Appunti dei classici per l'esame di Letteratura Inglese magistrale del prof. Lucking, Unisalento, Appunti di Letteratura Inglese

Scarica Appunti dei classici per l'esame di Letteratura Inglese magistrale del prof. Lucking, Unisalento e più Appunti in PDF di Letteratura Inglese solo su Docsity! MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – Comedy PLOT At Messina, a messenger brings news that Don Pedro, a prince from Aragon, will return that night from a successful battle, Claudio being among his soldiers. Beatrice, Leonato's niece, asks the messenger about Benedick, and makes sarcastic remarks about his ineptitude as a soldier. Leonato explains that "There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her."[1] Upon the arrival of the soldiers, Leonato welcomes Don Pedro and invites him to stay for a month, Benedick and Beatrice resume their "merry war," and Pedro's illegitimate brother Don John is introduced. Claudio's feelings for Hero, Leonato's only daughter, are rekindled upon seeing her, and Claudio soon announces to Benedick his intention to court her. Benedick, who openly despises marriage, tries to dissuade his friend but Don Pedro encourages the marriage. Benedick swears that he will never get married. Don Pedro laughs at him and tells him that when he has found the right person he shall get married. A masquerade ball is planned in celebration of the end of the war, giving a disguised Don Pedro the opportunity to woo Hero on Claudio's behalf. Don John uses this situation to get revenge on his brother Don Pedro by telling young Claudio that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself. A furious Claudio confronts Don Pedro, but the misunderstanding is quickly resolved and Claudio wins Hero's hand in marriage. Meanwhile, Benedick disguises himself and dances with Beatrice. Beatrice proceeds to tell this "mystery man" that Benedick is "the prince's jester, a very dull fool." Benedick, enraged by her words, swears he will have revenge. Don Pedro and his men, bored at the prospect of waiting a week for the wedding, harbour a plan to match-make between Benedick and Beatrice. They arrange for Benedick to overhear a conversation in which they declare that Beatrice is madly in love with him but afraid to tell him; that their pride is the main impediment to their courtship. Meanwhile, Hero and her maid Ursula ensure Beatrice overhears them discuss Benedick's undying love for her. The tricks have the desired effect: both Benedick and Beatrice are delighted to think they are the object of unrequited love, and both accordingly resolve to mend their faults and reconcile. Meanwhile, Don Pedro's brother Don John, the "bastard prince", plots to prevent the wedding, embarrass his brother, and wreak misery on Leonato and Claudio. He informs Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero is unfaithful, and arranges for them to see John's associate Borachio enter her bedchamber where he has an amorous liaison (actually with Margaret, Hero's chambermaid). Claudio and Don Pedro are taken in, and Claudio vows to humiliate Hero publicly. 1 Swooning of Hero in the Church scene by Alfred Elmore At the wedding the next day, Claudio denounces Hero before the stunned guests and storms off with Don Pedro. Hero faints. Her humiliated father Leonato expresses the wish that she would die. The presiding friar intervenes, believing Hero to be innocent. He suggests the family fake Hero's death in order to extract the truth and Claudio's remorse. Prompted by the day's harrowing events, Benedick and Beatrice confess their love for each other. Beatrice then asks Benedick to slay Claudio as proof of his devotion, since he has slandered her kinswoman. Benedick is horrified and at first denies her request. Leonato and his brother Antonio blame Claudio for Hero's apparent death and challenge him to a duel. Benedick then does the same. Luckily, on the night of Don John's treachery, the local Watch apprehended Borachio and his ally Conrade. Despite the comic ineptness of the Watch (headed by constable Dogberry, a master of malapropisms), they have overheard the duo discussing their evil plans. The Watch arrest the villains and eventually obtain a confession, informing Leonato of Hero's innocence. Though Don John has fled the city, a force is sent to capture him. Claudio, stricken with remorse at Hero's supposed death, agrees to her father's demand that he marry Antonio's daughter, "almost the copy of my child that's dead"[1] and carry on the family name. At the wedding, the bride is revealed to be Hero, still living. Claudio is overjoyed. Beatrice and Benedick, prompted by their friends' interference, finally and publicly confess their love for each other. As the play draws to a close, a messenger arrives with news of Don John's capture – but Benedick proposes to postpone his punishment to another day so that the couples can enjoy their new-found happiness. Don Pedro is lonely, because he hasn't found love. Thus Benedick gives him the advice "Get thee a wife." HISTORICAL CONTEXT  1599: Shakespeare’s company moves to Globe. Julius Caesar was probably the first play performed  Galileo born in the same period of Shakespeare  experiment of techniques  Radicalization of “what is the truth”? THEMES  NOTHING, FEMALE SEXUALITY AND OBSERVATION are the most important themes  KNOWLEDGE 2 ACT II  Another messenger is sent to give a false information  WATCH: everybody watch to the other people  FASHION: linked to mode and fashioning and to the change of personality too  COMPREHENDED: in The Merchant of Venice there’s the difference between ‘apprehended’ and ‘comprehended’  BLUSH (Hero): it can mean shame, so innocence, or modesty  a sign can be interpreted in different ways  BLOOD is sign of shame too ACT III  “impediment”: it is linked to the marriage sonnet (116)  MAN JOIN TOGETHER: Leonardo should defend his daughter, but he is agree with the other ones. They see women according to themselves  PETRIARCHIAL STRUCTURE  Beatrice wants a proof of Benedick’s love for her, so she asks him to kill Claudius. Traditional view of man who searches revenge for honour. She enters the male universe. She doesn’t do it, she can’t do it, so she needs men  REVERSE SITUATION  “You kill me to deny”: Beatrice is using her femininity to make Benedick doing something. She is underlining the TRADITIONAL DISTINCTION between men and women: what men have to do and what women  No DANCE before wedding because it is a secret ceremony. It is not part of the play  TRICKS: in The Merchant of Venice Bersanio “sacrifices” his wife giving the ring. This is a trick because in reality he gives it to Portia, but he didn’t know it.  TRUTH: we don’t what it is. Data can be elaborated in order to have interpretations: at the beginning the act of crying can be interpreted as if the character is sad, but actually he is crying for being happy  different interpretations 5 JULIUS CAESAR – Tragedy THE TITLE Caesar only appears a few times before he's assassinated in the third act, and he doesn't have a lot of lines. So, what's up with that? 1. The name of Julius Caesar has been used not to talk about his tragedy but to represent the national one of Rome. So, the historical figure of Caesar is here representing a struggle (sfida, sforzo) between the ideals of the Roman Republic and the threat (minaccia) of tyranny. 2. Caesar may be dead, but his spirit lives on – throughout Shakespeare's play and the course of history. He will be remembered by everyone. Caesar cannot be considered the protagonist of the play. Some critics think the protagonist is Brutus, but it can’t be possible because he’s important just in the last acts, while in the first one hasn’t an important role. It is thought the real protagonist is the Republicanism, the freedom of Old Rome.  FIGHT between REPUBLICANISM and CAESARISM PLOT 6 The play opens with the commoners of Rome celebrating Caesar's triumphant return from defeating Pompey's sons at the battle of Munda. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marrullus, discover the commoners celebrating, insult them for their change in loyalty from Pompey to Caesar, and break up the crowd. They also plan on removing all decorations from Caesar's statues and ending any other festivities. In the next scene, during Caesar's parade on the feast of Lupercal, a soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March", a warning he disregards. The action then turns to the discussion between Brutus and Cassius. In this conversation, Cassius attempts to influence Brutus' opinions into believing Caesar should be killed, preparing to have Brutus join his conspiracy to kill Caesar. They then hear from Casca that Mark Antony has offered Caesar the crown of Rome three times, and that each time Caesar refused it, fainting after the last refusal. Later, in act two, Brutus joins the conspiracy, although after much moral debate, eventually deciding that Caesar, although his friend and never having done anything against the people of Rome, should be killed to prevent him from doing anything against the people of Rome if he were ever to be crowned. He compares Caesar to "A serpents egg/ which hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,/ and kill him in the shell.", and decides to join Cassius in killing Caesar. Caesar's assassination is one of the most famous scenes of the play, occurring in Act 3, scene 1. After ignoring the soothsayer, as well as his wife's own premonitions, Caesar comes to the Senate. The conspirators create a superficial motive for coming close enough to assassinate Caesar by means of a petition brought by Metellus Cimber, pleading on behalf of his banished brother. As Caesar, predictably, rejects the petition, Casca grazes Caesar in the back of his neck, and the others follow in stabbing him; Brutus is last. At this point, Shakespeare makes Caesar utter the famous line "Et tu, Brute?"[3] ("And you, Brutus?", i.e. "You too, Brutus?"). Shakespeare has him add, "Then fall, Caesar," suggesting that such treachery destroyed Caesar's will to live. The conspirators make clear that they committed this act for Rome, not for their own purposes, and do not attempt to flee the scene. After Caesar's death, Brutus delivers an oration defending his actions, and for the moment, the crowd is on his side. However, Mark Antony, with a subtle and eloquent speech over Caesar's corpse—beginning with the much-quoted Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears[4]—deftly turns public opinion against the assassins by manipulating the emotions of the common people, in contrast to the rational tone of Brutus's speech, yet there is method in his rhetorical speech and gestures: he reminds them of the good Caesar had done for Rome, his sympathy with the poor, and his refusal of the crown at the Lupercal, thus questioning Brutus' claim of Caesar's ambition; he shows Caesar's bloody, lifeless body to the crowd to have them shed tears and gain sympathy for their fallen hero; and he reads Caesar's will, in which every Roman citizen would 7 sissies. Women are considered weak and irrelevant (as when Caesar totally disregards Calphurnia's ominous dream so he won't be thought of as a wimp). Portia, one of the play's two female characters, subscribes to the idea that women are feeble and erratic: her infamous declaration, "Ay me, how weak a thing / The heart of woman is!" hangs throughout the play like a cold, wet, misogynistic rag.  MANIPULATION Politicians use their rhetorical skills to gain power and to influence large. Persuasion and suggestion are rhetorical skills that play central roles in Julius Caesar, but they also highlight the willingness of individuals in hard times to hear what they want to hear It's often unclear whether characters are manipulated by others, or do they simply find in the speech of others an inspiration to do what they might otherwise have been too afraid to do.  PUBLIC SELF VS PRIVATE SELF Characters confuse their private selves with their public selves, dehumanizing themselves or transforming themselves into ruthless political machines. Brutus rebuffs his wife, Portia, when she pleads with him to confide in her; believing himself to be acting on the people’s will, he forges ahead with the murder of Caesar, despite their close friendship. Brutus puts aside his personal loyalties and shuns thoughts of Caesar the man, his friend; instead, he acts on what he believes to be the public’s wishes and kills Caesar the leader, the imminent dictator. Cassius can be seen as a man who has gone to the extreme in cultivating his public persona. Caesar, describing his distrust of Cassius, tells Antony that the problem with Cassius is his lack of a private life—his seeming refusal to acknowledge his own sensibilities or to nurture his own spirit. Such a man, Caesar fears, will let nothing interfere with his ambition. Indeed, Cassius lacks all sense of personal honor and shows himself to be a ruthless schemer. Ultimately, neglecting private sentiments to follow public concerns brings Caesar to his death. Although Caesar does briefly agree to stay home from the Senate in order to please Calpurnia, who has dreamed of his murder, he gives way to ambition when Decius tells him that the senators plan to offer him the crown. -Caesar’s public self again takes precedence. Tragically, he no longer sees the difference between his omnipotent, immortal public image and his vulnerable human body. Just preceding his death, Caesar refuses Artemidorus’s pleas to speak with him, saying that he gives last priority to his most personal concerns. He thus endangers himself by believing that the strength of his public self will protect his private self. ACT I 10  PERFORMATIVE LANGUAGE of Caesar: he gives orders through imperatives. He is a dictator and everything he says becomes reality.  SIGN: people had to wear clothes which underlined their status or profession.  FEAR of the masses: Caesar is responsible of Pompey’s death. For this reason, these people don’t like him.  REFLECTION: “can you see your face?”  we are reflected in other people’s ideas of us, in what they see or think about us. In Romeo and Juliet there’s a similar situation with public identity (people’s opinion) and private identity (my opinion of myself). We can’t know what we are, but the other ones yes, so there’s a kind of MIRROW (something external to ourselves  identity is extrinsic to ourselves). Brutus is interpreted in different ways according to the different person. Is he noble or not?  DANGER because people can give us whatever identity they want. Brutus loves Caesar, but at the same time doesn’t want Caesar to become king. Perhaps he has convinced by Cassius.  REASON: this term is many times repeated, but we haven’t any reasons yet.  CROWN represents: 1. A negative element 2. Noise 3. Caesar’s swoon 4. Caesar pretends to not want the crown = he lies  Scene of the STORM (Shakespeare got the image of the storm from Plutarch where it wasn’t significant). Two interpretations: 1. Punishment by God to men for being too rude 2. There’s a fight in the heaven 3. Something monstrous is going to happen and this monster is Caesar 4. Supernatural event: according to Casca who interprets it ACT II  “No personal cause to spurn at him”: no reason to attack Caesar  CAUSE: intellectual capacity and justification of something ACT III  Not the way Caesar is, but what he might be (Brutus monologue)  Crown to Caesar  good weather  Snake and Caesar  we have no evidence of if Caesar is evil or dangerous. His power would be destructive, but we don’t know it. He won’t be tempered when he gets the power so they have to kill him 1) Confusion = civil war 11 2) Between what happens in the world and what happens in the sky  Brutus compares himself to an old star  PARALLELISM Brutus – Portia --------- Caesar (he is proud of himself) – Calphurnia (she makes reference to strange events and then think that things happen when someone important dies)  EXCUSE: they find a pretext to kill Caesar  BANISHMENT  IRONY: they want to destroy Caesar by eliminating his spirit, but it’s impossible to destroy a spirit  LANGUAGE reflects reality and it has a great power: 1. It can have different ways to be: rhetorical, to persuade… 2. Human wouldn’t be human without it 3. Used to reconstruct language. Shakespeare is interested on how language is bound up 4. Echo of lies in Heart of Darkness 5. It can change life  DEATH of CAESAR Marc Anthony wants the reasons from Brutus for this death: 1. Marc Anthony can love Brutus more than Caesar 2. Brutus in his monologue doesn’t say why Caesar is dangerous  PROPHECY  Prediction of civil war  Calphurnia’s dreams  CHANGE OF IDEA 1. First of all, all citizen want Brutus 2. Then, Marc Anthony’s speech, changes their mind. This speech has changed the history. ACT IV  Metaphor of SHIP by Brutus 1. Life as a voyage 2. He always thinks through metaphors  GHOST 1. The role of Caesar's ghost is similar to that of ghosts in "Hamlet" and "Macbeth"; that is, the apparition stirs the conscience of the character who sees it and portends further evil. 2. sort of manifestation of Brutus's inner struggle 3. his purpose is to make Brutus realize him mistake 12 that from now on he plans to "put an antic disposition on" and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret. Privately, however, he remains uncertain of the Ghost's reliability. Act II Soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving crazily. Polonius blames love for Hamlet's madness and resolves to inform Claudius and Gertrude. As he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlet's mood and behavior. Additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard: messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his father's battles. The forces that Fortinbras conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, though they will pass through a portion of Denmark to get there. Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlet's behavior, and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness but subtly insults Polonius all the while. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his friends warmly, but quickly discerns that they are spies. Hamlet becomes bitter, admitting that he is upset at his situation but refusing to give the true reason why, instead commenting on "what a piece of work" humanity is. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet that they have brought along a troupe of actors that they met while traveling to Elsinore. Hamlet, after welcoming the actors and dismissing his friends-turned-spies, plots to stage a play featuring a death in the style of his father's murder, thereby determining the truth of the Ghost's story, as well as Claudius's guilt or innocence, by studying Claudius's reaction. Act III Polonius forces Ophelia to return Hamlet's love letters and tokens of affection to the prince while he and Claudius watch from afar to evaluate Hamlet's reaction. Hamlet is walking alone in the hall as the King and Polonius await Ophelia's entrance, musing whether "to be or not to be". When Ophelia enters and tries to return Hamlet's things, Hamlet accuses her of immodesty and cries "get thee to a nunnery," though it is unclear whether this, too, is a show of madness or genuine distress. His reaction convinces Claudius that Hamlet is not mad for love. Shortly thereafter, the court assembles to watch the play Hamlet has commissioned. After seeing the Player King murdered by his rival pouring poison in his ear, Claudius abruptly rises and runs from the room: proof positive for Hamlet of his uncle's guilt. 15 Gertrude summons Hamlet to her room to demand an explanation. Meanwhile, Claudius talks to himself about the impossibility of repenting, since he still has possession of his ill-gotten goods: his brother's crown and wife. He sinks to his knees. Hamlet, on his way to visit his mother, sneaks up behind him, but does not kill him, reasoning that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him straight to heaven while the Ghost is stuck in purgatory. In the queen's bedchamber, Hamlet and Gertrude fight bitterly. Polonius, spying on the conversation from behind a tapestry, makes a noise. Hamlet, believing it is Claudius, stabs wildly, killing Polonius, but pulls aside the curtain and sees his mistake. In a rage, Hamlet brutally insults his mother for her apparent ignorance of Claudius's villainy, but the Ghost enters and reprimands Hamlet for his inaction and harsh words. Unable to see or hear the Ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlet's conversation with it as further evidence of madness. After begging the queen to stop sleeping with Claudius, Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius's corpse away. Hamlet jokes with Claudius about where he has hidden Polonius's body, and the king, fearing for his life, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England with a sealed letter to the English king requesting that Hamlet be executed immediately. Act IV Demented by grief at Polonius's death, Ophelia wanders Elsinore. Laertes arrives back from France, enraged by his father's death and his sister's madness. Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet is solely responsible, but a letter soon arrives indicating that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, foiling Claudius's plan. Claudius switches tactics, proposing a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet to settle their differences. Laertes will be given a poison- tipped foil, and Claudius will offer Hamlet poisoned wine as a congratulation if that fails. Gertrude interrupts to report that Ophelia has drowned, though it is unclear whether it was suicide or an accident exacerbated by her madness. Act V Horatio has received a letter from Hamlet, explaining that the prince escaped by negotiating with pirates who attempted to attack his England-bound ship, and the friends reunite offstage. Two gravediggers discuss Ophelia's apparent suicide while digging her grave. Hamlet arrives with Horatio and banters with one of the gravediggers, who unearths the skull of a jester from Hamlet's childhood, Yorick. Hamlet picks up the skull, saying "alas, poor Yorick" as he contemplates mortality. Ophelia's funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet and Horatio initially hide, but when Hamlet realizes that Ophelia is the one being buried, he reveals himself, proclaiming his love for her. Laertes and Hamlet fight by Ophelia's graveside, but the brawl is broken up. 16 Back at Elsinore, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he had discovered Claudius's letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's belongings and replaced it with a forged copy indicating that his former friends should be killed instead. A foppish courtier, Osric, interrupts the conversation to deliver the fencing challenge to Hamlet. Hamlet, despite Horatio's advice, accepts it. Hamlet does well at first, leading the match by two hits to none, and Gertrude raises a toast to him using the poisoned glass of wine Claudius had set aside for Hamlet. Claudius tries to stop her, but is too late: she drinks, and Laertes realizes the plot will be revealed. Laertes slashes Hamlet with his poisoned blade. In the ensuing scuffle, they switch weapons and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned sword. Gertrude collapses and, claiming she has been poisoned, dies. In his dying moments, Laertes reconciles with Hamlet and reveals Claudius's plan. Hamlet rushes at Claudius and kills him. As the poison takes effect, Hamlet, hearing that Fortinbras is marching through the area, names the Norwegian prince as his successor. Horatio, distraught at the thought of being the last survivor, says he will commit suicide by drinking the dregs of Gertrude's poisoned wine, but Hamlet begs him to live on and tell his story. Hamlet dies, proclaiming "the rest is silence". Fortinbras, who was ostensibly marching towards Poland with his army, arrives at the palace, along with an English ambassador bringing news of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's deaths. Horatio promises to recount the full story of what happened, and Fortinbras, seeing the entire Danish royal family dead, takes the crown for himself. ANALYSIS  Perfect emblem of German itself  Great critics on it come from Germans  It’s the Shakespeare’s longest play  There was a scholar journal dedicated to this place  According to Arnold Bloom, Hamlet is the most important figure after Jesus  Biographical elements: Shakespeare’s son was called Hamlet. It is interchangeable: 1. Friend of Shakespeare 2. His son  Relationship FATHER – SONS  The image of the ghost comes from Seneca who believed in them  METHATHEATRICAL DIMENSION  there’s a play within a play: The Murder of Gonzago is how Hamlet plans to affect the mind of Claudius, and bring him face-to-face with what he has done. On the day of staging the play Hamlet prepares the players well in advance to make the play a great success. He then seeks the help of Horatio, to whom he has already revealed the secret of the Ghost's revelation, to watch the King's feelings while the play is staged. Thus he prepares the players, Horatio and himself to 'catch 17 court jester Yorick. In his musings, Hamlet realizes that death eliminates the differences between people. The hierarchical structure of society is illusory and ultimately crumbles into dust, just like the bones of those long gone. ACT I  Something is going to happen. There are 3 interpretations of that: 1. If : hypothesis 2. Military explanation 3. Horatio’s hypothesis  Different hypothesis why GHOST appeared  4 EXPLAINAITIONS: 1. CATHOLIC CONCEPTION of purgatory 2. You can tell us what is going to happen 3. Ghost has a treasure 4. Military interpretation  the ghost is appearing at the moment of the war  Ghost as something that is going to happen (not necessary military) The ghost says to Hamlet to revenge him because his brother (Hamlet’s uncle) has seduced his wife and then killed him with a poison in his ears. His uncle represents luxury and incest. In Hamlet, King Hamlet's Ghost, who appears to Hamlet and directs him to punish Claudius, personifies fate. The Ghost reveals that Claudius, by killing his own brother, has committed a "murder most foul" and deserves to die. Hamlet can choose to obey his fate or ignore it and then face the consequences.  Comparison of ghost  Julius Caesar and Hamlet  “remember me” : Shakespeare says to remember him because he performed the ghost  IMMORTALITY of Shakespeare After Hamlet’s death, his wife has become king Claudius’ wife = INCEST because in religion, his brother’s wife had become also his sister. This is linked to England’s situation (la regina ha sposato rima un fratello e poi l’altro, anche se il matrimonio con il primo fratello non era stato consumato).  INCEST linked to INTERPRETATION: a. The marriage between Claudius and his brother’s wife is not considered an incest relation because people was agree b. Young Hamlet considers it as an incest  1ST HAMLET’S SOLILOQUY = something that dramatizes what is inside his mind - Enigmatic word : “flesh which is solid resolves into a dew (rugiada)” - Canon’s church against self – slaughter suicide (Hamlet is thinking about suicide) - Hamlet’s melancholy 20 - Metaphor of the garden : the situation is “an unweeded garden”  it is linked to female sexuality, not to maternity - Paradox : the old fruit of the garden is Hamlet himself  INTERPRETATION OF HIS FATHER’S GHOST a. His father’s ghost is a pretext – revenge – hates Claudius b. Connection between Hamlet and the ghost because they both have the same vocabulary and he is the only one who speaks with the ghost c. It is an alter ego of Hamlet himself d. It can be a fiction created by Hamlet himself  SEXUALITY Questions about it in the second scene and Hamlet appears as the product of his mother’s fertility SCENE III There’s a conversation between Ophelia and Laertes Polonius says to Ophelia that Hamlet can’t marry her because he’s too high  he’s warning his daughter. Regular family ACT II  CAUSE – EFFECT: it’s an important idea in science  2ND HAMLET’S SOLILOQUY = Hamlet suffers from depression, as studies say.  3RD SOLILOQUY = Hamlet tells what is performed in the play “Murder of Gonzago”  HAMLET’S PROBLEMS  2 EXPLAINATIONS: 1. Ophelia refuses Hamlet. He’s got mad. He’s frustrated by love. 2. He got mad for his father’s death 3. He pretends to be mad in order to get his intentions  SCIENTIFIC METHOD = If you have an hypothesis you must test it through an experiment in order to show if it is true or false.  Two images of Hamlet: 1. Looking at the book 2. Looking at the skeleton  1ST EXPERIMENT PROPOSED = listen to Hamlet and Ophelia, observe and interpret it  EVERYBODY SPIES EVERYBODY ELSE  2ND EXPERIMENT = watch Claudius in order to see what he does  Relation between what people see and what they expect to see 21  MURDER OF GONZALO = story before the events. The ghost appears in response to the story. Hamlet interprets signs through hypothesis coming from this play. ACT III  TO BE OR NOT TO BE (influenced by Seneca)  SOLILOQUY = It doesn’t belong to this part of the play. It’s about suicide. Suicide or not? In the first soliloquy he has talked about reason to not suicide (God’s law  it’s prohibited). He says the ghost is a traveller coming to an undiscovered country.  3RD EXPERIMENT = Polonius wants Hamlet to speak with his mother (he wants to hear him)  THINKING VS ACTION = Hamlet doesn’t act because he thinks too much. It’s a play about it, but action involved here is killing  SLEEP (we dream)= DEATH (we dream too?)  metaphor  DUMB – SHOW = Actors come out without acting, just use gesture. The play is repeated twice, but they’re the same thing: 1. Acting 2. Without voice  GUILTY a. Hamlet uses everything Polonius does as a proof b. Claudius is trying to pray and it’s a sign of guilty (he has killed his brother)  CLAUDIUS’ CONFESSION = He wants to pray but he can’t. he doesn’t want to renounce to become a king. Hamlet seems to be incapable to act because he finds some excuses not to kill Claudius  NOTHING : when the ghost enters he can be seen by Hamlet but not by his mother ACT IV  OPHELIA’S MADNESS = She’s mad because of abortion of Hamlet and for her father’s death. She’s associated with flowers  FERTILITY : there’s a negative meaning compared to the garden of Hamlet appeared at first  2 REASONS for not killing Hamlet: 1. Mother 2. People like Hamlet Claudius wants to kill Hamlet  OPHELIA’S DEATH 1. Because of Polonius’ death 2. Suicide or delivery event?  AMIBIGUITY 22 Brabantio has no option but to accompany Othello to the Duke's residence, where he accuses Othello of seducing Desdemona by witchcraft. Othello defends himself before the Duke of Venice, Brabantio's kinsmen Lodovico and Gratiano, and various senators. Othello explains that Desdemona became enamoured of him for the sad and compelling stories he told of his life before Venice, not because of any witchcraft. The senate is satisfied, once Desdemona confirms that she loves Othello, but Brabantio leaves saying that Desdemona will betray Othello: "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:/She has deceived her father, and may thee." By order of the Duke, Othello leaves Venice to command the Venetian armies against invading Turks on the island of Cyprus, accompanied by his new wife, his new lieutenant Cassio, his ensign Iago, and Iago's wife, Emilia as Desdemona's attendant. Act II The party arrives in Cyprus to find that a storm has destroyed the Turkish fleet. Othello orders a general celebration and leaves to spend private time with Desdemona. In his absence, Iago gets Cassio drunk, then persuades Roderigo to draw Cassio into a fight. Othello blames Cassio for the disturbance and strips him of his rank. Cassio is distraught. Iago persuades Cassio to importune Desdemona to convince her husband to reinstate Cassio. Act III Iago now persuades Othello to be suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona. When Desdemona drops a handkerchief (the first gift given to her by Othello), Emilia finds it, and gives it to her husband Iago, at his request, unaware of what he plans to do with it. Act IV Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio's lodgings, then tells Othello to watch Cassio's reactions while Iago questions him. Iago goads Cassio on to talk about his affair with Bianca, a local courtesan, but whispers her name so quietly that Othello believes the two men are talking about Desdemona. Later, Bianca accuses Cassio of giving her a second-hand gift which he had received from another lover. Othello sees this, and Iago convinces him that Cassio received the handkerchief from Desdemona. Enraged and hurt, Othello resolves to kill his wife and asks Iago to kill Cassio. Othello proceeds to make Desdemona's life miserable, hitting her in front of visiting Venetian nobles. Meanwhile, Roderigo complains that he has received no results from Iago in return for his money and efforts to win Desdemona, but Iago convinces him to kill Cassio. 25 Act V Roderigo attacks Cassio in the street after Cassio leaves Bianca's lodgings. Cassio wounds Roderigo. During the scuffle, Iago comes from behind Cassio and badly cuts his leg. In the darkness, Iago manages to hide his identity, and when Lodovico and Gratiano hear Cassio's cries for help, Iago joins them. When Cassio identifies Roderigo as one of his attackers, Iago secretly stabs Roderigo to stop him revealing the plot. Iago then accuses Bianca of the failed conspiracy to kill Cassio. Othello confronts Desdemona, and then strangles her to death in their bed. When Emilia arrives, Othello accuses Desdemona of adultery. Emilia calls for help. The former governor Montano arrives, with Gratiano and Iago. When Othello mentions the handkerchief as proof, Emilia realizes what her husband Iago has done, and she exposes him, whereupon he kills her. Othello, belatedly realising Desdemona's innocence, stabs Iago but not fatally, saying that he would rather have Iago live the rest of his life in pain. Iago refuses to explain his motives, vowing to remain silent from that moment on. Lodovico apprehends both Iago and Othello for the murders of Roderigo and Emilia, but Othello commits suicide. Lodovico appoints Gratiano Othello's successor and exhorts Cassio to punish Iago justly. ANALYSIS - Othello was a general in Venetian army and he’s black - His role was probably played by a white person  it’s pathetic and comic - Iago is Othello’s trusted friend. At the beginning he says to Roderigo he hates Othello, because he preferred another person for a promotion and not Iago. - Othello won Desdemona by telling her the story of his life - NEW COMIC SCENARIO = black and whites get married - Othello is very self-confident and intelligent. He dominates the white  ABSOLUTE CONTROL ACT I - “the Moor”: indirect reference to Othello - “seeming” appearance Reality - “thicklips”: it suggests Othello’s Syrian origin - “as it may lose some colour”: he wants to manipulate the colour  CENTRAL MOTIF of the play 26 - “What ho! Brabantio, Signior Brabantio, ho” (Roderigo): it reminds to The Merchant of Venice - Disgusting image of black Othello having sex with Desdemona - “stranger” Othello himself seems stranger. Shylock is an outsider inside. He’s a strange too. - Shakespeare always focuses on light/darkness - Flag: Iago is the flag’s keeper; sign: no relation to any reality - There are many terms invented by Othello: provulgate, intentively, agnize - “I must be found” (Othello): he wants to be seen. There is a correspondence between what he appears to be and what he is. Othello is what he appears, while Iago not. We don’t know how Othello is, but we can see he is a general  DIFFERENCE between them - “pagan”: Othello is not pagan because he was baptised and so he is Cristian. - Contrast black/white: it is not normal for a white woman to marry a black man - There’s a speech by Othello in which we can read his rhetoric (he is wonderful in speaking) - Theme of STORY: Othello is going to tell a simple story. Desdemona is in rapped by his story. Othello knows that she was won by his story and not by himself, but this story can be manipulated by someone else and so she can stop loving him - “test”: testing, experiment - Speech by Othello about how he won Desdemona. He emphasizes the story he is telling. - SEX: sexual identity and sexual autonomy. He won’t neglect his duty just because he is with Desdemona. - Othello is a self-contradictory sign because he is black and fair at the same time (blackness/fairness) - Appearance is deceived  even Desdemona can be deceived - “I have but an hour” (Othello): consummation - Baboon: animal image 27 Othello’s affections, and singing it leads her to question Emilia about the nature and practice of infidelity. THEMES  JEALOUSY Othello is the most famous literary work that focuses on the dangers of jealousy. The play is a study of how jealousy can be fuelled by mere circumstantial evidence and can destroy lives. (In Othello, the hero succumbs to jealousy when Iago convinces him that Desdemona has been an unfaithful wife – in the end, Othello murders his wife and then kills himself.) It is interesting that Iago uses jealousy against Othello, yet jealousy is likely the source of Iago's hatred in the first place. In Othello, jealousy takes many forms, from sexual suspicion to professional competition, but it is, in all cases, destructive.  RACE Race is an extremely important theme, as it leads to Othello's insecurity, which Iago is able to manipulate. Despite his standing and military prowess, Othello never feels comfortable in Venice because of his otherness. As a Moor, he is constantly stereotyped as "savage" or "animal", even though he speaks eloquently and displays more gentlemanly qualities than those who judge him. Thus, Othello perceives himself to be a rough outsider, though he is nothing of the sort. Othello's race sets him apart, and makes him very self-conscious; it makes him work hard and look carefully after his reputation, so he is regarded as equal to the white people that surround him. This has perhaps led to his success, but the prejudice that surrounds him - especially with respect to his marriage to Desdemona - has tragic consequences.  APPEARANCE VS REALITY Especially relevant to the issue of Iago's character; for although he is called "honest" by almost everyone in the play, he is treacherous, deceitful, and manipulative. This also applies to Desdemona, as Othello believes that she is deceitful and impure, although she is really blameless and innocent. Othello's decision to murder his wife is hastened by a conversation in which Cassio speaks of Bianca; Othello assumes the man is talking about an affair with Desdemona. Most of the characters, unfortunately, trust in Iago's honesty; this leads to the downfall of many characters.  MAGIC Othello is charged with using magic to woo Desdemona, merely because he is black, and therefore, "pagan." Yet, Othello does have real magic, in the words he uses and the stories he tells. Magic also reappears when Desdemona's 30 handkerchief cannot be found; Othello has too much trust in the symbolism and charm of the handkerchief, which is why the object is so significant to him. MACBETH It is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Set mainly in Scotland, the play dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. The play is believed to have been written between 1599 and 1606. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book. It was most likely written during the reign of James I (of England), who had already been crowned James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne as well in 1603. James VI/I was a patron of Shakespeare's acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during James's reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with the sovereign. There are two interpretations of Macbeth: 1. Prompt copy = relevant lines performed on the stage 2. Elements of another play Macbeth is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness, and death. Macbeth exhibits elements that reflect the greatest Christian tragedy of all: the Fall of Man. In the Genesis story, it is the weakness of Adam, persuaded by his wife (who has in turn been seduced by the devil) which leads him to the proud assumption that he can "play God." But both stories offer room for hope: Christ will come to save mankind precisely because mankind has made the wrong choice through his own free will. In Christian terms, although Macbeth has acted tyrannically, criminally, and sinfully, he is not entirely beyond redemption in heaven. SOURCES 31 Shakespeare's source for the tragedy is the account of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of England, Scotland, and Ireland familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries, although the events in the play differ extensively from the history of the real Macbeth. In recent scholarship, the events of the tragedy are usually associated more closely with the execution of Henry Garnet for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. PLOT Act I The play opens amidst thunder and lightning, and the Three Witches decide that their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. In the following scene, a wounded sergeant reports to King Duncan of Scotland that his generals— Macbeth, who is the Thane of Glamis, and Banquo—have just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland, who were led by the traitorous Macdonald and the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth, the King's kinsman, is praised for his bravery and fighting prowess. In the following scene, Macbeth and Banquo discuss the weather and their victory. As they wander onto a heath, the Three Witches enter and greet them with prophecies. Though Banquo challenges them first, they address Macbeth, hailing him as "Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor," and that he shall "be King hereafter." Macbeth appears to be stunned to silence. When Banquo asks of his own fortunes, the witches respond paradoxically, saying that he will be less than Macbeth, yet happier, less successful, yet more. He will father a line of kings though he himself will not be one. While the two men wonder at these pronouncements, the witches vanish, and another thane, Ross, arrives and informs Macbeth of his newly bestowed title: Thane of Cawdor, as the previous Thane of Cawdor shall be put to death for treason. The first prophecy is thus fulfilled, and Macbeth, previously skeptical, immediately begins to harbour ambitions of becoming king. King Duncan welcomes and praises Macbeth and Banquo, and declares that he will spend the night at Macbeth's castle at Inverness; he also names his son Malcolm as his heir. Macbeth sends a message ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her about the witches' prophecies. Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husband's uncertainty and wishes him to murder Duncan in order to obtain kingship. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she overrides all of her husband's objections by challenging his manhood and successfully persuades him to kill the king that very night. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan's two chamberlains drunk so that they will black out; the next morning they will blame the chamberlains for the murder. They will be defenseless as they will remember nothing. 32 A battle culminates in Macduff's confrontation with Macbeth, who kills Young Siward in combat. The English forces overwhelm his army and castle. Macbeth boasts that he has no reason to fear Macduff, for he cannot be killed by any man born of woman. Macduff declares that he was "from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd" (V.8.15–16), (i.e., born by Caesarean section) and is not "of woman born" (an example of a literary quibble), fulfilling the second prophecy. Macbeth realises too late that he has misinterpreted the witches' words. Though he realises that he is doomed, he continues to fight. Macduff kills and beheads him, thus fulfilling the remaining prophecy. Macduff carries Macbeth's head onstage and Malcolm discusses how order has been restored. His last reference to Lady Macbeth, however, reveals "'tis thought, by self and violent hands / Took off her life" (V.ix.71–72), but the method of her suicide is undisclosed. Malcolm, now the King of Scotland, declares his benevolent intentions for the country and invites all to see him crowned at Scone. Although Malcolm, and not Fleance, is placed on the throne, the witches' prophecy concerning Banquo ("Thou shalt get kings") was known to the audience of Shakespeare's time to be true: James VI of Scotland (later also James I of England) was supposedly a descendant of Banquo. ANALYSIS ACT I - It is set in Scotland - We hear about Macbeth indirectly at the beginning - Opening scene : witches (King James loved witchcraft, supernatural things…) - Banquo and Macbeth are talking about the weather while witches say Macbeth will become the king of Scotland.  Image of SLEEP = Lady Macbeth washes her hands to eliminate imaginary blood  NAME  Macbeth wants the name of the king and the one of himself too. 1. it’s something we feel and possess 2. name belonging to the community In Romeo and Juliet: “abandon your name”.  NATURE 1. Beneficent, friendly, maternal  POSITIVE 2. Deleterious (Rousseau), “homo homini lupus” (man tries to kill the other man)  NEGATIVE Moreover, it is compared to colour of roses in the War of Roses: 35 1. White : milk, mother’s milk, love 2. red : blood = kill one another  DARKNESS  lady Macbeth wants to be unnatural, her milk from her breasts should become a gall (a bitter liquid). Maternity should be turned out into something bitter that contrasts with mother’s milk. She wants to kill the king to have “the future in the instant”.  women are supposed to be cruel  CONTRAST PAST – PRESENT : Idea of doing something negative in the present in order to have something positive in the future (become king).  Reasons for not killing the king : 1. Something bad happens if Duncan is killed 2. I have obligations with him because he’s my king 3. He’s a good man  Image of the HORSE (submerged metaphor). Macbeth doesn’t use the word “horse”, but it is clear he alludes to it.  Macbeth’s speech: he’s thinking about the assassination to be done quickly. If you do nasty things you teach the others to do the same ACT II There are no stars in the sky because of Macbeth’s plan. He imagines a dagger in the air. The bell rings which summons (chiama) Duncan to heaven or to hell. SCENE II : Lady Macbeth can’t kill the king Duncan because looks like her father: she hadn’t “unsexed” herself. Appears Macbeth with two bloodstained daggers: he killed king Duncan. He is afraid to think what has done. Lady Macbeth says it must seem chamberlains guilt. SCENE III : - Macbeth’s castle is turning into hell - Macduff discovers king Duncan’s body - Something terrible that can’t be named - The king’s two sons decide to leave from England SCENE IV : related to comedy, comic relief When Macduff arrives we don’t see the murderer. It’s a dark place where bad things are happening. The knock creates a tension in the audience Macduff says Malcolm and Donalbain are stolen away and fled, so suspicion puts upon them. ACT III 36 Banquo suspects Macbeth has killed king Duncan. SCENE II : Macbeth is sleeping badly and eating badly, he has nightmares. He is obsessed but Lady Macbeth says their nature’s copy is not eterne. Something bad is going to happen. SCENE III : assassination of Banquo SCENE IV : there’s a banquet (puns Banquo / banquet). Enter the ghost of Banquo and sits in Macbeth’s place and Macbeth sees him. SCENE VI : Lennox becomes aware of the fact that Banquo and Fleance are dead ACT IV The three witches appear. 1. first apparition : an armed head  Macbeth, beware Macduff 2. Second apparition : a bloody child  Macbeth, be bloody, bold and resolute. Laugh to the power of man 3. Third apparition : a child crowned with a tree in his hand  Macbeth shall never be vanquished SCENE III Malcolm is testing Macduff to understand if he is loyal or not. Malcolm is accusing himself of sexual incontinence and of avarice. Description of Scotland as similar to the “Waste land”. The king has a sacral function  he’s God’s deputy, but also political. Macbeth is trying to appropriate a name, he feels what he is doing, when he killed Duncan he is forced to do this, but by doing this he is killing himself morally. ACT V Importance of sleep : lady Macbeth is a sleep walking and she always sleeps with the light by her (accanto). SCENE III : nothing can fear Macbeth. He is insulting the servant because he is pale in face, but he should be red. He is looking for a medicine which can purge Scotland, ironically he consideres the English as disease. SCENE IV : the soldier and Malcolm are going to Macbeth’s castle with a bough of a tree in their hands. SCENE V : lady Macbeth is dead inside and she should have died here after. Death is associated to a candle that has been extinguished and life is, in contrast with the candle, a “walking shadow”, so nothing. 37 also feel it as a man” (4.3.221–223). At the end of the play, Siward receives news of his son’s death rather complacently. Malcolm responds: “He’s worth more sorrow [than you have expressed] / And that I’ll spend for him” (5.11.16– 17). Malcolm’s comment shows that he has learned the lesson Macduff gave him on the sentient nature of true masculinity. It also suggests that, with Malcolm’s coronation, order will be restored to the Kingdom of Scotland.  The Difference Between KINGSHIP and TYARANNY In the play, Duncan is always referred to as a “king,” while Macbeth soon becomes known as the “tyrant.” The difference between the two types of rulers seems to be expressed in a conversation that occurs in Act 4, scene 3, when Macduff meets Malcolm in England. In order to test Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland, Malcolm pretends that he would make an even worse king than Macbeth. He tells Macduff of his reproachable qualities—among them a thirst for personal power and a violent temperament, both of which seem to characterize Macbeth perfectly. On the other hand, Malcolm says, “The king- becoming graces / [are] justice, verity, temp’rance, stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness” (4.3.92–93). The model king, then, offers the kingdom an embodiment of order and justice, but also comfort and affection. Under him, subjects are rewarded according to their merits, as when Duncan makes Macbeth thane of Cawdor after Macbeth’s victory over the invaders. Most important, the king must be loyal to Scotland above his own interests. Macbeth, by contrast, brings only chaos to Scotland—symbolized in the bad weather and bizarre supernatural events—and offers no real justice, only a habit of capriciously murdering those he sees as a threat. As the embodiment of tyranny, he must be overcome by Malcolm so that Scotland can have a true king once more. MOTIFS  HALLUCINATIONS Visions and hallucinations recur throughout the play and serve as reminders of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s joint culpability for the growing body count. When he is about to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a dagger floating in the air. Covered with blood and pointed toward the king’s chamber, the dagger represents the bloody course on which Macbeth is about to embark. Later, he sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in a chair at a feast, pricking his conscience by mutely reminding him that he murdered his former friend. The seemingly hardheaded Lady Macbeth also eventually gives way to visions, as she sleepwalks and believes that her hands are stained with blood that cannot be washed away by any amount of water. In each case, it is ambiguous whether the vision is real or purely hallucinatory; but, in both cases, the Macbeths read them uniformly as supernatural signs of their guilt. 40  VIOLENCE Macbeth is a famously violent play. Interestingly, most of the killings take place offstage, but throughout the play the characters provide the audience with gory descriptions of the carnage, from the opening scene where the captain describes Macbeth and Banquo wading in blood on the battlefield, to the endless references to the bloodstained hands of Macbeth and his wife. The action is bookended by a pair of bloody battles: in the first, Macbeth defeats the invaders; in the second, he is slain and beheaded by Macduff. In between is a series of murders: Duncan, Duncan’s chamberlains, Banquo, Lady Macduff, and Macduff’s son all come to bloody ends. By the end of the action, blood seems to be everywhere.  PROPHECY Prophecy sets Macbeth’s plot in motion—namely, the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become first thane of Cawdor and then king. The weird sisters make a number of other prophecies: they tell us that Banquo’s heirs will be kings, that Macbeth should beware Macduff, that Macbeth is safe till Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, and that no man born of woman can harm Macbeth. Save for the prophecy about Banquo’s heirs, all of these predictions are fulfilled within the course of the play. Still, it is left deliberately ambiguous whether some of them are self-fulfilling—for example, whether Macbeth wills himself to be king or is fated to be king. Additionally, as the Birnam Wood and “born of woman” prophecies make clear, the prophecies must be interpreted as riddles, since they do not always mean what they seem to mean. SYMBOLS  BLOOD Blood is everywhere in Macbeth, beginning with the opening battle between the Scots and the Norwegian invaders, which is described in harrowing terms by the wounded captain in Act 1, scene 2. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their murderous journey, blood comes to symbolize their guilt, and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” Macbeth cries after he has killed Duncan, even as his wife scolds him and says that a little water will do the job (2.2.58–59). Later, though, she comes to share his horrified sense of being stained: “Out, damned spot; out, I say . . . who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” she asks as she wanders through the halls of their castle near the close of the play (5.1.30–34). Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves. 41  THE WEATHER As in other Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth’s grotesque murder spree is accompanied by a number of unnatural occurrences in the natural realm. From the thunder and lightning that accompany the witches’ appearances to the terrible storms that rage on the night of Duncan’s murder, these violations of the natural order reflect corruption in the moral and political orders. Throughout Shakespeare's Macbeth, the weather plays an important role. The rebelling nature of wind and lightning indicates the disruption within the natural order of society. It makes it seem as if the weather is upset with Macbeth's actions. In many Shakespearean plays — including this one — rebelling nature shows a departure from accepted political and moral order. THE TEMPEST PLOT Early critics saw Prospero as a representation of Shakespeare, and his renunciation of magic as signalling Shakespeare's farewell to the stage. The play portrays Prospero as a rational, and not an occultist, magician by providing a contrast to him in Sycorax: her magic is frequently described as destructive and terrible, where Prospero's is said to be wondrous and beautiful. The magician, Prospero, rightful Duke of Milan, and his daughter, Miranda, have been stranded for twelve years on an island after Prospero's jealous brother Antonio (aided by Alonso, the King of Naples) deposed him and set him adrift with the 3-year-old Miranda. Gonzalo, Alonso's counselor, had secretly supplied their boat with some food, fresh water, "rich garments, linens, stuffs and necessaries", and "volumes" (books) that Prospero prizes. Possessing magic powers due to his great learning, Prospero is reluctantly served by a spirit, Ariel, whom Prospero had rescued from a tree in which he had been trapped by the cruel witch, Sycorax, after he had refused to obey her. Prospero maintains Ariel's loyalty by repeatedly promising to release the "airy spirit" from servitude. Sycorax had been exiled from Algiers to the island for wreaking havoc with her magic, and had died before Prospero's arrival and without releasing Ariel. Sycorax' son, Caliban, a deformed monster and the only non- spiritual inhabitant before the arrival of Prospero, was initially adopted and raised by him. He taught Prospero how to survive on the island, while Prospero and Miranda taught Caliban religion and their own language. In slavery, Caliban has come to view Prospero as a usurper and has grown to resent him and his daughter. Prospero and Miranda in turn view Caliban with disappointment, contempt and disgust. Prospero only performs one act of magic himself directly 42 2. Hate = divides elements  its opposite is the storm (emblem of discord and things coming apart) Contrast between Neptune (water) and Ariel (fire). Caliban is associated with earth. ACT I SCENE I The play opens with the storm. Men are on the ship and it seems to sick so the men die. Prospero says: “nothing has happened. Men are safe”.  the ship breaks and the order desappears The boatswain is giving orders to the king.  SHIP: macrocosm of the society  TEMPEST: 1. Outside: the storm itself 2. In ship: military organization, no traditional hierarchy, human soul (what happens in the inner soul and in the society) It is CHAOS and ART created by Prospero. SCENE II Miranda is a good girl. She shows compassion. She cares about sailor’s safe. She doesn’t feel pleasure watching people suffer. Prospero gives a narration of what happens in the past.  NARRATION represents a person’s legenda, his identity and his history. Moreover, he doesn’t act as prince, but he dedicates his time to secret studies  “books”  KNOWLEDGE  GARDEN (according to Lucretius) 1. It’s unpleasant watching at a war between the elements 2. It’s good watching at a fight between armies which are far from us because we can’t act Sycorax was an Algerian witch. She was exiled for it, but not killed because she was pregnant.  BLACK MAGIC. Sycorax – Prospero  PARALLEL: Their history is similar because were both exiled and then dedicated themselves to art (magic). So, what is the difference between white and black magic? Prospero thinks his magic is white because he uses it to dominate the other people.  EDUCATION of Caliban 45 1. Good thanks to Miranda, because he was her schoolmaster 2. Bad because of tortures and pressure He is considered the emblem of human being. He has animal instinct and he is a monster created by Prospero. His name comes from the term “cannibal”. Prospero give him this name as Robinson Crusoe did with Venerdì.  “Providence”, “Fortune”, “star”  destiny like in Romeo and Juliet ACT II Nature gives people everything they need. Stephano wants to subjugate Caliban and gives him language  CONTROL ACT III Miranda disobey her father. “I’m doing this for you”  so what is FREEDOM and what SLAVERY? “My heart fly to your service”  love as a kind of service Caliban always talks about material things. Now he’s using mystical vocabulary  SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. He is going to use the term “grace”. Gonzalo always wants to see good sides of thing. At the end of this act we have thunder and lighting, that is chaos, transformed into music. The storm becomes order. ACT IV Mask about marriage and fertility in an event. It is thought that this event influenced the writing of the Tempest. Correlation between what happens on the stage and in the audience. In A Midsummer night’s dream Pack says that if you don’t like the play just consider it as a dream (play within a play). Dance between water and earth. They’re converging together  idea of fertility, but then the dance is stopped by the beast Caliban. Prospero interrupts the mask because he remembers the conspiracy of Caliban (= violence, sex, mental illness). 46 ACT V Prospero draws a magic circle. Shakespeare remembers this gesture in Marlow. The globe is circular like Prospero’s circle, so we have something else  dream in the dream, etc.  MAGIC CIRCLE  globe theatre  the world is circular. Things are coming together in the circle.  the concept of a play within a play can be explained through these cirles. Everybody is going to be together at the end. Prospero recognises Caliban as part of himself. EPILOGUE At the play's end, everyone is ready to head back to Naples, where Miranda and Ferdinand will get hitched before old Prospero retires to Milan. (Good thing Prospero's big, nasty storm didn't actually destroy the ship, right?) In the meantime, everyone leaves the stage and heads inside to Prospero's cell. But Prospero remains on stage and delivers one of the most fascinating and moving speeches in all of Shakespeare. In other words, Prospero says that now that he's retired from a lifetime of performing magic, he needs the audience's help if he wants to leave the island —the only thing that can free him and send him home is the audience's approval and loud applause. That's weird, don't you think? Why the heck does Prospero need the audience's applause in order to return home? Like we've said before, for some, this final speech is Shakespeare's way of saying goodbye to the theater. (The Tempest was probably the last play Big Willy wrote entirely himself and, soon after The Tempest was completed around 1611, Shakespeare left London and retired to Stratford.) If we read Prospero the skillful magician as an artist like Shakespeare the skillful playwright, then we can see why the following lines might sound like a touching goodbye: " Now my charms are all o'erthrown, / what strength I have's mine own." Prospero hasn’t power, but just his human being. 47 dehumanized or treated as subhuman. This shows the colonizer’s attitude of looking down on the colonized people. Caliban is seen as a despicable entity. The whites looked down on the people of other color. Some are born to dominate while others are born to be dominated. Caliban is treated as inferior. The colonizer used words like light, knowledge and wisdom to refer himself while he used terms like darkness, ignorance and elemental to describe the colonized. This binary opposition shows how Prospero as a colonizer creates essences about the colonized people. Prospero sees himself as a ruler carrying out the project of civilization mission. The way light dispels darkness and knowledge dispels ignorance Prospero as a colonizer educates and civilizes Caliban but without much success. The civilizing mission is always accompanied by the politics of domination over the colonized. These elements confirms the theme of colonialism in The Tempest. SYMBOLS  THE TEMPEST 1. seems like a very physical manifestation of Prospero's anger and his suffering 2. We also want to point out how the tempest is associated with social upheaval. You probably noticed that as the crew and passengers are being tossed around on deck, panic sets in and quite a lot of trash talking goes down after Duke Antonio tries barking orders at the crew.  CHESS By the middle of Act 5, Scene 1, Prospero has worked his magic to win back his dukedom and he has also orchestrated the marriage of Miranda and Prince Ferdinand, who everyone thinks is dead thanks to Prospero. Still, Prospero's got one more trick up his sleeve. In the middle of the scene, Prospero gathers everyone around and dramatically draws back a curtain to reveal his virginal daughter and Ferdinand... playing a game of chess. Surprise! It looks like Ferdinand has made good on his promise to keep his hands to himself until his wedding night, wouldn't you say? As it turns out, the conversation going on between Miranda and Ferdinand is as G-rated as the action. Miranda bats her eyelashes and says something cute ("Sweet lord, you 50 play me false") and Ferdinand promises that he'd never do such a thing (5.1). So, it seems like chess is being used here as a metaphor for romantic pursuits or, the kinds of teasing little "games" played by people who are in love. We really want to believe Ferdinand when he says he'd never cheat (it wouldn't bode well for the couple's marriage), but we can't say the same thing about the parents of this sweet couple. Hmm. Is Shakespeare trying to tell us something? Let's think about this. The goal of a chess game is to capture your opponent's king by strategically placing him in a position from which he can't move. Gee. That sounds kind of familiar. Where have we seen this kind of game before? Oh, we know! This is exactly what's been going on between Prospero and Alonso ever since the King of Naples allowed Antonio to steal Prospero's dukedom. In the end, Prospero has ultimately won this little game by backing Alonso into a corner from which the king cannot move. Check mate. Game over.  PROSPERO’S BOOKS They're the source of Prospero's magic, which is why Caliban says Prospero is completely vulnerable without them. In other words, without the contents of his treasured library, Prospero's a "sot" (a stupid fool) and as powerless as Caliban. When Prospero says he's going to retire from the magic business, he promises "I'll drown my book".  MIRANDA’S VIRGINITY the play and most of the characters in it are so obsessed with Miranda's virginity. Prospero is always talking about it (and guarding it from the likes of Caliban) and, when Ferdinand sees Miranda for the first time, he says he hopes she's unmarried and still carrying her V-card. First of all, it was really, really, really important for unmarried women to be chaste in Shakespeare's day. If they had sex before marriage, they were considered damaged goods who couldn't be depended on to produce legitimate offspring. Miranda's virginity is a thing that's treated like a "treasure" to be guarded, mostly by her dad, who prevents Caliban from raping her and populating the 51 "isle with Calibans" (1.2). Prospero not only prevents his daughter from being assaulted, he also puts a stop to the potential threat that the island could be taken over by the offspring of his slave. Prospero would much rather give his daughter over to Prince Ferdinand (although he gives his son-in-law a huge lecture about keeping his hands to himself until after the wedding) because 1) Miranda loves the guy and 2) Miranda and Ferdinand will have legitimate babies that will one day rule Naples. At times, it also seems like Miranda's virginity is symbolic of her purity, innocence, and goodness. (As opposed to Sycorax the witch, who hooked up with the devil and gave birth to Caliban.) It also seems like Miranda's status as a virgin helps to somehow redeem the island's naturalness. Remember that the last woman on the island was Sycorax. She was unnatural by virtue of being a witch, but also because when she came to the island, she was already carrying the devil's child (it doesn't get any more unnatural than that). If the island is to be a place of redemption for all the characters in the play, Miranda's virginity is symbolic of the promise of a new and pure beginning. We also want to point out that Miranda will inevitably lose her virginity to her new husband and this signals that she is growing up and, well, changing in ways that not even her father can manipulate and control. Miranda (unlike Isabella in Measure for Measure) is really excited about this and says as much about what she "desires to give" Ferdinand after she becomes his wife (3.1).  WATER Water is central to this play, and, particularly, the act of being immersed in water—namely, drowning. Of course, the first scene when the ship splits is a pretty good time to worry about drowning, but the imagery goes beyond that to represent loss and recovery. When first exiled with Miranda, Prospero suggests that he could have drowned the sea with his own tears when he cried over his lost dukedom and his past: "When I have decked the sea with drops full salt". 52