Richard III- A History

"The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. What do I fear? Myself? There’s none else by.Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I. Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am.Then fly! What, from myself? Great reason. Why: Lest I revenge. Myself upon myself?Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good, That I myself have done unto myself? O no, alas, I rather hate myself. For hateful deeds committed by myself. I am a villain." (V.v.134–145)

This passage is recited by Richard immediately after his visit with the ghosts of those he has murdered. This is a huge turning point in the novel because it is the first time that Richard reveals any trace of self-doubt and even self-loathing. In an attempt to calm himself after this unsettling dream, he states, "There's no one else by," to convince himself that he is alone with himself. However, it is in this passage that Richard realizes that he is the worst person he can be alone with. The grief that is invisible until this point in the novel is revealed, exposing Richard's weaknesses. Similarly to Macbeth, death meets the main characters when they become vulnerable to destructive emotions, such as guilt. For this reason, this passage can be viewed as foreshadowing for Richard's ultimate defeat. The diction in this paragraph parallels Richard's feeling of self-loathing. The lights are described as "blue," would is a color generally associated with cold. The lights are "cold" just as Richard is realizing that his heart is "cold." The sweat on his body is described as "cold" and "fearful," two words that can be used to describes Richard's feelings toward himself and the upcoming battle. "Dead" is used to describe midnight, which is foreshadowing for his near death and defeat. In this passage, Richard poses questions to himself and answers these questions. He even begins referring to himself in first-person. This signifies the complexity of Richard's character. The audience is taught from Richard's monologue at the beginning of the play that he has evil intentions but has a special talent for being able to hide his deceitful side from those involved in his plan to become king. This description of Richard remains consistent throughout the novel until this point. The questions posed to himself and the way in which he refers to himself in the first-person narration show not only Richard's insecurity, but the presence of his dual personality. A moral is also presented in this passage when Richard states: "Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good, That I myself have done unto myself? O no, alas, I rather hate myself." A person cannot love themselves for solely the good that they have done for themselves. A person can only truly be happy with themselves when they have done good to others.

Shakespeare combined historical fact with literary fiction to create this history. This story is also part tragedy. In order to successfully create a historical tragedy, Shakespeare uses historical figures but exaggerates their emotions and actions, and creates his own relationships between character. For example, Shakespeare used some artistic creativity to create the deceitful Richard and the easily wooed Lady Anne. Additionally Shakespeare incorporated aspects of history that people can relate to in modern times. For example, the scenes with the townspeople expressing doubts about Richard, their new leader, is something very likely to happen today (as if no one has ever complained about President George Bush). As outrageous as Lady Anne's change in emotion toward Richard may have been, many people can relate to her today. If a person experiences loss, they are more likely to quickly find and cling to a companion, whether it be a romantic companion or not. The royal family tree that Shakespeare used to create this play becomes a vital asset to fully understanding the play. Shakespeare chose to write this story about a man who is in a position where he is very unlikely to be king. In order to become king he must first kill the king, the prince, and the prince's children. Shakespeare's choice of using Richard who is "land-locked" in his non-royal position, adds the historical element of the family tree. While the family tree was confusing, it added an interesting part of history.

I enjoyed this play, however in numerous instances I found myself being confused by the complexity of the family tree. Not knowing anything about English history, it was certainly difficult to follow the relationships. My favorite scene was the dream sequence which plants guilt in Richard. I thought the scene was cleverly done and very effective since the line of ghosts is so very long. Similarly to "Macbeth", I liked how Shakespeare uses guilt as the ultimate demise of his main characters. This shows that the human mind is capable of creating more evil than human deeds can. I found it to be comical (not laugh out loud funny, but worth a smile funny) that Richard was so flawless in deceit. From the opening monologue when he informs the audience of his plans he immediately changes his attitude to speak with other characters in the play. It is almost as though Richard and the audience have a connection that the characters on stage do not have because the audience is the only group of people who are fully aware of every bit of Richard's scheme. This connection with the audience is very effective because it is almost as though the actors and the audience have an agreement with each other that they will pretend that everything that happens on stage is real, similarly to "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This agreement makes the morals of the play more effective.

A Midsummer Night's Dream- A Comedy

"I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream past the wit of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass if he go about t’expound this dream. Methought I was—there is no man can tell what. Methought I was, and methought I had—but man is but a patched fool if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream. It shall be called ‘Bottom’s Dream’, because it hath no bottom," (IV.i.199–209).

The above quote is stated by Bottom after he wakes up from his journey with Titania. Bottom's head has been restored and Bottom is convinced that his experience with Titania is nothing more than a ridiculous dream. This passage utilizes irony to produce a comedic effect. Bottom boasts that he has had a "rare vision," one that no human could possibly understand because it is simply to complex. Ironically, Bottom suggests that Quince should write a ballad for his dream, which obviously could not be done had this dream been beyond human comprehension. These statements present not only the irony of Bottom's suggestion to turn his dream into a ballad, but they also exploit Bottom's comical, conceited nature. Irony is incorporated again when Bottom states, "Man is but an ass if he go about t’expound this dream." The reader/audience member is well aware of the fact that Bottom has just recovered from having the head of an ass, and here, he equates those who have not experienced his dream to donkeys. Just as Shakespeare likes to incorporate irony for comedic effect, he incorporates dual meanings. For example, Bottom says: "It shall be called 'Bottom's Dream,' because it hath no bottom," the name Bottom and bottom meaning "end" are used. Shakespeare incorporated this double meaning to once again show Bottom's obsessiveness towards himself. Bottom's foolishness is highlighted in this passage, particularly in his comically mixed-up association of body parts and senses: he suggests that eyes can hear, ears see, hands taste, tongues think, and hearts speak. This passage offers comedy to the theme of dreams. Shakespeare uses the theme of dreams throughout the novel as a sort of mystical tool that makes time lose its normal flow, leaving the characters confused between reality and the workings of their mind.

Shakespeare uses ideas that often cause people confusion to create the humor in this play. For example, Shakespeare uses the confusion of dreams, love, and magic to take his audience on an enjoyable ride. People often wake from a nap or a long sleep and take a couple of minutes to become reacquainted with their surroundings. Shakespeare exaggerated this concept throughout this novel to play with his character's emotions. For example, after awakening from a long slumber, Titania falls in love with Bottom, while Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena, leaving Hermia, the attractive woman, loveless. This confusion is fully understood by the audience making them anxious for the characters to resolve this confusion. In every play there is a particular emotion evoked stronger than the others, that allows the audience to be completely consumed by the action on stage. In this particular comedy Shakespeare chose to use the anxiousness, and sometimes frustration that the audience feels to draw them into the show. Shakespeare also uses absurdity to create the comedy in this play. Absurdity is most clearly shown through Bottom. The idea of a man running around in a donkey mask is so absurd that the audience has no choice but to laugh. It adds to the humor of this situation that Titania, Bottom's opposite, becomes instantly attracted to him. The chaos of Bottom's play, which is meant to represent many of the important ideas and themes of the main plot also adds to the foolishness of this show. Because the craftsmen are such bumbling actors, their performance satirizes the dramatic Athenian lovers and gives the play a joyful, comedic ending.

This is my favorite Shakespeare play we read this year. Unlike "Taming of the Shrew," which I found to be extremely confusing with the switching of roles, this play was able to incorporate confusion amongst the characters without invoking confusion in the reader. I feel as though "Richard III" and "Macbeth" are more eloquently written, however I think that is intentional. The diction in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" lends itself to the themes of absurdity and disillusionment. I liked the way in which the play opens with a bunch of sub-stories: the four lover, Bottom and the craftsmen, and Titania. I also liked the way that Shakespeare uses the love potion to represent the surreal world of love. When Puck mistakenly applies the love potion to Lysander’s eyelids, the statement is made that love is seen with the eyes, but felt with the heart. I liked how this tied in with the idea that Hermia was loved over Helena solely for her looks. I found myself being able to get past the difficulty of reading Shakespeare's language and enjoying the comedy and messages of this play.

Macbeth-A Tragedy

"Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (V.i.30-34)

The above quote of Lady Macbeth exploits her insanity that results from the overwhelming presence of guilt, which is represented in this play through blood and hallucinations. As Lady Macbeth sleepwalks through her castle it becomes clear that the driving, menacing force within her has been "stained with un-washable blood," or guilt, which leads her descent into madness. This descent is shown through the structure of Lady Macbeth's speech, which is no longer in iambic pentameter, but rather in a much less structured form, signifying her inability to control her own mind. In the line, "What need we fear who knows it when none can call our powers to account?" Lady Macbeth searches for the comfort she once found in her husband's power, but fails. Perhaps, Shakespeare is making the statement that power over others in no match for the formidable opponent of guilt. A role reversal is depicted in the above quote. While, Macbeth was distraught after the murder of Duncan he succeeded in carrying out the murders of the MacDuff family and Banquo. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth, responsible for solely the murder of Duncan, finds herself consumed by insanity and guilt. Through this role reversal, Shakespeare presents the point that while a woman may have a tough exterior, a woman is not capable of producing evil without being overtaken by sensitive, rational emotions. Lady Macbeth describes hell as "murky" giving the impression that she is walking towards hell, unable to see clearly as though her vision is obscured by fog or smoke. Her unclear journey towards hell, mirrors the way in which her journey towards guilt is unclear. Lady Macbeth is not directly guilty for the murders in this novel, however it is her scheming and her hunger for power that forces Macbeth to commit these murders. Even though Lady Macbeth's guilt is the result of her husband's actions, her insanity is the proof that being guilty through the use of pressure is often as bad as committing the crime yourself.

Shakespeare creates this tragedy through violence, psychological twists, and whimsical characters. The ominous presence of blood, weapons, and war create the ideal Shakespeare tragedy setting. Simply by association, blood immediately allows the audience to make a connection between the story and death, which is considered by some to be the ultimate tragedy. In order for a piece of literature to be considered a tragedy a person or thing must fall from the height of pleasant emotions and plummet to the lowest of emotions. This fall creates the melancholic emotion necessary to a tragedy. The innocent hunger for power of Macbeth is transformed into the desperate need for power by Lady Macbeth. The beginning of his descent from high emotions is the death of Lady Macbeth, the driving force behind Macbeth's actions. The ever-changing main characters take the audience on an emotional roller coaster allowing the overall message of Macbeth to be understood amidst all of the violence. The themes of gender reversals that break societal standards, the destructive, irreversible effects of guilt, and the power of ambition are not lost due to the presence of complex characters and violence, but rather enhanced. In a history, the theme is enhanced by historical information that allows the reader to relate the past to the present. In a comedy, the light-hearted feel takes the audience for an enjoyable ride to present a point. In a tragedy, however, the author writes with intensity to captivate and audience and target their emotions.

Seeing this play performed live gave me a completely different opinion on this work. I sat in the third row, center section of the orchestra section allowing me to see every detail in the actor's faces and my close proximity to the stage intensified the show overall and made me feel as though I was in the performance. I could compare the feeling I had during the show to the way I felt when I was seven and walked through a haunted house for the first time: while I wanted to close my eyes, the intensity of the performance prevented me from doing so. I really enjoyed the stage performance, and seeing it made me realize what people mean when they say: "Shakespeare is not meant to be read. It's meant to be performed." In reading this play, I lost so much of the artist quality. While reading the play allowed me to have a greater appreciation for the language than watching the show, I found myself unable to be emotionally carried by the characters, and therefore, I feel as though I missed important aspects of the play. Shakespeare's incredible use of the English language adds an element of beauty to his tragedies, which I think is a key component that sets Shakespeare apart from other writers of tragedy. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with the witches. I think their presence in the show added to the mystical feel that is created by the hallucinations and dreams throughout the show. I loved the witches use of prophecies to foreshadow the events to come. Their presence in the play made it feel as though there was an "all-knowing" presence driving every action.