The Merchant of Venice Pt. I

The Merchant of Venice Act 1

I love reading The Merchant of Venice; I was in a play a few years ago called Shakespeare and the City. It was a combination of four of Shakespeare's heroines and the TV show Sex and the City. Every woman was a mixture of one of the women in Sex and the City and one of the heroines in one of Shakespeare's plays. I was the Miranda/Portia combo, and I absolutely loved playing this character. Needless to say I had to really research and know the role of Portia, and, since I had never seen an episode of Sex and the City in my life, I also had to watch quite a few episodes to understand the relationship and bond that the four women had. The other character combos were Samantha/Lady Macbeth, Carrie/Viola, and Charlotte/Desdemona. The plots revolved around Shakespeare's plays, while the relationship with the four women plus the narration by Viola was very Sex and the City-esque.
That is why I really love and enjoy this play; I know all there is to know about the role of Portia and really grew fond of her characteristics. I love how much integrity she has and how much she respects her fathers wishes, even if she complains to Nerissa in Act I about the way her father has chosen her future husband, she still goes along with this plan when she could've chosen otherwise. She shows herself to be highly independent and capable of choosing, yet chooses to respect her deceased father. Others know her to be virtuous and honorable, which is not something as prominent in other of Shakespeare's female characters.

Antony and Cleopatra Pt. III

Antony and Cleopatra Acts 4 & 5

Antony's last moments alive left me feeling a lot of sympathy for this celebrated war hero. He put all of his identity and honor into being a great leader, and when his honor was threatened by Caesar as Egypt's ships fleeted from helping him, he decided it was better to die than to continue to live defeated. Likewise, in terms of personal affairs, he was defined by Cleopatra and her betrayal meant he didn't have her; he'd lost his identity. On the other hand, his death was very much a Roman death. He would have rather died and defeated his own self, than die being defeated by someone else. This proves to be an honorable death as Caesar acknowledges Antony's value as a Roman leader and willingly mourns his death. Antony resembles a tragic hero because he was never able to successful in both of his pleasures or identities. He was either a great lover, or a successful war hero, but not both. This is truly a tragedy since he could never be at peace with himself over his two identities.

Antony and Cleopatra Pt. II

Antony and Cleopatra Acts 2 & 3

The feminist in me is almost angry at the plot in Antony and Cleopatra. The plot, albeit indirectly, assumes that women are responsible for the actions and flaws of the men in the story. For instance, the Romans see Cleopatra as the harlot that is distracting Antony from his Roman duties. Octavius Caesar believes that if Antony marries his sister Octavia, that this will somehow unite them and mend any sort of animosity. The burden lies on Octavia for bringing such balance. Why, I ask myself, must this pressure lie on Octavia, or the blame for Antony's actions be put on Cleopatra. The funny aspect of it is that the Romans still believe Antony to be a great war hero, which he probably is, but as much as they may reference his recent lack of devotion to Rome, they do not look down on him. Whereas with Cleopatra, the Romans see nothing but an exotic pleasure of Antony's. I believe Antony should be held fully responsible for his actions, as well as Caesar. Peace and loyalty between Antony and Caesar should be the responsibility of  the two instead of using a woman as a mediator. This only means that Octavia is forced to be a great wife, one who will support Antony and one who will look out for the good of the people... which I guess would be her way of being of service to Rome. Caesar tells his sister that she should not come to him plainly or display herself as common maid, rather she should make a spectacle as she parades the city. He links theatrics with power, and although he resents Cleopatra for her theatrics, he knows how powerful the representation of power can be.

Antony and Cleopatra Pt. I

Antony and Cleopatra Act 1

I imagine the love story of Antony and Cleopatra to be a version of Romeo and Juliet that takes place among more powerful and older people, but basically the same. At this point in the story, the two are obsessed with each other, so much so that Antony has been ignoring his duties to Rome. During this semester, I have also taken an ancient civilizations class, and we learned that ones duty to Rome, however powerful one may be, was of the up most importance. One could not fully call oneself "Roman" if one did not sacrifice it all for service of the state. Being so that Antony was no common citizen, the frustration of Octavius Caesar are fully understandable; Antony was to be an example for the people and he was neglecting that role. He would hardly even be identified as Roman during this time in history.
Going back to the parallel between Antony and Cleopatra and Romeo and Juliet, they have become infatuated with each other to the point that they have forgotten about feuds and responsibilities. Antony, still being the Roman that he is, still feels somewhat inclined to be of service for Rome, yet Cleopatra acts like a foolish girl in love around him. I'm most curious to find out how the story ends for Cleopatra than any other character so far.

Macbeth Pt. III

Macbeth Acts 4 & 5

Lady Macbeth shows some humanity in the last Act, as her guilt and nervousness leads her into madness. As sad as her drive into madness is, the fact that she is moved by the deeds she has helped influence, helps the reader feel some sympathy for her and brings her back from being completely evil. The visions she beings to have of her hands being bloody, shows her ability to feel remorse which is a very human emotion to feel. She commits suicide, which in Christian tradition, was the ultimate sin one can commit since there is no salvation from such a sin. While in the eyes of Christian tradition this may seem terrible, and it is, I also believe that this further proves her humanity instead of her being pure evil. As a reader, making her human once again is important, it makes for a much less scary tragedy and one where one can explore realistic human tendencies. Macbeth shows the reader the absolute ugliness in human nature, and that to me, is far more intriguing than something that seems out of this world.

Macbeth Pt. II



The Ghost of Banquo

 Macbeth Acts 2 & 3

Acts II and III bring up the theme of a false sense of security, which not only Macbeth but also Lady Macbeth feels. This false sense of security, first begun by the three witches, is what makes both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth confident in their evil doings. Macbeth feels protected within their prophecy, yet it starts to aggravate him when he realizes the final part of prophecy: that Banquo's children will inherit the crown. Macbeth feels safe so long as this doesn't occur, which then prompts him to order the killing of Banquo and Fleance. Furthermore, the main witch, Hecate, wants to further deceive Macbeth by showing him visions and spirits who will provide more false security. This idea is further illustrated with the overall obtainment of the crown. Why do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want the crown so badly? Why does anyone who is human want to elevate their social status? There is a certain false sense of security in having both status, money, and power. I think Shakespeare does a good job of presenting how wrong the human is in believing that. Everyone strives for it because it means having a prosperous, stable life, yet at the core of this ambition lies the need to either commit malicious deeds to others, or have malicious deeds done to us.

Macbeth Pt. I

Macbeth Act 1

Lady Macbeth's power over Macbeth makes for a very scary duo. Macbeth knows that what he is doing is wrong, yet he gets so easily persuaded by Lady Macbeth's taunting, that he agrees to proceed with the murder. Lady Macbeth challenges the traditional view of the ideal wife. Traditionally, a wife was supposed to encourage her husband to honorably progress in life, and to respectably provide for their family. Lady Macbeth, while encouraging her husband to progress and to provide for their family, does not encourage honor or dignity. She wants immediate prosperity and does not see how this can be their downfall. Her tragic character flaws make me wonder how she was like before the three witches told Macbeth their prophecy. Was she always this evil? Or did she cling onto this idea because the prophecy of Macbeth becoming the thane of Cawdor proved true? Macbeth seems either blinded by his love for her, or purely easily persuaded by any glimpse of possibility for higher status. Neither seem moral at this point, but at least Lady Macbeth seems to be more in control of her emotions and thoughts.