The contrast of light and dark remains constant throughout the text. What I find very interesting about Iago's speech is its effect on the king. The notion of light and dark has not only been depicted as two extremes, but also as enemies. Without addressing the term "tupping," the king, as well as the typical reader, has already made an association with light being somehow overpowered by darkness/blackness. The idea of dark being associated with evil, wrongdoing, untrustworthiness, is continually perpertuated throughout literature. Acknowledging this fact, we realize the effect of the speech is that as it seems to address preconceived beliefs that gives the excerpt its power.
I think it is important to acknowledge the animal imagery here: this imagery hints at another theme that runs through the text, the animal equated with the moor rendering him lascivious. Black and White is important, here, because it is an attempt to simplify for a moment the otherwise complicated identity of the Moor; his christianity vs. other-ness, his blackness vs. whiteness, his position of power vs. the powerlessness in the matter of his race (he didn't choose it). Further: the mention of black and white lends itself to a dramatic interpretation. How are Black and White staged?
Back to the topic of animal imagery: The animal imagery in this play opens itself to comparison to other animal imagery that we have discussed in lecture, namely the notion that Edmund was bred into the world. Premarital sex, then, also comes into question and likewise the issue of marriage in general. This topic offers many avenues of discussion.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
King Lear II.4.264-273
Context: Goneril and Regan are trying to convince Lear that he doesn't need any knights.
As one can tell from the very beginning of the play that King Lear is a flawed character. Although the initial judgment of Lear seems to make his rashness his ultimate flaw, this passage reveals Lear's true flaw, and ironically, he recognizes it picks the wrong solution. Lear's true flaw is putting value in appearance or/and superfluous things. There is no reason for Lear to keep his knights besides to show-off to people that he still have some authority. He argues that "Our basest beggars / Are in the poorest thing superfluous," that even beggars have things that they don't need. He continues saying that if people are reduced to live only according to their needs, they will be no different from animals. This moment reveals that Lear is no fool. His ability to conceptualize such argument hardly proves Lear as a rash being. The irony is that he understands his need for superfluous things, which is also an irony in itself. And then of all the virtues there are, he asks for patience. For a man who values more superfluous things than anything else, what he truly needs is humility. Patience is no solution to Lear's problem. By having value in appearance or superfluous things reflect Lear's authority, which gives way to pride, and it is pride that throws Lear into madness.
-Alex Lai
As one can tell from the very beginning of the play that King Lear is a flawed character. Although the initial judgment of Lear seems to make his rashness his ultimate flaw, this passage reveals Lear's true flaw, and ironically, he recognizes it picks the wrong solution. Lear's true flaw is putting value in appearance or/and superfluous things. There is no reason for Lear to keep his knights besides to show-off to people that he still have some authority. He argues that "Our basest beggars / Are in the poorest thing superfluous," that even beggars have things that they don't need. He continues saying that if people are reduced to live only according to their needs, they will be no different from animals. This moment reveals that Lear is no fool. His ability to conceptualize such argument hardly proves Lear as a rash being. The irony is that he understands his need for superfluous things, which is also an irony in itself. And then of all the virtues there are, he asks for patience. For a man who values more superfluous things than anything else, what he truly needs is humility. Patience is no solution to Lear's problem. By having value in appearance or superfluous things reflect Lear's authority, which gives way to pride, and it is pride that throws Lear into madness.
-Alex Lai
Othello's Last Words
Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus. (V.ii.352–365)
Othello's Final address is a brilliantly complicated passage. With these final words, Othello takes his life, reaffirming his position as a figure estranged from Venetian society, yet bound by it and the social expectations thrust upon him. His speech is both eloquent and troubled; confused and strangely resolute. Again, we see Othello's mastery of story-telling and ability to take his listeners away from the present moment, presenting images of 'Arabian trees' and 'turbaned Turks[s]'.
In this light, we are presented with an illustration of his love, longing, and loss of Desdemona - a figure whom he refers to as a 'pearl' thrown away. His regret for part actions, as well as self-loathing are more than evident here. He reflects on his military status and reminds the audience of his troubled past and similarly difficult climb up the rungs of a society that sees him as a lesser man.
The final image is both vivid and pitiful as he calls himself a circumcised dog before stabbing himself in the chest.
Dan Gaita
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus. (V.ii.352–365)
Othello's Final address is a brilliantly complicated passage. With these final words, Othello takes his life, reaffirming his position as a figure estranged from Venetian society, yet bound by it and the social expectations thrust upon him. His speech is both eloquent and troubled; confused and strangely resolute. Again, we see Othello's mastery of story-telling and ability to take his listeners away from the present moment, presenting images of 'Arabian trees' and 'turbaned Turks[s]'.
In this light, we are presented with an illustration of his love, longing, and loss of Desdemona - a figure whom he refers to as a 'pearl' thrown away. His regret for part actions, as well as self-loathing are more than evident here. He reflects on his military status and reminds the audience of his troubled past and similarly difficult climb up the rungs of a society that sees him as a lesser man.
The final image is both vivid and pitiful as he calls himself a circumcised dog before stabbing himself in the chest.
Dan Gaita
II.i.47-50; Elbow misspeaking
"If it please your honor, I am the poor Duke's constable, and my name is Elbow. I do lean upon justice, sir, and do bring in here before your good honor two notorious benefactors."
This passage embodies the flawed speech of Elbow’s character. First, Elbow says, “I am the poor Duke’s constable.” This comment confuses who Elbow suggests is “poor.” In one way, he may be saying that he is the poor constable of the Duke but what he actually says is that the Duke, himself, is poor. Later, he substitutes the word malefactor for benefactor. After he is corrected by Angelo, he does not seem to be aware of his mistake or does not care that he has misspoken. This idea of substituting the incorrect word for the correct one is called a malapropism and is used extensively by Elbow and Pompey throughout Measure for Measure. Also, Elbow’s flawed speech seems to be parodying the legal process because words begin to lose meaning. The fact that he cannot seem to speak what he means touches upon Shakespeare’s ideas regarding speech. In many ways, Measure for Measure is a play about rhetorical power. When characters are able to find their public voice, they are saved from tragedy. Using Elbow’s character, Shakespeare shows the opposite side of this idea. Because of the fact that Elbow cannot achieve linguistic cunning, he does not reach a respectable position within the world of the play.
This passage embodies the flawed speech of Elbow’s character. First, Elbow says, “I am the poor Duke’s constable.” This comment confuses who Elbow suggests is “poor.” In one way, he may be saying that he is the poor constable of the Duke but what he actually says is that the Duke, himself, is poor. Later, he substitutes the word malefactor for benefactor. After he is corrected by Angelo, he does not seem to be aware of his mistake or does not care that he has misspoken. This idea of substituting the incorrect word for the correct one is called a malapropism and is used extensively by Elbow and Pompey throughout Measure for Measure. Also, Elbow’s flawed speech seems to be parodying the legal process because words begin to lose meaning. The fact that he cannot seem to speak what he means touches upon Shakespeare’s ideas regarding speech. In many ways, Measure for Measure is a play about rhetorical power. When characters are able to find their public voice, they are saved from tragedy. Using Elbow’s character, Shakespeare shows the opposite side of this idea. Because of the fact that Elbow cannot achieve linguistic cunning, he does not reach a respectable position within the world of the play.
Othello I.ii.31-32
Here are some scattered thoughts on this short but significant passage.
"Othello: My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly..."
This passage is in the beginning of the play where Iago is telling Othello to go inside because Brabantio's men are coming to get him for stealing his daughter. The passage is symbolic because Othello refuses to go inside claiming that his abilities and clear conscience will make his case. The passage plays with the theme of honor and reputation and masculinity. Othello refuses to run but rather chooses to face the ordeal. This shows his masculinity as he chooses to face what's coming to him instead of running and hiding. He relies on his military reputation to set things right. He is a successful captain and assumes that because of his clean slate in the military, he will be able to clear his name with Brabantio as well. He believes he has done nothing wrong and has a clear conscience as Desdemona went to him willingly (as we later find out)and that his rank makes him worthy of such a woman.
The theme of reputation remains strong throughout the play as Othello deals with the risk of looking like a cuckold when he thinks Desdemona is cheating on him.
Cassio also loses his good reputation when he gets drunk and stabs a man and further loses his rank.
The theme of reputation also runs in Shakespear's other plays such as in Measure for Measure where we have the Duke going away and having Angelo do the dirty work of enforcing unenforced laws as he does not want to have the reputation of being a tyrannical leader.
In Much Ado about Nothing the whole story line runs along the tainting of Hero's reputation.
It must be noted that for men, reputation was an issue of masculinity and military performance and honesty and politics and so forth. On the other hand, for women, the single most important factor of her reputation was her virtue. An obedient woman was one that kept her virtue and listened to her father and then gave her virtue to the man her father approved of as her husband. In Desdemona's case her father did not choose her husband, but it is almost a variation of the same concept. Thus, we can see that even gender plays a key role in reputation.
(Armineh Dereghishian)
"Othello: My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly..."
This passage is in the beginning of the play where Iago is telling Othello to go inside because Brabantio's men are coming to get him for stealing his daughter. The passage is symbolic because Othello refuses to go inside claiming that his abilities and clear conscience will make his case. The passage plays with the theme of honor and reputation and masculinity. Othello refuses to run but rather chooses to face the ordeal. This shows his masculinity as he chooses to face what's coming to him instead of running and hiding. He relies on his military reputation to set things right. He is a successful captain and assumes that because of his clean slate in the military, he will be able to clear his name with Brabantio as well. He believes he has done nothing wrong and has a clear conscience as Desdemona went to him willingly (as we later find out)and that his rank makes him worthy of such a woman.
The theme of reputation remains strong throughout the play as Othello deals with the risk of looking like a cuckold when he thinks Desdemona is cheating on him.
Cassio also loses his good reputation when he gets drunk and stabs a man and further loses his rank.
The theme of reputation also runs in Shakespear's other plays such as in Measure for Measure where we have the Duke going away and having Angelo do the dirty work of enforcing unenforced laws as he does not want to have the reputation of being a tyrannical leader.
In Much Ado about Nothing the whole story line runs along the tainting of Hero's reputation.
It must be noted that for men, reputation was an issue of masculinity and military performance and honesty and politics and so forth. On the other hand, for women, the single most important factor of her reputation was her virtue. An obedient woman was one that kept her virtue and listened to her father and then gave her virtue to the man her father approved of as her husband. In Desdemona's case her father did not choose her husband, but it is almost a variation of the same concept. Thus, we can see that even gender plays a key role in reputation.
(Armineh Dereghishian)
King Lear I.ii.1-22
Excerpt: King Lear I.ii.1-22 - Edmund’s monologue
Context: The audience has been briefly introduced to Edmund as Gloucester’s bastard son in the first scene, but learned little about his personality. Edmund introduces the second scene with the first soliloquy of the play.
Analysis: A tension between the personal and the public appears to prop many of the motifs seen in Shakespearean theatre; the character of Edmund, as a bastard child, embodies the issues of this discrepancy. Here Edmund voices an awareness of his own problematic existence as an illegitimate child in Britain. He identifies the “lusty stealth of nature” (11), asserting that marriage-less sex is wholly natural. The natural world cares not of the marital status of his parents, and thus he praises Nature as his “goddess” (1). Edmund identifies the inherent equality of all man that exists outside human conventions. He challenges the man-made parameters of what makes a son “legitimate”, arguing that he is just as intelligent and capable as Edgar: “my dimensions are as well compact / My mind as generous, and my shape as true” (7-8).
As he contemplates the complexity of his birth, Edmund employs some very Shakespearean wordplay. There exists a clear pun on the word “legitimate” as a term of legality as well as status of birth. There is even a touch of metadrama in line 18; by saying, “Fine word, ‘legitamate’”, Shakespeare provokes analysis of the term. His invocation to Nature proves him to be a deeper and more profound figure than those with their eyes always towards financial gain, like Goneril and Regan.
This soliloquy complicates Edmund, because this monologue may connote considerations of Edmund as something of a revolutionary, frustrated by societal boundaries and attempting to invalidate constructed norms. At least personally, I always favor the characters that try to fight the system. Unfortunately, Shakespeare characterizes Edmund as inexcusably Machiavellian in his methods to disrupt the hierarchy, what Edmund calls a “plague of custom” (3). Either way, Edmund is not as clearly a 100% evil figure as Goneril, Regan, Cornwall, or even Iago.
Lauryn Gold
Context: The audience has been briefly introduced to Edmund as Gloucester’s bastard son in the first scene, but learned little about his personality. Edmund introduces the second scene with the first soliloquy of the play.
Analysis: A tension between the personal and the public appears to prop many of the motifs seen in Shakespearean theatre; the character of Edmund, as a bastard child, embodies the issues of this discrepancy. Here Edmund voices an awareness of his own problematic existence as an illegitimate child in Britain. He identifies the “lusty stealth of nature” (11), asserting that marriage-less sex is wholly natural. The natural world cares not of the marital status of his parents, and thus he praises Nature as his “goddess” (1). Edmund identifies the inherent equality of all man that exists outside human conventions. He challenges the man-made parameters of what makes a son “legitimate”, arguing that he is just as intelligent and capable as Edgar: “my dimensions are as well compact / My mind as generous, and my shape as true” (7-8).
As he contemplates the complexity of his birth, Edmund employs some very Shakespearean wordplay. There exists a clear pun on the word “legitimate” as a term of legality as well as status of birth. There is even a touch of metadrama in line 18; by saying, “Fine word, ‘legitamate’”, Shakespeare provokes analysis of the term. His invocation to Nature proves him to be a deeper and more profound figure than those with their eyes always towards financial gain, like Goneril and Regan.
This soliloquy complicates Edmund, because this monologue may connote considerations of Edmund as something of a revolutionary, frustrated by societal boundaries and attempting to invalidate constructed norms. At least personally, I always favor the characters that try to fight the system. Unfortunately, Shakespeare characterizes Edmund as inexcusably Machiavellian in his methods to disrupt the hierarchy, what Edmund calls a “plague of custom” (3). Either way, Edmund is not as clearly a 100% evil figure as Goneril, Regan, Cornwall, or even Iago.
Lauryn Gold
Honest and Honor
Honest and Honor
Shakespeare’s usage of honest and honor means different things. Honest meant to be held in respect, such as to be respectable. In addition to this meaning, honest would also connect with the chastity of a female’s virginity. Such as when Othello asks Desdemona if she is being honest, not only with her response but whether she remains chaste. Honor would be military or telling the truth. Women honor consist of mind, body, and mouth. Silent women were attractive because it was a sign of chastity. Open or loud women were thought to also be open with their virginity. However, in the plays Shakespeare demands that women speak out as Desdemona, Emilia, and Isabella exudes. This idea of resisting the cultural idea of submissive women is recurring pattern in the plays.
Donald Ung
Shakespeare’s usage of honest and honor means different things. Honest meant to be held in respect, such as to be respectable. In addition to this meaning, honest would also connect with the chastity of a female’s virginity. Such as when Othello asks Desdemona if she is being honest, not only with her response but whether she remains chaste. Honor would be military or telling the truth. Women honor consist of mind, body, and mouth. Silent women were attractive because it was a sign of chastity. Open or loud women were thought to also be open with their virginity. However, in the plays Shakespeare demands that women speak out as Desdemona, Emilia, and Isabella exudes. This idea of resisting the cultural idea of submissive women is recurring pattern in the plays.
Donald Ung
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