A Gray Play

In the spirit of Halloween, I'll begin with a little tidbit on death. The Duke, under the disguise of a friar, gave quite a lovely speech about death as he tries to persuade Claudio to accept his fate. He says that death is inevitable and life is so miserable anyway, so he's better off with the fate he has. Claudio seems to believe the friar-duke and finds comfort in believing his argument: "To sue to live, I find I seek to die,/ and seeking death, find life: let it come on." (3.1.43-44)

And then Isabella comes in, Claudio learns of Angelo's ultimatum, and we get some typical Shakespearean action. The friar-duke has a long complicated plan that the characters believe is foolproof which can only mean that everything will turn out disastrously. 

However, I want to go back to the offer Angelo has given Isabella. There are pros and cons for each character, and I just need to sort them out. 

First, Isabella. If she sleeps with Angelo, she can no longer become a nun and her immortal soul is forever stained with the sin of the deed. In refusing the offer, is she being selfish? Or would a sin that saves a brother's life really become a virtue as Claudio says? 

Second, Claudio. He has committed a crime according to the law of Vienna and is sentenced to die. Is his sentence just? Claudio and Juliet seemed committed to each other, but were keeping their engagement secret so that Juliet's dowry could increase. He presses Isabella to consider Angelo's offer, as it is his one chance at life. How much love is involved here, and how much greed?

Finally, Angelo. As far as we know, he led a perfectly moral life up till this point and at first was upholding the law without wavering. However, he falls in "love" (which seems more like lust) with Isabella and says that to save her brother, she has to break the law with him. What kind of moral and just character would give those kinds of conditions?

Overall, I think that there is a lot of "seeming" going on. Isabella is seems to be a selfless nun at first, but can be viewed as selfish in regards to her attitude towards saving her brother's life. Claudio seems to be loving towards Juliet, but that love diminishes as we learn that they were keeping their relationship a secret for the sake of money. And Angelo seems to be the most virtuous man ever only to want to break the very law he is publicly upholding. 

Each character tries to be good. I think that's what makes this play so hard: there is no defined antagonist and no defined protagonist, and morality is hazy in this play. Here, there is no black or white. We as the readers are simply left with a big GRAY muddle of immorality and virtue.

Death, Despair, & Destruction. Thanks Shakespeare.

I just need to get this out there. During that entire David Tennant scene, I felt extremely uncomfortable, and I had no idea why. For some reason, David Tennant rubbed me the wrong way, and a little Googling later made me realize just why I find him so creepy....

IT'S BARTY CROUCH JR. FROM HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.

It's a small world. 

Now that I've gotten Angelo/Barty Crouch Jr. out of the way, let's get back to what's important. Since Halloween is right around the corner, I think it's only fitting that we discuss death. Obviously. 

The subject of death is pretty prevalent in Act 3, from the Duke's pep talk in the opening of Scene 1 to Claudio's pretty graphic explanation of his fear of dying. This Scene felt like a flashback to the days of Hamlet: a lot of death, despair, and destruction as Wendelin van Draanen would put it. Claudio laments on the looming prospect of death: "Ay but to die and go we know not where,/ To lie in cold obstruction and to rot" (3.3.118-19). He notes the single most frightening part of death: its uncertainty. There's only a few things we as humans know to be true. We all were born, and one day we all must die. But what we don't know is what happens after the fact. No one's been to the other side of death and back to give us all a synopsis of what goes down. There's simply no way to know. It's made clear through Claudio's speech that he has not yet come to terms with facing this uncertainty. He even says "The weariest and most loathed worldly life...is a paradise/ To what we fear of death" (3.1.129, 131-32). Wow. This contrasts with what the Duke, oops, **Friar** had to say to Claudio about meeting his end. The Duke/Friar seems to suggest that to live in an evil world is worse than greeting death with open arms, saying "Yet in this life/ Lie hid moe thousand deaths; yet death we fear/ That makes these odds all even" (3.1.39-41). Although this is an interesting thought, Claudio and I are not convinced. After reflecting on all these lovely thoughts, Claudio seems to have an abrupt change of heart. He's actually not okay with dying so Isabella can keep her purity.

Luckily, the Duke/Friar steps in to keep this situation from getting more uncomfortable than it already is. And, of course, he has a master plan. He's just going to send in Angelo's ex-fiance to sleep with him instead of Isabella. It'll be dark, the Duke says. Angelo will never notice, he says. Allllllriiiiiight. Needless to say that once again, I'm not convinced that everything is going to work out. I hope Shakespeare has something especially clever up his sleeve.

Before I sign off I would like to apologize for the slightly dismal tone of this blog post. It's just been that kind of day. 

Goodnight and good luck to you all.

We have some hypocrites on our hands...

    I'm just going to be blunt here and say that the hypocrisy in this play is getting me very frustrated. I'm beginning to see why critics say Measure for Measure is a "problem play." The characters are full of contradictions, and Shakespeare leaves me with so many questions after each scene.

     It is hard to draw conclusions and see the character's reasoning for their actions through the first few scenes because we don't have a prologue. I am still wondering why the Duke is stepping down, and why he appointed Angelo--it just doesn't make sense. In Act 1 Scene 3 the Duke says he can't balance his personal character and his public duties, reasoning his resignation. This is questionable to me. He says that he had trouble enforcing the law in Vienna, as chaos ruled over authority. If he had trouble enforcing the laws and eventually gave up, then how could it have affected his character? If we had a prologue, we may have been able to understand why he is making such sudden decisions. We also learn that the Duke appoints Angelo because he holds high morals, is trustworthy, and is talented.  If these are the reasons the Duke says he chose Angelo to rule, then how come he want's to investigate his true nature by disguising himself as a friar? It's pretty ironic that the Duke want's to see Angelo's true character while concealing himself in the process.

     While the Duke is ironic, I think Angelo is the biggest hypocrite of them all. In Act 1, the Duke compares Angelo to gold coins, as coins were seen as "fine," angelic, and genuine. But by Act 2, it was obvious that Angelo is none of these things. When Angelo meets Isabella, he is unmoved by her begging of him to have mercy on Claudio. He believes that instilling the law will prevent "future evils" (98), but as Isabella talks to him, he responds in an arrogant tone, suggesting that the power has gone to his head. What frustrated me the most, however, was that Angelo is attracted to Isabella. But it's what he is attracted to that is the most maddening: her virtue. He states, "Shall we desire to raze the sanctuary / And pitch our evils there? Dost thou desire her foully for those things / That make her good?" (175-76, 178-179). Angelo is saying that he is attracted to Isabella's chastity. He desires her dignity, but ultimately wants to destroy it. This makes Angelo evil in my view, because destroying her virtue would destroy her life as a nun. And, does Angelo realize that if he had relations with Isabella, that he would be hypocritical in how he is dealing with the relationship between Claudio and Juliet?

    I guess the comparison of Angelo to an angel-like gold coin is ironic. As he showed in Act 2, he lacks morals and is evil-spited. Will Angelo's annoyingly hypocritical and evil nature be revealed?

I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I can't promise anything.

Will We Ever Truly Escape Shakespeare?

8:00 AM - WALLACE 103 - 10/20/2015

The morning was bleak. We were twenty-four hours back from Fall Break, and depression was setting in. Yes, we had three days of "rest and relaxation," but did we really have three more quarters? Some of us mourned the fiesta; others wondered what could be discussed in class now that Brett's promiscuity had been dissected so thoroughly. As usual, chatter filled the air. 

Then Ms. Lemon said that magic word...Shakespeare.

Splitting into groups, we read Act I Scene I of Measure to Measure and discussed the scene's language and content. Ms. Lemon shared with us a behind-the-scenes clip from a New York production of Measure to Measure set in the 1970s, which offered a glimpse into the creative possibilities different directors can explore when adapting such a play. Finally, we read James Richardson's "In Shakespeare," which comments on the truly ridiculous nature of many of Shakespeare's greatest works. Women turn into asses, heroes are tormented by spirits, and men much too hastily marry boys women. Sarcastically, Richardson states, "it's all so realistic/ I can't stand it," (14-15). Lastly, he states his relief that while Shakespeare's characters are often frenzied, naive, and deeply troubled, we the reader are nothing of the sort, never staggering "through an Act that just will not end," (24). We all know that statement is anything but accurate. 

Walking out of the classroom, I only had one question lingering in my mind: can we ever truly escape Shakespeare?

To be honest, I have always been quite a fan. At first, of course, we all must accept the fact that the beloved Elizabethan English must be navigated if we ever hope to understand its content. Luckily for those who are "Shakespearically" challenged, we do not have to read Shakespeare to know Shakespeare. Let me explain....

"To be, or not to be: that is the question."

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

"Romeo, Romero! Wherefore art thou Romeo?"

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

These are among the most commonly recognized lines from Shakespeare (okay - maybe we only know that last one from She's the Man). When we hear these lines, we are aware that Shakespeare is being thrust upon us. However, upon doing a bit of research, Shakespeare is everywhere.

Thanks to our study of Twelfth Night freshman year, many of us are aware that the legendary film She's the Man is based upon Shakespeare's Illyrian shores. The 2001 film O is short for Othello, but you probably already knew that as well. Musical numbers were added and the Capulets and Montagues became the Sharks and Jets in West Side Story, among many other Romeo and Juliet inspired films. William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew helped to propel the genre of high school angst comedies in 10 Things I Hate About You. 

Not impressed? Pull up YouTube and read on.

Let's listen to some Eagles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H-Y7MAASkg

"Get Over It," the first track off of their 1994 "Hell Freezes Over" album, is about victimization and the need to get over anything that is holding you back without complaining along the way. The second verse contains the lines "The more I think about it, Old Bill was right. Let's kill all the lawyers, kill'em tonight." Don Henley directly quotes a line from Shakespeare's Henry VI. Now you can pull that fun fact out at your next social gathering. 

Not a fan of the Eagles? How about Bob Dylan? In his "Desolation Row," he cites both Romeo and Ophelia, along with other notable fictional characters. In his "Bye and Bye," Dylan states, "I'm not even acquainted with my own desires," a line strikingly similar to that in Act 1, Scene 3 of As You Like It.

Finally, no playlist is complete without the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r52ZBx0KMI

While producing the "I Am the Walrus" fadeout, one of the Beatles turned on the radio in the recording studio, only to catch a broadcast of King Lear. Listen to the song, and then listen to the outro. "Oh untimely death..." is one of the most distinguishable lines, but much more of the dialogue from Oswald's death scene can be heard when listening closely.

I will not begin to discuss the multiple allusions to Shakespeare woven into so many different Disney classics. Hint: look up The Lion King and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Hamlet is everywhere! I do wonder, however, what it is about Shakespearean storylines that seem to permeate throughout our minds. With so little time and so many words, why would songwriters choose those of Shakespeare for their masterpieces? Why take the time to reimagine a 16th century story when a film producer could simply create his or her own? With only eight short semesters worth of high school English, why take the time to read so many works of
Mr. William Shakespeare? 

Ms. Lemon...your move. 

Why Read This?

Over the past week, many of us have been feeling a sense of dissatisfaction with regard to the ending of The Sun Also Rises. During class we expressed how we took the time out of our busy schedules to discover a little more about each of the characters, all the while hoping that reading about their faults and imperfections would be worth our while. Surely these people will change. Surely Jake will rid himself of his pointless attachment to Brett!

Well… we were wrong. But instead of feeling cheated and betrayed, we should look back and ask some important questions. Why read this novel? What have we gained from flipping its pages?

First of all, we need to realize that all novels aren’t written with the purpose of pleasing the reader. The Sun Also Rises is an example of such a novel, and in this way it becomes more realistic. A novel written in the post-war era isn’t going to be filled with happy endings, because during that time happy endings were few and far between.

With this in mind, we should also acknowledge that the concept of life being a “cycle” might be more relatable than it seems. With college on our minds and uncertainty in our hearts, we might feel like a path has already been laid out for us, and that no matter what we do to free ourselves, we will still end up in the exact same place. We don’t have to lose track of time in a repetitive lifestyle. If we chose, we can have different fates than the characters  in Hemingway’s novel.

Hemingway definitely didn’t write this novel without a purpose, and as we know from his writing style, there is more beneath the surface. Sure, the characters had little (if any) development by the end, but instead of feeling like we wasted our time, let’s take a minute to think about what exactly Hemingway was trying to evoke within us.

The Ending as told by The Office

So, we finished the novel.




And let's just say there's a bittersweet feeling in the air. In class, we discussed our feelings about the final scenes of the novel.. and, well... most of us just sort of felt like...


Predicatble.

As soon as we thought everything was over with, Brett comes in the picture and brings us all back to square one. Some people just never learn their lesson. Brett tends to keep in the habit of luring Jake into her trap of "I love you, but I don't want to be with you. Instead I want to be with all the wrong people and then end up breaking all their hearts and expect you to comfort me when it all falls apart."

Jake should feel this way:


But instead, he does the same ol' Jake routine and comes to Brett's beck and call. Which... induced a simultaneous groan from the class.



What are you thinking, Jake?

On the other hand, we came to an agreement that Jake is aware that he keeps comforting Brett through her many unsavory adventures with men. After receiving her message, Jake knew the situation before he even visited her. Jake thought to himself, "That was it. Send a girl off with one man. Introduce her to another to go off with him. Now go and bring her back. And sign the wire with love. That was it all right" (Hemingway 243). Jake has a moment of realization that he is being used over and over, yet he still returns to her. He sees her, she claims she is miserable, he comforts... what's new?

The class came to an agreement that the ending was just the beginning all over again.


After all we've been through...

Remember the scene at the beginning of the novel when Brett and Jake get into the taxi after going out dancing? Brett says once they climb in the cab, "Oh, darling, I've been so miserable" (Hemingway 32). Brett is always miserable. That is a common theme in this novel. She sulks in her misery after dancing and she is miserable at the end of the novel when she parts ways with Romero. Oh, but look! Here comes Jake to her rescue. He is there for her when she's in the cab, kissing all over that woman. Then, in the last scene, he lets her snuggle up as she wallows in self pity once more. What a mess.

The role of women is an interesting topic in this novel, which we discussed briefly in class. The femininity in this novel lacks overall. When Brett is first described by Jake, she had all the characteristics of a man. Jake notes, "Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's" (Hemingway 30). They later described her as being "handsome" as opposed to pretty, dainty, or fair. In fact, Pedro did not appreciate Brett's masculinity and even tried to make her a more suitable woman. He would've even married her, of course, on the condition that she become more womanly. She simply could not fit that role. We even realized that the names of all the female characters in this novel could have doubled as boy names.



 I mean, think about it. There's Brett, Georgette, Edna, and Frances, otherwise known as Brett, George, Ed, and Frank.



Hemingway uses the theme of masculinity throughout the novel, even in the role of women.

 Where do we go from here? What do we do with our lives now? Although the sun does rise, it also sets...

Isn't it pretty to think so?