in the movie version of the play as this was a screenplay adapted from Shakespeare’s text. Certain scenes are slightly rewritten or cut in order to make them more adaptable for film format and this is very understandable. The revisions did not detract from the original text at all.
The setting created in the film closely mirrored my mental image of Illyria and the filmmakers did an excellent job of creating a believable and realistic setting of the fantasy world of Illyria. The landscape was a fantasy world itself with the high cliffs and rolling green plains. By seeing visual representations of the characters, they were embodied by physical actors and given a face and a purpose. The viewer could sympathize with a face and to see how it is acted out is also interesting. It makes you wonder how actors in Shakespeare’s time acted it out as opposed to how modern day actors chose to act in out in the film we watched. I believe the film makes the gender play more comical. The female who dressed up as Cessario was constantly made fun of and mocked by characters who called her a womanly man, and this was rather humorous. She didn’t appear to have any male features besides that little pencil thin moustache and a somewhat boyish haircut.
Overall, the film is a fantastic representation of the play and a great supplement to the reading that can absolutely benefit any reader and add a great deal to their knowledge and understanding of the play.

Merchant of Venice Monolouge

I am responding to Morocco’s speech in 2.7.13-60. In this part of the play, Morocco is presented with three different caskets. The first one is gold which bears the inscription: “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire” (5). There is a silver casket bearing the inscription: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves” (7). The third casket is made of dull lead with the explicit warning: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath” (9). One of these caskets contains a portrait of fair Portia, and if Morocco succeeds in selecting the correct casket, Portia will be his. What follows is a rather comical monologue of Morocco’s in which he is fighting within himself to make the right decision and choose the correct case. Morocco tries to rationalize to the right answer but they all sound so correct to him except for the lead case which, in his opinion would be “too gross/To rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave.” (51,52). This bumbling narrative portrays Morocco as a foolish character who frets much over frivolous things and overexcites himself to the point where he misses the obvious. The theme of doubt is constant in the narrative, deciding which casket to choose is extremely difficult for Morocco. With the lines:

Thou dost deserve enough, and yet ‘enough’

May not extend so far as to the lady.

And yet to be afeared of my deserving

Were but a weak disabling of myself.

As much as I deserve—why, that’s the lady!

Morocco questions whether he should pick the silver casket because he isn’t sure if he deserves Portia, but by questioning whether or not he deserves Portia he is questioning his own worth. Morocco is a very indecisive person indeed. The narrative displays poetic techniques such as alliteration in the line 27: “Thou dost deserve enough, and yet ‘enough’” through the repetition of the “d” sound. Again in line 53 alliteration is used: “Being ten times undervalued to tried gold” with the repetition of the “t” sound.

Personification is used in lines 44 to 47:

The watery kingdom, whose ambitious head

Spits in the face of heaven, is no bar

To stop the foreign spirits, but they come

As o’er a brook to see fair Portia.

The ocean is personified in these lines when Morocco speaks of the great lengths to which princes and nobles from faraway lands would take in order to reach fair Portia.

This monologue is a great example of a comical male monologue and contains many elements common in Shakespeare's work.

Sonnets Blog 9/4/09

William Shakespeare’s sonnets twenty-nine and thirty offer corresponding perspectives on the issue of sorrow. In the twenty-ninth sonnet, Shakespeare’s sadness is mostly the result of fate, in which he feels he has been shortchanged in areas of his life. The lines, “When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes/I all alone beweep my outcast state,/And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,/And look upon myself, and curse my fate” Shakespeare shows his “disgrace with fortune” and how “deaf heaven” refuses to hear his cries of sadness and his longing for good fortune. (1,3) The narrator seems scornful and bitter about their fate, with an attempt to shift the blame on someone or something other than themselves. The narrator goes as far as saying “look upon myself, and curse my fate,” in essence giving up entirely and throwing one’s life up to fate.(4) Then in the next line the narrator “Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,” alluding to the fact that hope has been lost or taken by fate.(5) The narrator feels utterly helpless and in anguish over this lack of control of the future. However, the sonnet then takes a turn for the brighter side when the narrator remembers a person with the lines:

9. Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
10. Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11. Like to the lark at break of day arising
12. From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
13. For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
14. That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

By recalling the times shared with this person, the narrator’s mood changes and they are taken back to this time when they were in a much better state and feeling better about life. This is evident in the line “for thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings.” (13)

Shakespeare’s thirtieth sonnet also deals with one in the depths of sorrow, and again ends with a lighter more hopeful note. The main theme of this sonnet is regret. The author displays this notion of regret in the lines:

2. I summon up remembrance of things past,
3. I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
4. And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:
5. Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,
6. For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
7. And weep afresh love's long since cancelled woe,
8. And moan the expense of many a vanished sight:
9. Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,

The line that states “I sigh at the lack of many a thing I sought,” (3) is the clearest representation of this deep regret expressed by the narrator. However, the last two lines of the poem, “But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,/All losses are restor’d and sorrows end.” (13, 14) Similarly to sonnet twenty nine, sonnet thirty ends with a sense of hopefulness and a longing for the past