Friday, May 30, 2008

Macbeth

MACBETH
If we should fail?

LADY MACBETH
We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep--
Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him--his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and wassail so convince
That memory, the warder of the brain,
Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
A limbeck only: when in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell?

MACBETH
Bring forth men-children only;
For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be received,
When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber and used their very daggers,
That they have done't?

LADY MACBETH
Who dares receive it other,
As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death?

MACBETH
I am settled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.

This scene is an example of the role reversal that is present in this Shakespearean play. Here, Lady Macbeth takes the role as the dominant sex, while it was much more common in this time period for the male to be the dominant sex and the female to be submissive. In this case, Mady Macbeth is the one who is initially corrupted with power, she sees the chance to rise to a level very few excel to, and she takes it, bringing other people down with her in the end. She corrupts her husband, Macbeth, who goes on with her legacy after she is gone. In this scene particularly, you see the manipulative ways of Lady Macbeth, convincing Macbeth that they will not fail if he has the courage. She claims that they can just blame the drunk servants for the crime because they won't remember anything. Macbeth praises her for her evil, saying that if she is to have children that they will all be boys because her fearless spirit is so masculine. Even Macbeth realizes that she is not meek and mannered like most women. Lady Macbeth finishes her bloody plan by saying that when they come to investigate, they will not be suspect because they will put on such a good show of grievance, and with this Macbeth is won over. He decides to go ahead with her plan. This is extremely unheard of in this time, not only because he is being told what to do by a woman, but because he is supposed to be this amazing hero of the battlefield, capable of killing and making choices on his own. Here, Macbeth backs down and agrees with his wife, this is stereotypically a woman's trait, not a males. Macbeth backs down because he sees the wild ruthlessness inside of his wife. This can be seen when Macbeth says, "False face must hide what the false heart doth know" meaning, that a face of horror, but not of conviction, must hide the evils that are present in the heart. Macbeth has surrendered his superiority to his wife and now she wields the ability to control him.

Shakespeare's Macbeth is categorized as a tragedy, not only because of all the death, but because of one man's (or woman's) extreme lust for greatness. Macbeth had everything going for him, he was a war time hero, was well respected, and was on the ladder to success, but he was drawn into the desire for power, which corrupted him and lead to his demise and the deaths of numerous innocent people. This story goes to show that if we give into the temptation of wealth and power, we will be leading ourselves to our own death. Macbeth shows the weakness of mankind and how easily we can be tempted to do the unthinkable in order to achieve more power. As the reader, we are forced to watch Macbeth approach the cliff, and slowly step off, falling faster and faster as he ruthlessly kills all those that appear to be in his way, until that faithful second when he reaches the end of the line and crashes, and it is all over. His plummet has finally hit the bottom, and he is at the point of no return and he is consumed by greed and power. This is the bases for a tragedy, which is clearly modeled within Shakespeare's Macbeth.

This was my favorite play by Shakespeare that we have read. I found the plot to be captivating, as it fits all people, we can all be corrupted by power, and everyone has experienced it once and a while, maybe with out even realizing it. I found the switch in the gender roles to be quite interesting, and unexpected quite frankly. Out of all the books that we have read this year, I believe this one had the best message, power is corruption. This applies to everyone. I also think tragedies are the easiest to relate to. I am not sure why, but I think it is because of the fear that people have of failing that lets us feel the pain of the characters more than most other feels would. But that is just me. I think that this is going to be one of the few Shakespeare plays that I will consider reading again.

Richard III

BRAKENBURY
I am, in this, commanded to deliverThe noble Duke of Clarence to your hands:I will not reason what is meant hereby,Because I will be guiltless of the meaning.Here are the keys, there sits the duke asleep:I'll to the king; and signify to himThat thus I have resign'd my charge to you.

First Murderer
Do so, it is a point of wisdom: fare you well.

Exit BRAKENBURY

Second Murderer
What, shall we stab him as he sleeps?

First Murderer
No; then he will say 'twas done cowardly, when he wakes.

Second Murderer
When he wakes! why, fool, he shall never wake tillthe judgment-day.

First Murderer
Why, then he will say we stabbed him sleeping.

Second Murderer
The urging of that word 'judgment' hath bred a kindof remorse in me.

First Murderer
What, art thou afraid?

Second Murderer
Not to kill him, having a warrant for it; but to bedamned for killing him, from which no warrant can defend us.

First Murderer
I thought thou hadst been resolute.

Second Murderer
So I am, to let him live.

First Murderer
Back to the Duke of Gloucester, tell him so.

Second Murderer
I pray thee, stay a while: I hope my holy humourwill change; 'twas wont to hold me but while onewould tell twenty.

First Murderer
How dost thou feel thyself now?

Second Murderer
'Faith, some certain dregs of conscience are yetwithin me.

First Murderer
Remember our reward, when the deed is done.

Second Murderer
'Zounds, he dies: I had forgot the reward.

First Murderer
Where is thy conscience now?

Second Murderer
In the Duke of Gloucester's purse.

First Murderer
So when he opens his purse to give us our reward,thy conscience flies out.

Second Murderer
Let it go; there's few or none will entertain it.

First Murderer
How if it come to thee again?

Second Murderer
I'll not meddle with it: it is a dangerous thing: itmakes a man a coward: a man cannot steal, but it accuseth him; he cannot swear, but it cheques him;he cannot lie with his neighbour's wife, but itdetects him: 'tis a blushing shamefast spirit that mutinies in a man's bosom; it fills one full of obstacles: it made me once restore a purse of gold that I found; it beggars any man that keeps it: it is turned out of all towns and cities for a dangerous thing; and every man that means to live well endeavours to trust to himself and to live without it.

I found this passage from Shakespeare's Richard III to be a sort of imitation of Richards two sidedness. In this scene, Two murderers are bribed with money to kill Clarence. One of the murders feels no remorse in doing this deed, drawn to the prize that he gets after he finishes his job, the second murderer on the other hand, is having doubts about going through with this deed. I believe that this is dual attitude is made to represent Richard. Richard is a complex character with 2 very distinct personalities. In the face of people he puts on a mask and acts like the nicest person in the world, one that cares about people other than himself and would do anything for them, but he is lying through his teeth, for as soon as he is alone, the mask comes off and you see the true Richard, the one who will do anything to get what he wants. In the face of people he has a conscious, much like the second murderer, yet when he is alone, he is like the first one, with out a conscious where the only things that matter are those pertaining to himself and getting what he wants. Richard is not driven by what is morally right, or by what society has deemed as right, he does as he wishes, taking out anyone who stands in his way. He hired these murderers, and in this way they represent him and his dominant, if not insane, ways. The second murderer also represents what Richard does not have, the ability to sense right from wrong and to feel remorse for ones actions. He is almost like Richard's missing half. All people are self centered at times, focusing on themselves and their need to achieve and succeed, but they also have a conscious that tells them when something is morally wrong, Richard does not have this. He is solely concerned about himself and his rise to greatness, taking down anyone without a second thought, and if he does think about it, he only sees the good that it did him, not the pain that it did to others. In the last lines said by the Second Murderer, he basically explains Richards theory, that a conscious only hinders, if you want to be great you must do without one, for it will make you mad, thinking about all the wrong you did to get where you are today.

Histories are by far my favorite genre to read. Most people find histories to be dry and boring, but i believe that there is much to learn from them and that they can be quite interesting if you find the right one. I believe that Richard III was the right one. Richard had the right mix of history and woven in fiction, and they complimented each other perfectly. Through this genre, Shakespeare was able to convey the tragedy of Richard III, the power struggle, the historical events, and the inevitable outcome. Shakespeare was able to bring in historical facts, like Richard's deformity, which helped bring a personal touch into the work that made you feel as though you were there in those times. You were able to see the character and witness how he used his deformity as a weapon to make himself seem weak while really being a power stricken individual. The way in which Shakespeare wrote this play gets rid of the boring and mellow aspect of some historical novels, and replaces it with interesting if not mind boggling facts and actions which bring you not only into the play but into the time period itself. (and you thought histories were boring :p )

While I did say that I enjoyed reading historical novels, I found this one to be my least favorite one that I have read. I really do not enjoy reading Shakespeare as I have previously stated and I was constantly confused and lost with what was going on in the play. For me, I would have rather seen this one acted out, it would have been easier for me to relate to and understand. It is not that I did not like the play, it is just that I have difficulties reading Shakespeare's writing, I find it hard to understand. Other than that, the play and the characters themselves were incredible. Shakespeare was able to create such intricate characters and generate such strong reactions from the readers in a relatively short amount of time. I give his much applause on his capabilities as a writer to create characters that generate such a compelling reaction from the reader. I felt hatred, remorse, sadness, suspense, and intensity in all the correct places to to all the right people. I was able to feel the same pain the characters felt, and I was able to feel the insanity that coursed through Richard's veins. In this way I really enjoyed the play, I just wish Shakespeare could have written in a way that I was more capable of understanding in the first read through, not the second or third. Other than that, this was a good example of the history genre written by Shakespeare.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by William Shakespeare, is a comedy. Through his arrogant characters, misunderstanding, misuse of words, and general self-righteousness, Shakespeare is able to weave a play in which the reader is drawn into fits of laughter and disbelief. Personally, i really enjoy this genre. It is able to convey an important message through laughter and light heartedness which I find to be the best way to prove a point without over stressing it. Comedy is an easy-easy-to-read type of genre which makes it fun to read and entertaining at the same time. It does not contain the dryness of some of the other genres. This play especially was filled with more than one source of comedy. Between the arrogance of Bottom, and the misunderstanding between the fairies, and the confusing love story between the two sets of lovers, this book is practically bursting with comedy. And as with many of the Shakespearean comedies, the ending is a happy one, with the young lovers marrying the person that they wanted, and basically living 'happily ever after'. Comedies are also a great place to insert morals, mostly because of the lightheartedness that is associated with them, the moral will not weigh them down. In this particular play, there seem to be two morals, one is demonstrated by Bottom, which is not to be full of yourself and come off as being, well excuse me, an ass (symbolized by the head of a donkey he ended up acquiring). The second moral seems to be to mind ones own business, because when you try to become involved in something that does not concern you, things can be taken out of context (represented by the mix up between the lovers and the drama that went with it).

An example of the comedy in the play can be seen in this passage:

SNUG
Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study.

QUINCE
You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.

BOTTOM
Let me play the lion too. I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me. I will roar, that I will make the duke say, “Let him roar again. Let him roar again.”

QUINCE
An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek. And that were enough to hang us all.

ALL
That would hang us, every mother's son.

BOTTOM
I grant you, friends, if you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us. But I will aggravate my voice so that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove. I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale.

QUINCE
You can play no part but Pyramus. For Pyramus is a sweet-faced man, a proper man as one shall see in a summer's day, a most lovely, gentlemanlike man. Therefore you must needs play Pyramus.

BOTTOM
Well, I will undertake it. What beard were I best to play it in?


I found this scene to be one of the most comical in the play, while there is more to it than this one section, you are able to get the gist of Bottom's 'I am better than you' attitude. I found it extremely comical how he believed himself to be the best for so many parts, and how he could imagine himself being cheered on as he gave his preformance. Not only is he self-righteous and conceded in this excerpt, but he believes that the women will be scared of the loin's costume and roar. He sees women as these fragile beings who cannot determine on their own that the situation and costumes are fake, which is also comical because they are going to a play, so they would know very well that what they are witnessing is fake. My favorite line from this excerpt is said by Bottom, "Let me play the lion too. I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me. I will roar, that I will make the duke say, “Let him roar again. Let him roar again.” this just brings a smile to my face because it shows just how self-centered Bottom is. He must take the spotlight away from everyone else, and be the one that everyone is focused on at all times, which can be seen here as he steals the focus from Snug and places it on himself. He is also a drama queen, if I do say so myself, he believes that he is the best at everything, and he believes that he would be the best at every role, even being asked to act it out again because of his stellar performance. This section is so comical because everyone knows at least one person in their lives that acts as Bottom does and it is so easy to picture and imagine the frustration that the people around him feel because of his constant arrogance. Bottom also compares two things that are in no way similar to each other, like roaring as a dove or nightingale. These comparisons are just ridiculous and show how Bottom is willing to say anything, no matter how much intelligence it is lacking, in order to make himself sound better and persuade other people to idolize him.

This was one of my favorite Shakespeare plays that we read, mostly because I am a fan of comedy. This play was easy to read and understand (I have a tendency to get lost in some of his plays). This play leaves one with a happy lighthearted feeling, since everything worked out in the end. It also leaves one with a sense and a conscious thought/ determination to not act as Bottom, not to be a conceded person too involved with themselves to care about anyone else. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling to myself through out this whole play mainly because of the characters and all of the dilemmas and challenges that they faced along the way. This is one of the few plays by Shakespeare that you do not need acted out to get the full meaning and understanding of it. This is another reason why i liked it, it was easy to follow even though it contained so many characters. I am not a fan of Shakespeare, so I was surprised when i read this book and actually liked it, believe me, it was quite a shock. I would recommend this book to be read again, it is a easy read, yet it is fun, it has lots of things to analyze, and it is still Shakespeare (which i see as to be a good combination).