Reflection

I was exposed to raw Shakespeare at a young age because of participation in theater. I was not necessarily a fan if his work because it was very difficult to comprehend and somewhat awkward to perform. This class, however, gave a new outlook on Shakespeare and his works and how they contribute to modern culture and life. I had never thought about how prominent his works are in film until this class. I found myself very passionate about each play we read in class and could not wait to talk about the context in class and to hear everyone’s different view-points. This class showed me that Shakespeare is more than just “fancy-Old English” writing; it is an adapted culture in society today. Creating a blog and reflecting on each topic was very helpful in being able to see everyone’s thoughts without them having to speak out in class. My knowledge of Shakespeare has broadened because of this course because I have discovered that his works can be applied to so much more than just the stage. Going into this course, I did not expect to be solely focused on Shakespeare, but it was enjoyable and extremely informative. I now feel able to talk to anyone about Shakespeare because he can be adapted to fit any preference.

Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century

Living in the twenty-first century means that we are no longer in the time of Shakespeare and Old English. As new technology advances and cultures change, so do certain aspects of the world of arts. If the only way one could see Shakespeare today was to go to an Elizabethan Globe theatre and pay to watch the stage performance, then much less people would be exposed to Shakespeare’s works. In the world today, technology and screens are how ideas and creative works are dispersed to everyone. To say it “takes away” from or is “bad” that Shakespeare’s works have been turned to film, radio, etc. is just ignoring the fact the world is vastly becoming technologically advanced. To keep Shakespeare alive, he needs to be integrated and adapted in ways this “new world” can understand and enjoy. Often, someone in this century would much rather watch a movie about Hamlet than to sit down and try to interpret the Shakespearean language. That is no to say that some enjoy reading “pure” Shakespeare from the page, but having it acted out on screen can sometimes result in a better comprehension. Also, the technological world has a way of reaching out to many different audiences; so, for the purpose of dispersing Shakespeare and his works, assimilating them into this century can be very beneficial.

Race in Othello

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, race is not the central focus. While some characters think it is odd that Desdemona would willingly be with Othello, it is not an ongoing topic of conversation. Othello’s race is not ignored, but is not necessarily persecuted. Othello portrays himself in a positive way. He does not let his race define him because he has so much to show for himself. As a very respected general of the army, Othello has many people who admire him. The play puts a Moor in such a position to possibly portray a positive image of Moors. The role of race does not have the same effect in this play as it did with religion in Merchant of Venice with Shylock the Jew. While being a Moor does not take away from the respect Othello gets, it could have put seeds of doubt in him when he begins to think Desdemona is cheating on him. Cassio is not a Moor; thus, Othello could have become insecure that Desdemona may become attracted to Cassio instead of him because of the way Moors are perceived in society. The role of race does not necessarily carry onto the reasoning for Othello’s death. Othello had just killed the woman he loved because of false statements said to him via Iago. He was overcome with guilt, regret, and grief that he could no longer bear to stay alive.

Violence in Shakespeare and film

Titus Andronicus is one of Shakespeare’s most explicit plays. The main aspect that separates the violence and bloodshed in the play versus a TV show or movie is that, most of the time, it is justified. While the violence in the play technically has a reason behind it, it is one that could have been solved a different way. There are some TV shows and movies that have random and unnecessary violence, but the quality ones usually have justified explicitness. For instance, in The Walking Dead TV show, much violence is present for the reason of defense again the “walkers” or dead people. However, some of the characters let the justified violence get to their head and begin mindlessly killing others or performing violent acts. In this way, sometimes TV shows/movies can be just as guilty of unnecessary violence as Shakespeare, but Shakespeare takes the cake. This is not to say that every ounce of violence in Shakespeare is unnecessary. Hamlet had a good incentive in wanting his uncle to die, because his uncle killed is father. However, Romeo and Juliet took their love a bit too far (also they only had known each other for an extremely short time) when they killed themselves when they thought the other was dead. Violence is a huge entertainment market and is present in many aspects of film. The justification of the violence is up to the viewer to tell if it is too much or not.

Film Adaptations

Shakespeare’s works are well known all over the world for their eloquent prose and entertaining plots. However, Shakespeare is not only used for the purpose of entertainment via stage shows. Over the years, many cultures have used Shakespeare to indulge English literature into the minds of children and school students. While this may seem like a good way for other cultures to be exposed to another language, many simply have a hard time understanding Shakespeare. For this reason, film adaptations are very useful as far as portraying Shakespeare in a different way so that more people can easily be exposed to it. For example, if someone were to give a five-year-old a copy of the play: Hamlet, they would have no idea what the context meant. However, if you show the same child the movie: The Lion King, they will get a grasp of what the play is about even though it is disguised by talking animated animals. So, film adaptations of Shakespeare are used to expose his works to a wide variety of cultures. This is also why many film adaptations are in different languages or settings to help others relate to which ever film fit closest to their cultural upbringing. One could argue that changing the language or adapting the film could take away from the original work, but in order to spread these works, there has to be a gateway into other cultures. This gateway is often film adaptations.

Portia and Bassanio

While William Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew gave a very negative portrayal of what a marriage is like, Merchant of Venice brought a bit of authenticity to the relationship. Portia most definitely wants a husband, but not just any husband, one that she really does want to be with. Bassanio, while struggling in the financial field, does not necessarily want Portia only for her money. He talks in Act I about how, not only is she rich, but she is beautiful and a good person (I.i.164-165). This alone shows Bassanio does not have a sole intent of marrying for money—but it is a plus. Portia shows her affection for him by wanting him to be the one who wins the casket test. If her father made it to where that was the only way she could be married, then she might have wanted to lead Bassanio in the right direction—even though he did not want to wait—and he still won her. Their relationship is much different than that of Katherina and Petruchio simply because they genuinely both wanted each other. Not only does Portia care for her new husband, but she cares for Antonio because he is so close to him. She even offers to fulfill his debt to Shylock the Jew for him so he will not have to give a pound of his flesh. Bassanio did not make her offer up the money, she did it at her own will. Their marriage is of genuine care and love.

Kate’s Soliloquy

In William Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew, Katerina’s soliloquy is, for the most part, a sarcastic speech mocking women who are utterly submissive to their husbands. Katerina has most definitely changed throughout the play and some would even say she was “tamed” in an outwardly sense. However, her thoughts and intentions may be the same, just hidden. A large aspect of the marriage between Katerina and Petruchio that stands out is that “it takes one to know one” mentality—it takes a shrew to know a shrew. While Petruchio was trying to “tame” her, he would act just as crazy as she would to give her a taste of her own medicnine and she picked up on it. For this reason, Petruchio could also be picking up on the fact that Katerina is being sarcastic in her speech, but he just wants to hear her say the words even if she may not mean them. Just like when she agreed that the sun was the moon even though her and Petruchio both knew it was indeed the sun (IV.iv.2282-2283). The whole speech that Katerina gives to the other wives is ultimately a dramatic emphasis on how crazy it sounds to be so submissive to another. Shakespeare may have wanted his audience to pick up on the mockery of women in a marriage, but uses the play-within-a-play technique just in case perhaps the audience were to be offended by it.

Women through the eyes of Shakespeare

In William Shakespeare’s, The Taming of The Shrew, the way women are treated is endorsed and dramatized by certain characters to shed a light on the social status women were thought to have had in that time period. Both Bianca and Katherina are destined to marry—almost as if that is their purpose in society. However, the audience is shown that some women are worthy of different treatment. For instance, Bianca is praised and awed for her gentleness and politeness, and Katherina is looked down upon and brings disgust to the eyes of most men. For these reasons, Katherina is treated worse than Bianca, and is presented as a burden to those around her. Shakespeare makes it seem that—as long as a women acts the way she should in society, then she will be treated kindly and more just than a women who rebels to social norms. Another aspect of a women’s role in society is shown in Act I Scene ii when the men talk about Bianca and Katerina as if they are objects or prizes saying, “Achieve the older, set the younger free” (I.ii.12). Shakespeare’s treatment of women in this play through his characters could be seen also as mockery, however, it does not take away from the fact that this was how women were treated and it is the somewhat “ugly truth” of that time in society.

Theater used in theater

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, theater has a purpose of conveying information, events, and/or truths about the characters whether it be internally or externally. For instance, in the Hecuba speech of Act II Scene ii, Hamlet is provoked by the fact that in the play he had just watched, a king was murdered and nothing was done. He did not want to mope around and be still in sorrow for his father anymore—he wanted to take action and gain revenge for the sake of his father. In this speech, he also thinks of how he will use theater to his advantage and put on a play for his uncle to hopefully react in a confessing way of being the one responsible for his father’s death. This use of theater brought forth an internal epiphany for Hamlet to create a plan.

In the play-within-a-play, Shakespeare uses theater to create an external discovery of the truth behind the king’s murder. The power of theater shows its works when in Act III Scene ii Claudius can bear no more the sight of a reenactment of how he himself killed his brother. Through this, Hamlet is granted a victory by exposing Claudius, and the audience is shown just how (if carried out correctly) strong an influence theater can have both in and out of a play itself. Also, theater can “hold, as twere, a mirror up to nature” (III.ii.23-24) because, often, plays are written to portray society—which is a common theme when looking at Shakespeare’s work and what was going on in society/the world when they were created. Theater can often expose what is not said, but is known to be the truth.

Comedy in Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, comedy not only serves a thematic purpose, but is used as a tool to bring forth important aspects of the play. For instance, when Hamlet begins acting as if he is “mad” and uses careless and witty language towards those around him, he is really trying to distract them from the fact that he has a plan up his sleeve. Also, Shakespeare uses the comedic factor as a shift for Hamlets mood—for when he sees his father’s ghost he goes from a somber mentality to now one of positivity for he is about to discover the truth; he looks odd talking to a ghost and wandering off, but he only cares to fulfill his father’s (ghost’s) order—so, he does not care if people think his is going crazy. From that point forward, Hamlet begins to make a joke of everyone and everything because he thinks it is comical how his own uncle is the reason for his sorrow due to his father’s death, yet Claudius lives as if nothing has happened (until he sees the play Hamlet has put on for him). Shakespeare uses comedy as a gateway for Hamlet to confuse everyone around him so they will not expect what he has planned. He often changes the subject when in conversation especially with Claudius—for instance, in Act III Scene II when Claudius asks how Hamlet is doing and he gives him a rather confusing response that even Hamlet himself did not comprehend, and then turned to Polonius and started a new conversation.

The comedy Shakespeare uses in this play is not to dissolve tension, but to bring up the extremity of the tension at hand. He almost gives Hamlet a passive aggressive attitude to display how ready he is for revenge for his father.