Final Thoughts

As the semester comes to a close, I cannot help but recognize how much I appreciated this class.  In a semester of hectic schedules and excessive amounts of work, Shakespeare gave me peace.  In his work, I could remember why I love the English language and literature.  During the times I was stressed by unit plans, and wishing teaching was not so difficult, I was reminded why I will teach.  Literature reflects our world, our lives, our hopes and dreams.  Shakespeare captures this perfectly.  This I will teach to my students; this class helped me keep my real goals in mind.  We began with a dream, and though we technically ended with an illusion, this semester ends in a dream for me as well.  With only one year left, I am faced with nearing the opportunity to achieve my dream of becoming a teacher.  I am also faced with the reality of leaving young adulthood behind.  These years have been wonderful and dreamlike, full of strange and amazing experiences.  I have one year left upon this particular stage, and I intend to make it epic.

Memorization

Oh memorizing.  For the second spring in a row, I've found myself faced with the task of memorizing a long passage and presenting it for Dr. Sexson.  Last year it was Kubla Khan.  This year, a speech from Henry V. Both memorizations have been enjoyable, albeit taxing, work.  Unfortunately, my brain tends to glitch when I have to actually perform these recitations in front of people.  As a result, I am afraid I did not quite do my Shakespeare passage the justice it deserves.  The piece is a moving, and powerful call to battle.  I have no experience with war, nor that passionate drive to sacrifice myself for my country.  Nonetheless, I was enthralled and empowered by this speech.  I find this passage appropriate given the recent events in Boston.  We, as a nation, are good about coming together in times of need and fighting for our beliefs and country.  This reflects what Henry says in his speech.  I ask you all to take a moment now to peruse this passage.  Let it instill in you a love for country, and passion for battle no matter the odds.  We will persevere.

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
    To do our country loss; and if to live,
    The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
    God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
    By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
    Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
    It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
    Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
    But if it be a sin to covet honour,
    I am the most offending soul alive.
    No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
    God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
    As one man more methinks would share from me
    For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
    Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
    That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
    Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
    And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
    We would not die in that man's company
    That fears his fellowship to die with us.
    This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
    He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
    Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
    And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
    He that shall live this day, and see old age,
    Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
    And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
    Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
    And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
    Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
    But he'll remember, with advantages,
    What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
    Familiar in his mouth as household words-
    Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
    Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
    Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
    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 remembered-
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
    Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
    This day shall gentle his condition;
    And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
    Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
    And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
    That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

 

The Words of Frederick Turner

Like you all, I spent a valuable hour of my time this evening in attendance at the Turner event.  I had no idea what to expect, and found myself presently surprised!  While not a major fan of poetry readings, I quite enjoyed Turner's work, and his reading voice even more so.  Like Nicole, I would likely buy anything this man recorded for books on tape.  He reads with marvelous inflections and power, making his written word truly come to life for the listener.

One line of poetry in particular stood out to me tonight.  I do not remember which poem it was in, but the line went like this "We are given being by our own eradication."  To me, this line reflects Shakespeare's thoughts about our hour upon the stage.  We all know we will someday die; each of us is heading for our own eradication.  There is no escape.  As a result, we are stirred to action upon our stage.  To do what we can, and make what we can of ourselves, within the short time we have been given to perform.  Thus, we are given being.  We create souls, develop them, shape them, by our actions and speakings upon this world stage.  Maybe we create these beings in a hope of finding some sense of immortality, hoping our souls will live on in some afterlife once our time is up.  Maybe we search for immortality through our actions: to be remembered for what we have accomplished, or great things we have said.  Regardless of our goals, every thing we do stems from the knowledge that we will someday no longer be able to do anything at all.  We will physically return to dust, re-entering the greater cosmos which make up our universe.

This line was a "carpe diem" moment for me today.  As the pressures of impending final projects for a myriad of classes weigh upon me, I am reminded that there is more to life than the accomplishments of these short few weeks.  My time here shrinks every day, every hour, every minute, and every second.  We must remember to enjoy these moments and make the most of them.  Do something great with your life.  Create, love, share, learn, explore.  This world is ours but for a few short hours.  Enjoy them before we are eradicated.

Disappearance of a Fool

Since I am interested in the role of the fool in King Lear, I am naturally curious about the same fool's disappearance from the play.  Throughout the first three acts, the fool is fairly present, speaking wisely and honestly to the King and providing valuable social commentary.  I rather enjoy this character and then *poof* he's gone.  The fool's last appearance is in Act 3, Scene 6, which leaves two acts without this intriguing character.  Why?  I have begun researching this mystery and have come across some interesting theories.

Schmoop (similar to Sparknotes) speculates:

"Some literary critics even speculate that the Fool and Cordelia were played by the same actor. They never appear onstage together, so some scholars hypothesized that the part was double cast, and that the Fool had to disappear when Cordelia came back into the play."

This is an interesting speculation.  Cordelia and the fool actually have a fair amount in common.  They are both wise, intelligent with their words and speech, and loyal to the king.  These are rare traits among the other characters (at least lumped altogether).  Additionally, in Act 5, Lear laments, "And my poor fool is hanged."  "Fool" here could be a pet name for Cordelia, or could refer to the fool himself who may have also been hanged.  This is not clear in the text.  Maybe they are essentially one in the same in the eyes of Shakespeare.

Another speculation (taken from Gradesaver.com) is that the fool disappears when King Lear realizes that he himself is the true fool.  He has squandered the love of Cordelia and Kent (the two truly loyal to him) and realized the wicked heart of Goneril and Reagan (not to mention their husbands).  As he realizes this foolishness, Lear descends into madness and takes on the role of the fool himself.  In this sense, the fool does not necessarily disappear, but rather takes on a new role manifested in a different character.

I like both of these ideas.  It is even possible that both are true.  Unfortunately, I cannot ask Shakespeare himself the reasoning behind this decision.  However, I think this will be my question for Turner when he visits this week.  I am interested to hear why he thinks the character of the fool disappears from King Lear.

Spiritual Music and Shakespeare

This Thursday, March 28 I have another band concert with the MSU Wind Symphony.  The concert repertoire has proven to be quite the food for thought for me.  The theme for this concert is "Angels and Demons."  Each piece we're playing is slightly spiritual, and reflects on the duality of light and dark within each of us.  I feel as though this is a theme Shakespeare touches on as well.  Many of his plays highlight the dichotomy of light versus dark.  In Midsummer Night's Dream, we saw the contrast of a light comedy set against moments of darkness discussing death.  In Hamlet, we see Hamlet debating spiritual matters such as killing his uncle in prayer.  Doing so would send his uncle to heaven, despite the nature of his dark deeds.  In King Lear, we see the contrast in several places.  One is Edgar versus Edmund.  One is light and noble, the other dark and sinful.  This same divergence(guess what? we're playing a piece entitled "Divergence") is seen in the sisters: Cordelia versus the two "sisty uglers."  Shakespeare was an astute observer of human nature.  He recognized that each human has the potential for both good and evil within them.  We can choose either route, and display our choice through our actions.  Sometimes there is an internal fight between dark and light.  Sometimes light wins, sometimes the dark triumphs.  I have been experiencing Shakespeare's reflection of this nature through his writing, and now I'm examining it through music.  Both media's present the message in a different, but powerful way.

Anyone who would like to experience the musical translation of this human experience themselves is welcome to come.  This is going to be an amazing concert!
Thursday, March 28
7:30
Reynolds Recital Hall (in Howard Hall on 11th)
Student cost: $5

For anyone who wants to hear a sample of the music we will be performing, here is a Youtube clip of my favorite piece.

Define a Fool

As I think about my project (The role of "the fool" in Shakespeare) I must start with one essential question: what exactly, IS a fool?  In my mind, "fool" can have a few meanings: a jester in a court (such as the one in King Lear), a person lacking common sense, and one who behaves foolishly or without thought or consideration.  However, I figured for a project as grand as this, I should probably do some research into the ofiicial definition.  Being a knowledgable English major, I am quite aware we have a handy little tool at our fingertips for looking up definitions of words: the Dictionary.  So I opened a new tab to Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary and these were the definitions I found for "fool."

1: a person lacking in judgment or prudence

2

a: a retainer formerly kept in great households to provide casual entertainment and commonly dressed in motley with cap, bells, and bauble

b: one who is victimized or made to appear foolish : dupe

3

a: a harmlessly deranged person or one lacking in common powers of understanding

b: one with a marked propensity or fondness for something <a dancing fool> <a fool for candy>

4

: a cold dessert of pureed fruit mixed with whipped cream or custard

 

So most of my definitions were proved correct, and a couple new ones came to mind.  But which version of the fool does Shakespeare use?  I think, for this project, I can safely throw out definition #4.  Perhaps this desert does appear somewhere in his vast works, but I am unconcerned with its relevance to his work and characters as a whole.  However, I believe Shakespeare employs all other definitions when creating the fools for his plays.  Additionally, one definition may stand exclusive of the others.  For example, the fool in King Lear fits definition 2a: a court jester.  He fulfills his role of entertaining the king through absurd acts and witty banter.  However, he does not fulfill definition 1, or 3a.  Lear's fool does not appear foolish in personal thought or action at all.  In fact, he seems quite prudent and intelligent.  This so-called fool realizes Lear's mistake in banishing Cordelia.  He mourns her loss and indeed lables Lear a fool for dismissing her (here Lear takes on the role of definition 1-and later takes on definition 3a).  Lear's fool is also prudent in his actions.  He realizes that condemning Lear's actions outright will likely get him in trouble and result in his whipping.  As a result, he hedges his actions, using witty words to convey his true feelings about Cordelia's banishment and Lear's other foolish actions. 

 

King Lear contains several other role reversals and definitions of "the fool" throughout the play.  Therefore, we can conclude from this work alone that Shakespeare employs multiple meanings of the words and manifests these in his characters.  For this project, I think I will explore how he uses fools fitting each definition throughout these four works, and the effect this has on his works as a whole.

The Wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes

As I was stumbling the other day, I happened across some quotes from my favorite cartoon: Calvin and Hobbes.  This imaginative, spunky, sarcastic child and his toy tiger hold wisdom beyond their years.  This is frequently reflected in their conversations.  One such quote happened to relate to Shakespeare's metaphor of the stage.  It goes as follows:

On realizing God is more Woody Allen than Michael Bay

Calvin: They say the world is a stage. But obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines.

Hobbes: Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

Calvin: We need more special effects and dance numbers.

Here, Calvin reflects on how we are all actors on a stage.  We are playing parts, maybe these roles are designed by God.  This fits with Shakespeare's frequent comments throughout his plays.  Our world is a stage, to act, to speak, to create.  But Calvin is astute.  He realizes life doesn't always follow a specific script.  We can plan and plot, but things rarely turn out according to plan.  We find ourselves improvising, trying to find a way to fill our brief performance with meaning, to achieve some outstanding review.  As we stumble through, we create both tragedy and farce within our lives.  We make mistakes.  Sometimes these are comical.  We trip over some stairs.  We fumble our lines and say something unintentionally funny or inappropriate.  Sometimes our mistakes are tragic.  We hurt someone close to us.  We lose them.  This is particularly seen in King Lear as he distances his youngest daughter and closest friend, the only two who were truly loyal to him in the first place.  Regardless of our mistakes, we must attempt to make the most of our few brief hours upon this stage.  Be grand, live life, throw in some outstanding effects or spectacular dance numbers to jazz things up a bit.  Anyone who reads this cartoon knows Calvin is all about living a life full of adventure. If the young Calvin can remember this, we too must strive to live our performance to the fullest.

Punography

I was scrolling through things online and found this list of gems to help us all embody our inner, witty, puny, Hamlets.

PUNOGRAPHY

• I tried to catch some fog.  I mist.
• When chemists die, they barium.
• Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.
• I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid.  He says he can stop anytime.
• I stayed up all night to see where the sun went.  Then it dawned on me.
• This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.
• I'm reading a book about anti-gravity.  I can't put it down.
• I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
• They told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type-O.
• A dyslexic man walks into a bra.
• Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory, hope there isn't a pop quiz.
• Energizer Bunny arrested: charged with battery.
• I didn't like my beard at first.  Then it grew on me.
• How do you make holy water?  Boil the hell out of it.
• What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary?  A Thesaurus.
• When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.
• What does a clock do when it's hungry? Goes back four seconds.
• I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
• Broken pencils are pointless.

Hamletian Experiences

Dr. Sexson has charged us with playing the part of Hamlet in our own lives.  However, I am hesitant to do so for what I consider to be a valid reason: I am already living with a Hamlet.

My roommate unfortunately tends to be the epitome of negativity.  Don't get me wrong, I love her and she can be a bubbly bundle of fun. This is not frequently the case though.  She carries a very negative attitude toward most things in life.  Those who disagree with her, or point out any mistakes or flaws are attacking her.  If things go wrong, her attitude is ruined.  For example, any evening activities that fall through, or otherwise  fail to work out, my roommate will immediately become pissy and shut herself in her room.  This reflects Hamlet's negativity in many ways.  When upset, he withdraws, and all around him can sense his foul mood.  My other roommate and I try to ignore this dark cloud in our apartment, but doing so is not always easy.  Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, we try to cheer up our buddy (though not at the orders of a foul king). Also like this duo, we nearly always fail in our mission.  My real life Hamlet friend is perfectly aware of her negative outlook on life.  However, rather than trying to improve things, she takes an "If you don't like it, then it's YOUR problem" attitude.  Yippee for the rest of us...

Due to this current situation, I find myself unwilling to add to the dramatic attitude already permeating our apartment.  One cranky, sensitive roommate is enough at one time.  As a result, I will hold off on the negative Hamletian attitude for the time being.  However, my roommate does not possess all of Hamlet's glorious wit, and so I will try to pun things up around here...stay tuned for results.  Who knows? Maybe my wit will even cheer my roommate up a bit!

Attempt One

So I've tried my hand at writing a sonnet.  I'm a little torn on my feelings towards this creation.  I did fairly well with the format surprisingly enough.  However, I feel as though it is not as eloquent or profound as I would like.  Despite lacking these qualities, this sonnet tells a true personal story and so I find myself personally attached enough to post it as a solid first attempt.  I will try for elegance in a later attempt.  For now, here is my sonnet of both love and love lost.

Sonnet 1: The Cycle of Two

Long ago, as kids, did we first meet.
A gift you gave to me, a dog to love. 
Awhile you left, away, young love so fleet;
came back to me as if sent from above.
Two teens, so young, we let our passion grow.
Two years, so fast and full, then left my side.
My heart did break, and yet, I could not know;
from time our love could only briefly hide.
A year gone by, then once again we fell.
Again two years, so full of love and life.
Then gone again, you put my heart through hell.
We grew so close; yet distance caused us strife.
And now my closest friend you stay to be.
Around we go--will you come back to me?

Reading Sonnets

So we have been assigned to write some sonnets of our own...yikes.  I am not a terribly creative writer so this assignment scares me a little.  I believe I have the motivation to write a couple love sonnets (I'm planning one about love and one about love lost).  However, I don't know yet how to put these emotions into words with such a specific format.  Usually, if I write emotionally, I let the words flow.  Binding them into a rigid outline screws with my emotional vomit.  Considering that analogy, maybe I NEED a format so as not to disgust or overwhelm any reader other than myself.  In order to tackle this assignment, I have been reading Shakespeare's sonnets for inspiration before tackling my own work.  Here are a few sonnets that stood out to me.

Sonnet 62:  This sonnet surprised me because it deals with self-love/vanity rather than love or admiration for another person.  When I think of sonnets, I imagine a love poem for another person (if love indeed be the topic) not a heavy declaration of self-admiration.

Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye
And all my soul and all my every part;
And for this sin there is no remedy,
It is so grounded inward in my heart.
Methinks no face so gracious is as mine, 
No shape so true, no truth of such account;
And for myself mine own worth do define,
As I all other in all worths surmount.
But when my glass shows me myself indeed,
Beated and chopp'd with tann'd antiquity,
Mine own self-loving were iniquity
'Tis thee, myself,--that for myself I praise,
Paintin my age with beauty of thy days.

Sonnet 137:  We have all heard the phrase "Love is blind."  This sonnet discusses that very nature of love.  I found this sonnet interesting simply because it relates to some personal experiences I have had with love.  Since my own sonnets will be personal, I enjoyed this example as something I can emulate.

Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyes,
That they behold, and see not what they see?
They know what beauty is, see where it lies, 
Yet what the best is take the worst to be.
If eyes, corrupt by over-partial looks,
Be anchor'd in the bay where all men ride,
Why of eyes' falsehood hast thou forged hooks,
Whereto the judgment of my heart is tied?
Why should my heart think that a several plot
Which my heart knows the wide world's common place?
Or mind eyes, seeing this, say this is not,
To put fair truth upon so foul a face?
In things right true my heart and eyes have err'd,
And to this false plague are they now transferr'd

Shady Dreams

Firstly, I want to clarify my title for this post. The dreams I will be illustrating are not "shady" in the sense that it is dark or creepy.  Rather, this title reflects the flighty nature of my dreams, like sunlight flickering among shade in the grass, impossible to pin down.  Like many of my classmates, I rarely remember my dreams clearly.  If I wake up right after the dream, I may remember for a few hours, but by the time the sun is up the dream is a faint memory much like the lovers experience in MSND.  Mostly, however, I remember short snippets here and there.  I'll highlight a few recent interesting ones for you now.

--I have a very vague remembrance of an odd dream where all I can still picture is flying deer (picture Bambi with velvety wings) flying above my head.  No clue where that came from or what was going on...your guess is honestly as good as mine.  I'll chalk that one up to Puck messing with my subconscious.

--I woke up from a dream remembering only that I had just gotten married to my ex-boyfriend.  That opened a whole can of mental worms.

--The most elaborate dream I currently remember involved me living in the apartment next to my band director.  I didn't realize this until we were having a party and I looked at the balcony next to ours.  Low and behold-there he was with his wife and daughter.  Somehow they ended up coming over and joining us.

You can tell from these brief statements that my dreams don't stick well with me.  This is a common situation among humans and Shakespeare was brilliant to pick up on this fact and use it in his play.  Shakespeare is known for writing stories his viewers and readers can relate to, and this is just another example.  Every reader can understand the confusion of the lovers as a haze surrounds their memories of the passing nights.  I know many more half remembered images wait for me in early mornings.  I'll probably spend my life wondering what my mind is up to while I sleep.

To Insult or Compliment, that is the Question

Shakespearean insults have long been a staple of teaching Shakespeare in the high school.  As a result, these colorful phrases are not new to me.  However, I still find them delightful to use and generate--the art of witty insults has been lost in an unimpressive sea of "Your Mom"s and "Your face" (the new generation is so creative eh?).  Anyhoo, I appreciate a good Shakespearean insult as much as any of my fellow English peers.      But Shakespeare was also a king of compliments, especially as the writer of great love stories.  Many people don't realize, or overlook the fact that there is also a Shakespearean compliment generator.  I think both are fun to use, that way you are verbally armed for any situation.  Next time you step forth into the social world, take a few of these wonderful phrases with you!
Insults:
 Thou gleeking, guts-griping giglet!   (YAY alliteration)

Thou yeasty, clapper-clawed moldwarp!

Thou infectious, knotty-pated fustilarian!

Compliments: Afterall, it's almost Valentine's Day
 Thou rare, tiger-booted true penny

Thou celestial, thunder-darting welsh cheese  (Guys, I don't suggest you go around calling a girl "welsh cheese--not sure that's a compliment nowadays).

Thou flowering, honey-tongued nose herb

Act 3, Scene 2

Facing the task of looking up videos from  A Midsummer Night's Dream, I came to realize this would be an impossible task unless I narrowed down the search.  This is easiest done by searching for a specific act or scene.  But which one to choose?  I reflected upon my history with this play and the choice was clear.  My freshman year, I had to perform a scene from this play (with a group) which we had translated into a different time period/setting.  We selected to perform Act 3, Scene 2 (where Lysander and Demetrius are both now in love with Helena) as a western.  I played Puck and Demetrius.  This project was a blast.  The arguments and physical comedy between Lysander and Demetrius are hilarious.  As a result, I went searching for a clip which reflected this comedic nature and met with success.  I present to you a clip of a stage performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Pay careful attention to the physical comedy enacted in this version (although it's rather hard to miss).  Hopefully it will bring you a few laughs!

Shakespeare in a High School

After reading Alan Hoffman's post about teaching Shakespeare, I felt inclined to examine my own thoughts on teaching the subject.  Alan and I are both English Education majors and will actually be focusing on teaching Shakespeare during one of our methods courses this upcoming week (as a result, I may have more ideas on this later so stay tuned).  However, at this point I am positive I want to teach Shakespeare at the high school level.  Many of my students will probably hate me for this decision.  Unfortunately for them, Shakespeare is a required part of nearly all English curricula.  However, I do not want to teach Shakespeare because "I have to."  I want to teach Shakespeare because he is a writing genius.  I strongly believe that even high school students can find some interest and value in his writings.  Many students dislike Shakespeare because his name brings up a moment of panic.  Students have this preconception that Shakespeare is extremely difficult, dry, and boring.  I think most of us know this is not the case.  I want to teach students that Shakespeare can be fun, accessible, and interesting.  To do this, I plan to expand my teaching beyond simply reading Shakespeare.  A teacher told me once that Shakespeare "must be read, watched, and performed to truly appreciate its value."  I have come to agree with this statement.  When reading Shakespeare, it is easy for less experienced readers to become distracted by the unusual language.  However, many students find the content easy to understand when they are watching a rendition of the play.  Therefore, reading and watching must go hand in hand.  I think the performing aspect is essential to making Shakespeare relevant.  I have completed several exercises requiring me to translate a scene from some Shakespearean play into a modern day setting.  This requires students to analyze what portions of his works they can apply to modern society and their own lives.  Relevance has been proven again and again to be essential in capturing student interest.  As a result, my future students will read, watch, and perform Shakespeare.

However, I don't necessarily want to stick to just the typical plays and sonnets read in high school.  I think Romeo and Juliet is pertinent to their age level.  Hamlet is also fascinating, so I would love to teach those two plays.  Personally, I had the opportunity to read some plays less-frequently done in the high school classroom.  Namely, I really enjoyed reading Othello and Much Ado About Nothing.  I think it's fun to break away from the stereotypical plays all students have heard about.  I think A Midsummer Night's Dream would also be fun to teach as a prime example of a romantic comedy.  Granted, I will have to see how much my future curriculum allows me to pick my own classroom reading material, but for now I plan to introduce my students to the wonder of Shakespeare and let them explore some works that fly under the typical high school radar.

Shakespeare and Music

As I read A Midsummer Night's Dream, I can't help but be caught up by the characters.  Sexson claims Bottom is one of the best characters; however, I am personally a fan of Puck.  This impish, mischievous fairy is just too much fun.  He is sly, cunning, and all to eager to make things messy.  In fact, he sort of reminds me from Peeves from Harry Potter (another favorite minor character of mine).  While we have not reached the portion of the play where Puck appears, I cannot help but reminisce about my love for this character the last time I read this work.

And yet, the name "Puck" rings another bell for me.  You all know by now that I play flute (Euterpe, got it).  However, flute is not my only instrument.  I also play piano.  Once upon a time, several years ago, I played a piano piece entitled "Puck" written by Edvard Grieg.  The music captures this character perfectly.  I have included a clip of the piece below for those who would like to listen.  I do not know if Grieg originally wrote the piece with Shakespeare's character specifically in mind.  Nonetheless, the song paints the perfect picture of this character.  The tune alternates between a minor, lower register which captures Puck's darker, mischievous side, and a lighter, bouncy melody which reflects his cheerful, playful nature.  The whole piece requires a light, quick touch which imitates the flighty nature of fairies.  Also, the piece is devilishly tricky to learn to play!  I loved performing this piece.

This memory has also sparked an idea for a possible project.  As a musician, I strongly believe in the power of music to tell a good story, or depict a character.  I am toying with the idea of exploring Shakespeare through music.  Songs have been written about characters, his plays, and for music soundtracks to movie productions.  I am interested in examining this music to see how song captures the nature of Shakespeare's work.  Is the music as elegant and effective as his prose?  How does the music portray his stories differently?  Do I become more attached to a character through writing or music?  I know, personally, that music often moves me even more than writing or imagery.  A master of writing deserves a master depiction through music.  It is time to see if the musicians of the world have done Shakespeare justice.

The Wedding March

In class on Friday, we briefly discussed the fact that today's popular Wedding March actually comes from A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Being a music nerd (Euterpe-flute), I decided to look a little deeper into this fact.

Felix Mendelssohn was born to a wealthy German family and thus grew up with a privileged, educated lifestyle.  He began composing symphonies at age 12 and his father would hire private orchestras so Mendelssohn could hear his own music performed.  He was an avid fan of Shakespeare. "'At the age of 17, he got it in his head to write an orchestral work that would illustrate the characters of his favorite play," Greenberg says. This is the piece that's called the "Overture" to A Midsummer Night's Dream, and it's one of the masterworks of 19th-century orchestral literature."  The famous March was written as a part of his music for A Midsummer Night's Dream and first performed in Potsdam in 1842.  However, the music was not used for a wedding until 1858 at the wedding of "Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, the oldest child of Queen Victoria, when she married Frederick William IV of Prussia."  This royal event did wonders for the March's popularity.  The March has been a staple in weddings ever since.

source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18822541

My Passage

I know this is past the Friday deadline.  But if possible, I would like to memorize one of Iago's speeches from Othello for our assignment.  The passage is thus:

Virtue! a fig! 'tis in ourselves that we are thus, or thus.  Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness or manurred with industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills.  If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions; but we have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts, whereof I take this that you call love to be a sect or scion.

I have chosen this passage because it examines the nature of man to control and create oneself.  I have not teased out full meaning from this speech but would love the chance to do so.  College is a period in time during which students spur their own growth and development (to fit with the above garden theme).  As a result, I think this passage could be pertinent to my own formation.  In growing in myself, I should also grow in my ability to understand and appreciate the genius of Shakespeare.

The Essence of Nothing

As I read Turner's essay, I find myself more and more caught up in the concept of "nothing."  Nothing matters.  Or is it that Nothing Matters?  Humans are egotistical creatures.  We place great importance in our own lives and the significant events which happen within them.  In doing so, we often look over the little things in life which make up the essence of nothing.  And yet, in the bigger picture, we ourselves are nothing. The universe is infinite, and within we are inconsequential specks in an instance of time.  As Turner says, "What was this human world but a quintessence of dust?"  (50).  I find this controversy best described in the motto tanti which Turner defines as "so much and so little" (58).  In our own lives, we are so much.  We are EVERYTHING.  In the bigger picture, we are so little, we are nothing.  How can this be possible?  My only conclusion is that nothing, indeed, Matters.  The same nothing might not mean the same thing to every person.  For example, our own lives are everything to ourselves and nothing to most of the 7 billion humans on this planet (notice this does not even touch on our significance with the environment).  On a smaller scale, one may find the brilliance in a speck of dust floating in the sunlight which everyone else passes by.  Personally, I find great peace in nothingness.  I love to sit in silence with nothing but my thoughts and the infinite expanses of the world surrounding me.  Here I find perspective.  I am dwarfed by the concept of space.  It continues forever.  How crazy is that?  In this great expanse, I am nothing but what I make of myself.  We have a short time on this planet before we return to the great nothingness known as death.  What impact will you leave during your time?  We have but hours upon this stage and I intend to leave a memorable performance so that I may greet the nothingness of death with open arms and peace of mind.

Shakespearean Fairy Tale

In his introduction, Hughes reminds his readers that Shakespeare's plays were meant to be entertainment.  I think this quality is often lost among students forced to slog their way through a strange language and complex plots in an effort to earn an A.  As a future educator, I am painfully aware that most high school students do not appreciate the beauty and entertainment of Shakespeare's work.  I do not have a plan to combat such boredom as of yet.  However, I believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience the entertaining value of Shakespeare's words.  I have discovered a video that may make such an experience easily accessible to all.  Today I share with you comedian John Branyan's version of the classic fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs" told through Shakespearean language.  Personally, this video always makes me laugh.  I believe it also helps illustrate the way the English language has changed over the long years, and not necessarily for the better.

Here I present to you, for your entertainment, John Branyan's "The Three Little Pigs"

Redeeming Time through Connecting Classes

So our goal for this class is to attempt to redeem time from insignificance.  I'm not yet sure what all such a task may entail; however, I believe time to be fluid.  Somehow, all we learn and do is connected.  This has already proven true in this class.  I always love when classes manage to connect to one another, whether during the same semester or across the ravines of time.  Guess what?  Not even 20 pages into Ted Hughes' work...BINGO...class connection, time redeemed.  Hughes discusses the use and development of "memory theaters" during Shakespeare's time.  Well, for anyone who has taken Sexon's Oral Traditions course, this term should ring a whole cacophony of bells.

Hughes first mentions the memory theaters in relation to Bruno and the "mnemotechnics of medieval theologians" (8).  Hermetics used symbols arranged on mental maps to represent all knowledge and aid their memories.  In Oral Traditions, we examined the development and unique natures of memory theaters.  Of course, we were also required to develop and use our own maps to aid our memories.  Hughes discusses memory theaters mostly to outline some basic history of philosophy and learning during Shakespeare's time.  However, he also points out that Fludd modeled his own memory theater after Shakespeare's famous Globe Theater (10).



The image on the left depicts a larger image of Fludd's Globe memory theater.  The image on the right shows a clear image of the circle drawn on the ceiling of the first picture (a key part of the memory theater).

My own memory theaters are now dusty and out of use.  However, if I'm going to be memorizing Shakespeare, I'm sure I will revive a few theaters to help me memorize passages of this brilliant writer.  It is time to connect the classes and use one technique to aid another.  Thus redeeming some sort of lost time.