A Taste of Tradition

Found on Google Images

Last week I was using the the library's book search engine to find some good sources for depth in Shakespeare. I found one book entitled The Tainted Muse: Prejudice in Shakespeare's Time. Not only did it sound fascinating, but I'm pretty sure prejudice might become my major focus for the depth requirement.

I went to the library to find this book, but not surprisingly, I didn't find it. Oh the woes of library checkouts! However, I remembered Dr. Burton's encouragement to browse around the Shakespeare section in the reference shelves.

Hoping for some serendipity, I browsed for a few minutes, and found several books of interest. One of them was completely useless. It was a dictionary, but the title was definitely misleading: Shakespearean Concepts. I was all excited, thinking it was some kind of compendium of themes discussed in Shakespeare. NOT!

However, I did find a relatively useful book called Shakespeare and Minorities, which turned out to be an annotated bibliography. At first, this might sound worse than the dictionary, but I found some sources that could be really interesting. One was a book called Exploring Character, Playing Shakespeare: The Royal Shakespeare Company. It sounds like a great source, and I will have to look at the library catalog to see if I can get my hands on it!

So, despite the fact that I was late to work, being so absorbed in this feast of Shakespearean data, I managed to find a source that might do me some good in the long run!g

Update on my Progress Report

I'm not sure why, but I had a nightmare about writing this blog post... fortunately it hasn't come true! Just goes to show how much Shakespeare class has influenced my life!

1. Learning Outcomes: I feel as if I have partially neglected the outcomes expected of my research. I have not researched the plays as thoroughly as I would have liked, partially due to time constraints. I feel like I have tried to engage the texts well, and I have watched adaptations and films as the opportunities have come up.
2. Reading and Research: So far, I have read Hamlet, Richard III, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and The Tempest. The textbook's introductions to each play have really helped in guiding my attention to the plays' themes and meanings. Also, JSTOR has been really helpful on finding valuable sources and articles.
3. Links and Connections: I would say this is the section that I'm struggling with the most. I usually do not link my own blogs together other than through whatever play they are about. I have linked to other learners' blogs, but not in a really relevant way. 
4. Personal Impact: The personal impact has affected me in a lot of ways. I notice myself searching for Shakespearean references in popular media. I think oftentimes we don't realize how often Shakespeare makes his way into everyday conversations. One theme I have noticed in my blogging is the way in which I focus on characters that intrigue or interest me. I also tend to enjoy taking a section of a play and trying to completely comprehend it.
5. Personal Evaluation: I feel like I have done pretty well in the presentation of my blog, but I feel like I could definitely improve in the depth area, as well as actually following through on my learning plan better.
6. Peer Influence: Brooke R. and Whitney have both been really helpful in both their blog posts and in their initiative in planning things that will help expand others' learning. Thank you to both of you!

Peer Evaluation of David Tertipes

Open Source Shakespeare by David Tertipes

1.  Number of Posts:
   David has made 31 posts thus far. Way to go!
2. Quality of Posts:
   I think David has done a credible job of making his posts count. Oftentimes he will post more than twice a week, and he always is linking his learning goals to the posts. Some of the posts are shorter, but he often follows up with a more substantial post later on.
3. A Strength
   I really like what David did with his post on Taming of the Shrew. He did a great job of evaluating quotes from the play, posing questions and including multimedia to help demonstrate his point. And so many of his posts are like that!
4. Suggested Improvement
   I would suggest more creative ways of breaking up the lengthy text and including more pictures. Your writing is real quality, but you need to exploit the visual more.

A Glance Over the Shoulder

 So I would just like to take a minute to assess how much I have been able to accomplish these past few weeks. Consider this a little pat on my own back, something every person needs once in a while.
So over these past few weeks:
1. I have read a history play, a comedy, a tragedy, and a romance. That's some considerable breadth for Shakespeare.
2. I have learned a considerable amount about Shakespearean genre. And also how each of the genres are similar.
3. I've learned how to view some of Shakespeare's plays through a more critical lense.
4. I've learned how to apply some of the more general aspects of Shakespeare's plays.
5. And most of all, I've learned how to enjoy Shakespeare. I have gotten to the point where I can almost read Shakespeare like a regular novel. It takes some getting into at first, but after a while, I'm almost sad to put the book down.

So this sums up my progress. I may have learned more than this, but this is what grabbed my attention while thinking about it. I think it's really important to make connections to our lives through these plays, and that is something I am going to work more on, as well as engaging Shakespeare creatively.

Point of Decision

After killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth sees Macbeth with blood on his hands.

One thing my group talked a lot about in our discussion today was the reasons behind Macbeth's decision to murder King Duncan. It was clearly a choice. We just had a hard time deciphering his motivations.
Anyways, I was reading through the first scene again, and I found a soliloquy that might contain some reasoning behind Macbeth's actions.

This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success
Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor.
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings.
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man
That function is smothered in surmise,
And nothing is but what is not.

In this soliloquy, we can see Macbeth start to justify the murder he has committed already in his imagination. He says it "cannot be ill, cannot be good." So what is it then? He knows well enough that the witches have been right thus far. It's almost as if he wishes to prove all their words. 
Perhaps Macbeth has a fatalistic view, he does the deed because it has been foretold and there is no ignoring one's fate. This reminds me of Oedipus Rex a little. Oedipus brings about his fate despite doing everything to avold it. Macbeth does not possess the desire to avoid his fate.
Also, the witches do not tell him how his reign will end, only that Banquo will father a line of kings.
The introduction in the book also talks about Lady Macbeth being an influence on him. When she hears that Macbeth could become king, she doesn't hesitate to sell out.
My group also wondered if Macbeth was predisposed to the murder in some sense. He was at war for a long time. It's very possible that a few more dead bodies would not even cause him to blink.
What's interesting about the soliloquy is that Macbeth does acknowledge to a certain extent that what he plans is wrong. He talks about the horrid image of murder "unfixing" his hair.

So what is Shakespeare saying? It could be any number of things:

• You cannot escape your fate, so why try?
• Sometimes men do bad things because of our baser nature.
• Some men will do anything to achieve their ends.
• We as humans have a compulsive tendency towards curiosity.

He might be saying all or none of these things, but the point is that Macbeth causes us to consider morality and the line between ambition and evil.

"Double, Double, Toil and Trouble"

I would just like to take a moment to appreciate Shakespeare's genius in composing the language of the Weird Sisters in Macbeth. If you compare the sort of lines Macbeth or his wife are given, the Weird Sisters actually differentiate quite a bit.

• The rhythm is, I think similar, but the meter is completely different. Iambic quartameter (?) is what the witches use, (a little shorter than regular iambic pentameter) giving their dialogue a more snappy sound.

• An article found on JStor about the supernatural in Macbeth talks about the sounds used by the witches as well. Unfortunately, my internet is abominably slow and I could not access the full article. (For now at least, will update later).

• They also have rhymed couplets. One thing I like about Shakespeare is that he uses rhyme sparingly, which brings attention to when he does use it. The rhyming really works with the witches, in my opinion, because well, it makes them sound witchy. Maybe Shakespeare is why witches have this stereotype in the first place. 

• They talk about the grossest things, like procuring a "pilot's thumb" and seducing as many men as possible. 

I think the most exemplary offshoot of the Weird Sisters is the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus. Thank you Disney for integrating some actual literature once in a while!
If you watch this video, look closely at the blonde's behavior with "The Devil." She's not bearded but she is good at what she does...

BBC's Twelfth Night

This is how I picture Illyria. (Really it's the Oregon coast)

Well, I suppose I should also make some kind of comment about the movie Brooke and I watched together. Brooke gives a great summary on her blog talking about what BBC did and didn't do with the characters. For the most part I agree. I feel like they did a creditable job of doing a relatively more modern interpretation.
I have to say though, there are aspects of the movie I didn't like. Part of it may have been my expectation that it be a little more farcical. That was how my reading of the play was: laughing was my most common reaction to it. But the movie brought some of those more interesting tensions to the surface, which I wasn't expecting. As a result, I was both intrigued and annoyed.
I do agree that the Duke was horribly cast. Although the lines are not the easiest to work with, I feel like some other actors could have brought more to the table in that situation. Don't ask me why, but I see Robert Downey, Jr. doing great in that role. Just a hunch! Maybe he's simply more manly than that other guy...blech.
Anyway, despite the melancholy overtones at the beginning, the movie turned out all right. I do agree that Feste's role proved to be an interesting interpretation. That was one direction I really liked.

So, this movie made me think, what direction would I go if I had to recreate Twelfth Night?
A few changes:

• I would, of course, choose a cast that melds well together, without having to convince the audience of their cohesiveness. (one thing really lacking at the beginning of the BBC version).
• I would probably choose to set the time period further back, like Shakespeare's time.
• There would probably be more hedonistic overtones in the Duke of Orcino's court. That's just how I envision it. That would bring in the carnival element that the intro in our book talks about.
• I would definitely bring in some elements of the farce like in The Importance of Being Earnest. I know Oscar Wilde is vastly different from Shakespeare, but it could be both entertaining and interesting. 
• I would make sure the soundtrack is uplifting and well done. (And matches the scene).

So there you have it. What would you do?

Duke Orcino: What is Going Through that Noble Mind?

I found that all of the characters in Twelfth Night met or exceeded my expectations. Except for Duke Orcino. He tried my patience from the very beginning with an irritating monologue. And then, he is the most irritating suitor to Lady Olivia! He sends Viola/Cesario over to convince her of his love every SINGLE day. Olivia is probably just wishing he'd give her some space. No wonder she went for Cesario, who knows how to be tactful (since he's a woman).
Ok, and if that isn't enough, Feste plays him for a fool in the last act by tricking the Duke to give him more money. Who would fall for that?
And lastly, he didn't even wait to see Viola in maiden clothing before he proposed. A little impetuous, perhaps? It's not like he's proposing to a stranger, but you have to admit that change of gender changes everything.
So there it is. I don't like the Duke. I'm guessing he wasn't Shakespeare's favorite character either. Why else is he the only one in the play who possesses the talent of making you yawn?

Maria the Prankster in Twelfth Night

Maria left a note in Lady Olivia's handwriting to convince Malvolio of the lady's secret affection.

So I just read Act 2, Scene 5, from Twelfth Night, and I have to say that I really admire Maria. Not many women in that time would have dared to play a prank on the chamberlain of the house, second in command to Lady Olivia herself. She's got guts!
I'd just like to take a quick look into her motives...
1. She hates Malvolio for being a jerk and a spoilsport. (Duh!)
2. He is extremely overbearing in how he exerts his authority over her and the rest of the household.
3. I imagine that Maria has a great respect for Lady Olivia, but where Malvolio is concerned, Lady Olivia's judgment seems to be lacking. Maria probably resents Malvolio's standing with Lady Olivia to a certain degree.
4. She knows how much Sir Toby and Sir Andrew hate Malvolio as well, so she has an appreciative audience.
5. In many ways, she is Malvolio's foil because in every way he is depressing and oppressive, she is the exact opposite.
6. She likes to have fun! She knows she'll get a good laugh out of a joke like this.
So there you have it. These reasons may seem obvious or even irrelevant, but I think they might come in handy later on.
Maria is brazen and energetic and totally appeals to us as Americans for that very reason.