"Overcome selfishness! Self, self, self is all that you ever think of!" Scene 5
Amanda is perhaps one of the most whacked out characters I have ever had the displeasure of seeing in our plays. Tom and Amanda had constant arguments throughout the play, and I do not blame him. She is obsessed with the past. It seems that at least once in every scene she talks about her past, about her glory days as a young girl in the south. She has yet to move on to the present. What is more than her obsession with the past is her obsession with herself. Although she loves her children, she forgets her place. When Jim comes over for dinner, she talks and talks and talks and ends up being more annoying that gracious and welcoming. Also, she dresses up nicer than she should just for a boy to come over. What is the purpose of this? I feel as though she is trying to live through Laura's courting of a boy, since her days are over and gone.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Glass Menagerie: Irony of Abandonment
"I'm like my father. The bastard son of a bastard! See how he grins? And he's been absent going on sixteen years!" Scene 6
Fathers that walk out on their families can devastate the children. There is no doubt that growing up, Tom and Laura greatly felt his absence. If not necessarily out of want for a father, it would be because their mother constantly talks about him. Tom is forced to nearly give up his dreams to support the family. He is now the man of the house. However, it is ironic that despite everything his father's abandonment had caused him, Tom was willing to walk away as well. Did he ever worry about how Laura and his mother would survive? He surely must have felt a guilt. Yet he does not necessarily mention a heavy conscience. Perhaps the reason he walked out is because that is what he learned from the only male role model he ever had.
Fathers that walk out on their families can devastate the children. There is no doubt that growing up, Tom and Laura greatly felt his absence. If not necessarily out of want for a father, it would be because their mother constantly talks about him. Tom is forced to nearly give up his dreams to support the family. He is now the man of the house. However, it is ironic that despite everything his father's abandonment had caused him, Tom was willing to walk away as well. Did he ever worry about how Laura and his mother would survive? He surely must have felt a guilt. Yet he does not necessarily mention a heavy conscience. Perhaps the reason he walked out is because that is what he learned from the only male role model he ever had.
The Glass Menagerie: Symbolism
"Oh, be careful- if you breathe, it breaks!" Scene 7
The symbolism of Laura's glass collection is quite evident. Of course there is the physical aspect; the fragility of the glass is like Laura and her crippled condition. What is more, though, is how a simple thing like glass can become so pretty. This is like Laura. Throughout the beginning of the play she is an ordinary and old-fashioned girl. It just takes the right light- and circumstances, for her true beauty to shine through. As far as her favorite piece of her collection goes, it's parallelism to its owner is remarkable. At first, we see the unicorn as her favorite piece because, like her, it is different from all of the other pieces. It lives in its own world and existence, just like she does. Jim comes along and breaks the fragile piece. However, all he does is normalize the unicorn by knocking off its' horn so that it fits in with the rest of the selection. Jim also breaks Laura. It is true that he should not have kissed her. However, he did. Yet he gave her the potential confidence she needed to fit in with the rest of society.
The symbolism of Laura's glass collection is quite evident. Of course there is the physical aspect; the fragility of the glass is like Laura and her crippled condition. What is more, though, is how a simple thing like glass can become so pretty. This is like Laura. Throughout the beginning of the play she is an ordinary and old-fashioned girl. It just takes the right light- and circumstances, for her true beauty to shine through. As far as her favorite piece of her collection goes, it's parallelism to its owner is remarkable. At first, we see the unicorn as her favorite piece because, like her, it is different from all of the other pieces. It lives in its own world and existence, just like she does. Jim comes along and breaks the fragile piece. However, all he does is normalize the unicorn by knocking off its' horn so that it fits in with the rest of the selection. Jim also breaks Laura. It is true that he should not have kissed her. However, he did. Yet he gave her the potential confidence she needed to fit in with the rest of society.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
As you Like It: Antagonist and Protagonist
"I knew when seven justices could not take up a quarrel, but when the parties were met themselves, one of them thought but of an ‘if’, as ‘If you said so, then I said so’, and they shook hands and swore brothers. Your ‘if’ is the only peacemaker; much virtue in ‘if’." V.iv.92
Though this quote doesn't exactly fit with the theme, it is about arguments and brothers, both ideas in this blog post. Throughout this play, we see multiple antagonists and protagonists. Of course there are the main pair, Orlando and his evil older brother Oliver. However, throughout the play we see other pairs. Duke Frederick is the antagonist of his family while Duke Senior is the protagonist, the laid-back, go with the flow kind of guy. Yet again, the mean Duke acts as an antagonist of Rosalind, exiling her into the forest with her father. This, like the unusually common love theme, is unique in its frequent appearance throughout the play. Good versus evil is emphasized throughout. The irony in this, however, is that in the end, there ends up being no evil. Oliver has a change of heart after being saved by Orlando. Frederick has a conversion after meeting a religious man. Yet again, this is unusual being as normally the villain dies in Shakespeare's plays.
Though this quote doesn't exactly fit with the theme, it is about arguments and brothers, both ideas in this blog post. Throughout this play, we see multiple antagonists and protagonists. Of course there are the main pair, Orlando and his evil older brother Oliver. However, throughout the play we see other pairs. Duke Frederick is the antagonist of his family while Duke Senior is the protagonist, the laid-back, go with the flow kind of guy. Yet again, the mean Duke acts as an antagonist of Rosalind, exiling her into the forest with her father. This, like the unusually common love theme, is unique in its frequent appearance throughout the play. Good versus evil is emphasized throughout. The irony in this, however, is that in the end, there ends up being no evil. Oliver has a change of heart after being saved by Orlando. Frederick has a conversion after meeting a religious man. Yet again, this is unusual being as normally the villain dies in Shakespeare's plays.
As You Like It: Love
"Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are called fools." V.i.3
What an appropriate theme! With yesterday being Valentine's day, I can think of nothing better to focus on other than the ridiculous amount of love occurring in this play. Now before I get criticized for taking away from the emotion in the play, let me explain. I understand that there has to be at least one complicated love story in every Shakespearean play. In this case, the main love story was between Orlando and Rosalind. That was expected. However, what was not expected was every single character present falling in love with someone else. Phoebe fell in love with Ganymede, Celia fell in love with Oliver (who, I might add, began as an evil man), Silvius loves Phoebe, and William is in love with Audrey, who becomes the mistress of Touchstone. What is this nonsense? The love plot becomes so intricate and complicated that it was difficult to remember all of that. Is there such a thing as too much love? I feel as though old Will overextended his theme in this play. Yet it will forever be remembered as one of his greatest comedies of all time.
As You Like It: Irony
"Come, woo me, woo me, for now I am in a holiday humour and like enough to consent. What would you
say to me now, an I were your very very Rosalind?" IV.i.12
Today in class, my group had discussed where the humor was in this comedy. As we discovered, it was the irony of the play that the audience laughed at. Upon thinking about it, I realized it was rather humerous. We have Rosalind, acting like Ganymede, acting like Rosalind. As confusing as that is, it also brings me a chuckle when she says things like "if I were your very own Rosalind?" Why would she not just reveal herself to Orlando? Perhaps this is the irony in it though. Another irony is Phoebe falling in love with Rosalind's disguise. That's awkward. What is more concerning is that Rosalind must have played the part of a boy very very well in order to accomplish these ironic feats. Perhaps too well. I am by no means classifying this play as a knee-slapper, though I have opened my mind to the possibility that it might be comically entertaining if my life consisted of plowing fields and milking cows.
say to me now, an I were your very very Rosalind?" IV.i.12
Today in class, my group had discussed where the humor was in this comedy. As we discovered, it was the irony of the play that the audience laughed at. Upon thinking about it, I realized it was rather humerous. We have Rosalind, acting like Ganymede, acting like Rosalind. As confusing as that is, it also brings me a chuckle when she says things like "if I were your very own Rosalind?" Why would she not just reveal herself to Orlando? Perhaps this is the irony in it though. Another irony is Phoebe falling in love with Rosalind's disguise. That's awkward. What is more concerning is that Rosalind must have played the part of a boy very very well in order to accomplish these ironic feats. Perhaps too well. I am by no means classifying this play as a knee-slapper, though I have opened my mind to the possibility that it might be comically entertaining if my life consisted of plowing fields and milking cows.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Othello!!!
Othello is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. It is a work of relatable characters, themes, and motivations that remain relevant in our world today. One of Shakespeare's themes, seen especially throughout the later acts of the play, is a soldier's difficulty in maintaining balance between family and duty.
Othello enters the play as an extremely successful general in the Venetian army. He has many campaigns under his belt, and has done great services for the government. More than his success in his campaigns is the attitude he displays throughout it all. He is level headed and does not let emotions get the best of him. He is known for keeping his cool under intense circumstances. However, this all changes with the implanting of Iago's seed of jealousy. Othello suddenly loses his temper frequently, and is consistently agitated and irritable. His troubled love life interferes with his commitment to duty and he can no longer focus on the task of running Cyprus successfully. Othello becomes consumed with the concept of Desdemona cheating on him and struggles to maintain his role as leader and diplomat. In fact, he fails miserably in his attempt. When Lodovico brings news from Venice to Othello, he witnesses Othello striking Desdemona after she says that she cares about Cassio. Othello fails in his role as diplomat and lets his emotions get the best of him, to the point that Lodovico questions who he is: " Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident nor dart of chance Could neither graze nor pierce?".
Othello is not alone in his struggle to balance personal matters with his duty. In the movie Jarhead, Marine sniper Anthony Swafford also has difficulty remaining devoted to his mission as a soldier while he worries about his girlfriend back home. Many of his fellow soldiers, all of whom were stationed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, receive letters from their sweethearts back home telling them they no longer want a relationship. Swafford becomes anxious as he awaits for his own "Dear John" letter. He oftentimes has nightmares about his girlfriend, particularly after seeing a comrade discover that his marriage was over. Swafford eventually gets the letter he was dreading, and the effects it has on his morale are devastating. Swafford lets this pressure get the best of him, and threatens to shoot one of the men in his unit for no reason. He then turns the gun on himself and tells the man to shoot him. The events going on back home took such an emotional toll on Swafford that, like Othello, although he tried to remain calm and focused on the mission, he could not function properly as a soldier.
A very real-life example of this struggle men in the line of duty feel is SPC Antonio Hernandez, a member of the Army National Guard from Houston, Texas.
After he and his girlfriend discovered that they were pregnant with their first child, Hernandez was exuberant. However, he was deployed to Fort Bliss, a training base in El Paso, weeks before his girlfriend's induced labor. Despite requesting a few days of emergency leave, Hernandez was told by his Sergeant that he would not be able to witness the birth of his daughter. "“Not being able to be here for my daughter is tough on me. It's going to be hard trying to be over there and focused on my job without even having a chance to meet my daughter first”. Hernandez had to sit through seven hours on the plane, unable to think about anything but the safety of his girlfriend and unborn child. Although he ended up being granted three days of leave and saw the birth of his daughter, Hernandez was torn for between his duty to his country and family. Much like Othello, his aching heart was a major distraction from his duties at hand.
Othello, Anthony Swafford, and Antonio Hernandez all dealt with their internal disparity in their own ways, right or wrong. Yet these men, despite their stories being hundreds of years apart, all shared the same common, timeless difficulty of juggling duty and personal matters. This struggle between personal life and responsibility will go on forever, as long as men have work to be done and love in their hearts.
Othello enters the play as an extremely successful general in the Venetian army. He has many campaigns under his belt, and has done great services for the government. More than his success in his campaigns is the attitude he displays throughout it all. He is level headed and does not let emotions get the best of him. He is known for keeping his cool under intense circumstances. However, this all changes with the implanting of Iago's seed of jealousy. Othello suddenly loses his temper frequently, and is consistently agitated and irritable. His troubled love life interferes with his commitment to duty and he can no longer focus on the task of running Cyprus successfully. Othello becomes consumed with the concept of Desdemona cheating on him and struggles to maintain his role as leader and diplomat. In fact, he fails miserably in his attempt. When Lodovico brings news from Venice to Othello, he witnesses Othello striking Desdemona after she says that she cares about Cassio. Othello fails in his role as diplomat and lets his emotions get the best of him, to the point that Lodovico questions who he is: " Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident nor dart of chance Could neither graze nor pierce?".
Othello is not alone in his struggle to balance personal matters with his duty. In the movie Jarhead, Marine sniper Anthony Swafford also has difficulty remaining devoted to his mission as a soldier while he worries about his girlfriend back home. Many of his fellow soldiers, all of whom were stationed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, receive letters from their sweethearts back home telling them they no longer want a relationship. Swafford becomes anxious as he awaits for his own "Dear John" letter. He oftentimes has nightmares about his girlfriend, particularly after seeing a comrade discover that his marriage was over. Swafford eventually gets the letter he was dreading, and the effects it has on his morale are devastating. Swafford lets this pressure get the best of him, and threatens to shoot one of the men in his unit for no reason. He then turns the gun on himself and tells the man to shoot him. The events going on back home took such an emotional toll on Swafford that, like Othello, although he tried to remain calm and focused on the mission, he could not function properly as a soldier.
After he and his girlfriend discovered that they were pregnant with their first child, Hernandez was exuberant. However, he was deployed to Fort Bliss, a training base in El Paso, weeks before his girlfriend's induced labor. Despite requesting a few days of emergency leave, Hernandez was told by his Sergeant that he would not be able to witness the birth of his daughter. "“Not being able to be here for my daughter is tough on me. It's going to be hard trying to be over there and focused on my job without even having a chance to meet my daughter first”. Hernandez had to sit through seven hours on the plane, unable to think about anything but the safety of his girlfriend and unborn child. Although he ended up being granted three days of leave and saw the birth of his daughter, Hernandez was torn for between his duty to his country and family. Much like Othello, his aching heart was a major distraction from his duties at hand.
Othello, Anthony Swafford, and Antonio Hernandez all dealt with their internal disparity in their own ways, right or wrong. Yet these men, despite their stories being hundreds of years apart, all shared the same common, timeless difficulty of juggling duty and personal matters. This struggle between personal life and responsibility will go on forever, as long as men have work to be done and love in their hearts.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Not Your Fault
AWOLNATION's "Not Your Fault" identifies very closely with some conflicts in Othello.To start off with, the song is centered around a beautiful girl, as the play is. The singer of the song is amazed that such a woman would be interested in him, since he is a "joke in his own mind". Othello himself is amazed at the beauty of Desdemona, and cannot get enough of her. The chorus of the song goes on to explain the various reasons in which it's not the girl's fault that bad things happen. Because he is crazy for her, because he is confused, nothing is her fault. This was Othello's initial perception of Desdemona. He was madly in love with her and did anything she asked of him. However, once his jealous tendencies kicked in, Othello ended up being driven insane by the story Iago told him. After killing her and realizing the truth, Othello once again realized that it was not her fault. In fact, in the last scene of the play, Othello and all others realize that it is no one's fault but Iago. The blame game had gone on far too long, and everyone discovered that it was, in fact, all Iago's fault. Othello did more than "fight with himself till he's bleeding", he took his own life upon his discovery that it was not Desdemona's fault. AWOLNATION was obviously inspired by this play when they wrote this song.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Othello: Roderigo
"I know his gait, 'tis he. Villain, thou diest!" V.i.22
Roderigo. Oh, naive Roderigo. He is the only character throughout the play who repeatedly gets the short end of the stick. In fact, he is the only one who is so weak willed, that Iago changes his perspective completely every time that Roderigo becomes angry at him, even to the point of murdering another man. He is basically the pocket behind Iago's evil plans. And so comes the brilliant irony that I pointed out today in class. By the end of the play, Roderigo's pockets turn out to be Iago's demise. They find the notes between the two, revealing all. And this is the ultimate irony of all. Roderigo, the stupid, love struck, falsely bearded man, takes down the all mighty Iago.
Roderigo. Oh, naive Roderigo. He is the only character throughout the play who repeatedly gets the short end of the stick. In fact, he is the only one who is so weak willed, that Iago changes his perspective completely every time that Roderigo becomes angry at him, even to the point of murdering another man. He is basically the pocket behind Iago's evil plans. And so comes the brilliant irony that I pointed out today in class. By the end of the play, Roderigo's pockets turn out to be Iago's demise. They find the notes between the two, revealing all. And this is the ultimate irony of all. Roderigo, the stupid, love struck, falsely bearded man, takes down the all mighty Iago.
Othello: Soliloquy
"The Moor already changes with my poison. Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons, Which at first are scarce found to distaste, But with a little, act upon the blood," III.iii.326-329
In Othello, soliloquies chiefly serve to inform the audience as to a character's thoughts. In the case of Iago, we mainly discover his intentions and plans. In fact, the maliciousness in his thoughts contrast sharply to the character he most often acts like on stage. Without this soliloquy, he would not appear as cunning in his actions or words. In Othello, we see his internal conflict. Without his soliloquies, he would seem like an ignorant obeying servant, blindly doing anything suggested to him. In either case, they are clever ways in which Shakespeare lets the audience know something that the other characters in the play do not. It is like telling the story in the first person and lets us follow the thought processes of characters.
In Othello, soliloquies chiefly serve to inform the audience as to a character's thoughts. In the case of Iago, we mainly discover his intentions and plans. In fact, the maliciousness in his thoughts contrast sharply to the character he most often acts like on stage. Without this soliloquy, he would not appear as cunning in his actions or words. In Othello, we see his internal conflict. Without his soliloquies, he would seem like an ignorant obeying servant, blindly doing anything suggested to him. In either case, they are clever ways in which Shakespeare lets the audience know something that the other characters in the play do not. It is like telling the story in the first person and lets us follow the thought processes of characters.
Othello: Theme of Jealousy
"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on." III.iii.167-168
Though the theme of jealousy does not appear until the third act, it is perhaps the most relevant theme throughout the entire play. Here, with Iago's villainous words, the seed is planted in Othello's mind. This seed grows and grows to the point that it consumes Othello and eventually leads to his strangling of Desdemona, and his ultimate suicide. As this theme of jealousy grows more and more, it creates suspense and tension that keeps the audience entertained and paying attention. In the case of Shakespeare, this jealousy may be a bit over exaggerated. An experienced military leader such as Othello would most likely not be so obsessed with the idea a lower ranking officer put into his mind. However the realism of his jealousy is one that everybody can relate to in some way or another.
Though the theme of jealousy does not appear until the third act, it is perhaps the most relevant theme throughout the entire play. Here, with Iago's villainous words, the seed is planted in Othello's mind. This seed grows and grows to the point that it consumes Othello and eventually leads to his strangling of Desdemona, and his ultimate suicide. As this theme of jealousy grows more and more, it creates suspense and tension that keeps the audience entertained and paying attention. In the case of Shakespeare, this jealousy may be a bit over exaggerated. An experienced military leader such as Othello would most likely not be so obsessed with the idea a lower ranking officer put into his mind. However the realism of his jealousy is one that everybody can relate to in some way or another.
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