Tragedy is defined as a lamentable, dreadful, or fatal event or affair; calamity; disaster by dictionary.com and generally speaking I agree with this definition. This genre is usually (for me) associated with tears instead of laughter. I find the very idea of Shakespeare's work being called a tragedy amusing, not because i think he is incapable of writing it, but because the way he writes it makes it more amusing than tragic.
Quote:
MACBETH: I'll go no more:I am afraid to think what I have done;Look on't again I dare not.
LADY MACBETH: Infirm of purpose!Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal; For it must seem their guilt.
Exit.
In this scene the true loveliness of Lady MacBeth comes alive! She is basically saying to her husband (who is supposed to be the one in charge in accordance with the gender roles of the time) give me the knives you idiot ill clean up your mess. This is an obvious showing of Shakespeare's view on gender roles which often appears in his writing. She refers to the notions he has about the dead as childish. Putting him once more in a feminine light and her in a masculine light.
I love this play by Shakespeare, not as much as A Midsummer Nights Dream, but a lot. Lady MacBeth is possibly my favorite female role in any given play EVER. Just her take charge attitude with her husband and the way she obviously wears the pants is so humorous that I'm not entirely sure why this is a tragedy and not a Comedy. Although into both catagories it fits because of the ending. his opnion of gender roles is clear in this play making it one of his better works when combined with the humor provided to a tragedy. Good work, Bard.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Comedy- Mid Summer Nights Dream
I don't know a single person who doesn't like a good comedy. Something light and funny with unexpected twists and turns often produces laughter from even the most stoic of critics. The confusion Shakespeare creates in order to produce the comedic effect is just as amusing as the puns he creates so lavishly. I love the genre comedy and if i do watch a movie is it often of this genre. While comedy is wonderful, as we learned in class it is often hard to nail down what it is that makes something funny. Sort of like nailing jello to a tree.
Speaking of nailing jello to a tree, I imagine that these fools would try to do just that kind of thing (if they had jello in their time):
SNOUT:Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
STARVELING:I fear it, I promise you.
BOTTOM:Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: tobring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is amost dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearfulwild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought tolook to 't.
SNOUT:Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
BOTTOM:Nay, you must name his name, and half his face mustbe seen through the lion's neck: and he himselfmust speak through, saying thus, or to the samedefect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wishYou,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I wouldentreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my lifefor yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, itwere pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am aman as other men are;' and there indeed let him namehis name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.
This is probably part of the most ridiculous exchanges within the entire play. Bottom and his troope of actors (haha) are so smitten with themselves that they seem to think their acting is so wonderful and lifelike that they may frighten the Ladies. The most amusing part of this passage would be the diction. Shakespeare intentionally makes these fools misuse words and misspells other in order to contribute to the chaos factor which helps create the humor.
Speaking of nailing jello to a tree, I imagine that these fools would try to do just that kind of thing (if they had jello in their time):
SNOUT:Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
STARVELING:I fear it, I promise you.
BOTTOM:Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: tobring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is amost dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearfulwild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought tolook to 't.
SNOUT:Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
BOTTOM:Nay, you must name his name, and half his face mustbe seen through the lion's neck: and he himselfmust speak through, saying thus, or to the samedefect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wishYou,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I wouldentreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my lifefor yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, itwere pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am aman as other men are;' and there indeed let him namehis name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.
This is probably part of the most ridiculous exchanges within the entire play. Bottom and his troope of actors (haha) are so smitten with themselves that they seem to think their acting is so wonderful and lifelike that they may frighten the Ladies. The most amusing part of this passage would be the diction. Shakespeare intentionally makes these fools misuse words and misspells other in order to contribute to the chaos factor which helps create the humor.
History-Richard III
Before I start any analyzing I would look to look at the genre of History. (yay) Shakespearian histories are somewhat different than the average history. Shakespeare helped to shape the opinion of his people, and in effect altered opinions to reflect in the histories written following his publications. While I find history boring in most cases the very fact that his plays altered how history was written down (and perceived) for a period of time makes history all that more interesting. Truly the master of words Shakespeare finds a way to make even the most evil people appear interesting and makes a bloody struggle for power seem like it was all in a days work. Well done, Shakespeare- you held my attention in history for more than ten minutes.
"GLOUCESTER: Well, your imprisonment shall not be long; Meantime, have patience."
The true cunning of Richard III is apparent in this double entendre. While Richard appears to have great concern for his brother's position and vows to do anything he can to help, he has a truly dark side that is apparent in this scene. Moments before his brother Clarence walks in, Richard is discussing how it is his right to do the evil that he is doing in order to get to the throne. When Clarence appears on his way to the Tower, Richard makes the above promise. One would hardly suspect that Richard would be the reason that Clarence's imprisonment will not be long, only because of his death.
As I have said, history is not exactly my forte. on the other hand it is difficult to read a Shakespearean play and not get caught up in the story. This talent of Shakespeare's (that is, to present a story and weave in history) is a good one, and this has helped me to further enjoy this play. This particular play kept me interested because Richard reminded me of Mr. Klimas in his evil ways. =) In my opinion it was well written (if not a little exaggerated) and a good play.
"GLOUCESTER: Well, your imprisonment shall not be long; Meantime, have patience."
The true cunning of Richard III is apparent in this double entendre. While Richard appears to have great concern for his brother's position and vows to do anything he can to help, he has a truly dark side that is apparent in this scene. Moments before his brother Clarence walks in, Richard is discussing how it is his right to do the evil that he is doing in order to get to the throne. When Clarence appears on his way to the Tower, Richard makes the above promise. One would hardly suspect that Richard would be the reason that Clarence's imprisonment will not be long, only because of his death.
As I have said, history is not exactly my forte. on the other hand it is difficult to read a Shakespearean play and not get caught up in the story. This talent of Shakespeare's (that is, to present a story and weave in history) is a good one, and this has helped me to further enjoy this play. This particular play kept me interested because Richard reminded me of Mr. Klimas in his evil ways. =) In my opinion it was well written (if not a little exaggerated) and a good play.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
I think I'm crosseyed. Perhaps I have carpal tunnel now.
Poem 246 Page 305
First and foremost I must say that this poem literally made me "LOL." I could envision my own grandmother in her out of style clothing that is intentionally mismatched to keep the busybodies at church gawking. The capturing of lost youth in the speakers near future is evident by the lack of conformity, or rhyme scheme. Jenny Joseph uses neither rhyme nor any particular number of lines in a stanza to get her point across. Joseph is criticising people and their self conscience views in lines 16-19 "But now we must have clothes that keep us dry / and pay our rent and not swear in the street / and set a good example for the children. / We must have friends to dinner and read the papers."
This poem is an interesting piece of satire laced with overstatement. The speaker, who wishes for change and even says that she maybe ought to practice now, criticises others for doing this in her speaking, but ironically is still living this life herself. The very idea that someone would eat "only bread and pickle for a week" is obvious overstatement, which lends to the humor of the poem.
As i mentioned, this was a great peom. I acutally printed a copy for my grandmother. Jenyy Joseph captures the very fun of childhood and shows that older women dont always have to be dignified, but rather can live a little.
First and foremost I must say that this poem literally made me "LOL." I could envision my own grandmother in her out of style clothing that is intentionally mismatched to keep the busybodies at church gawking. The capturing of lost youth in the speakers near future is evident by the lack of conformity, or rhyme scheme. Jenny Joseph uses neither rhyme nor any particular number of lines in a stanza to get her point across. Joseph is criticising people and their self conscience views in lines 16-19 "But now we must have clothes that keep us dry / and pay our rent and not swear in the street / and set a good example for the children. / We must have friends to dinner and read the papers."
This poem is an interesting piece of satire laced with overstatement. The speaker, who wishes for change and even says that she maybe ought to practice now, criticises others for doing this in her speaking, but ironically is still living this life herself. The very idea that someone would eat "only bread and pickle for a week" is obvious overstatement, which lends to the humor of the poem.
As i mentioned, this was a great peom. I acutally printed a copy for my grandmother. Jenyy Joseph captures the very fun of childhood and shows that older women dont always have to be dignified, but rather can live a little.
There is no painting in this book... some portrait.
Symbol:
One major symbol in this book was the birds and flight. Birds are discussed in almost every chapter throughout the novel and show Stephen's desire to "take flight" and get away from his situation in life. Stephens last name, and plight are similar to Daedalus. Both want to escape from where they are. Daedalus built wings out of twine, wax, and feathers to fly away and Stephen (and his strikingly similar last name) too wants to fly out of his current situation. Both manage to do so.
Quote:
"Is a chair finely made tragic or comic? Is the portrait of Mona Lisa good if I desire to see it? Is the bust of Sir Philip Crampton lyrical, epical, or dramatic? Can excrement or a child or a louse be a work of art? If not,why not?" Page 232
I found this particular quote interesting. This part in the novel is Stephens true turning point towards his realizations on life. His questioning of things that are, such as a finely made chair, are fascinating. He sees here that things have two sides. The chair, while finely made will see nothing but some one's rear. This could be both tragic (as a lot of work and love has been put into the chair) or comic (which is self explanatory.) The chair itself is, in essence a view of life. He continues this thought by question the value of something based on desire. Again, these are the kinds of questions that lead him to realize himself in his entirety. The idea that anything can be a work of art is showing that he has learned; that beauty of any kind is in the eye of the beholder is a new concept to him, as he has been so oriented around his standing for a good part of his life.
Opinion:
I found that the novel was easier to understand with class discussion. Perhaps a second reading of this book would enable me to further enjoy it, however I did have a rough time with it. I liked the authors use of simple language initially and that the language progressed with Stephen himself, and I found that to be an effective tool in helping me to understand the changes in his life. Joyce's life is exposed throughout the novel, which makes it even more compelling to me. Overall I liked the book but really do feel that to truly appreciate it I need to reread it.
One major symbol in this book was the birds and flight. Birds are discussed in almost every chapter throughout the novel and show Stephen's desire to "take flight" and get away from his situation in life. Stephens last name, and plight are similar to Daedalus. Both want to escape from where they are. Daedalus built wings out of twine, wax, and feathers to fly away and Stephen (and his strikingly similar last name) too wants to fly out of his current situation. Both manage to do so.
Quote:
"Is a chair finely made tragic or comic? Is the portrait of Mona Lisa good if I desire to see it? Is the bust of Sir Philip Crampton lyrical, epical, or dramatic? Can excrement or a child or a louse be a work of art? If not,why not?" Page 232
I found this particular quote interesting. This part in the novel is Stephens true turning point towards his realizations on life. His questioning of things that are, such as a finely made chair, are fascinating. He sees here that things have two sides. The chair, while finely made will see nothing but some one's rear. This could be both tragic (as a lot of work and love has been put into the chair) or comic (which is self explanatory.) The chair itself is, in essence a view of life. He continues this thought by question the value of something based on desire. Again, these are the kinds of questions that lead him to realize himself in his entirety. The idea that anything can be a work of art is showing that he has learned; that beauty of any kind is in the eye of the beholder is a new concept to him, as he has been so oriented around his standing for a good part of his life.
Opinion:
I found that the novel was easier to understand with class discussion. Perhaps a second reading of this book would enable me to further enjoy it, however I did have a rough time with it. I liked the authors use of simple language initially and that the language progressed with Stephen himself, and I found that to be an effective tool in helping me to understand the changes in his life. Joyce's life is exposed throughout the novel, which makes it even more compelling to me. Overall I liked the book but really do feel that to truly appreciate it I need to reread it.
Spring Forward
Poem 214 Page 281
The human speaker, who never identifies themselves, is not the important part of this poem. The true speaker of this poem is in Mother Nature herself. Dickinson lovingly describes nature as the speaker, "or noons report away." This is not the only point in the poem where nature, or something of god is speaking. The lack of consistent rhyme in this poem gives it a free feel, but the opening stanzas has a distant and melancholy feel. The use of words like, "scarcely" and "solitary" hint at this feel.
The use of personification gives Mother Nature life through spring. Dickinson uses words like "reports", "waits", "speaks" and "passes" to make spring come to life. This personification makes it easier to connect spring with youth. Wholly Dickinson is showing that youth must follow nature in its changing. "It passes, and we stay-" is telling us that youth, like the seasons will pass but who we are will remain, merely altered.
I am a huge fan of Emily Dickinson, and this poem is one of my favorites. My favorite lines are "That science cannot overtake / But human nature feels" and this is because I feel a very close connection to nature, and am not a 2+2=4 kind of person, as Mr. Ripley would say. There are just somethings in life that one feels that science will never capture. Youth is one of those things.
The human speaker, who never identifies themselves, is not the important part of this poem. The true speaker of this poem is in Mother Nature herself. Dickinson lovingly describes nature as the speaker, "or noons report away." This is not the only point in the poem where nature, or something of god is speaking. The lack of consistent rhyme in this poem gives it a free feel, but the opening stanzas has a distant and melancholy feel. The use of words like, "scarcely" and "solitary" hint at this feel.
The use of personification gives Mother Nature life through spring. Dickinson uses words like "reports", "waits", "speaks" and "passes" to make spring come to life. This personification makes it easier to connect spring with youth. Wholly Dickinson is showing that youth must follow nature in its changing. "It passes, and we stay-" is telling us that youth, like the seasons will pass but who we are will remain, merely altered.
I am a huge fan of Emily Dickinson, and this poem is one of my favorites. My favorite lines are "That science cannot overtake / But human nature feels" and this is because I feel a very close connection to nature, and am not a 2+2=4 kind of person, as Mr. Ripley would say. There are just somethings in life that one feels that science will never capture. Youth is one of those things.
I ran. I ran so far away.... -sings to self-
Poem 250 Page 311
The speaker of the poem is a black male. This is insinuated by the diction of the word "Suh" and as it is stated in line four "why come the black boys don't run off." There is only one rhyme in "The warden said to me" and it is the fourth and eighth line. The rhyme there is distinctly masculine which helps the reader understand that the speaker is male; the use of the term "boy" says also, that the speaker is male, but the masculinity in the rhyme in comparison to the childish connotation provides a clear divide between the speaker and the warden. The parenthesis help show what the speaker is thinking but would not dare to say out loud because of his social status. However the words "innocently, I think," show that while the speaker is merely thinking these words he is also questioning they way that things are in his life. He is unsure if the answer he is providing is simply an automatic response or if he genuinely means what he says.
Poems like this disturb me but always seem to catch my attention. I liked that Knight used the masculine rhyme only once so that the reader got the sense that the masculinity is present, but dimmed by the use of the word "boy." These subtle hints are, for me, what makes a poem truly excellent.
The speaker of the poem is a black male. This is insinuated by the diction of the word "Suh" and as it is stated in line four "why come the black boys don't run off." There is only one rhyme in "The warden said to me" and it is the fourth and eighth line. The rhyme there is distinctly masculine which helps the reader understand that the speaker is male; the use of the term "boy" says also, that the speaker is male, but the masculinity in the rhyme in comparison to the childish connotation provides a clear divide between the speaker and the warden. The parenthesis help show what the speaker is thinking but would not dare to say out loud because of his social status. However the words "innocently, I think," show that while the speaker is merely thinking these words he is also questioning they way that things are in his life. He is unsure if the answer he is providing is simply an automatic response or if he genuinely means what he says.
Poems like this disturb me but always seem to catch my attention. I liked that Knight used the masculine rhyme only once so that the reader got the sense that the masculinity is present, but dimmed by the use of the word "boy." These subtle hints are, for me, what makes a poem truly excellent.
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