The Tempest: Discussion- Caliban.

I think Taymor depicts Caliban in the three scenes differently each time to show the different facets of his nature. After all, he is half human and half monster. Of all the characters in The Tempest, Caliban stands out the most to me because he is full of emotions and is very expressive of them. He says whatever he feels.

In the first scene where he is shown with Miranda and Prospero (Prospera in Taymor's version), Caliban looming big over the humans shows his monstrosity which comes forth from his anger and bitterness that he feels over them, especially Prospera who he feels stripped him of his rights and has now enslaved him unjustly.

Caliban is still shown as a raging monster in the scene where he is carrying wood. When he speaks here we see that deep- seated anger against Prospera, where he wishes all sorts of curses on her. He is angry because he thinks that the island is his, and he is physically strong and capable but is made to do menial tasks like fetching wood. Caliban is shown against a very bare background here, which portrays his sense of solitariness. Although he is not the only being on the island, he has no companion and no one to call his friend.

In the final scene with Trinculo and Stephano, his largeness and giant- like stature is somewhat downplayed as he stands nearby the two men. Their sizes seem equal. Taymor shows a different side of Caliban here- a nicer and perhaps more pitiful side of him. His speech here is gentle and tranquil as he tells them not to be afraid of the island. It shows a more human part of him that can appreciate the pleasant sounds that he hears sometimes. This shows his softer side, that there might be some kindness and tenderness in him, making him less of a monster.

Taymor shows that there are always to sides to a person (or story).

Much Ado About Nothing: Distant Reading.

Before I used Wordle, when I first read the text, the word that stood out the most to me was "man". So, I like how that same word appears to be the biggest in the image above.

In Beatrice's speech, "man" is the word that is repeated most frequently, "woman" is only mentioned once at the end. Beatrice's words express what she perceives as the virtues of a man. To Beatrice an ideal man is one who would speak up for his woman and defend her honour. Her desperate speech also shows the male- dominant world she lives in, where a man's word (in this instance, Claudio's) is taken to be the truth- that a man's word has more weight than a woman's. I feel "man" is repeated here many times because,  however modern and emancipated Beatrice might be in her thoughts and words, she is dependent on a man to make right the situation.

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Near Tragic Magic

When I think of A Midsummer Night's Dream, two words come to mind: reality and dream. Two worlds collide, one of mortals, and another of mythical creatures. So, I thought of summarizing the entire play in one drawing.

I incorporated the names of the imporant characters of the play as I feel they define the play. The big leaves represent the men and the flowers represent the women. The characters at the top of the frame are the ones I like best, and the ones at the bottom are the ones I perceive in a less favourable light. I described each character in 3 or less words. The 3 butterflies in the centre represent the 3 main characters from the mythical world. I placed them right in the centre because of their key roles in the play- it is their actions (particularly Oberon's and Puck's) that result in the mishaps that take place in this play.

The frame that is made up of the tree bark and vines represent the setting in which the play takes place: the forest. The huge purple flower is the flower from which Oberon derives the juice that is sprinkled on Titania's, Demetrius' and Lysander's eyes. In my opinion, this flower is probably the most important part of the story- if it did not exist, the storyline in the play would have taken a completely different path.

The title 'Near Tragic Magic' speaks for itself. It truly could have been tragic if the effect of the purple flower's juice never wore off.

Romeo & Juliet: Romeo's Monologue- The Dream.

 





My favourite monologue in this play is the one by Romeo at the start of Scene 1 in Act 5.

 

                                     "If I may trust the flattering truth of sleep,

                                      My dreams presage some joyful news at hand.

                                      My bosom’s lord sits lightly in his throne,

                                      And all this day an unaccustomed spirit

                                     Lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts.

                                     I dreamt my lady came and found me dead—

                                     Strange dream, that gives a dead man leave to think—

 

                                    And breathed such life with kisses in my lips

                                   That I revived and was an emperor.

                                   Ah me! How sweet is love itself possessed

                                   When but love’s shadows are so rich in joy!"

Romeo speaks these words just before hearing from Balthasar that Juliet is dead. Although Juliet is not really dead here, the dream Romeo has the night before symbolizes the impending doom of this couple. It is as though fate is already telling him that his end is near.

While Romeo finds the dream strange, he does not find it depressing or shocking. In fact, there is something about it that gives him joy. He sees Juliet in his dream, and she kisses him and brings him back to life. Romeo sees the dream as something beautiful because for Juliet to kiss him back to life, she would have to be right next to him. The thought of them being together once again makes him happy, even if he had to first die for it to happen. This part of the dream is also very symbolic. It shows that only Juliet, and no one else, has to power to bring Romeo back to life.

In his dream, Romeo sees himself rising from the dead as an emperor. I feel that this part of the dream particularly shows how Romeo perceives Juliet's love for him - that it is so potent that it can even bring him back from the dead and invest upon him a stature of power and authority like that of a king or emperor. If seeing Juliet in a dream can make Romeo so exquisitely happy, one wonders what ecstasy he would be experiencing when she is present in the flesh.

The dream, on the whole, is very significant. Dreams in Shakespeare’s plays are usually prophetic in nature. They foretell something that is to happen, often something ominous. In the play, Romeo drinks poison and dies, after finding Juliet lying in the tomb, thinking she is dead. And, Romeo does not come back to life in the real world. But in the dream that he has, Death loses its hold on him with Juliet breathing back life into him with a kiss. It would have been most impossible for Romeo and Juliet to live together happily in Verona given the long-standing strife between their two families. It is in their deaths that both the Capulets and Montagues come to their senses and make peace with each other. Death here can be seen as something ‘good’ in that the lovers' souls are reunited (no one can separate them now) and both their families finally live amicably. This is why the dream evokes a sense of positivity, cheerfulness to Romeo as his subconscious mind knows that his and Juliet’s love is far too to be taken away from them. If life does not unite them, then Death will.