Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Macbeth and the presence of Daemonolgie by King James

There wasn’t necessarily a date that was mentioned in class for my topic, however, there was a term given, and it was Daemonolgie by King James 1st. His book was about witchcraft and how it can corrupt power and about what the consequences are for following/using witchcraft are. Shakespeare plays with the idea of witchcraft interfering with mankind in one of his tragedy plays, Macbeth. In the play Macbeth is approached by three witches and is told his fate. Because of this encounter Macbeth takes a turn that he otherwise would not have taken. The acts that Macbeth commits changes who he is and what he would have become. Once Macbeth attains the throne he begins to believe that he has mythical/mystical qualities and that he belongs to the supernatural world. It is because of these thoughts that causes Macbeths downfall. He believes himself to be mightier than all and that no one can bring him down. He is specifically referring to one of the statements made by the witches, the statement implying that he shall not be killed by anyone born by women. It is because of this statement that Macbeth doesn’t worry about anything, and I guess you could say doesn’t try to fix any of the problem going on in the kingdom. Close to the end of the play is when Macbeth comes to the realization that he had misunderstood the words spoken to him, that he didn’t think about it thoroughly. It is later found out that MacDonald was not born of women but was ripped from a woman. This made Macbeth realize that he had thought too much of himself and didn’t take care in seeing what was going on around him. Macbeth was to have been written between 1603 and 1606, after Daemonolgie was published in 1597. So, Shakespeare used may have used what King James 1st wrote in order to show how following witchcraft leads to nothing but evil, that witchcraft will only lead to your downfall, like it did for Macbeth. The only thing that can be relied upon is fate and yourself.

Spencer Sohler; Aaron Sec. 1F

"Chiasmus" in Macbeth

The term "chiasmus" applies to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth near the climax of the play. Chiasmus is an inversion of sorts, in this case the reversal of roles that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth play. Professor Little described it as one character moving away from "conscienceness" while the other moves toward it. He drew a diagram of an "X," using the middle to signify the conscience, and had Macbeth start at the top and descend while Lady Macbeth started at the bottom and ascended toward "conscienceness." This symbolizes the way Macbeth was initially a moral character in that he had no thirst for the crown, and was the innocent Thane of Glamis. His conscience eventually declines, however, when Lady Macbeth convinces him to usurp the throne. On the other hand, we first see Lady Macbeth with intentions to make her husband King. The point where her conscience kicks in is in Act II Scene iii when there is a knock at her and Macbeth's door after Macbeth has just killed Duncan. This knocking freezes the play and gives Lady Macbeth an opportunity to stop and think about what they've done. Her moral questions/conscience are ignited, and she begins to climb the ladder of "conscienceness."

-Vanessa Labi (Aaron Gorelik 1F)

Monday, October 27, 2008

Women and Extramarital Affairs-Othello 5.1.82-101 : But I do think it is their husband's faults.."

Emilia is speaking to Desdemona in this passage about the double standard imposed on women in the arena of extramarital affairs. Desdemona has been discussing how no earthly temptation could ever lead her to cheat on her husband and Emilia is claiming that though adultery is not the ideal, if it brings a certain benefit to you, how can it be completely wrong? To prove her point she uses men as the primary example, explaining how it is the husband's fault when a woman cheats. Emilia argues that when a woman commits adultery, there must be a problem with the husband which would compel the wife to seek another man’s company.
Emilia also brings up the double standard of how men are allowed to cheat on their wives with no fear of punishment, while women must simply bear this treatment and suffer should they cheat. Emilia states “though we have some grace,/Yet have we some revenge” (90-91). Women are not merely senseless beings who should and will put up with their husband’s poor behavior, but feeling humans who will desire to seek out the same pleasures as men.
This passage brings up a surprisingly feminist standpoint in a play as well as a society dominated by the wills and actions of men. We cannot necessarily infer from this passage that Shakespeare would have agreed with Emilia’s belief that a woman has as much right as a man to indulge in extramarital relationships should her husband neglect or mistreat her, but he does set up an extremely viable and modernist argument concerning women’s rights and gender boundaries.

Taylor Price

Theater, Daily Entertainment and Formal Entertainment during 1600's.

- Entertainment -

Popular culture = In general was more secular. You would go to church several times
per week if you did not attend you were fined. (Side note- Shakespeare was fined for not going to church).

Most harmless form of entertainment consisted of:

1. Parades concerning religion, holidays, military and showing off captured Indian or black people (slaves).

2. Picnic at the insane asylum= Watching mad people run around while you have a lovely picnic.

3. Bear Baiting- tie bears to sticks and let dogs attack them.

4. Public Confessions- people would confess their sins

5. Hanging - hangings would take place

6. Beheading - some protesters felt this form of entertainment was too quick therefore wedged the blade of axe in order to last longer.

7. London Bridge - See heads on sticks as you passed through and see all heads which came back to villagers as a deadly plague.

-Formal Form of Entertainment-

THEATERS - out door spaces in court spaces
Earlier forms of Theater

You could also attend plays, two types of plays: morality play and miracle plays.

Morality Play
Every man "To help teach them lessons"

Miracle Play
Taught life of Jesus, as you learned a lot from the bible.

Christina Salinas / Section 1B Ian Hoch

The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth

As Prof. Little said in lecture, these tragedies do not belong to simply one character, or just to the character the title of the play takes. The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth – act 5 sc 1 – sleepwalking scene. 'So much blood' – this line underscores femininity (bc Duncan is old and he’s a man) – blood she can’t wash out of her hands underscored by gendered world – tragedy and disillusionment of lady MB herself. Her tragedy isn’t the murder/guilt, but instead guilt about Lady Macbeth and her own body (in her first speech, she vows to cast away her femininity, claiming it makes her weak and she will gain strength by being rid of it. She controls her sex drive and stops herself from having an orgasm to prove her strength.) She realizes the unsexed moment hasn’t worked, no one has that kind of power, what she thought she was doing hasn’t happened – the blood on her hand is female blood/blood of femininity. Discovers she is a woman – THIS is her tragedy. Only masculinity survives,there is no place for a woman and being female fails. No way to lay claim to supernatural realm/universalist authority – only a pharmakos or a pawn.

Ashley Smith - Aaron Gorelick

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Technical Question about the Midterm

In class, Professor Little said that the reason people get Cs instead of As in the midterm is because instead of staying on topic, people stray away from it and try to talk about the entire play. Does anybody know if we're allowed to write about Metatheatre (one example would be Lady Macbeth's speech about unsexing herself while she is played by a young boy)?

Yes, Waldo was saying that metatheatre stuff is fine as long as it applies to the explication of that particular passage.

Claiming Spanish Armada 1588, hehe

Previous post done by Whitney Starks, Gorelik, Section 1C

Spanish Armada 1588

The king of Spain at this time, King Philip II, had been king consort of England until the death of his wife Queen Mary I of England in 1558 (also known as “Bloody Mary” for the many religious dissenters she burned at the stake – she reinstituted Roman Catholicism in England), and he wasn’t a fan of the policies pursued by her successor, Queen Elizabeth I, his sister-in-law. The aim of his expedition was to invade and conquer England, thereby ending attacks on Spanish possessions in the New World and weakening support for Dutch-controlled provinces in the Spanish Netherlands. The king was supported by Pope Sixtus V (who had renewed Elizabeth’s excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church), who treated the invasion as a crusade, and promised money should the Armada make land.

The intention was to set out from Spain and meet with more ships off the coast of Flanders, mustering an army of altogether 55,000 men, a huge amount for the time. However the English drove the Spanish from the coast of the Netherlands before they met the second fleet, and eventually forced the Spanish to retreat. Though they planned on returning to Spain, the Spanish were driven off course by severe storms, wrecking many of their ships on the Irish coast. In the end, only 67 ships and around 10,000 men survived.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada strengthened the Protestant cause across Europe and suggested that God was on their side.

Whitney Starks

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Possible ID's cont'd

Dustin Brown

Waldo's section on Thursdays at 5pm

nature in Shakespeare plays

Shakespeare uses references of nature to display themes of his plays. In Othello nature is referenced in terms of both flora and fauna.

Iago uses many flora references:
Ex. I.iii.317-322
“Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners; so that of we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness or manured with industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills.”

This passage is a metaphor for the characters in the play. Characters seem to be the product of natural and inevitable forces, which have the potential of growing out of control if not maintained. Iago understand this and by this metaphor is both a “good” gardener to himself and others.

Fauna references are numerous in Othello as well as flora. Iago again is in involved in many fauna references, especially when talking of Othello. Iago calls Othello “an old black ram” (I.i.88) and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113). These animal references made about Othello (before he is even seen) tell the audience that he is meant to be thought of as a savage (as animals are).

Nature is seen in the weather in Macbeth. It literally sets the ambiance of the entire play. When the play first opens it is dark and stormy and we see the witches give their predictions of what is to come. This storm continues through the murder of Duncan and can be said to be representative of the corruption of morality and in politics.

Monica Sandoval
Waldo section 1D

Feminine response to Hamlet

An interesting article I found written by Carolyn Heilbrun named "Hamlet's Mother" takes a refreshing approach to interpreting the text. In it, she defended Gertrude, arguing that the text never hints that Gertrude knew of Claudius poisoning King Hamlet, a view which has been championed by many feminists. Heilbrun argued that the men who had interpreted the play over the centuries had completely misinterpreted Gertrude, believing what Hamlet said about her rather than the actual text of the play. In this view, no clear evidence suggests that Gertrude was an adulteress. She was merely adapting to the circumstances of her husband's death for the good of the kingdom. Ophelia, also, has been defended by feminists, most notably Elaine Showalter. Ophelia is surrounded by powerful men: her father, brother, and Hamlet. All three disappear: Laertes leaves, Hamlet abandons her, and Polonius dies. Conventional theories had argued that without these three powerful men making decisions for her, Ophelia was driven into madness. Feminist theorists argue that she goes mad with guilt because, when Hamlet kills her father, he has fulfilled her sexual desire to have Hamlet kill her father so they can be together. Showalter points out that Ophelia has become the symbol of the distraught and hysterical woman in modern culture, a symbol which may not be entirely accurate nor healthy for women.

Brad Rohan
A. Gorelik Section 1F

Possible ID's -don't look if you hate wiki-

professor little said the id's would come mainly from the history lecture, so here's what i got (i think he said that):

Play Dates- Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich. It is named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The main title is believed to be an afterthought, created after John Marston premiered a play titled What You Will during the course of the writing.

Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between 1603 and 1606. It is frequently performed at both amateur and professional levels, and has been adapted for opera, film, books, stage and screen. Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. For the plot Shakespeare drew loosely on historical accounts of King Macbeth of Scotland by Raphael Holinshed and the Scottish philosopher Hector Boece.[1] There are many superstitions centered on the belief the play is somehow "cursed". Some actors will not mention the name of the play aloud, referring to it instead as "The Scottish play". The play is used in the English GCSE.

Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare based on the short story "Moor of Venice" by Cinthio, believed to have been written in approximately 1603. The work revolves around four central characters: Othello, his wife Desdemona, his lieutenant Cassio, and his trusted advisor Iago. Attesting to its enduring popularity, the play appeared in 7 editions between 1622 and 1705. Because of its varied themes — racism, love, jealousy and betrayal — it remains relevant to the present day and is often performed in professional and community theatres alike. The play has also been the basis for numerous operatic, film and literary adaptations.

Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was originally classified as a comedy, but is now also classified as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, the play's first recorded performance was in 1604. The play deals with the issues of mercy, justice, truth and their relationship to pride and humility: "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall"

Harold Bloom- little asked: culturally, are we responding to shakespeare or is shakespeare responding to us?
"In his epic 1998 survey, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, Bloom provides an analysis of each of Shakespeare's thirty-eight plays, "twenty-four of which are masterpieces." Written as a companion to the general reader and theatergoer, Bloom declares that bardolatry "ought to be even more a secular religion than it already is." He also contends in the work (as in the title) that Shakespeare "invented" humanity, in that he prescribed the now-common practice "overhearing" ourselves, which drives our changes." (wikipedia)

Meta-theater-"Metatheatre" is a convenient name for the quality or force in a play which challenges theatre's claim to be simply realistic -- to be nothing but a mirror in which we view the actions and sufferings of characters like ourselves, suspending our disbelief in their reality. Metatheatre begins by sharpening our awareness of the unlikeness of life to dramatic art; it may end by making us aware of life's uncanny likeness to art or illusion. By calling attention to the strangeness, artificiality, illusoriness, or arbitrariness -- in short, the theatricality -- of the life we live, it marks those frames and boundaries that conventional dramatic realism would hide. It may present action so alien, improbable, stylized, or absurd that we are forced to acknowledge the estranging frame that encloses a whole play. It may, on the other hand, break the frame of the "fourth wall" of conventional theatre, reaching out to assault the audience or to draw it into the realm of the play. It may -- by devices like plays within plays, self-consciously "theatrical" characters, and commentary on the theatre itself -- dwell on the boundaries between "illusion" or artifice and "reality" within a play, making us speculate on the complex mixture of illusion and reality in our ordinary experience. Any theatrical device can work metatheatrically if we sense in it a certain deliberate reflexiveness, a tendency to refer to itself or to its context in a more general mode: to theatre itself; to art, artifice, and illusion; and perhaps above all to language as such. (http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/engl327/327.meta.html)

Basilikon Doron-The Basilikon Doron is a treatise on government written by King James VI of Scotland, later King James I of England, in 1599. Basilikon Doron in Greek language means royal gift. It was written in the form of a private and confidential letter to the King's eldest son, Henry, Duke of Rothesay, born 1594. After Henry’s death in 1612, James gave it to his second son, Charles, born 1600, later King Charles I. It was printed in Edinburgh in 1599 and in London in 1603.
This document is separated into three books, serving as general guidelines to follow in order to be an efficient monarch. The first describes a king’s duty towards God as a Christian, the second focuses on the roles and responsibilities in office and the third concerns proper behaviour in the daily lifestyle. (wikipedia)

KJV Bible- The Authorized King James Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible begun in 1604 and first published in 1611 by the Church of England. The Great Bible was the first "authorized version" issued by the Church of England in the reign of King Henry VIII.[3] In January 1604, King James I of England convened the Hampton Court Conference where a new English version was conceived in response to the perceived problems of the earlier translations as detected by the Puritans, a faction within the Church of England. (wikipedia)

The Globe- The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613.[3] A second Globe Theatre was rebuilt on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642.[4] (wikipedia)

The Lord Chamberlain's Men- he Lord Chamberlain's Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for as actor and playwright for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronized by James I.
It was founded during the reign of Elizabeth I of England in 1594, under the patronage of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, the then Lord Chamberlain, who was in charge of court entertainments. After its patron's death on July 23, 1596, the company came under the patronage of his son, George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, for whom it was briefly known as Lord Hunsdon's Men until he in turn became Lord Chamberlain on March 17, 1597, whereupon it reverted to its previous name. The company became the King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron. (wikipedia)

The gunpowder polt- The Gunpowder Conspiracy of 1605, or the Powder Treason or Gunpowder Plot, as it was known at the time,[1] was a failed assassination attempt by a group of provincial English Catholics against King James I of England and VI of Scotland. The plot intended to kill the king, his family, and most of the Protestant aristocracy in a single attack by blowing up the Houses of Parliament during the State Opening on 5 November 1605. The conspirators had also planned to abduct the royal children, not present in Parliament, and incite a popular revolt in the Midlands. (wikipedia)

1517- the year martin luther nailed the 95 theses to the church door it wittenberg. the place where hamlet goes to school and where dr faustus takes place. mr luther began protestantism eventually.

The Geneva Bible- The Geneva Bible was a Protestant translation of the Bible into English.
This was the Bible read by William Shakespeare, by John Knox, by John Donne, and by John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress. It was one of the Bibles taken to America on the Mayflower, and it was used by many English Dissenters, and by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers at the time of the English Civil War.
Because the language of the Geneva Bible was more forceful and vigorous, most readers preferred this version strongly over the Bishops' Bible, the translation authorised by the Church of England under Elizabeth I. In the words of Cleland Boyd McAfee, "it drove the Great Bible off the field by sheer power of excellence".[1] (wikipedia)

James I of England- James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary, Queen of Scots. Regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1581.[1] On 24 March 1603, as James I, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue.[2] He then ruled England, Scotland and Ireland for 22 years, often using the title King of Great Britain, until his death at the age of 58.[3] (wikipedia)

Elizabeth I of England- Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed three years after her birth, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her brother, Edward VI, cut her out of the succession. His will, however, was set aside, and in 1558 Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister, the Catholic Mary, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels. (wikipedia)

according to little, she had images of herself painted as the virgin mary.


relate the following to the religion, protestantism and catholism, and shakespizzle:

Purgatory- Purgatory, in the original sense, is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven, an idea that has ancient roots and is well-attested in early Christian literature, while the conception of purgatory as a geographically situated place is largely the achievement of medieval Christian piety and imagination.[1] (wikipedia)

renaissance self fashioning- a person is in charge of their own destiny. also results in more secular cultures.

Self-Fashioning- Self-fashioning, a term introduced by Stephen Greenblatt (Renaissance Self-Fashioning, 1980), is used to describe the process of constructing one's identity and public persona according to a set of socially acceptable standards. Greenblatt described the process in the Renaissance era where a noble man was instructed to dress in the finest clothing he could afford, to be well versed and educated in art, literature, sports, and other culturally determined noble exercises, and to generally compose himself in a carefully intended manner. Additionally, the relationship between self-fashioning and the aesthetic mediums was a reciprocal one. Just as the art of creating oneself was highly influenced by the art and literature of the time, such as conduct books and religious iconography, such a concern for one's outwardly projected image was reflected in the portraiture of the time. (wikipedia)

Individualism-Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that stresses independence and self-reliance. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires, while opposing most external interference with one's choices, whether by society, the state, or any other group or institution. Individualism is opposed to collectivism or statism, which stress that communal, community, group, societal, or national goals should take priority over individual goals. Individualism is also opposed to tradition, religion, or any other form of external moral standard being used to limit an individual's choice of actions. (wikipedia)

Nationalism- Nationalism can refer to an ideology, sentiment, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation.[1] While there is significant debate over the historical origins of nations, nearly all specialists accept that nationalism, at least as an ideology and social movement, is a modern phenomenon originating in Europe.[2] Precisely where and when it emerged is difficult to determine, but its development is closely related to that of the modern state and the push for popular sovereignty that came to a head with the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century. Since that time, nationalism has become one of the most significant political and social forces in history, perhaps most notably as a cause of both the First and Second World Wars. (wikipedia)

not these though:

First Folio- Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies is the first published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio.[1]
Printed in folio format and containing 36 plays (see list of Shakespeare's plays), it was prepared by Shakespeare's colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. Although eighteen of Shakespeare's plays had been published in quarto prior to 1623, the First Folio is the only reliable text for about twenty of the plays, and a valuable source text even for many of those previously published. The Folio includes all of the plays generally accepted to be Shakespeare's, with the exception of Pericles, Prince of Tyre and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and the two "lost plays," Cardenio and Love's Labour's Won. It also omits his poems. (wikipedia)

Morality Play- Morality plays are a type of theatrical allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of various moral attributes who try to prompt him to choose a godly life over one of evil. The plays were most popular in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. Having grown out of the religiously based mystery plays of the Middle Ages, they represented a shift towards a more secular base for European theatre.

miracle play- similar idea, except with miracles.

The Glory, the Grandeur: ELIZABETH

Queen Elizabeth I as born 1588 and died 1603. She was the daughter of Kin Henry VIII and the 5th and last Tudor Monarch. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, she never married and named James VI of Scotland (later to be renamed James I when crowned King of England) her successor. She had earlier sentenced his mother Mary Queen of Scots to death, but as Professor Little put it, he didn’t take offence to this and considered it “just politics.”
Elizabeth converted England to Protestantism once she was crowned. Her refusal to marry allowed her to portray herself as the “Virgin Queen” and present herself as a substitute for Catholicism’s Virgin Mary. Launching a huge propaganda campaign to reinforce this Cult of VIrginity, she not only equated herself with this Catholic figure, she also presented herself as a representation of England. Elizabethan England was presented as feminine, and the body of the nation was likened to the body of a woman. Elizabeth commissioned numerous portraits of herself with illusions to a penetrable femininity combined with a strength which could repel any advance. Pearls dangling towards her nether regions or a carefully placed fan often represented this duality. This image of the political body of Elizabeth can also be seen in literature from the period.
In 1588 the Spanish Armada attempted a conquest of England but failed due to a combination of bad weather and the efforts of the British Navy. This bolstered British senses of pride and nationalism, and during the 1580’s and early 90’s England enjoyed a prosperous economy and a rise in the Middle-class. In the late 1590’s however, people became worried. This was an era of disillusionment in which people lost faith in the supernatural. Catholicism offered no answers, yet neither did Protestantism. This disillusionment can be seen in Macbeth and Twelfth Night especially. Macbeth often receives prophetic guidance from the witches which seems to defy nature. However, the forests don’t actually rise against him and Macduff was a caesarian birth. Twelfth Night also comments of this era of disillusionment with its critique of a festive culture.
Samantha Moeller

Friday, October 24, 2008

chaos vs. order

In my opinion, this is an issue that is present in all 4 of the plays. The idea of some sort of new variable coming into society and causing uproar. Specifically, in Othello, the main character of Othello is black, and the issue of race and the notion of integration causes the world around him to come unhinged. The character of Iago is threatened by this thought of racial integration and takes it upon himself to do whatever necessary, no matter how morally wrong, to keep Othello from infiltrating their society. He belives that all his actions, be they negative or positive, serve the greater good of protecting society and restoring order to Venice. And because of this, Othello kills his wife and the chaos is never truly resolved, even if the characters would like to believe everything has fallen back into place.
In my opinion, this theme of chaos versus order seems to reflect London and the death of Queen Elizabeth. She was a strong monarch for the country, especially in terms of leading the country to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. Her successor, James I, was a new variable however. He attempted to seriously change the way that England’s society was run, specifically with his focus on absolutism and the Basilikon Doron. Also, he had many issues with Parliament and under his reign, the country suffered financially. He instilled chaos in society by presenting all these new changes. And in turn, society reacted chaotically. A group of Catholic extremists attempted the Gunpowder Plot, which was a plan to literally explode Parliament and James I. Extremists were so fed up with the current situation of society and the monarchy that they were willing to take drastic measures, much like the characters in the plays. Their desire to overthrow the ruling classes overshadowed their concepts of morals, or what was right. Like Iago in Othello, they were willing to do whatever it takes to manipulate the situation so that they could save the country. They believed their plan would benefit the whole city and restore order, and it was worth the small sacrifices that their radical plans would cost.

Ashley Wynn
Ian Hoch, Section 1E

Chiasmus (in MacBeth)

“Chiasmus” is a rhetorical technique (notably in the play “MacBeth”) that suggests a “crossing of paths.” This type of criss-cross structure is used to show an inverse relationship when comparing two things – in this case, two characters: Lady MacBeth and MacBeth. In “MacBeth,” the “chiasmus” structure is a term that Professor Little attributed to the contrasting characters of Lady MacBeth and MacBeth, who move towards inverse characterizations, i.e. immorality and morality, respectively.

Lady MacBeth starts out in the play as being immoral. She is an enabler and a catalyst in inspiring her husband MacBeth to kill King Duncan. With aspirations for her husband and her to assume the throne (thus needing to eliminate King Duncan), Lady MacBeth chides MacBeth and persuades him into “doing the deed,” by telling him: “Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o' the milk of human kindness…that which cries ‘Thus thou must do’…which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal.” (Act 1, Scene 5, lines 16-29). She says: “I may pour my spirits in thine ear; and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round,” meaning that she will convince MacBeth to get rid of any guilt that hinders him from attaining the “golden round” (crown). She is presented early on as corrupting MacBeth by convincing him to kill King Duncan, even arguing that in doing so, MacBeth seems to have the favor of fate and the supernatural. Yet, as the play progresses, Lady MacBeth becomes more moral, with her moral conscience bearing guilt for what she had done. This is seen as Lady MacBeth expresses her guilt for her conspiracy in Act 5, Scene 1, lines 35-40: “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!...”.

MacBeth, on the other hand, moves from morality to immorality. It is this inverse progression (when compared to that of Lady MacBeth) that creates the “chiasmus”. MacBeth at first struggles with the decision to kill King Duncan, but later is quick to kill MacDuff’s family without the convincing of Lady MacBeth. In self-proclamation, MacBeth says he is able to “look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t,” suggesting the deterioration of his moral conscience.

I think this technique is the type of term that might appear on the ID section of the midterm. An easy way to remember what this term means is by remembering it is a Greek term with the root being “Chi-” represented by the Greek letter X, suggesting a criss-cross pattern. Professor Little drew a diagram on the board which had basically 4 corners, and an “X” symbol in the middle, connecting Lady MacBeth (upper left) with an arrow diagonally downward representing progression towards morality (lower right), and MacBeth (lower left) with an arrow diagonally upward representing progression towards immorality. Simply put, Lady MacBeth goes towards morality as the play progresses, and inversely, MacBeth goes towards immorality. “Chiasmus” is a term to portray this crossing of paths.

Kevin Yee
Waldo, Dis 1D

Two Philosophical Issues in Shakespeare

Little mentioned two important positions that Shakespeare addresses in his works. These concepts are consistently underscored through the themes of his plays, the speech and actions of the characters, and the resulting outcomes of those actions:

(1) The Uncovering of the Self:

‘All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.’ (As You Like It, 2.7.138-39).

Shakespeare consistently draws attention to the notion that the parts individuals play in their daily lives are analogous to the parts actors play on a stage; they are laid out for us prior to our receiving them and adopted by us without our being aware of doing so. Roles can be social, gender specific, religious, political…all of these mantels are taken on and acted out. To get to the very heart of someone is to dig beneath these layers of public and private roleplaying.

(2) The Hierarchical Order:

‘Take but degree away, untune that string, / And hark what discord follows…’ (Troilus and Cressida, 1.3.109-10).

The social order is an important element of a stable society. If the roles and responsibilities that make up such an order are cast aside, chaos reigns and the society crumbles.

Shakespeare reconciles these two ideas: we must not think that these roles are anything other than insubstantial sets of norms which we decide to play out in the public and private spheres, while at once understanding that they are a necessary component to the continued functioning of the society.

--Drew Fleshman, Section 1D (Waldo)

Lucio and Lucifer as Anti-authoritarians

After hearing Lucio being compared to Lucifer our Measure for Measure lecture, a thought crossed my mind about what Shakespeare might be criticizing: God’s authority. To put it in perspective, we established that Lucio is the character that is attempting to reveal the truth, shedding light on matters as his name suggests. On a thematic level, we realize that he is “exposing the fallacy of absolutism” as Anna-Claire phrased it (sorry if I spelled your name wrong). Since we didn’t discuss what Lucio’s connection to Lucifer is, I thought about it to myself and came to the conclusion that they both are critical of the established figure of authority in their respective realms. That being said, I can’t help but believe that perhaps Shakespeare was attempting to communicate not only an anti-authoritarian message but also perhaps an anti-theistic message, claiming that it is fallacious to believe in the omnipotence of God. And for further clarification, I am not suggesting that Shakespeare is advocating atheism, but rather that he is promoting the idea that God can always be present but that doesn’t mean we should allow God’s will and authority to dictate our lives. I think we have made it pretty clear that Shakespeare wasn’t afraid to take on the state’s power in this play, but wouldn’t it be even more profound if he was actually also taking on God as well? Now I’m basing this idea merely on my reading of the play, not on any factual information about Shakespeare’s religious beliefs. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Michael Benitez

Prefomativity of Culture

“Take but degree away, untune that string,
And, hark, what discord follows!”

Troilus and Cressida Act. 1 Sc. 3



In Twelfth Night the idea that the world we live in is heavily scripted is very much present. The characters in the play are caught up in the preformativity of culture in the sense that in order to be acknowledged they play the roles that society expects them to. The quote above helps in understanding the idea that if someone shifts out of place then the whole system falters. Malvolio is one of those characters that does not fit his role.
We see this as he changes when he discovers the fake letter from Olivia. He abandons his role of a person who conforms to society’s expectations and his self regard and takes on the new role of an ambitions suitor. His desire to wed Olivia is a dramatic change which shows how it is possible to differ from the roles that society expects you to play.
Lili Lozano
Aaron Gorelik 1F

All is a Stage

At the beginning of the quarter professor Little posed the question asking whether there were actors who are acting at playing or if there are players who are playing at acting in Shakespeare’s plays. Throughout the readings the character Iago has stood out as the most useful figure in attempting to find an answer to this question. In “Othello”, Iago remains the most moral character as he is the only one who remains true and constant in his set of values. However, he is also the one character who performs as both an actor acting at playing and also a player playing at acting. As an actor Iago acts as is necessary throughout the play in order to achieve his own desired outcome. Iago plays the actor acting at playing as his character must exhibit the image of the loyal friend to both Othello and Cassio while still remaining true to his morals which disapprove of both these characters. Iago as a player is aware that this is a performance and thus Iago speaks directly to the audience as he voices the internal thoughts of his character in his aside comments. Iago can be seen as both an actor and a player as his character shifts self-consciousness between being aware of himself within the play and outside of the play among the audience. Having this self-awareness is what allows Iago to perform on all stages.
Ana Davila

Disillusionment in Measure by Measure

According to Professor Little: Lucio, as the light, brings about disillusionment within the play symbolically by pulling the veil off the duke and thus exposing the conviction of authority.

Disillusionment: loss of false belief: disappointment caused by a frustrated ideal or belief. Encarta ® World English

Vienna in Measure by Measure stands as a city masked by illusion. In the beginning the characters and
citizens are all impulsively drawn to the perverse over the natural. For instance Isabella desires to enter
nunnery which traditionally symbolizes the ultimate institution of virtue. However, Shakespeare’s depicts
the nunnery as sterile, void of life and Professor Little described it as a “Dead Zone.“ This perverts the
audience’s understanding of Isabella’s desire for chastity as her hunger for virtue becomes a hunger for
death. While discussing her sexuality to her brother she even uses “death” terminology: “whips, strip myself
to death, sick, yield body up to shame (Scene 2.4, line 100.) ” Ultimately, Isabella serves as character marred
by illusion as her impulses do not match up to her thoughts, words and thus convictions.

Lucio, however never suppresses his natural impulses. He unashamedly hangs out with whores, he gossips, openly jokes and ultimately never denies himself access to his raw desires. In a sense, Lucio is a naked character for Shakespeare does not present his impulses as different from his thoughts or actions. Thus, by pulling the veil off the duke, Lucio reveals the masquerade the Duke solicited as an authority figure. Where Lucio is light, clear and honest, the Duke is a shadow. He disguises himself, aims to suppress the natural impulses of the city by closing down the brothels and strips the citizens of their privacy by representing an omnipresent, always prevalent authority. Thus, Lucio brings about disillusionment by urging Vienna’s citizens to admit to their lack of privacy brought upon by the Duke.

Heather Farley-Rushworth section 1A

Say it, Othello

Say it, Othello.

Her father loved me, oft invited me,
Still questioned me the story of my life
From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes
That I have passed.
I ran it through even from my boyish days
To th' very moment that he bade me tell it,
Wherein I spoke of most disatrous chances,
of moving accidents by blood and field,
of hair-breadth scapes i;th; imminent deadly breath,
Of being taken by the insolent foe
And sold to slavery, of my redemtion thence,
And portance in my traveller's history,
Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle,
Rough quarries, rock, and hills whose heads touch heaven,
it was my hint to speak. Such was my process,
And of the cannibals that each other eat,
Theanthropophagi, and men whose headds
Do grow beneath tehir shoulder. these things to hear
would Desdemona seriuosly incline,
but still the house affairs would draw her thence,
Which ever as she coul dwith haste dispatch
she'd come again, and with a greedy ear
Devour up my discourse, which I observing,
took once a pliant hour, and found good means
to draw form her a prayer of earnest heart
that I would all my pilgrimage dilate,
Whereof by parcels she had something heard,
But intentively. I did consent
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffered. My story bieng done,
She gave me for my pains a world of kisses.

(...)

Othello
Act 1, Scene iii (ln 127 - 169)


Othello speaks in traditional iambic pentameter as he addresses Desdemona’s father, Brabanzio. Defending his innocence, he soliloquizes about his personal story after being accused of stealing Brabanzio’s daughter, a socially unacceptable form of raptus. “Her father loved me once,” he says, implying that Brabanzio no longer loves Othello because of the illegitimate marriage that has occurred without a father’s consent. The fact that Othello asserts Brabanzio’s impermanent love, shows us that Othello believes Brabanzio may have regarded him as a filial figure. Desdemona goes against the will of her father by marrying Othello without the permission of Brabazio. Othello is invited in, welcomed as a stranger into the life of Desdemona and her father. As a guest in a social environment that is unfamiliar, Othello is conscious of how he is perceived. Brabanzio is curious about the “story of his life” but may be hesitant in yielding to unconditional trust, as he questions Othello year after year— similar to the way a guilty party is consistently interrogated by an officer of the law.
Othello’s use of the phrase “questioned… the story of his life from year to year” suggests that Brabanzio may not have only been interested in Othello’s personal history solely for the sake of getting to know him. Rather, Brabanzio is engaging Othello in a background check of sorts, making sure that he is trustworthy. Perhaps Brabanzio finds it challenging to secure a personal trust in Othello because of his inability to transcend racial perception. This, despite Othello’s having redeemed himself— proven himself worthy of trust— over and over again. There is a nuanced subtlety in Othello’s language that suggests he may have felt interrogated from year to year— perhaps never achieving a fully realized sense of credibility. Othello, whether reasonably or not, is conscious of the ways in which he is perceived in a society that is predominately white.
Othello must remain ever conscious of the ways in which he is perceived as an outsider of the white hegemony; one mistake, such as the secret wedding outside the jurisdiction of authority, and his legal and social standing could be compromised. The fact that he is in the court room not because of what he has done, but what Iago and Roderigo have conspired against him, reveals that within the framework of the law, some men are punished for breaking the law, and others are not punished for breaking the law. In this case, the guilty parties include the conspirators who have betrayed their comrade, Othello, who has betrayed Brabanzio’s trust, and Desdemona. But who is the character who has to defend his actions in court? Who escapes the discerning eye of authority and the law altogether? The answers are A) Othello, and B) his white comrades, Iago and Roderigo. Because Othello, being the Moor, cannot escape authority and the law, he is questioned, and now must battle on a linguistic level in the form of debate, so that he may prove himself innocent.
What is particularly troubling is that even after Othello has spoken of most “disastrous chance,” of “moving accidents by flood and field,” of being “taken by insolent foe and sold into slavery, of his redemption thence,” he must still redeem himself in order to gain the favor of his authorities and peers. His peers “devour up his discourse,’ like greedy pigs devour their slop. These people are often troubled by his strange stories. His words instill sympathy and compassion, and still others wish they could be “such a man” as he is. Othello’s language is the only “witchcraft he has used,” causing him to be a man that other’s admire, and still others, such as Iago loathe. His words then, like his racial status is something he must consistently be conscious of, as either construct yields great power and simultaneously great instability. In Othello’s tragic case, a danger that ends in the collapse of all constructs, including the very construct of his life.


Matt Dixon
1F, Aaron Gorelik

Mystery Plays and Morality Plays

This is some introductory notes, to the era before Shakespeare's theatre was rising. Mystery plays, or morality plays are written under religious,Christian ways, and usually portray a biblical story, or a religiously moral story. A good example on such plays can be "The second Shepherd's Plays". Plays yet became more secular, less moral in Shakespeare's time' and as it does, it resembles how people would go to the theatre, instead of going to "Church". This movement is then lead 1576 when the plays went inside, creating the first "Theatre". Yet they put playhouses outside the city, and in the suburbs. Hence making theatre a very marginalized institution, constituted by using only men and boys.

in relation to this definition "Interregnum", is an important term, and that is where there was no drama or theatre houses [the era of common wealth]after king James (1642-1660), up until the coming of Charles II.


Tara Kangarlou

Aaron Gorelik 1F

Language: Vehicle to Persuasion and Deception

In Shakespeare’s plays, language holds the power to both seduce and deceive an individual. It is an effective tool used by characters to persuade and influence others. It is the key to a person’s heart and mind and has the power to control one’s actions and behavior. Hence, those who retain a masterful use of language are often the ones who can deceive and trick those around them.

For instance, in Twelfth Night, Viola (pretending to be Cesario) resorts to rhetoric as the vehicle through which to express her master Orsino’s passion and desperation for Olivia. Ironically, however, it is Viola’s eloquence that leads Olivia to fall in love with her, claiming that Viola’s speech is a type of “enchantment” that has bewitched her. She declares her love for the one whom she believes to be Cesario, requesting: “Let me hear you speak” (III.ii.111-122). Though Viola did not intend to seduce the countess, it is the beauty of her tongue that proves an irresistible attraction to Olivia.

In a similar fashion, in Othello, the protagonist is able to magnetize and captivate people around him through his speech. Recalling the time that he and Desdemona fell in love, Othello asserts that he “often did beguile her of her tears,/ When I did speak of some distressful stroke/ That my youth suffered…And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,/ I should but teach him how to tell my story,/ and that would woo her…” (I.iii.155-167). He is conscious that his words would “beguile” and “woo” her, so that his dialogue became alluring and would instigate interest and desire in Desdemona’s heart. “This is the only witchcraft I have used,” claims Othello of acquiring Desdemona’s love.

Language is perhaps most deceiving in Macbeth, as its main character is tricked by witches who foretell of his future Kingship. He is completely enraptured by their words and his behavior is determined by the words he hears them utter: “Hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii.53) The plot of the story is dependent upon the words uttered by these witches as they incite ambition and a hunger for power in Macbeth. He is further deceived by the supernatural apparitions invoked by the witches, for they tell him that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” and that “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/ Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/ Shall come against him” (IV.i.90,105). Macbeth’s dependency upon language is what ultimately brings about his downfall, he is led astray by ambiguous and equivocal statements.

Finally, from a metatheatrical perspective, the audience too is deceived and enticed by the language of the playwright, which transports them into the world of the play.

Rossely Amarante
Aaron Gorelik
Disc 1C

The Lord Chamberlain's Men

The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a play company that Shakespeare contributed in as a playwright and as an actor. It was originally founded during the rule of Elizabeth I in 1594; the play company was funded under the patronage of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, who carried the title of Lord Chamberlain (thus the play company’s name as “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”). In 1603 the company became known as the “King's Men” under a royal patent from James I. The company continued to thrive until the closing of the theatres in 1642 due to the Interregnum.

Brian Casillas

He's coming: I perceiv't

Professor Little framed the discourse between Isabella, Angelo, and Lucio in 2.2 of Measure for Measure in terms of the devil/angel qualities of Lucio, who seems like he could take both cartoon roles, sitting on Isabella's shoulders with pitchfork in one hand and halo in the other.

However, I'd like to argue that this scene is not just a seduction scene, but instead is a sex scene between Isabella and Angelo that foreshadows the garden sex scene (which we don't see) and attempts to corrupt the play and turn it into something other than comedy.

The interaction is infused with sexual language, notably from Isabella ("thou rather with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt/ Splits the unwedgeable and gnarled oak,") and of course Lucio ("O, to him, to him, wench! He will relent;/ He's coming: I perceive't").

In this interpretation, Lucio stands out as the third wheel. He is both the voyeur, and the catalyst, watching the scene ("I perceiv't") and egging it on. The garden sex scene is a direct result of this scene, which comes about because of Lucio; therefore Lucio is the corrupting influence that turns the genre away from comedy. When the virgin gets laid by Act III, the plays don't end in marriage.

Following this reading, the Duke takes the role of savior, preserving Isabella's chastity by his subterfuge and allowing the play to end in marriage, thus establishing it as comedy. And of course, the Duke has Lucio killed at the end, thus getting rid of the corruption.

Derek (Yang) Liu
Discussion 1D

Thursday, October 23, 2008

John Wycliffe: Anna-Claire Simpson

John Wycliffe was an early Catholic dissident and reformist, founder of the Lollard movement which pre-dated and preceded the Protestant Reformation in its attempt to clean up the corruption in the Catholic church. In the 14th century, he, with a team of translators, produced what is now known as the Wycliffe Bible, which was translated from the Latin Vulgate into English. While this is not the same translation that became known as the King James Bible which Shakespeare would have surely been acquainted with, it does represent the early democratization of the Bible. This democratization was a long and slow process that eventually led to the landmark publishing of the Gutenberg Bible, but what it signified was a breakdown between religion, the written word and the poor. For centuries, the Bible as the most well-known text in England was in Latin, which meant only those who studied and spoke Latin could interpret it. Once that barrier started to break down, the road was paved for the Protestant Reformation, which brought salvation back into the realm of the individual.

There is no woman's sides / Can bide the beating of so strong a passion... (Twelfth Night)

Orsino: "There is no woman’s sides
Can bide the beating of so strong a passion
As love doth give my heart; no woman’s heart
So big, to hold so much. They lack retention.
Alas, their love may be called appetite,
No motion of the liver, but the palate,
That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt.
But mine is all as hungry as the sea,
And can digest as much. Make no compare
Between that love a woman can bear me
And that I owe Olivia."

In this passage from Twelfth Night, Orsino makes the argument that a woman's love cannot be anywhere near as strong as the love of a man; he claims that a woman's sheer physicality simply lacks the capacity for a man's love, and he compares the love of a woman to a fleeting "appetite," or superficial craving, in contrast to his love for Olivia, which he (quite wrongly) sees as substantive and everlasting. Orsino makes this speech to Viola (as "Cesario") -- who indirectly offers her own love/anguish for Orsino himself as a counterexample. He claimes that women "lack retention," but as a matter of fact, Viola's love for Orsino himself is *the* only love in the play that actually remains consistent. The audience would be aware of the ridiculousness of Orsino's speech while he makes it (especially since his love for Olivia is fairly clearly superficial), which refutes this perceived role of men and women in romantic relationships. The fact that Orsino is giving this speech to the person he ends up suddenly switching his affections to by the end creates an extra layer of metatheatrical irony. (Additionally, Orsino's response to Viola, in which he assumes that she, as a man, is actually his/her own non-existent sister, contributes to the discord / chaos of the play.) The passage also ties in to the fact that, through the play, love is demonstrated to be equally profound for men and women, but frequently in taking the form of suffering.

Stephanie Solis
1B

Why then, alas, Do I put up that womanly defense to say that I have done no harm?

Wither should I fly?
I have done no harm. But I remember now
I am in this earthly world, where to do harm
Is often laudable, to do good sometime
Accounted dangerous folly. Why then, alas,
Do I put up that womanly defense
to say that I have done no harm? Spoken by Lady Macduff (Macbeth 4.2.73f)


The act of forsaking ones femaleness is charged with such metatheatric intensity that resounds to the existential dilemma at the heart of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. Not only does this attempted abandonment of social constructs echo the actor/player dichotomy it represents a moment of renaissance self un-fashioning. To be on stage assuming the role of female and to then to subsequently undress is to play quite disturbingly with the idea that man, or woman, is not, and, must not be constrained by external narrative agencies. Lady Macbeth refuses to commit to her assigned role and consequently becomes a marginalized reification of the ambitious and remorseless self that she had meant to be. From the moment of self-denial in act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth deteriorates to the point of non-existence. She dares to challenge literary authority and subsequently becomes a victim to narrative constructs. Lady Macduff the only other female voice hauntingly realizes that an inhabitant in “earthly world” (4.2.75) one is powerless to dissimulate true realities. The concern with identity and theatricality lends itself to a study in authoritarianism as well as authority transforming the notion of “borrowed robes” (1.3.107) into a discussion of individual agency.

Though Lady Macbeth attempts to assert her agency by abandoning her habiliment she is inherently constrained by her femaleness; the rejection of the self challenges the conception of the narrative construct ultimately undermining the authority of the playwright. What Lady Macbeth wishes to forsake is her capacity to remorse; “Stop up th’access and passage to remorse” (1.5.42). Here, she prays to an unknown external agent to halt her moral processes, to clog and to obstruct the exchange between reception and interpretation, between action and reaction, creating a tautological system of though. Strengthening the notion of tautology is the recurring defense of act and consequence; “What’s done is done” (3.2.14) and “…What’s done cannot be undone” (5.1.58) are two statements that blindly support previous action and arrogantly await anticipated reactions. Considering the narrative frame-work of the play the speaker (Lady Macbeth) speaks to a unidirectional projection of action and reaction. The spatiotemporality of the play does not allow for remorse; existence itself does not allow for remorse. Lady Macbeth latches onto this requisite to argue that a life is lived in vein if confined by questions of temporality and of external authorities. She denounces authority and thus tragically precipitates her fall.

Lady Macduff follows an equally tragic suit of tragic realizations. When confronted by death she comes to the realization that this “earthly world” (4.2.75) is raw and unreasonable space beyond the limits of the good and the bad. Lady Macduff expresses the futility that defines the existence on the mortal stage. When oppressed by the constructed narrative, she accepts that she has no individual agency, “…Why then, alas, Do I put up that womanly defense/ to say that I have done no harm?” (4.2.77f), the defense system presented here is a manufactured construct. The externalization of the self is reduced to a being a simulacrum of the self, belittling the man subject to external complots. One can easily inject an economy of free will and predestination into this existential envisioning of the mortal stage, or play with the notion of equivocation and metatheatre. Questioning and renounce that which defines the self becomes pivotal to the denouement of the play “Macbeth” and is therefore a very intriguing focus to hone in on.


Hector Cueva section 1C

The Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot occurred in 1605 and was the conspiracy of English Catholics to assassinate King James I and the members Parliament by blowing up the House of Parliament. The plot was lead by Guy Fawkes and Henry Garnet, who authored A Treatise of Equivocation, because of James’ hostility toward Catholics. Eventually the plot was discovered by King James through an act of confession by someone involved in the conspiracy. Both Fawkes and Garnet were killed as a result of being executed. The Gunpowder Plot was a significant influence to Macbeth is its references to equivocation throughout the play and the obvious conspiracy against the King.

Irene Gonzalez

Venice

The use of Venice as a locale within Othello is significant because of its historical implications. During the 17th century, Venice was known as an important multicultural center (with its population of Jews and blacks, as well as permissive attitudes towards homosexuality and prostitution). It was considered to be a western location with the most Eastern influences. During its period of significance, England would have wanted to emulate Venice’s power without its multiculturalism. Venice also provides a point of contrast to England at the time and helped to define (for the English) what it meant to be white and English. The city was also viewed as the final stronghold for the West before the Ottoman Empire. As of 1571, Cyprus had been taken over by the Ottoman Empire, and there was a real fear that if Venice should fall to the Turks, the remainder of the West would soon follow.

Stephanie Bates
TA- Aaron Gorelik
Dis 1F

The Gun Powder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot occurred in 1605 and was the conspiracy of English Catholics to assassinate King James I and the members Parliament by blowing up the House of Parliament. The plot was lead by Guy Fawkes and Henry Garnet, who authored A Treatise of Equivocation, because of James’ hostility toward Catholics. Eventually the plot was discovered by King James through an act of confession by someone involved in the conspiracy. Both Fawkes and Garnet were killed as a result of being executed. The Gunpowder Plot was a significant influence to Macbeth is its references to equivocation throughout the play and obviously the conspiracy against the King.

Irene Gonzalez

Interpellation

Marxist Philosopher Louis Althusser introduced the concept of Interpellation, in Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses.

Interpellation is to identify with a particular idea or identity, for example the moment someone “turns around” after randomly hearing “Hey You!” allows one to recognize that they belong to that identity; understanding that the “Hey You!” was meant for them without any direct address, as a result they associate their identity with what they heard.

An example of this would be located at the start of Act 2.3
The “Hey You!” in this instance is the "knocking" that occurs. This is heard and is responded to by the Porter, which at that time allows him to recognize himself. He understands his social position in the play as a servant and understands the knocking that occurs is meant for him to respond or react to in order for him to open the door.

Robert Lopez
Waldo Section 1A

sex for sex

The term “eye for an eye” is derived from Bible, referring to the idea that if one loses an eye during a fight, the opponent should compensate his eye as well. Lex Talionis or the Law of Retaliation demands equal retribution for one’s mistakes and the punishment should be equivalent to the transgression committed, nothing more and nothing less. In Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, Claudio impregnates his fiancé and is sentenced to death by Angelo; however, when Isabella pleads for Claudio’s life, Angelo requests for her virginity in return. Angelo is considered hypocritical, endeavoring to sleep with a woman out of wedlock to free a man who has done the same deed. Yet, it is interesting that although Angelo’s punishment for Claudio is not necessarily an “eye for an eye,” Angelo’s potential affair with Claudio’s sister is a more fitting punishment and definitely more similar to Claudio’s offense. Angelo’s request for Isabella’s virginity is looked down upon as disgusting and vile but, according to the Moseic Law of Lex Talionis, this is exactly the “eye for an eye” reprieve that Claudio deserves and not his death sentence. When Claudio later implores his sister to seal the deal, is it possible that he is doing so not because he is coward but because he feels that his original punishment is more severe than his wrongdoings and that his sister’s sex with Angelo, no matter how terrible, is actually more suitable?

Paolo Banaag
Aaron Gorelik- 1C

Iago as a moral character

The idea of morality in the play of Othello differs from the idea of ethics. According to Professor Little's lecture, Iago presents himself as the most moral character in the play; no matter how deceptive and cunning he is in his attempt to gain control of the situation. According to this idea of of Iago of being moral makes us redefine what we think is morality. In this case, Professor Little is suggesting that Iago embodies a set of moral beliefs that resemble those of the audience; no matter how unethical they may seem. The idea that morality is a social construct and allows us to view Iago as a representation of the views of 16th century British citizens. Beyond that, Iago serves as a stable character in the play because of his determination to do what he thinks is right as opposed to the flip flopping ideals of Othello who is not strong in will.
Iago warns of the troubles that a marriage between Desdemona and Othello can cause chaos in British society. According to Iago and the structure of the play, the intrigue into the private lives of Othello and Desdemona creates a sense of perversion among the audience which; as Iago warns, will turn into an inevitable homo-erotic intrigue. Iago martyrs himself to help from having this happen and therefore he is the most moral character in the sense that he rescues the situation and preserves a way of life.
Shakespeare maybe commenting on how these racist and absurd ideals in British society function that although they follow a set moral code, they seem ethically wrong in creating murder and tragedy by the end of the play. Othello causes the audiance to rethink their stance once seeing the cruelty of Iago's moral act.


Leon Khela
section 1E

Machiavel

The Machiavel was discussed in Professor Little’s lecture on Othello as a stage type figure with strong ambition who will do what he must in order to achieve his goal. One who also follows the philosophy and principles established by Niccolo Machiavelli. Shakespeare's Machiavel is the villain of the play who at times will discuss his chaotic plans with the audience before he goes out and performs them. Examples Professor Little gave of these figures were Richard III and Iago. After reading Othello one can see that Iago epitomizes the figure of the machiavel quite well. Iago is one of Shakespeare's greatest villains who lets nothing stand in his way of his goal of ending the romance between Othello and Desdemona. He uses his tremendous whit and manipulative abilities to execute his plan utilizing the honor and trust he is believed to have that resulted in being referenced as "Honest Iago". Even though in the end he is caught Iago is still able to achieve his goal of bringing down the Moor and severed his marriage with Desdemona.


Jacob Lopez
TA - Ian Hoch
Discussion 1E

Dead Zones

In Measure for Measure, the "dead zones" are places like the nunnery and the prisons. They are antisocial communities where life essentially ends. Since there are only women in nunneries, they are not able to have children, and therefore the women are not able to do what they should be able to do which is to have children. Since the Duke is ruling over these dead zones, he does not have any living beings to assert his rule over and therefore the laws are not really being followed. Since these are private places, Shakespeare is commenting on how authoritarians would like to be able to rule over both the private and public sector, but absolute rule over the private sector is not possible.


Danielle Galante

Key Terms

Key Terms

Interregnum means ‘between monarchs’ and lasted from (1642-1660). During this time England had no monarchs because Charles 1st was dethroned in 1642. The playhouses were also closed during this time, and when they finally opened, plays emerged as highly promiscuous, and women were finally on stage.

Machiavellian: A character in Shakespeare is called Machiavellian when he/she breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience by revealing what plan will be put into action. This character is seeks power and will go through various actions to obtain it.

Priscilla Dominguez
Section 1F

Disillusionment and Authoritarianism in Macbeth

In Act 5, Scene 5 of Macbeth, Seyton informs Macbeth that Lady Macbeth has just killed herself. This news prompts Macbeth to experience a moment of supreme disillusionment, as he realizes that the power he has committed murder in order to wield is meaningless. He delivers a nihilist statement in which man is characterized as “a walking shadow” and “a poor player,” and life is merely an absurd existence that ultimately, “signif[ies] nothing.” Macbeth indicates that all of man’s actions and beliefs are inevitably belittled and diminished by the passing of time, thereby rendering them meaningless. Macbeth recognizes that he is unable to exert complete control over his world and that he is not infallible. As a result, the extreme masculine authoritarianism to which Macbeth has subscribed crumbles. This brand of absolutism is revealed as an inadequate method of governance in which no real stability may be reached. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he finds that he must continue killing people to disguise the fact that he is culpable for the king’s death. The only end to the chain of events set in motion with Duncan’s death is Macbeth’s own demise. The total control that Macbeth attempts to exert over the situation proves impossible to maintain. This outcome sends Macbeth plummeting into disillusionment and demonstrates the futility of authoritarianism.

Caitlyn Chacon
Section 1B
TA: Ian Hoch

Duke's Impotence in "Measure for Measure"

The passage at the beginning of 3.1, where the Duke is speaking with Claudio is significant, because it reveals more about the Duke than the story. The fact that he is "trying" to make Claudio feel better about his execution sounds irrelevant, and thus appears as a form of impotence.
Also, as the climax of the play, it further underscores the Duke's impotence as the Duke's lack of power. After all, the Duke leaves his office, because he does not have the power to enact his own laws.

Kimberly Solorio
Section 1C

James I influence on Macbeth

The era under James I is strikingly similar to the setting of Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." Like the characters in the play, people during this time were paranoid with thoughts of suspicion following the leak of the Gunpowder Plot of 1603. The plot was intended to blow up Parliament and the King as devised by Guy Fawkes. During his reign, James I published two key works called "Dæmonologie" in which he warns against witchcraft and "Basilikon Doron" arguing for the abolishment of Parliament. The first text relates to both the character of Macbeth himself, as Shakespeare describes him as believing to possess supernatural powers, as well as to the role of the witches, in which the play opens with them representing beings who are mysterious and dark . Shakespeare addresses James I "Basilikon Doron" by having the characters in the play respond to a world of absolutism. Clearly, the world in the play is overwhelmed and in a state of panic as there is this strong sense that authoritarianism has taken over.

Cecilia Luppi
Waldo Section 1D

Order or Chaos?

I find all of the connections that can be made between each of the four plays interesting. Although there are many themes in each of the story that support that plot alone, many of those same themes or ideas are also a major part of the other plays also. Chaos vs. Order is one of those themes because of the way that everything plays out within the plays. Twelfth Night struggles with the idea of Chaos vs. Order because Viola is in the situation that she needs to “move up in society” and disguises herself as her brother to do so. This causes a chain of events in which a tangled web of lies is woven, becoming more complicated as the play goes on until it is all unveiled at the end of the play. In Macbeth, Chaos vs. Order plays a part because of the fight for power. The order is in when Duncan is king and begins to turn into chaos when Lady Macbeth assembles the plan to kill Duncan. Once this plan is executed, constant chaos is circulating throughout the play around many characters being blamed for the crime. In Othello, the play beings in chaos with the idea that a black man is married to a white woman and the entire order of what is “socially right” is put aside. One can argue that due to this detail alone and the fact that Othello strangles his own wife for a lie that was told by a valued “friend” chaos is never resolved to become order. In Measure to Measure, Chaos vs. Order plays a part with the Dukes character and the actions that he takes. Along with Chaos vs. Order, there is also the idea of Utopia vs. Dystopia, Social Status, and public vs. private that could be argued to be ideas that are present in each of the plays.

Nichol Forbes
English 142B
Discussion 1E
Ian Hoak

Purpose of Disguise and Mistaken Identity in 12th Night

Through the cross dressing, mistaken identities, and multiple characters masquerading in disguise in Twelfth Night, Shakespeare sends his audience an important message. Shakespeare uses and plays upon the seemingly obvious fact that people are seen and defined by others according to what they do and wear. In representing the characters as different from who they truly are, through actions and disguises, Shakespeare challenges the social script and accepted societal roles of his time. Aspects of meta-theater can be seen in this idea that he communicates through all the role playing, cross dressing. It seems as if Shakespeare is thinking philosophically about what it means to be a man, to be a woman, to have any certain role in society.

Ruthless Lady Macbeth

~"Yet I do fear thy nature./ It is too full o'th' milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great/, Art not without ambition, but without/ the illness should attend it"
- Macbeth Act 1, scene 5

Here in Act 1 the audience is introduced to Lady Macbeth as the unusually ruthless, masculine woman behind Macbeth. In the passage she expresses her doubt that Macbeth would be able to do what is necessary to secure the throne for himself, stating that he is not "wicked" enough and is too "human". She agrees that he has ambition but fears he does not have the will it takes to carry out the necessary murder.

Lady Macbeth is an unusually strong willed woman who pushes Macbeth to commit murder and act as an absolute ruler. This is ironic because she, being a woman, would never be able to outwardly show her ruthless ambition but possesses it nonetheless. In a way, it seems as though Lady Macbeth is responsible for the pairs success although she will never be able to gain as much respect and praise as a man would in the same situation. It is her ultimate tragedy that she will never be able to be a man, no matter how she tries to embody the character.

Jade Arvizu

A Brief History of Theaters / The Globe

The Red Lion was the first professional playhouse, built in 1567. This was followed by the construction of The Theatre, the first permanent playhouse, in 1576. The Globe was not built until some years later in 1599 by Shakespeare and his acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Shakespeare himself held a share in the theater’s success.

The Globe’s stage consisted of three main areas: the heavens, Earth, and Hell. The ceiling above the stage represented the Heavens, and featured a trap door through which performers could descend. The stage itself signified Earth. A trapdoor in the stage lead to Hell, or the pit below the stage. All the world truly is a stage, if that stage is in the Globe.

With the move from outdoor stages to indoor stages, 17th century playwrights (Shakespeare especially) found their scene and special effects opportunities drastically increase. With outdoor stages, where the plays were performed in broad daylight, most scenes took place in daylight as well. Most of Shakespeare’s earlier plays were therefore comedies. Indoor stages, however, allowed the use of more night-time scenes. Furthermore, with the advent of better special effects, Shakespeare could do things like create convincing storm effects. Because he was a “whore” for such effects, it is no surprise that Shakespeare wrote more tragedies to take advantage of the location switch. It is important to note that this was just one factor in his transition from comedies to tragedies.

Theaters were eventually moved into the suburbs, outside the city limits, where other exciting recreational opportunities such as prostitution, bear baiting, and homosexuality were available.

Raphael Holinshed

This is the man that Shakespeare borrowed from. It was brought up in the first Macbeth lecture because Shakespeare took the plot of "Macbeth" from Holinshed's "Chronicles." Shakespeare also used this text as the source for most of his histories and parts of "King Lear."

-Andres Barajas

When should she have died?

Act V Scene V
Wherefore was that cry?
Sey. The Queen, my lord, is dead.
Macb. She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word. 20
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools 24
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale 28
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

This passage connects the many allusions to time that occur throughout Macbeth. Professor Little emphasized in class the importance of Macbeth's speech in Act I Scene VII in which he speaks to the pace of things happening quickly. In fact, the concept of time has been skewed throughout the play. The drama begins with the witches altering the order of time by giving a prophecy which in essence disrupts the linear order of time. Now at this point at the end of the play, the reader/audience is exposed to the complications of time coming together.
The scene takes place just as Macbeth is preparing to go into battle, one which he knows he is destined to lose. He knows this because of the prophecy which foretells that he will lose his power when the woods encroach upon his castle, an event that should take hundreds of years. This is one aspect of time returning to balance.
Specifically within this passage there is an emphasis of time and the rejoining of past, present, and future. Macbeth says the word for her time would have been "tomorrow" indicating the future, as "day to day" refers to the present, "and all the yesterdays" signifying the past. As this balance restores Macbeth realizes that time has come to balance and that things are not happening nearly as quickly, and all too late seems to realize the importance of time in relation to mortality. He says that "life" as the "shadow" is "a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more." This hour is the realized mortality that Macbeth is coming to peace with. He knows his time has come to an end.
Macbeth's statement that Lady Macbeth should have died hereafter, while lovingly poetic is nothing but an admission that his wish to undo time, to speed it up to achieve his aims, was a poor choice, his ambition has caused his downfall. Now after trying to hard to get the perfect life, his shortcut has caused its very downfall.

Tyson Ramirez
Section 1E
TA Ian Hoch

Malcolm in the Middle: Gender Roles of Kings in Macbeth

In Macbeth, the three characters who come into power as king are represent three different positions on the gender spectrum. While all three characters are male in terms of sex, in terms of gender characterization, Duncan represents the extreme of femininity, Macbeth represents the extreme of masculinity, and Malcolm represents the happy medium.

Macbeth <------> Malcolm <------> Duncan
(Ultra-Masc)-----(Neutral)-----(Ultra-Fem)

Macbeth: The Ultra Masculine
-believes wholly in Absolutism / Authoritarianism; rules with an iron fist; "The Decider"
-kind of a jerk; kills an innocent man, a king, for personal benefit; overly willing to get his hands dirty
-progressively losing his conscience
-reproduction through aggression / murder
-all he does is kill people!

Duncan: The Ultra Feminine
-does not rule with an iron fist, but rather with a very open hand; turns over absolute authority to other characters whom, in the end, betray him
-"kind of a sissy'; in a time of war, has no concept for the safety of a fortress, but is more preoccupied with the decor; not willing to get his hands dirty
-conscience does not come in to play, he's dead / feminine characters don't think (see Lady Macduff)
-dies / line of reproduction is cut-off
-all he does is die!

Malcolm: The Ultra... nothing. The Happy Medium
-willing to solicit help from others, but will test their loyalty first (ie: discussion with Macduff in 4.3)
-fights to regain what is his, for a just cause; willing to get his hands dirty
-has a conscience
-reproductively neutral
-he lives!

If nothing else, think of it this way:
Macbeth's porridge is too hot and his bed is too hard
Duncan's porridge is too cold and his bed is too soft
Molcolm's porridge and bed: just right

Russell Stoll
Group 1D: Waldo

The Jacobean Era

The Jacobean Era - Important Key Facts

-Named after James I [renamed for English rule]
-Dates: 1603-1625
-The era tries to imitate Elizabeth; it backfires
-The era over which James oversaw was a much darker era.

-James dies, Charles I comes to throne and is eventually kicked off

-1660 was the era known as the interregnum [between monarchs when parliament was ruling]
○ Prosperity of previous era isn't going to happen
○ Era of disillusionment
○ Find ourselves in the world of growing disillusionment where everything seems dead

Basilikon Doron
-Means "the kingly gift". A book about how to be a good king - James gives to his son Charles I.

-The work preaches the concept of "god on earth".

-In the work, James says that if you hide any treacherous thought, he would find it and 'cut it out'

-The work, according to James, was accidentally leaked before his arrival in England - some say he did it intentionally to see how people would respond to his doctrine of rule before on English soil

-Theory of absolutism - the notion of ruling absolutely. James is famous for saying 'there shall be no parliament'. It is the sense that kings and monarchs, like the pope were invested with two bodies

Kate McAvoy, Ian's Section 1E

Bible Versions

During lecture, Professor Little mentioned several versions of the bible and how they influenced England at the time. Here are some
14th century, The Bible was translated to English (Wycliffe)
1560: The Geneva Bible that Shakespeare would most often use
1600: There was a specific Bible written for Catholics (I wrote down Cymatine for some reason and I can't find any more references to it anywhere)
1611: King James Bible, commissioned to be translated

Irvin Liu, Section 1E 10/23/08

Twelfth Night: Signifiance of Title

As discussed by Professor Little during lecture, the "Twelfth Night" in the title of the play corresponds to January 6, which is twelve days after Christmas. This day signifies the official end of Christmas festivities, indicating that the play is set in an anti-regulatory world.

The instability referenced in the title is evocative of numerous themes present throughout the play, including the effects of doubling:

1) Twins Viola and Sebastian
2) Maria writing the letter to Malvolio in Olivia's hand
3) Sebastian vs. Sebastian Sr.
4) Gender switching (made more confused by the fact that male actors played female characters)

Another example of instability lies in the convoluted differentiation between actors and players. Are the actors acting at playing, or are the players playing out acting?


Vanessa Yeh
Section 1B

I am as well acquainted here as I was in our house of profession. One would think it were Mistress Overdone's own house, for here be many of her old c

POM. I am as well acquainted here as I was in our house of profession. One would think it were Mistress Overdone's own house, for here be many of her old customers. First, here's young Master Rash, he's in for a commodity of brown paper and old ginger, ninescore and seventeen pounds, of which he made five marks ready money. Marry, then ginger was not much in request, for the old women were all dead. Then is there here one Master Caper, at the suit of Master Three-pile the mercer, for some four suits of peach-color'd satin, which now peaches him a beggar. Then have we here young Dizzy, and young Master Deep-vow, and Master Copper-spur, and Master Starve-lackey the rapier and dagger man, and young Drop-heir that kill'd lusty Pudding, and Master Forthlight the tilter, and brave Master Shoe-tie the great traveller, and wild Half-can that stabb'd Pots, and I think forty more, all great doers in our trade, and are now 'for the Lord's sake.'

This speech is given by Pompey the Clown during Act IV, scene III of “Measure for Measure.” It occurs shortly after Pompey has switched occupation, converting himself from bawd to undertaker's assistant. In the most literal sense, the passage describes how Pompey is comfortable in his new profession because all the men he saw at the whorehouse as a bawd are present on death row. A closer reading of the passage reveals that this is not merely a list of Pompey's friends, but is also a catalog of the play-world's sexual deviants and their multitude of varying sexual desires. Shakespeare uses this sexual catalog as a symbol, aiding him in his depiction of the play world as one in which lustful wants are openly expressed, and nearly impossible to hide. No matter where Pompey is, sexual desire will follow.
The fact that Pompey sees these men on death row suggests that the only way that Shakespeare's play world can eliminate lustful desire is by literally killing it off. By doing so, the play asserts its absolute authority over its characters (expressed through the characters Duke and Angelo). This absolute authority realizes that complete control is only gained by controlling all desires, sexual or otherwise, and that the only way to accomplish this goal is by destroying it. Consequently, the absolutism in the play is not only trying to control actions, but also abstract ideas.
Ultimately, this passage, as well as others in the play, are demonstrating how far a ruler has to go in order to gain complete dominion over their subjects IE the destruction of abstract ideas such as sexual desire. Shakespeare is questioning this absolutism, essentially wondering if the elimination of ideas is within the scope of any ruling power.

Thomas Marren
Amanda Waldo
Section 1A

Duke-What were you thinking?! Marriage Proposal

Measure For Measure
Act 5. Scene 1

Two attempts by the Duke:

Attempt #1:
Duke: [to Isabella] If he be like your brother, for his sake
Is pardoned; and for your lovely sake
Give me your hand, and say you will be mine.

Attempt #2:
Duke: Dear Isabel,
I have a motion (proposal) much imports your good,
Whereto, if you'll a willing ear incline,
What's mine is yours, and what yours is mine.

-As we discussed in class and according to our footnote: It is not clear how Isabella responds to the Duke's proposal of marriage.

What do you think?
*If Shakespeare had written Act 6-where would that take the play?

Danielle Moyer
Discussion 1C- Aaron Gorelik

THE ERA OF DISILLUSIONMENT

The Era of Disillusionment
Professor Little pointed out that with the passing of the golden Queen Elizabeth I (“I am the mother of this country and its subjects my children”) and the following ascension of the absolutist James I (“I am God on Earth”) to the throne of England, there is a clear shift in the tonality of Shakespeare’s plays – away from the light & comedic and towards the dark & complex.
Woven into the individual plots and themes of each of the later plays is now an ever-present examination of Disillusionment and Professor Little suggested that this all-embracing theme of Shakespeare’s Jacobean production can be seen as a sort of headline for the later plays, and in this way Disillusionment is the thematic root from which several interpretive variations may spring.
Professor Little went on to show how in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s Illusion that she is in control of her sex, her womanhood, her menstrual cycle as expressed in Act 1, scene 5 where she conjures her sexual powers – “make thick my blood/Stop up th’access and passage to remorse” – is dashed at the end of the play where the blood on her hands that can’t be washed away and keeps coming back is her own blood, her menstrual blood, the woman in her that cannot be killed.
Likewise, Macbeth’s Illusion – that as a god-like, invincible King his powers are eternal as long as he diligently crushes any threat to his masculine authoritarianism – is pointedly exposed as a very mortal human, almost laughable misinterpretation of fairy words, when at the end of the play Macbeth’s army is beaten by “the Great Birnam Wood” and he dies at the hand of a man who was “not of woman born.”

Susanne Wejp-Olsen, section 1E

1517: Martin Luther Nails the 95 Theses in Wittenberg

• 1517: Martin Luther Nailed the 95 Theses in Wittenberg
Martin Luther was attempting to catch the attention of the Pope and realized the way of doing so would be by nailing all of his complaints to the church door. Luther was then kicked out of the Catholic Church; subsequently establishing the foundation of Protestantism and further emphasizing his disapproval for Catholicism and its beliefs.

• With Catholicism the highest authority was the Pope, which was taught of as having two bodies: an earthly one and a spiritual one. The spiritual body was perfect in the sense that it was the representative of God. Catholics believed in the world of spirituality so when Christ left the physical body, earth, the idea of miracles/magic did not go away, which explains and allows for the existence of saints. Catholics had a profound belief in purgatory because for them an individual either went to heaven or hell; however, for the most part people would end up in purgatory until their dues were paid. While in purgatory Catholics had to give an extensive amount of money to the Church in order for the priest to pray for their passing relative, and it wasn’t until the priest decided you had given enough money to pay for his prayers, that your relative could then move from purgatory into heaven.

• Protestants decided to completely abolish the idea of purgatory. In Hamlet for example, Hamlet dies in this world of Catholicism, but he’s then stuck in a world without a purgatory because now all of a sudden people stopped believing in it. The way people mourned and think of the dead was inevitably affected because it left a sense of a pedestrian culture as it moved away from a world of “magical thinking,” thus the earth they were left with was a world in which magic/miracles become dead entities.

Janet Ruiz
Discussion 1D: Amanda Waldo

Racism in Othello

(This post was posted twice because I forgot to sign my name and section)


The racism in Othello also struck me, and more specifically in line 90 of act 1 scene 1:

"Even now, now, very now, and old black ram
is tupping your white ewe."

Refering to Othello as a ram suggests that the opinion of having sexual relations with a black man can be likened to sexing an animal, and also copulating with a satanic figure since the ram is associated with the devil. These facts lend themselves to the overall atmosphere of the play as being flipped and out of sync. Not only is a black men in line of receiving power by marrying a white women who is in power, but the marriage has occured before the start of the play to throw the play into chaos from the onset.

Jose "ABEL" Gonzalez
section 1E

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Interrogatives? In Macbeth? Spells out Toil and Trouble

As Professor Little pointed out in class, the first four scenes of Macbeth begin with questions. These interrogatives let the read know that something is seriously wrong. The characters themselves don’t know what’s going on, which spells out panic and chaos for the rest of the play.

King Duncan particularly is introduced as a character by asking questions about his own battle. This emphasizes Duncan’s effeminate nature in Macbeth’s masculine society and establishes a weakness in what is supposed to be King Duncan’s supposed “rule of absolute authority” (a nod to King James I and his doctrine). How can a king rule absolutely if he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his kingdom?

The play opening interrogative mode, combined with other elements like bad weather and dodgy politics spell out to the reader though the first few scenes that the world of Macbeth is unstable and in a panic mode.

-Michelle Gonzalez

The Father and Authority in Measure for Measure

Coming to Measure for Measure right off the heels of Othello, one of the first things I looked at was marriages. Remember how in Othello, marriage and consummation occurred before the beginning of the play. Othello, in that case was described as a beginning in a state of disarray, then resuming the status quo through destruction. In Measure for Measure I see something similar occurring, the play starting in a state of disarray through the perversion of marriage and comedic conventions, but the solution is to superimpose a 'happy' comedic ending, rather than ending in tragedy.

Marriages in Shakespeare's era always went through a certain sequence, Father giving permission, Marriage then Consummation. However in Measure for Measure, this doesn't quite occur in this order. Consummation occurs before marriage, and the marriages at the end aren't conclusive or particularly joyous occasions. We have already covered sex in the lectures, so I will focus my post on the first in the sequence, the need to attain permission from the father.

First of all, there is no father in the play. While in Othello, this was highlighted as the major breach of decorum, in Measure for Measure, this is more subtle, being simply not mentioned. As far as the events in the play have occurred Juliet, Isabella and Mariana's father was not asked to consent to their marriages. In fact the 'father' of these families is not even present in the play. If we decide to look at father as just being the partriarchal figure of the society, then perhaps we can choose the Duke. But right at the beginning we see he, the head of this society, or our closest alternative to this 'father figure' steps down, and relinquishes the power of decision making. We then see that marriages do not occur, and in fact are forbidden during the next few Acts without patriarchal consent. Angelo, as an unsatisfactory replacement simply prevents marriages from occurring.

Marriages only occur right at the end, when the Duke regains his position and arranges the marriages. However, while this is preferable to the period before without this process, the marriages in the end still do not feel quite right. This can be attributed to the fact that, troublingly, the Duke usurps the role of the father. I probably sound rather freudian at the moment, but while the Duke in a way can be seen as the figurative father of the society, he is not the Isabella, Juliet, Mariana or indeed the whore that Lucio marries' true father. Thus, in a correctly functioning society he should not be able to authorise marriages for them. What occurs in the end is a show of authoritarian power, the Duke imposes his authority, bypassing the natural order and takes control of the family unit.

In the context of Shakespeare's time it is easy to draw parallels between the play and events occurring. The Duke's assumption of authoritarian power, usurping even the father's right's as head of the family can be seen as a direct response to James I's interest in authoritarianism. the contrast between Angelo's unsuitable rule, and the Duke's conclusive reassertion of power could also be an interesting comparison between the fears of authoritarianism against the fear of lacking a king altogether, that was acutely felt during the end of Elizabeth's reign. In fact it almost seems as if Shakespeare's predicting Oliver Cromwell, but I'm straying off topic. There is a fear perhaps, of how although peace can be obtained through authoritarian rule, this might not always be a satisfactory peace. And the dangers of authoritarianism intruding on previously sacred tenets, such as the fathers right to control his family, can be seen acutely expressed in this play.

This is part of the reason that the ending to Measure for Measure seems inconclusive, despite the marriages seeming, on the surface, to satisfy the requirements for a joyous ending. The effect of an authoritarian imposition of a comedic ending can be seen in fact that two of the marriages are enforced as punishments. Angelo marrying Mariana, and Lucio marrying a whore were both used as punishments with Lucio indeed claiming 'marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging'(V.i.515-516). Isabella's marriage is alike, simply announced by the Duke, neglecting to ask the opinion of either Isabella, or more importantly, her father. The Duke simply is unable to provide conclusive happy marriages through his power. That is because he is trying to perform a role that he is not meant to play.

The Duke's assumption of patriarchal authority is one of the things that create the troubled ending, preventing it from fitting neatly into the comedy genre. The ending itself is one superimposed by Shakespeare, on the far more tragic ending of the original source text. In a sense you see Shakespeare using the Duke in a similar way. (except of course, since Shakespeare, if you will, is the 'God' of the universe he created, by having the Duke also doing the same thing he is, he is in fact having the Duke attain authority he is not meant to have). The Duke is superimposing the marriages of comedy onto a situation that should be tragic. So all in all, in the Duke's appropriation of Fatherly Authority, we see him transcending the limits of his own rank in part creating the uneasiness of the ending.

Quincy Chuck English 142B - Section 1F 22/10/2008