Mr_Shank

Okay, for everyone in my group this post does not apply to you so you don’t have to comment this. I am posting this because I never got a chance to do it on time so I’m not going to ask any questions so whoever is reading this other than Mr. Shank can stop reading now. : )

So this play is actually not half bad. It’s kind of short (a lot shorter than Romeo and Juliet) and it pretty much gets to the point of the story without too much detail of little unimportant events.

So I can connect this play to 2 things that I was thinking about when I was reading it.

The first thing is Cinderella. Orlando is treated like a peasant from his older brother Oliver. This relates to Cinderella because once her father dies his wife receives his fortune and she becomes the slave of her step mother and 2 step sisters. Oliver is the older brother who received the fortune of their father once he passed away. Orlando from then on was taken over by his brother and treated like Adam, the old slave that was in the family for many years. Orlando works out with all the peasants and slaves and is not treated any better than dirt. His brother is very selfish and seems so embarrassed by his brother that he refuses to treat him with respect. He also keeps Orlando from proper schooling, and is quite overwhelmed to know that without schooling or proper living his brother has the capability of being a witty man. This relates to Cinderella because she is kept from the ball and not allowed to show herself and the person she really is to the Prince. However, he godmother gets her there and without too much experience with gentlemen, she wins the Prince’s heart.

I also related this to Romeo and Juliet. This is not as good of a connection but I found a couple examples that show the similarities between this play and Romeo and Juliet. The first thing that I found matched Romeo and Juliet was the fact the Rosalind’s father is exiled from the city. Right away I thought of how Romeo was exiled from Verona because he killed Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Another simliarity I found was the fact that there’s a character named Rosalind, who is the love of Orlando. This isn’t as good of a connection, because Romeo gets over Rosalind in Romeo and Juliet quickly when he meets Juliet where as Orlando’s only love is Rosalind.

So, that concludes my blogs that are quite late. I’m hoping to get at least something better than a D or an F. I’m very sorry that this is so late and I hope that you aren’t in a bad mood while grading this, Mr. Shank. : )

~Laurisa

Alright, so this time i feel like blogging about Orlando. First off, is he gay? He agreed to woo a man. That seems a bit odd to me if he is in love with Rosalind. If I was her, I would be extremely worried that he wants to woo a man to get over a woman…

Oliver can’t find his little brother Orlando, and Duke Frederick says that until you find him, I’m taking all of your stuff. & if you don’t find him within a year, I’m keeping all of your stuff.

So, Orlando is wondering around Ardenne Forest and he is madly in love with a woman he doesn’t know, Rosalind. He carves her name in a whole bunch a trees to show her that he truly does love her. I wish someone would do that for me. (Touchstone and Corin have a completely pointless conversation about manners??) Then, to express his love for this woman even more, he writes awful poems in her honor and she finds them. She reads them and she realizes that someone loves her and she can’t wait to meet and see this guy that loves her. Rosalind then dresses up a a guy named Ganymede and talks to Orlando about how he can get him out of love. The remedy for this un-love is for Orlando to woo Ganymede, and Orlando agrees with his entire heart, which makes me question his sexual orientation.

Orlando isn’t included in the Act III scene iii but he is included in Act III scene iv. Orlando doesn’t show up at his appointment with “Ganymede” and that makes Rosalind question his truthfulness. She ends up comparing him to some guy like Christ, Judas. Their hair is very similar, so that means he is perfect, like Christ. Celia, Rosalind’s friend, says that he about as truthful as a bartender and doesn’t keep his promises.

My questions for you are do you think that Orlando is a liar and deceitful like Rosalind and Celia discuss? Why do you think he didn’t go to the meeting with Ganymede? Also, I think it would be fun to see what you think about him wanting to woo a man…

Mallory

Dangit Mr. Shank, I forget to do this every single weekend!! I beg that you are leniant with how many points you take off…

Anyway here my illuminated quote of the week, I figured it would be good since we just got done with Romeo and Juliet and the whole love thing.

“O, thou didst then ne’er love so heartily!
If thou remember’st not the slightest folly
That ever love did make thee run into,
Thou hast not loved:
Or if thou hast not sat as I do now,
Wearying thy hearer in thy mistress’ praise,
Thou hast not loved:
Or if thou hast not broke from company
Abruptly, as my passion now makes me,
Thou hast not loved.
O Phebe, Phebe, Phebe! ”

This is a quote from Silvius to Corin. Silvius is telling Corin that he is to old to feel the love that he feels, and after Corin denies that, Silvius says this quote saying that if Corin didn’t feel/do/remember all the things that he mentions, then he didn’t love. In a way he is bringing up that love is INTENSE AND POWERFUL and this connects to Romeo and Juliet. Do you guys agree? Also, it seems to me like Shakespeare had a thing for writing about true love, so either he was in love and liked writing about it, or like Mr. Shank, he wasn’t in love and wished he was. Do you guys see any other connectiosn between this and Romeo and Juliet and how do you feel about love.

In act 2 we still see that Bianco is not completly sure who she prefers. Or she is hiding it from us.  The quote is siad by Bianco to Katherine while she is being beaten “    Is it for him you do envy me so?
    Nay then you jest, and now I well perceive
    You have but jested with me all this while:
    I prithee, sister Kate, untie my hands.

This quote shows that Katherine is completly jealous that Bianco’s ability to choose and wait for the right suitor. Why do you think that Katherine is so jealous of Bianco. Do you think that Katherine went to far by beating the living crap out of Bianco? Who do you feel is the best suitor? Why?

The character that I want to look at now is Puck, yes he is introduced in Scene 2 but he also creates a lot of tension for the lovers that has an upside down turn of events.  It is because of Oberon that the tension has started in the first place, he was trying to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena because he was so cruel to her, but Puck thinks that Lysander is Demetrius and places the love potion on him, so that when Lysander awakes and sees Helena he falls in love with her, and when Puck tries to undo his mistake he ends up making both Lysander and Demetrius in love with Helena and they both want to fight as well as Hermia does with Helena.

Puck is a very interesting character from the beginning of the story, he is mischievous but tends to be good and make everything back to normal for our four main characters.  Do you think that Oberon should have trusted Puck in the first place with the love potion?  Do you think that Puck likes to do a good thing once in a while or is he naturally mischievous and got a good laugh out of what he did to the four lovers?  Why do you think that Puck is a follower of Oberon instead of Titania, should he have been a follower of Titania?

As for Oberon, he hates his wife at the moment but does good for the four lovers by setting them straight and having them fall in love with the right person. Why do you think this is?

-Kianat Zamir

Basically in this section of the play, several important events take place. For one Beatrice and Benedick hook up in a really weird and round about sort of way. There seems to be a lot of involvement from people who are not invloved in this situation which plays in to this happening. If that makes sense, which it probably doesn’t, but oh well its taking up space. Anyway another thing that happens is that Don John convinces Claudio that his fiance, Hero, is a whore. This is just mean and all around wrong. Hero is in no way a whore and Don John needs to mind his own business and try to make his life happier instead of making everyone else’s lives miserable like his. The wedding is set for the next day and Hero doens’t know that Claudio thinks that she is a whore. This could make the following events rather special.

How do you think Hero is going to react to Claudio calling her an allegid whore?

Why do Beatrice and Benedick finally agree to ‘hook up’, after all this time of constant fighting and bickering?

How do you think this whole wedding situation is going to end for both Claudio and Hero?

Act 2:

Scene 1:

This act begins with Duke Senior and Lord Amiens speaking about the forest and what has happened. Then they begin to speak about dinner, and Duke Senior wants to see Jaques. Not much really happens in this scene.

Scene 2:

In this scene Duke Fredrick finds out that Rosalind, Touchstone, and Celia have all run away. He is angry that no one saw them leave. Celia’s maid heard Rosalind and Celia complementing Orlando on his looks and fighting skills. Duke Frederick thinks that Orlando is probably with Celia and Rosalind so he wants everyone to search. He also send a lord to give Oliver a message.

Scene 3:

Orlando is coming how from the match he won. His servant Adam has already heard the new, but is not happy for his master’s win. He tells him that his brother Oliver is furious and is planning to burn down his house while he is sleeping, and if that doesn’t work then he will find some other way to kill him. Orlando and Adam come up with a plan to use Adam’s savings and head to the Forest of Arden. Even though Adam is old he is willing to stay by his master’s side.

Scene 4:

This scene is Rosalind, Touchstone, and Celia walking. Celia is getting extremely tired and so is Rosalind , but Rosalind is hiding her emotion to better portray a male figure. While walking 2 shepherds walk by them and they overhear the conversation. The Young shepherd Silvius heartbroken and is complaining to the older shepherd Corin. Silvius is saying that Corin has no idea what he is going through and wanders off. Corin stops to speak to Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone. Rosalind is connecting herself and being heartbroken to the younger shepherd’s situation, but she hides her emotions. They ask Corin if there is any place they could buy to eat and sleep. Corin tells them that his master’s pasture is for sale. Rosalind and Celia decide to buy it.

Scene 5:

In this scene it is Jaques and Amiens. Amiens is singing a song to Jaques, and Jaques wants him to keep singing more even though it makes him sad. Jaques even wrote his own verse and sings it.

Scene 6:

This scene is very short the story pops back in with Adam and Orlando they are now traveling and Adam with his old age is very hungry and tired. He tells Orlando that he is going to die. Orlando is gonna go get him some food, but he doesn’t just want to leave him there so he takes him to shelter before he leaves to get food.

scene 7:

Duke Senior is about to send someone to find Jaques when Jaques comes walking over. Jaques tells a story about how he met a fool and now would like to be one.  Jaques and Duke Senior are having a playful argument when Orlando breaks the conversation with his sword drawn demanding for food. Orlando calms down and Duke Senior realizes that Orlando is the son of his old friend. He invites him to eat, but before Orlando will eat he goes to get Adam to eat first.

Fool- A professional jester:there seems to be a lot of fool’s in this play

Melancholy- A gloomy state of mind: This desccribes Rosalind and Silivius

Sullen-Showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve: i didn’t know what it ment

hither-To or torward this place: Its a funny word

Humorous-funny: goes with the comedy theme

1. How does this play relate to Romeo and Juliet?

2. Now that Orlando has met Rosalind’s father do you think they will have a better chance of being together?

3. What do you think will happen next? Will Duke Fredrick find Celia? Will Rosalind and Orlando be together?

Ok, in Act 3 a lot is happening.  Two of the most important things that happen are:  Beatrice and Benedict getting together, and Don Jon ruining Claudio and Hero’s love by telling Claudio that Hero’s a whore.  

The fact that Beatrice and Benedict are trying to date the other out of pity reminds me again of Drive Me Crazy.  In the movie two neighbors go through bad break-ups and decide that they will pretend to go out with the other out of pity, [and to try to make their ex’s jealous.  In the movie the two end up truly falling in love, which I predict will be the case in Much Ado About Nothing.  I think that Beatrice and Benedict will truly fall in love with one another, but may have a difficult time showing it.

Do you think that Beatrice and Benedict will truly fall in love or do you think that they are really just doing it out of pity for the other?

-Maddie Zinn

Act III, Scene I

Act III begins with a scene involving the “actors”.  While the six are rehearsing their play they run into some problems that Bottom starts to point out.  He believes that the women in the audience will be scared if his character kills himself with a sword.  This shows how they are continuing a belief that the audience will not be able to separate the fantasy of the story from the reality that it is just a play.  If you remember, in my last post, I said that Shakespeare was using two different settings to merge the fantasy world and real world together in order to make the audience believe in what is happening.  Why does Shakespeare use two completely different views within the same play?

The next problem that comes up in the play is how they will be able to portray certain things such as moonlight and a wall.  The actors decide that the way to deal with this is to have someone put into a costume that represents the moon and to have someone play a wall and hold their fingers apart to represent the cracks in it.  This brings back the idea that the men believe the audience has a strong imagination: with any costume, they can play any object.  The idea of visually having someone represent the moon makes me wonder if the actors lack their own imagination.  The way they are planing to portray the moon shows how they take everything too literally, instead of using their “acting skills” to let the audience imagine the moon (which they are certainly capable of, seeing as the women will grow faint when Bottom is “killed”).  This, once again, shows the incongruity of the actors which brings me back to my original question – why does Shakespeare use two completely different views with the same play?

Act III, Scene II

In this scene, the action of the play is at its height and is ultimately the most confusing scene so far.  All the characters are interacting with the others, or believing they are, without even seeing them.  Again, the theme of the scene is love and all the different forms it can come in.  Here is an example, using a quote from Helena.

Is all the counsel that we two have shared, 

The sisters’ vows, the hours that we have spent 

When we have chid the hasty-footed time 

For parting us—oh, is it all forgot?

All schooldays’ friendship, childhood innocence? 

We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, 

Have with our needles created both one flower, 

Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, 

Both warbling of one song, both in one key,

As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds, 

Had been incorporate. So we grew together, 

Like to a double cherry—seeming parted

But yet an union in partition— 

Two lovely berries molded on one stem;

So, with two seeming bodies but one heart, 

Two of the first, like coats in heraldry, 

Due but to one and crownèd with one crest. 

And will you rent our ancient love asunder 

To join with men in scorning your poor friend?

It is not friendly, ’tis not maidenly. 

Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it, 

Though I alone do feel the injury.

Here Helena is talking about the bond of friendship that she and Hermia once shared and how Hermia is throwing it all away for a person she loves.  This love between two friends is like the one shared between Titania and the Indian Women.  In both cases, the friends have to put their friendship before their love for their partner.  Titania had to suffer the wrath of Oberon in order to preserve her promise to keep the Indian boy safe and Helena is asking Hermia to remember their bond while she walks away from her love, Demetrius. In both cases, the women are the ones who have a strong friendship and are the ones who are taking the hits for it.  What do you think about this?  Is friendship a more important part of a woman’s life than it is a man’s?

Act IV, Scenes I + 2

I am combining these two scenes together because my discussion applies to both.  When Bottom comes back to the troupe, he realizes that something incredible has happened, but he can’t remember what – it’s like a dream that he is trying to recall, but keeps slipping through his fingers.  This is like all of the lovers in Scene I – they can’t remember how they got into the woods or why they were there, but still some vague clues of what happened that night linger in their minds.  I would like to relate this back to my first post (again).  I posted a quote from Lysander talking about how true love faces all kinds of obstacles and it can disappear as quickly as a dream.  In this scene, everyone is waking up from a “dream” after losing their “true loves”.  So, in what ways was the foreshadow fulfilled throughout the play?  In what ways was it incorrect?  

Recap:

1. Why does Shakespeare use two completely different views within the same play? (Answer for fantasy/reality and incongruity of the actors)
2. What do you think about friendship suffering for love?  Is friendship a more important part of a woman’s life than it is a man’s?
3. In what ways was the foreshadowing in Lysander’s quote fulfilled throughout the play?  In what ways was it incorrect?  

That’s all for now!

Erin B