Mr_Shank

My quote is “What am I, sir! nay, what are you, sir? O immortal
gods! O fine villain! A silken doublet! a velvet
hose! a scarlet cloak! and a copatain hat! O, I
am undone! I am undone! while I play the good
husband at home, my son and my servant spend all at
the university.”

 I picked this quote becuase I thought it was ironic how Petruchio accused all these people of being villians and imposters. Meanwhile, he is trying to woo Kate for her money and acting like somebody else. At least thats what we thought, but he seems to have fallen for Kate even though she is a jerk. By now, Many of the imposters “costumes” have diteriated and they have been revealed. My questions to you are

What is blue but smells like red paint!?? haha jk

Now. The real questions.

Do you think what Petruchio went through to change Kate was worth it?? Do you think Kate’s transformation was permenate. Or could it possibly be reversed? What do you think Kate would do, if she found out Petruchio’s Initial reason to get with kate?

For our last blog I want to pick our four main characters, let’s start with Demetrius. 

We all know that Demetrius is under a spell when he falls in love with Helena, but do you think that he would come to love Helena over time on his own?  The feeling that he describes being a man who loves his favorite food,  but hates it when he gets sick and then loves it again when he recovers, do you think that he actually feels that way about Helena, or does is the feeling because of the love spell?

For Lysander: Do you think that Demetrius and Lysander would have been great friends if it were not for the rivalry between them over Hermia, (if the story continued)?

For Hermia:  She loves Lysander and wants to be with him forever, but her jealousy gets in the way earlier when he loves Helena, if she was in Helena’s place from the beginning do you think that she would have reacted the same way as Helena did when Lysander and Demetrius were fighting over her, would she have thought they were making fun of her?

For Helena:  When Helena finally gets Demetrius she explains it as though she found a lost diamond and claimed it but is afraid that someone else will come and claim that its theirs. She symbolizes herself as the person who found the lost diamond and Hermia as the antagonist who wants to claim the diamond because if belongs to her. What is your opinion on Helena is she being fair in summarizing Hermia in that way?  What is your opinion on Helena as of the end of the story?

In the final section of the story we see that Pertrucio was acting like a lunatic because that is how he believes he will tame Kate. We see that in the end he helped out Kate more than any of the others helped out their wives. She is now more obedient than the other wives. This reminds me of the Ugly Duckling. I know it is a children’s story and is kind of weak but it just sticks out in my mind. In the Ugly Duckling there is this black little duck among these beautiful yellow ducks. He is made fun of and nobody wants to be around him. That is Kate, she was ugly to people and nobody wanted her hand in marriage. As time went on the duckling grew and matured into a beautiful swan while his brothers and sisters were just plain ducks. Pertucio is the time and aging. He is what changes Kate like the time changes the duckling. The Swan was more beautiful than the ducks and is loved. That is Kate when she is tamed. She is polite and more obedient than her sister and the widow.

So my question for you is, do you think that Petrucio had this planned all the time or did he really want to marry for the money and this just popped into his head? Do you think that he is going to be fair to her and do you think they are actually in love?

Thank you

-Taran

This time, I’m going to follow Rosalind. She becomes madly in love with Orlando and she still barely knows him. But more importantly, Rosalind really digs herself a hole in the last potion of this book.  She is her normal self and she says that Ganymede will marry Phoebe, but Ganymede is actually Rosalind. Rosalind (as Ganymede) wants to continue to with her wooing sessions with Orlando, even though he is tired of trying to get over Rosalind by wooing a man.  I though this part of the book was pretty confusing because Rosalind makes a whole bunch of promises.

On the day of the weddings, Rosalind is to marry Orlando, Touchstone is to marry Audrey, Oliver is to marry Celia, and Phoebe is to marry Ganymede. If Phoebe choses not to marry Ganymede, she will marry Silvius. Everybody realizes that Ganymede looks a lot like Rosalind and they draw the conclusions that he is Rosalind. So, Phoebe ends up marrying Silvius. The four couples get married all together in one ceremony. All is well and everyone is happy, especially since there is peace with Duke Frederick and Jaques.

First, why do you think Rosalind thought she could pull off being Ganymede and herself? She made promises that were impossible to keep, like being two people at one time.

Also, it doesn’t seem like anyone is mad at Rosalind for lying and being deceitful. Why do you think this is?

Mallory

Here are the last set of questions:

1. Puck is considered by many to be the most important character in the play. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that Demetrius is really in love with Helena? Explain.

3. What are some of the themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

4. Which did you like better: A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Romeo and Juliet?

-That’s all folks!!!

Brandon

This is the last Blog, and even though we will not have to complete another one of this horrific devices of literary torture for a while, I still feel as if my last blog was sub-par in the whining/complaining section.  For old times sake, I will make this a good one.

I am going to start of by writing a poem about Blogging:

When we first heard of Blogs, we laughed and celebrated

How bad could it be?  The first due date was long belated.

We were two weeks past the first blog, but hadn’t begun

Because you Mr. Shank were having way to much fun.

Our backs were already broken by the weight of the “Night” assignment

And many students were beginning to question their “Honors” alignment

But Wo, the Blogs commenced anyway, and we were giving our first book

We opened “Return Of The Native” and cried at the very first look

The language was coarse, far to difficult for a mortal to comprehend

But the kind Mr. Shank had a helping hand to lend.

You gave use reading days, class time to get ahead.

But we all knew that it was a trick, to Lions our souls were being fed.

You knew darn well that in the classroom we could not read.

We would talk among friends and pay our books little to no heed.

But it offered a horridly convenient outlet for you

“I gave you reading time in class, what harm a can a little more work do?”

You laughed in your head, for it was sick twisted pact.

The Blogs were assigned; and free time your students lacked

What choice did we have?  If we did not Blog, our grades would crack

But it didn’t really matter because our GPA’s had already taken a solid whack.

We continued for weeks, slaves to the Monster named Blog

We fought bravely, like Gandalf battled the Balrog

We finished the fight, four weeks in

But the story is long from over, not nearly FIN

We had to Blog again, not once, but twice

Why would the first four weeks not suffice?

But Alas, it is nearly over, this is the final Post.

We all made it through, many of use, most

But a shocking realization has struck my head like a log

I wrote this long Poem, and darn it, I still have to Blog

Phew, that took like 10 minutes.  On to Bloggin’:

We see in this section of the book all of the interactions between characters finally coming to an end.  Everyone gets married and they have a jolly good time.  We see that the this play contrasts sharply from Romeo and Juliet, in that the scenery of the play does not often change.  The “meat” so to speak of this play is based entirely on the characters.  The play ends with all of the assumed marriages taking place, and everyone living happily ever after.  My question for you is do you think that this ending was appropriate?  There was no bitter sweat, like Romeo and Juliet.  Their is just pure happiness.  Do you think that this takes away from the play?  Does it weaken the play?  

Brian Wawrzyniak

Brian Wawrzyniak

 YEA IT’S THE LAST POST!!!!!!!!!!!

So we finished reading the last act of the play and overall I think it was a good play. As for a connection I have none. I have never heard or seen anything like this play, besides an episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody based on this play. There is nothing like Shakespeare’s plays that I know of. The closest thing I can come to connect it with again is Romeo and Juliet. The only reason it connects with that play is that the love situations in each don’t always work out the way they were planned. In Romeo and Juliet they are star-crossed lovers who end up dying for their love, and in A Midsummer Night’s Dream people are falling in love with the wrong person.

Questions:

1.       Now that we’re finished reading the play overall what did you think of it?

2.       Do you think that there I a possibility that some of the events that happened in this play could happen in real life today?

3. Do you think that this play is a good comedy?

This passage is going to be when Claudio basically trashes Hero at their wedding.

	CLAUDIO
20	Stand thee by, Friar.—Father, by your leave,
	Will you with free and unconstrainèd soul
	Give me this maid, your daughter?

LEONATO
	As freely, son, as God did give her me.

CLAUDIO
	And what have I to give you back whose worth
25	May counterpoise this rich and precious gift?

DON PEDRO
	Nothing, unless you render her again.

CLAUDIO
	Sweet Prince, you learn me noble thankfulness.—
	There, Leonato, take her back again.
	Give not this rotten orange to your friend.
30	She’s but the sign and semblance of her honor.
	Behold how like a maid she blushes here!
	Oh, what authority and show of truth
	Can cunning sin cover itself withal!
	Comes not that blood as modest evidence
35	To witness simple virtue? Would you not swear,
	All you that see her, that she were a maid
	By these exterior shows? But she is none.
	She knows the heat of a luxurious bed.

So in this quote, Caludio tells Leanato that Hero is lying and a whore, and that he doesn’t need her and she doesn’t deserve a good man like him.  I found this quote interesting because we have always seen Claudio as such a kind gentlemen and now he is somebody very different.

My questions:

1. Do you think Claudio handled the situation in the right manner, if not how should he have handled it?
2. What do you think got into Claudio to do such a horrible thing? (peer pressure, lies, etc.)
3. What do you thing Hero should do? (should she take him back after this or leave him) (your opinion)

~Lauren Gress~

Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty.

I felt that in honor of our last blog, I would put the last spoken words of our last play. Here is the passage:

Puck:

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ’scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

My questions are as follows:

1. Why did Shakespeare have Puck say these lines?

2. What does Puck mean by it?

3. How does this passage help complete the play?

4. Why did Shakespeare use this passage as the last words of the play?

5. Finally, what type of poem are these last lines? How are they a poem?

There is my final blog for you this year!!

-Jenni Kantor

Fin

The last two acts were filled with drama.  In act four we had Hero dying and friends being torn apart by love, when as in act 5 the friar and Hero’s friends help to unite the couple again and Beatrice and Benedick also get married.  Like in Romeo and Juliet the Friar helps to save the day in Much Ado About Nothing, too.  What do you guys think of this matter? 

Do you think this was one of Shakespeare’s signature details to put in a story, have a friar and let him help? 

 Or do you think that because friars are also monks that it is just their normal instinct to help people in need?

At the end of Act 4 scene 1 Beatrice and Benedick are left alone in the church.  Beatrice tells him how much she loves and, but also how he must kill Claudio to avenge Hero.  I have seen this happen before in movies, when the two lovers are finally together but the one wants the other to do something bad to their own friend.  Sometimes it didn’t turn out well and other times it, like in the musical WICKED.   Glinda is married to Prince Fiyero who is in love with Elpheba (Wicked Witch of the West).  Glinda and the rest of Oz want him to defeat her, while he wants to be with her.  This story does have a happy ending, Fiyero turns into the scarecrow and is with Elpheba in the end, while everyone else, including Glinda, thinks she is dead.

Can you guys think of any examples of where else you have seen this sort of thing happen?

I personally just want to say thank you, Leah, Alex, and Julian You guys have been an awesome blog group to work with this year and I will miss seeing you guys in English class next year. 

Thanks again: D

Rebecca Krick