Getting Started

Here are a few links that classmates have shared with me to help get me started on my focus! Thanks guys!

Caroline found a reference to Shakespeare in Robert Bloch's psycho.

Max suggested I read the work of another Bill... Billy Collins' "Night Letter to the Reader".

Cara made a post about common modern day phrases coined by Shakespeare.

While I'm still working on narrowing things down, I have had a lot of success so far.

I've been re-reading The Tempest, and have found some interesting themes throughout the first half of the play:
There is some major issues between those in power and those without power (masters and servants). From the very beginning of the play this is evident in the interaction between the boatswain and the nobles. Also present in the first scene is mention of fate and destiny. Gonzalo humorously takes confidence that the boat will not sink because it is the destiny of the boatswain to be hung. He later says "The wills above be done!" The conflict between power and being subject to that power is seen in many characters (Prospero and Caliban; Prospero and Ariel; Alonso and his nobles). Some of these relationships are portrayed as positive and some negative. Even betrayal is explored in the play.

Interestingly enough, William Faulkner often incorporates the dramatic issue of power into his works. In Absalom, Absalom!, Thomas Sutpen, is a man possessed with gaining power, and goes to any means necessary to establish his rule. Ironically enough he gets a slave pregnant and has a child, who is destined to not have any power because he has a black mother, despite looking white. He is brutally murdered by his half brother for this same reason. Throughout the novel there is great conflict between the ideas of possessing actual power and the image of having power.

Also in doing a little research of Faulkner's works, he did write a three novel series, the first of which was titled "The Hamlet". I think this was one of his lesser famous works because I haven't been able to find out a whole lot about the novel.

Will and Will

I'm headed to the bookstore/library to pick up a copy of "The Sound and The Fury" by Faulkner. However, I took a look at two Faulkner books that I own, "Absalom, Absalom!" and "As I Lay Dying". On the back of the books there are a few critic's praise of Faulkner:

"For all his concern with the South, Faulkner was actually seeking out the nature of man. Thus we must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for the greatness of our classics." -- Ralph Ellison

"For range of effect, philosophical weight, originality of style, variety of characterization, humor, and tragic intensity [Faulkner's works] are without equal in out time and country." -- Robert Penn Warren

I believe similar things were said, and have been said of Shakespeare. One of the main reasons his works have lasted the test of time is because through his characters and plots human nature is exposed. This is why his plays are easily related as a reader.

Help Wanted

After meeting with Dr. Burton for my mid-term evaluation I have decided to focus my Shakespeare studies on allusions to Shakespeare in modern literature. I recognize that this is very broad, and over the next week I plan on narrowing it down to something a little more tangible. Off the bat there are a few things I want to explore, and perhaps this will help me narrow my topic. As I said earlier I plan on looking at William Faulkner's works for allusions to Shakespeare. I also think I am going to take a look into Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

Please comment and leave any suggestions you have, of if you think it'd be cool for me to study something please let me know!! Thanks!

Hermione's Trial and upcoming studies..

Has anyone ever played the game "Mafia"? Hermione's trial reminded me a lot of a game of Mafia..

Player 1(King): You're Guilty
Player 2(Hermione): What else can I say other than no I am not.
Player 1: Yes you are, kill her!
Narrator (Oracle): Nope, innocent, she's a citizen.
Player 1: I don't believe it
Narrator: Yup, it's true.
Player 1: Oh, dang.
Player 2: Great, now look what you've done!

I'm a little behind in finding my niche in my Shakespeare studies and I'm meeting with Dr. Burton tomorrow, so hopefully we'll figure something out. In the meantime I plan on re-reading The Tempest much slower and with more intensity than my first encounter. I'll post about what I'm learning/observing later this week.

speeches

In class on Monday we discussed the rhetorical tools used in Brutus' and Antony's speech in Act III Scene 2 of Julius Caesar. Brutus uses a chiastic pattern in his speech to get his audiences attention. He then goes through a very logical explanation of his reaction to the events leading up to Caesar's murder. Brutus' speech is full of abstract images, while Antony's is much more visual. Antony uses imagery to paint a picture for the audience, allowing them to easily follow along. At the end he relies on emotion to draw the favor of the crowd by pausing drastically, overcome by emotion.

I looked at some of the classic speeches from U.S. Presidents to find some of their rhetorical tools.



President Bush relies heavily on emotion. He also creates logical analogies to show America's resolve despite the physical damage done by the attacks.



JFK delivers a bipartisan speech of unity and progress. He creates a sense of pride and duty in the American citizens, and is thus able to promote his agenda.



President Obama appeals to the crowd by thanking them, inviting their applause, showing his energy and referring to him and his audience as "we".

Peer Evaluation

Brooke has an awesome blog, and one that I plan on referring to as an example of successful blogging. She has 12 posts, all of which are of high quality. Her last post, Shakespeare Through The Eyes Of An Actor, is a great post. She had previously emailed her brother asking him a varity of questions from his perspective as an actor who played Othello, and in this post she records his responses. Honestly I have no ideas for improving this blog! It is that good! Maybe a good idea would be to use the “read more” option so that more posts appear on the blog, and so that they are easier to digest. Great blog Brooke!!!

Mid-Term Evaluation

I have met the reading goals I have set for myself thus far in the course. I have read and briefly studied a play from each of the genres, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Richard II, King Lear, and Hamlet. This has fulfilled the breadth requirement. I have also read through a few sonnets, including Sonnet 116, 32, 24, 120. I have read an article comparing the language and dialog of Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by Ian Johnston. As I advance in my learning plan to study in greater depth specific works of Shakespeare, I plan to read more secondary works and other resources.

I have enjoyed reading through the different genres of Shakespeare’s works. I think what has impacted me most is from one of my first blog posts where I question why Shakespeare has endured so long, and why is he and his works so popular and still studied today. In later posts I refer to this question and have come to believe that it is because of the great emotion that he puts into his characters. This emotion is easily relatable as a reader, and thus these personal, emotional themes that Shakespeare invokes is what has allowed him to be studied throughout the ages.

I don’t think I’ve done anything really great so far. Most of my posts have been pretty minimal. One thing that I really want to improve on is looking for outside sources to include in my posts. I think that by referencing articles and secondary sources I will enhance the quality of my posts and it will be more beneficial to my peers and me.

Max has been a great help, in that he has shared with me in class some things that he is doing on his blog, and on his comments that he makes on other’s blogs. This has helped me have a more focused idea of what to blog about. Jennifer Prusse also has made some good comments on my blog, which helped me to go deeper than my original post did.