Sunday, January 25, 2009

For You, Mr. Klimas

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Shakespearean Histories: Richard III and Henry V (a villian and a hero)




Shakespeare wrote several historical plays during his lifetime, which related to the political and domestic feelings of the time period. The two focused on in class were Richard III and Henry V. Both men were kings of England, however, there is a very clear difference between the heroic Henry and his villanous counterpart Richard.
PART A:
As does most history, the historical time periods of Henry and Richard involve war, loss, and victory. As such the language Shakespeare uses revolves a lot around the idea of powerful speeches, charismatic leadership, and manipulation. Despite their difference in morality and honesty, both Henry and Richard possess an amazing ability to speak and manipulate others to their will. In Richard III, possibly one of the most amazing and disgusting uses of Richard's dispicable persuations is that of Lady Anne. He woos her over the dead body of her father-in-law, who Richard murdered, and Richard has also murdered Anne's husband. However he is so convincing in his speech and diction that he convinces the weak-minded Anne to come with him and forget his past treacheries. "Nay, do not pause; for I did kill King Henry, But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me.Nay, now dispatch; 'twas I that stabb'd young Edward, But 'twas thy heavenly face that set me on" (Richard III, Act I Scene II). Here Richard manipulates Anne's emotions by saying that although he is guilty of the crimes that she accuses him of it was not his fault but her's by fault of her beauty and charm that caused him to do it. He has expertly turned the tables on Anne, and is successfully able to completely change her opinion on his marriage proposal. Henry is also one in possession of great persuasive abilities, and like Richard, uses it to obtain his goals. However the way in which he achieves them is much different. In Henry V, the most famous speech Henry gives is his St. Crispian's Day Speech, prior to the Battle of Agincourt. "This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother" (Henry V Act IV, Scene III). Shakespeare puts this beautiful speech together for Henry to use to motivate his troops to victory, who even outnumbered must now rush headlong into certain death. However, through his speech, Henry is able to manipulate the emotions of his soldiers, just as Richard manipulates the emotions of Anne, his brothers Clarence and Edward, his nephews Edward and York, and so many others. Through this ralling speech Henry is able to create the idea that this day is bigger than anyone there, that until the ending of time people will remember the names of Henry, Westmoreland, Bedford, and all those who fought at Agincourt, and that live or die, they are brothers in arms bound by blood forever. As it can be seen through these two powerful speeches and other in both plays, Shakespeare uses his brilliant use of language to convey a attitude toward the audience about the charcter's personality, morality, and in-depth feelings; allowing the audience to develop a sense and impression of the character.
PART B:
In both historical genre plays Henry V and Richard III, the story primarily focuses on the main character and the events and consequences of that character's actions. In Richard, the audience is able to follow the events of Richard's betrayals and horrors to places like the Tower of London, where the audience experiences Clarence realizing that Richard was behind his betrayal and then his murder, to Richmond's camp where Richmond and his commanders talk of how to defeat the rooting pig Richard based on his actions. Henry allows the audience to journey from Henry's war council where he blantantly rejects the Dauphin's request to stand down and is outraged by the Dauphin' s insulting gift, to the chambers of King Charles VI where they learn of Henry's intent to invade France and take what is his by rightful lineage. The way Shakespeaere incorportates these ways to consequences of the character's actions into his genre adds a very interesting point of view to the story. Another common theme in the genre is the in-depth view the audience is granted of the character's morality, emotions, and feelings. Richard is very easy to read. He is the villian, as he makes very clear in his opening speech. "And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days" (Act I Scene I). However, the methods he uses to obtain his ultimate goal of the crown are deceitful, backstabbing, and covert. Everyone knows that Richard is slime, but they all fail to see it until it is too late. Clarence, for example, knows his brother is not the best of people, but does not see how deep his treachery runs until he learns that his brother is the cause behind his death. Richard is an expert at being two-faced; he is able to entertain people he speaks with and cause them to develop a sense of trust, while in reality either his words have two meanings or he proceeds to laugh about the stupidity of those he manipulates after they are out of hearing. A great example of his ability to put up a facade comes in the first speech where he is dictating his plan to betray his brother and then puts on a facade to build Clarence's trust. "Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence comes.
[Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY]
Brother, good day; what means this armed guard That waits upon your grace?" (Act I Scene I). Henry is very different in that he is the hero of the story. He is a king and does things that would be horrible for any citizen, but makes him a great king. He is kind, cruel, comforting, and forgiving all at the same time, where Richard puts on the good facades while deep down he is true evil. Henry like Richard, possesses an unstoppable drive to achieve what he sets out to take. Exeter describes him to King Charles as a tempest that will not be stopped. Like Richard, Henry also uses his amazing use of language to affect anyone who hears him. He uses it to initimidate his enemies, as he does at Harfleur where he convinces the Governer to surrender or the death of the citizens will be his own fault. He uses his language to inspire his men to victory, as he does in his famous St. Crispian's Day speech. The main difference between Henry and Richard is that Henry comes right out with what he is doing and those around him develop their opinions based on what they see. Richard on the other hand, is covert and subversive, using his persuasive abilities to bend those around him to his will, and his lack of conscience (as discussed as a major theme between the murderers, and Tyrell) to remove all that oppose him.
PART C:
To reflect upon the historical genre, I would say that in my opinion, it is the better of the two analyzed here. The Histories have a story line to them that is not as predictable as those of the comedies. In the comedies, the characters are more superficial, while in the histories it is possible to achieve an in-depth understanding of the character. One can see that Richard is a horrible, vile villian and Henry is a noble, heroic king through examining their monologues and speeches. One is able to acquire a greater respect (not to be confused with respect meant in a good manner in relation to Richard III) to the way in which the character obtains their goals and, in Richard's case, how his cruelty and lack of conscience literally come back to haunt him and inspire his enemies. Out of the two examined, I would say that I enjoyed Richard more, if only for the reason that it is amazing how he is so crafty with his words, how he is able to manipulate people so easily and then dispose of them as if they nothing more than a toy he was bored with.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Shakespeare: The Comedies (& One Romance) - A Midsummer Nights Dream, Taming of the Shrew, & The Tempest


William Shakespeare wrote many comedic plays during his lifetime, and the two that were analyzed in class included A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. Also analyzed was The Tempest which, although is a romance, can be treated as either a comedy or tragedy since it contains aspects of both.
PART A:
The language of Shakespeare's comedies is very similar. In all the works analzyed in class, they all hold the same style of writing and use of literary devices. For example, in Midsummer, Act I Scene I concludes with Helena speaking about how love is blind and she has been rebuked by Demetrius, but will not give up and pursue him to the forest. However, introduced earlier in the play was the idea that Egeus wants to make Hermia a nun or have her killed if she refuses to marry Demetrius. This is a pretty serious situation since it very easily could end with a battle to the death between Lysander and Demetrius over Hermia, Hermia's death due to her father invoking the law of Athens, Lysander committing suicide over the death of Hermia, and or Helena committing suicide over Demetrius's death. Yet the play is a comedy, Shakespeare's language in this passage in Scene I hints to the reader that although this situation is dire, everything will end well in the end. The hint is in the form of rhyming. In her speech and others throughout the play, characters speak in rhymes which creates a light, singsong kind of air and feeling, not something that one would associate with death and terrible tragety as would be found in Romeo and Juliet or Othello. "Things base and vile, folding no quantity,Love can transpose to form and dignity:Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind" (Shakespeare Act I Scene I). This piece is just a sample of the rhyming theme that Shakespeare uses in A Midsummer Night's Dream to show this is a comedy. Shakespeare once again uses his rhyming theme in The Taming of the Shrew. When Petruchio comes to the city, he is told of a shrew named Kate, who is so horrid and mean that none can tame her. However, Petruchio decides to laugh off their rebukes of Kate, "Katharina the curst!A title for a maid of all titles the worst" (Act I Scene II). The Tempest also contains the rhyming patterns seen in the other comedies. One of the best rhymes in the play comes when Prospero is speaking his Epilogue. After everything Prospero has had done to him, the usurping of his dukedom, the being left for dead, and the exile on the island, he still finds in his heart to forgive his brother, the King, and all the others who had betrayed him. Once again the rhyming pattern shows that everything is going to be okay in the end. "Unless I be relieved by prayer,Which pierces so that it assaultsMercy itself and frees all faults. As you from crimes would pardon'd be,Let your indulgence set me free" (Epilogue). Shakespeare's language makes light of a situation in which it could take a bad turn that later ends up good in the end.
PART B:
In Shakespearean Comedies, the genre itself contains several similarities. There are several comparisons that can be made between the various aspects of the plays: characters, allusions, etc. For example, Midsummer and The Tempest contain similar characters in Puck and Ariel, respectively. Both characters provide much of the comedy in the story. Puck literally makes Bottom into an ass-head, which creates a very humorous situation in that Bottom is really a ignorant jackass, and now he has the head of an ass. Ariel creates chaos among Prospero's enemies by making noises and making sure that the victims of the tempest are okay. He creates one of the most comedic scenes when he pretends to imitate Trinculo, much to the anger of Caliban and Stephano. Another common theme between Midsummer and Taming of the Shrew is found in the idea of a play within a play. These plays within a play are usually funny events and cause much humor in the play. For example, the players within Midsummer add a very comedic aspect to the potentially tragedic play by making a joke out of the tragedy of "Pyramus and Thisbe". The actors are so convinced that they are great, especially the asshead Bottom, when in reality they are terrible and make a complete, comedic mess out of a very tragedic play. Bottom especially, constantly talks in malepropisms and constantly messes up his lines. In Shrew, a Lord and his servants mess with a poor drunkard by pretending that he is a mighty lord and that they are putting a play on for him. This play turns out to be The Taming of the Shrew. These plays are just one way in which Shakespeare uses common threads in his genre to create a comedic scene. Yet another comparison is making a Lord out of a fool. In Midsummer, the fairies pamper the assheaded Bottom like a King, when in reality he is a bumbling oaf with the physical embodiment of his personality resting on his head. In Taming of the Shrew, the Lord and his aides make a King out of the drunkard Christopher Sly, a pretend he is someone of great importance, when in reality he is just a drunk. In The Tempest Caliban elevates Stephano to the level of God and ruler because he has a magic drink (booze) that has Caliban drunk. Caliban's praise causes Stephano to think that he, a fumbling drunk, can truly overthrow the mighty Prospero and go on to rule the island. As it is said in The Tempest, "A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of a poor drunkard" (page 87 The Tempest). This idea of making royalty out of an idiot is one of Shakespeare's best ways to create the comedic genre.
PART C:
All and all, the comedies and the romance read in class were all very enjoyable. They contain down to Earth ideas that everyone, including Shakespeare, undergoes sometime during life: trials in love, controversy with other people, and forgiveness and repentance. If I were to guess, most people would find these plays enjoyable because they do not deal in sadness, despair, and death. Instead they deal with things that people enjoy: Three Stooge's style physical comedy, love, happiness, victory, freedom, and laughter. Typically these feelings will make most people enjoy what they are watching. In my opinion, all three plays read, especially The Tempest, were great and I would gladly recommend them to anyone.