This is the final scene in the play. There are lots of interesting theatrical, poetic, and thematic elements that culminate in this scene. Enjoy!

5.1 sees the return of Romeo. He enters very happy about love, having jsut had a bizarre dream about being dead and Juliet's kiss awakening him. Balthasar reports that Juliet's body is entombed in the "Capel's Monument." After Balthasar leaves, Romeo determines he will "lie" with Juliet by taking poison and finds a poverty-stricken apothecary to sell him a strong, deadly poison. 

5.2 involves Friar Lawrence learning from Friar John that the letters about the plan did not get to Romeo because FJ was sealed inside a home because "searchers" thought he'd been near people with the plague. Think about the theme of plague and posion--Romeo called gold the real poision. Verona is plagued by the fued between the Montagues and Capulets, and literal poison is now at the forefront of the action. 

4.3 shows Juliet with the nurse and Lady Capulet for just a few moments. Juliet then alone goes back and forth about her willingness to take the potion FL gave her. She finally decides to take it..

4.4 is another transitional utility scene and shows the family and servants preparing for the wedding feast. There is an odd interchange between Capulet and Lady Capulet that some have read to mean that Capulet has a relationship with Angelica (a servant?). It's also possible that Angelica is the Nurse's name or Lady Capulet's

4.5 is the scene where the family discovers Juliet "dead." Note the union of both death and marraige bed and consummation imagery: Juliet has married Death.�

The action is realtively simple in 41. and 4.2, though readers and audiences may be a bit confused by the exchange between Juliet and Paris in 4.1. Recall that 4.1 follows very quickly upon the heels of Capulet's abusive treatment of Juliet. Emotions are high. And yet, Friar Lawrence and Paris enter talking about the plan of Paris to marry Juliet . . . dramatically ironic. Juliet later enters and equivocates ever so craftily, but Paris, of course, is not in on the fact that she's already married, so her cryptic responses do nothing to alter his mind. Paris leaves, and Juliet and FL discuss her utter despair--she is willing to kill herself in order to avoid the shame of marrying two men. THIS IS JULIET'S entire act! Romeo does not appear at all in the act, so the focus is squarely on her more dilemma. FL comes up with the plan to use the sleeping potion to trick the family into think she's dead. Notice all of the death imagery and the beginnings of the theatrical metaphor ("acting") at the end of the scene. It will become more central in later scenes. 4.2 is a utility scene that shows the Capulets preparing for the wedding. Juliet enters and acts "merry," making the family think she has given in to her father's will.

3.5 is a powerful and important scene. Juliet displays excellent wrodplay at first in a conversation with her mother about the "villain" Romeo. Juliet, of course, loves him. She then reveals that she loves him, and shortly thereafter Capulet enters and gets VERY angry that Juliet is unwilling to marry Paris. He essentially disowns her. At the end, even the nurse, her last hope, suggests she accept the union with Paris. She indicates that she'll go to Friar Lawrence for help now.

Great tragedies are defined by the problems their characters must face. The greatest tragedies, those like this one, Hamlet, and Lear, put characters in positions where their only options for action are equally horrific. In this way, pity and fear are aroused in the audience. Please consider how pity and fear play a role in this scene in particular. Please consider, too, what Juliet's options are here. What would you do?

Top 11:

1. Hermes escorts the dead suitors to the land of the dead; notice epic simile (bats); they see Agamemnon and Achilles and hear Achilles' story about his burial

2. Amphimedon's story; notice Agamemnon's response! We also hear about Penelope's fame and Clytemnestra's curse

3. Back to Odysseus plot line: he uses a trick to test his father, Laertes

4. He asks "is this Ithaca?" He also says he once knew Odysseus, Laertes' son [Why all these tests???]

5. I love the allegorical story (Rover Town). Notice the spiraling of stories and storytelling, culminating in this. 

6. His scar and his ability to identify the trees prove he is Odysseus

7. They bathe and then eat together

8. Rumor personified

9. Eupihes versus Medon and Halitherses (and Zeus and Athena representing justice)

10. Laertes fights

11. Make peace! (discord in book 1 has now resolved into concord/harmony)

Top 7:

1. Penelope can't believe it's true; must be the gods; doesn't believe it even when she sees him

2. Odysseus tells Telemachus to leave him and Penelope alone so she can test him

3. Wedding music used to trick outsiders into thinking everything's OK

4. The test is the bed

5. He conquers her heart (Wow!)

6. They tell each other stories!! (A quick overview of all of his--again, why?)

7. Transition to end of epic (Odysseus, Telemachus, and Eumaeus)

Top 10: 

1. Takes the rags off

2. Antinous' death . . . very graphic

3. Some suitors beg for mercy (Eurymachus, for ex.)

4. Telemachus kills Amphinoumous (but leaves door ajar . . . oops, still learning!)

5. Athena/Mentor and Leodes argument doesn't work

6. Several important epic similes (Mentor, Odysseus, Telemachus = eagles; bodies = piled up fish)

7. Odysseus spares Phemius and Medon. Why? (Public relations office?)

8. What happens with women?

9. Melanthius

10. Eurycleia offers Odysseus new clothes, but he wants to cleanse the house with fire

Top 11:

1. Athena inspires Penelope to get the ax and bow and use the test

2. Story of Odysseus as a young man being an "embassy" on a "mission"

3. Telemachus tries to string bow (and can), but Odysseus gives him a look . . . this shows, doesn't it, that Telemachus has grown up and into the role of man

4. Suitors want to warm it and grease it

5. Odysseus reveals himself to Philoetious and Eumaeus; they lock the gate

6. Antinous' plan is to set things aside and then sacrifice to archer god to get a leg up on others

7. Penelope wants to give the stranger a chance to string the bow (remember, she doesn't yet know it's Odysseus in disguise)

8. Telemachus again tells Penelope to go back to the distaff and loom

9. Eumaeus includes Eurycleia in the plan (coalition of the willing?)

10. epic simile for how he strings the bow

11. notice suspense at end of book

Top 8

1. Portents

2. Odysseus up at night; he is all endurance; Athena visits him; warned, too, about revenge of suitors' survivors 

3. Penelope wishes she were dead

4. Notice the way the maid who is grinding grain reads a portent

5. People are planninjg a feast; suitors are planning a "private" one

6. Telemachus says Odysseus' house is not a public place

7. Ctesippus and oxhoof thrown at Odysseus; Telemachus says he's lucky he missed or he'd kill him -- "They boy you knew is gone."

8. Suitors again ask Telemachus to tell his mother to marry one of them

Top 10:

1. They create the plot: hide the weapons and tell them a winning story

2. Odysseus to test wild women

3. Penelope's questions are very important

4. Notice another fake story�

5. He's a man who has had his share of sorrows--THAT's true

6. "Destroy"/Kakoilion!! (Really cool--read footnote)

7. Eurycleai washes the stranger and discovers the scar; notice the story

8. Penelope's big question

9. She has the dream abotu the geese and the gates (What does this mean?)

10. Penelope's ax plan

Top 10:

1. Arnaeus/Irus shows up; foil for beggar-king

2. they battle

3. Back to Penelope and Eurynome (who says that Telemachus has come of age)

4. Telemachus then says the same thing

5. Penelope tells the story of the day Odysseus left for Troy (Wow! Serious perspective and creates great suspense because audience now has a reason to think she might marry a suitor)

6. She tells Eurymachus that he's not courting according to the time-honored ways; Odysseus (in disguise, of course) smiles at this

7. the gifts

8. Melantho (Eurymachus' lover) as a foil to Eurycleia

9. Odysseus challenges Eurymachus to a) feats of farming or b) battle

10. Telemachus tells them to go home

Top 10:

1. Odysseus to beg

2. Telemachus homel; Penelope and Eurycleia react; I can't tell you the story yet . . . 

3. . . . then he does (not full truth)

4. Notice Theoclymenus' prophecy

5. Notice description of town (my students should draw it!)

6. Goatherd Melanthius as foil

7. Argus

8. Suitors, stool 

9. Eumaeus, Penelope, Beggar = storyteller

10. Telemachus sneezes (so?)

Top 11:

1. epic simile (lines 19-25) = fahter and son

2. Notice dramatic irony at 111-113

3. Importance of disguises and revelation/recognition (Athena/Odysseus; Odysseus transformed; Telemachus/Odysseus). How much does this highlight the major question all great lit asks: "Who are we?"

4. They develop the plot to destroy the suitors; Zeus and Athena to assist; he'll be a beggar; hide the weapons; be sure they're drunk; tell a winning story)

5. Notice monosyllabic line at 332 (and use of 3 imperatives)

6. Suitors' reaction = "Uh-oh" (not literally!)

7. They plot

8. Antinous's father's story

9. Eurymachus lies about protecting Telemachus

10. Medon

11. Notice the simplicity of the closing lines of the book

Top 9:

1. Pisistratus sleeps; Telemachus cannot

2. Athena visits and tells him "no more roving"

3. Gifts: Menelaus = mixing bowl and Helen = wedding robes [What does this tell us about the daily lives of Ancient Greeks in this time period?]

4. Bird/goose epic simile and as harbinger/sign

5. Theoclymenus shows up (What the heck?)

6. Back to Odysseus plot line; Another test: Will Eumaeus invite me to stay? Odysseus says he's good at chores and could go work for suitors

7. Eumaeus' story: WOW! (He IS royal. What does this say about that welcome he gave Odysseus?)

8. Back to Telemachus plot line

9. Off to find the swineherd

Top 5 (but #1 is BIG)

1. What was daily life like? (description of Eumaeus' hut/land; work ethic; he longs for his master; politics and waht Odysseus would bring to current situation were he here; Xenia=Odysseus receives Royal Welcome=LOTS of layers of meaning here . . . more later, but for now, Odysseus is king, and though in disguise, he receives a royal welcome); gods; wine/food; shelter

2. Storeis within; notice, however, how many, now, are fictional!! How does the great teller of tales use fictions to work his magic in Ithaca; Eumaeuas says he was once tricked by a false tale! Hmmmm

3. Allusion to Achilles (who hates liars)

4. What is up with the use of 2nd person (You, Eumaeus) -- see footnote

5. "The Test" (Odysseus tells story of cloak; notice Eumaeus' response; does he give cloak? Where does Eumaeus sleep?)

�

Now we're in the obscure portion of the Odyssey. Many/most do not read these next twelve books. I, however, prefer to think of them as the James Bond segment--lots of internal political intrigue, disguise, bloodbath near end, and a return to justice. Hmmmmm. These books (apart from the Telemachia) are also PURELY human. No more monsters or witches play roles in the unraveling plot. In this way, perhaps these books are the most important in the work in terms of understanding the way the Ancient Greeks lived!

Top 11:

1. Transition (see paragraph above); first line and title of chapter

2. storytelling, audience's reaction, Odysseus' story later

3. Major epic simile at line 135--farmer

4. Poseidon's words and inference that bounty can be found as much or more in adventure than in war (Are the Ilaid and Odyssey paradoxically heroic but anti-war?)\

5. Athena disguised as shepherd boy

6. Odysseus' story

7. RECOGNITION scene (Athena out of disguise)

8. Odysseus learns of suitors (and notice Agamemnon reference)

9. Odysseus transformed into old man

10. Swineherd

11. reason she escorted Telemachus? Help him make his NAME

Top 7:

1. Elpenor's funeral

2. Circe's warnings (Sirens, Clashing Rocks, Scylla & Charybdis, Helios' Cattle)

3. Sirens (inversion of storytelling?)

4. Helios, Eurylochus' hunger and mutiny

5. Charybdis again

6. 9 days at sea on a log then in to Ogygia (Calypso); story now full circle

7. Look at last four lines of book

OK. Take a deep breath. This is a long, complex book, but it's VERY important. We get to meet LOTS of important figures from Greek mythology, legend, and history. Philosophically speaking, this is also a book about facing death, something Odysseus has done repeatedly but never this closely. 

Some important features:

• Ritual of sacrifice
• Dead women visit with Odysseus (notice interactions with his mother and how this sets up tension with suitors); actually, he visits with Elpenor first, then Anticleaia, then Tiresias
• Narratorial intervention (back to Odysseus in Phaeacia)
• Visits with men (Agamemnon: this visit also sets up tension with suitors--when Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he will face the same danger Agamemnon did); Achilles, Patroclus, Antilochus, Ajax, Minos, Orion, Tityus, Tantalus, Sisyphus, and Heracles

Top 11: 

1. More magical adventures: a) Aeolus b) Laestrygonians c) Circe

2. Aeolus and wind bag (what might this represent/symbolize)

3. Laestrygonians

4. Aeaea

5. Stag = hope

6. Can't tell east from west and dawn from dusk; they sink into despair (HUNGER)

7. Circe, potion, pigs, Eurylochus back at camp

8. Hermes intervens on behalf of Odysseus

9. Pigs; they stay one year then she tells them to go to the house of the dead

10. ritual

11. Elpenor

Top 11:

1. Odysseus "the great teller of tales" and storytelling

2. Best life has to offer = ?

3. A person's character = name, principles, reputation/fame

4. Stories of Odysseus' adventures: a) Cicones (humans) then b) lotus eater c)cyclops Polyphemus [Notice movement from human challenges to more and more monstrous and mystical/magical ones]

5. Notice what Cyclops does NOT do (uncivilized); foil for civilized Greeks?

6. Wine

7. Xenia

8. Name/"Nobody" (great footnote on this)

9. Craftiness

10. Name and serving justice (yells to Cyclops)

11. Poseidon (transition)

Top 10:

1. Phaeacians assemble to meet the stranger (ASSEMBLY!)

2. Demodocus the blind bard

3. Day of contests

4. Ideal Greek man=Odysseus: thoughtful, strong, articulate (and, of course, witty and wily)

5. Importance of names

6. Why must they respect the stranger?

7. Story of Aphrodite and Ares

8. Broadsea and gift of sword

9. Odysseus cries

10. Bard again and transition to book 9

Top 9:

1. Disguise is important in this book: Odysseyeus shrouded in a mist and Athena as a little girl

2. Odysseus as a man of troubles

3. Queen Arete and the role of women (gender theme)

4. Notice the halls and gardens (I'm keen on architecture and envrionment as crucial to understanding of setting): walls/friezes, doors, threshholds, thrones, statues

5. Notice how Odysseus appraoches queen and then interacts with her

6. Notice how they (the Phaeacians) treat him

7. again, notice grounds and buildings: gardens, buildings. Notice how this splendor contrasts with the simple needs of Odysseus at this point

8. We get Odysseus' first story (but not all of it) STORIES WITHIN and Odysseus as Great teller of tales.

9. Alcinous: "Balance is best in all things." (I just like this as a reading of Ancient Greek philosophy)

Sorry. No show notes for this book. See the study guide for important passages I have identified.

Top 7:

1. Gods in assembly

2. Hermes sent down; Calypso shows him hospitality 

3. Calypso and Odysseus

4. Shipbuilding (and language of seafaring)

5. Ino and scarf

6. Suffering of Odysseus

7. Notice poetic features at end of book . . . wow! Alliteration, repetition, rhythm, epic simile, sentence variety

Top 9:

1. Book opens with ritual: feast . . . double wedding

2. Notice how differnet people react to the arrival of Telelmachus and Pisistratus

3. Menelaus' story

4. Helen's story

5. Proteus

6. Gifts

7. Narrative transition back to suitors

8. Penelope

9. Transition to Odysseus!

Top 9:

1. Telemachus arrives at Pylos

2. Nestor is King. Pisistratus is his son. Notice how Telemachus is urged on and then greeted.

3. Athena is now Mentor

4. Some important questions at heart of this book and Telemachia:

a. Where is Odysseus?

b. How can we find him?

c. Who are we?

5. Story of Troy (Notice, from here on out, importance of stories (Troy, in this case) within stories (The Odyssey).

6. Story of Aegisthus and Agamemnon

7. Notice the many rituals: sacrifice, feast, storytelling, bathing, guest/host

8. Telemachus and Pisistratus on horse to Sparta

9. Notice all of the journeys: Odysseus', Telemachus and Pisistratus', Nestors', Agamemnon's (This isn't just one journey, adventure, or odyssey!)

Top Ten:

1. Assembly: Telemachus has called it, not for political reasons but for private ones

2. Antinous tells tale of Penelope's deception (loom and unweaving shroud)

3. Halitherses sees signs and predicts suitors' downfall

4. Mentor speaks out against suitors

5. Assembly broken up because no consensus

6. Telemachus asks for ship to go to Pylos and Sparta

7. He does not agree to stay and feast with suitors

8. He prays to Athena (who helps him)

9. Tells Eurycleia that he's leaving and asks her to pack barley and wine

10. Wonderful passage about ship's rigging--langauge of seafaring people and one of their dominant modes of transport�

In these podcasts on the Odyssey, I have tried to keep the shows between five and ten minutes and use them as introductions to the readings. I try to identify 7-10 major plot events or features of the book to discuss. Many of these are included in the study guides I have created for my students. These are available on my website. See link below. 

Here goes . . . Book 1 Top Ten:

1. Invocation as literary device and teaser

2. Gods in assembly (concept of assembly important to understanding Greeks); important gods are Athena, Zeus, Hermes, and Poseidon (who is off in Ethiopia)

3. Athena disguised as Mentes . . . don't be confused!

4. Mentes arrives at "party" and Telemachus greets him properly, then looks to get away from suitors for peace and quiet.

5. They get to know each other. Telemachus is the son in a household plagued by suitors. Mentes is a trader.

6. Phemius the bard . . . Bards quite important in the epic. Pay attention!

7. Penelope (Telemachus' mother and Odysseus' wife) makes quick entrance and then exit. Saddened by Phemius' song; Telemachus tells her to go back to what women do--distaff and loom.

8. Telemachus calls an assembly

9. We meet Antinous and Eurymachus

10. Telemachus goes off to bed and we meet Eurycleia (the good maid)

For supporting documents, please visit my website for a copy of my "Study Guide." I have it in MS OneNote 2010 format or PDF. 

3.3 should be a very haunting scene as it continues to build the tragic sense in the play/audience. IT is mainly Friar Lawrence and a very desperate Romeo. Keep in mind that "despair" ("desperate") meant, in a classical sense anyway, that one had lost all hope (despero in Latin being "from hope"). The logical conseuqence of such despair was often death/suicide, and Friar Lawrence does indeed have to keep Romeo from following throuhg on his desire to die rather than be banished. 

3.4 is a short scene involving the Capulets and Paris. Capulet asks Paris and Lady Capuelt to go ahead and prepare for Juliet to wed Paris. 

This is another tension building scene in the play, opening with Juliet celebrating what she thinks will be her first night with Romeo as husband and wife. This is bitter dramatic irony or the audience, for the powerful poetry of the scene highlights the horrors of the previous scene even more. 

It should also be seen as a mirror scene to 2.5, the tragic foil to the comedy of the interaction between the nurse and Juliet about Romoe's desire to marry Juliet. In this case (3.2), the news Juliet has to wait for is that it is Tybalt who has been slain. Please consider the masterful way Shakespeare uses point and counterpoint in these scenes that fall very closely together.

This is one of the most important scenes in the play for a wide variety of reasons. Both Mercutio and Tybalt are killed (Mercutio by Tybalt and Tybalt by Romeo), raising the stakes for the civial brawls between the two families. Killing Tybalt comes 120 lines after Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence discuss the marriage in 2.6, effectively yoking together, paradoxically so, marriage and death. Though the scene is short by some standards, it is crucial, nevertheless, for it helps propel the action into tragic territories.

This is a line-by-line explanation of 2.5 and 2.6 of Shakespeare's RJ. 2.5 is the comical scene in which the nurse comes back with news of Romeo's wishes to marry Juliet but withholds the news from Juliet (who becomes, understandably so, frustrated with the nurse's slowness in delivering the news). 2.6 is the scene in Friar Lawrence's cell where the wedding plans are made. �The Friar warns, once again, to be moderate in love.

This is a line-by-line read- through of 2.4 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a tricky scene for anyone, but especially for readers new to Shakespeare. What makes it tricky is that it is primarily a battle of wits and words between Mercutio and Romeo. The analogies, innuendos, and antiquated phrasings are tough to understand. Be sure, in general, to know the kind of person Mercutio is and read this into the interpretation of his lines. There are lots of sexual "jokes" in this scene. At the end of the battle of wits (a precursor to anotehr actual battle???), the nurse enters and suffers from, keeping with the war analogies/metaphors, "friendly" fire--Mercutio attacks her. She does have some important information, however, at the end of the scene, perhaps the only pertinent plot information in the scene!!  

This is a great scene. It's not a show stealer--it's the first we meet of Friar Lawrence, a really interesting character. He's not as entertaining as the Nurse or Mercution, and he's not as extreme as Romeo and Juliet. In fact, quite the oppostie, he represents and discusses balance, the middle road, la via media. Please consider how Friar Lawrence is also a naturalist, an oddity, no, for a man of the cloth.

Enjoy!

This screencast is intended for my Humanities English students, though it may help others who are studying the play. It's a large file.

This show is an explanation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2. This is the famous balcony scene. As I do in the show itself, I'd encourage audience members to read Bllom's chapter on RJ in his work The Invention of the Human in which he makes the very interesting point that unlike Chaucer (who kills "love"), Shakespeare kills the lovers. This whole play, in essence, is a consideration of the role of ideal (or idealized) love in the real world. Be thinking about this as you consider the import of this scene to the whole play.

This is a lecture on/explanation of the chorus (2.0) and the first scene in act two of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. 2.1 is Mercutio at his "lowest" (or best, depending on how you view him). He uses a string of innuendos to try "conjure" up Romeo (find him after the party). This makes Benvolio, the nice guy, nervous because it would likely upset Romeo to hear women and love discussed in these terms.

This is the feast/masque/party scene. In it, Romeo and Juliet meet (notice the religious conceit in the poetic exchange between the two) and Tybalt is first enraged with Romeo specifically (and not just "all Montagues.")

There are two major passages in this scene that "matter" in the Humanities course. First, there is the opening passage about performing a dance or scene in order to get in to the party. Second, there is the Queen Mab speech by Mercutio. This is our first encounter with this colorful character.

This is an explanation of 1.3 of Romeo and Juliet.

Pay attention to the following themes in this scene:

• Gender roles
• Marriage and sex
  
• Class issues (nurse, low; Juliet/Capulet, high)
• The state in which we find Juliet in relationship with her parents at this point (recalling what Capulet said to Paris about her having a say in her marriage)
  

This episode is  an ad for the Blue Yeti! Please forgive the poor sound quality, as I did not change the settings in Audacity to reflect the use of the Blue Yeti that records far better than the internal mic in my Tablet PC.

More importantly:

• Think about stage transitions
• Think about arranged marriages; Capulet says Juliet's opinion matters in determining who she marries
• Think about how Shakespeare creates context for Romeo's falling for Juliet by twice showing him on stage (so far!) talking about how he could never love anyone but Rosaline

Students in my course should complete the study guide after reading/listening to the dramatic reading and this lecture.

Show notes are in a PPT on my Moodle site (for my students).

This is an explanation lecture, covering the prologue to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Students in my course should complete the study guide after listening/watching. (Extra credit to the first person who notices my Freudian slip that has something to do with what is a four line stanza.)

Please note, too, that I have left out the concept of "conceit." I would argue that the conceit in this sonnet if the thetre itself. Would you argue for another possibility? Fate? Star-crossed love?

�

Show notes to follow . . .

Show notes to follow . . .

Show Notes to Follow . . .

Thanks to Thomas and Micaela; show notes to follow

Show Notes to Follow . . .

Show notes to follow . . .

Thanks to Thomas and Micaela!!

Show notes to follow . . .

Special thanks to Thomas and Micaela!

Show notes to follow.

This show is the remainder of Act One. I will begin posting show notes via PDF because scrubbing the Office coding for use in HTML is too tricky, adn the PDFs can be saved and printed. These notes will be posted shortly.

Enjoy!

Welcome back! I (and two trusty and well-spoken students who have each "done" Shakespeare) are back and working on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. We have completed Act One of the play and will begin work on Act Two next week. THANKS to Thomas and Micaela!!

This show is a reading of the Prologue, 1.1, and 1.2

I will be adding show notes to this site later (because I'm busy with other obligations right now).

If you are a student of Shakespeare, you should listen AND read the play at the same time. This is the main purpose of my site. If, however, you just like to hear the plays read, listen on!

NB: Thomas reads for Romeo (et al.), Micaela, for Juliet (and all of the other female roles AND Mercutio), and I take up the slack. There are times where, becuase of entrances and exits, Thomas and I have to switch roles (for example, we both read Benvolio, I think). We're not trying to create a perfect interpretation, just one that will support in a creative lively way, an academic reading of the play.

Show notes

�

I'm back after a long reprieve. I've taken on two new positions since last working on SHAKESPodosphEARE. Thanks for your patience. I hope this lecture/explanation helps if you are studying Othello.

Welcome Back!

Includes both readings and a lecture on all selected sonnets.

33 minutes.

The end of our adventure is upon us. Prospero's "project�gather(s) to a head"�(5.1.1). The audience watches each group of wanderers come back into the fray, into the circle Prospero weaves�on the stage, and the last, great spectacle, the wonderful vision of the island is Miranda and Ferdinand playing at chess.

What might this mean? symbolize?

Think about how each of the following features of his project is resolved:

Mercy/revenge

Union or Unity (Harmony; natural peace) / Division (Chaos; storms and tempests)�

Individual Flaws and Errors (his, Caliban's, et al.) / Political, Communal, Social flaws (flaws in "the system")

Freedom vs. Restraint (all characters must make sense of the limits of their "freedom," but the scene tends to focus on Ariel and Caliban, though even Prospero asks to be freed at the end of the play)

Art/Magic and its role in civilizing people (all of the characters) and the world (Ariel/Air?)

Please consider how much Prospero himself learns through this process. What does he mean by "every third thought"?

Enjoy

The scene opens with the comic relief offered by the clown's discussion of the word lie. In the play, to lie can mean three things. Desdemona uses it here to mean "to lie down to sleep" or "to lie down in one's home where one lives." The clown jokes about the other possible meaning, "to tell a lie." The audience�will soon learn in 4.1 that to lie can also mean to�lie with someone (i.e., sex). This is the meaning that will throw Othello into a fit. So, the term is very important in the play on multiple levels.

We also have�dramatically interesting crescendo in the scene when Othello and Desdemona argue about the handkerchief and Cassio. Listen to the show for details.

Also at the core of the scene is the nature of jealousy. Emilia points�to the nature of it (it begets itself upon itself) [something, as I point out in the lecture, that Iago has done to himself[; and the scene�ends with Bianca, too, in a fit of jealousy. The Bianca plot, then, serves as a foil or mirror to the main plot. How does seeing how ridiculous her jealousy is help the audience see the danger of Othello'?

Enjoy!�

This scene presents the audience with two plays-within-the play. The first, a masque performed for Ferdinand and Miranda to celebrate their marriage, and the frippery (clothing shoppe) for Stephano and Trinculo.

What is the purpose of the plays-within? Is the banquet scene the play-within intended for the wedding party?

Notice how the happy, celebratory masque is interrupted by Prospero remembering that there is a group of characters plotting against him.

Check out the new vogue for masques by doing a little research on the form/genre. James I loved this type of entertainment, and one theory about The Tempest is that it was in response to the king's taste for masques. If so, the masque of Ceres might be a topical allusion to a masque performed to honor the wedding of James' daughter, Elizabeth.

Notice the themes of the masque, too: fertility, marriage, love, nature. What do they have to do with the plot of the play?

Enjoy!

�

I commonly refer to this scene as "The Banquet scene." The scene opens with the royal party wandering about the island, Alonso in a nearly complete state of despair about his theoretically dead child. If he is nearly desparate at the beginning of the scene, after being tempted by the banquet, scolded�by Ariel (as a harpy), and deprived of the banquet, he exits in a complete state of despair. In the Renaissance, despair was considered the worst of sins; it implied a complete loss of hope (from the Latin for " to lose hope"). In fact, to be desperate meant that one felt God could not save him/her, and it was often followed by suicide. Alonso says at the end of the scene that he will go off to bed himself in the ooze with his son--suicide.

Consider�how Prospero uses theatrical effects to work his magic on the wedding party, bringing Alonso to despair, allowing�Sebastian and Antonio to plan an ill-fated coup, and Gonzalo to shine.

Ultimately, why is it a�banquet? Is it some kind of metaphor Shakespeare is using?

Enjoy!

Very bad ambient music by Greg Martin . . .

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Welcome back!

The main conspiracy plot is in its infant stages; meanwhile, back in the jungle . . .

. . . Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo are getting more and more drunk and plotting to overthrow Prospero.

Look at the evolution of Trinculo's relationship with both Stephano and Caliban. Jealousy?

Enjoy!�

In this scene we find Ferdinand carrying wood. He enters, delivers his soliloquy and admits that he'd do anything to win the hand of this mistress. Interestingly enough, he doesn't even know her name yet!

Miranda enters (with Prospero following, but eavesdropping on thme both) and tells Ferdinand she could help him with his labor.

What is all of this about?

It is a short and sweet little scene where we get to see Ferdinand and Miranda developing their relationship, and perhaps more importantly, we watch Prospero watching them. What is the significance of this?

Enjoy!

Welcome back!

This show is a reading of 2.2 of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

2.2 is when Caliban meets Stephano and Trinculo, the two clowns (or clown and jester) in the play. It is a form of low comedy, this bit of the plot, but it highlights or sheds light on the way the real conspiracy unfolds. Caliban is discovered by Trinculo, and then both (hiding together under a bush, one wiht his legs pointing one way, the other with his legs pointing the other) are discovered by Stephano who is Trinculo's friend. Stephano is drunk.

A few other things to consider while listening to or reading this scene:

Caliban, despite being a savage, is given some of the most eloquent passages, especially about nature, in this scene as well as in the play. Why?�Is Shakesepare investigating the noble savage in this play and how he is often violated by the forces of civilization?

The nature of power: what is Trinculo's attitude toward Caliban in this scene? How does it change and why?

What might Shakespeare be saying about drinking and drunkenness? Is this the same as Prospero's form of idleness that originally got him into trouble?

How else might I have tried to interpret the scene (more comically? less?)

How might one discuss imperialism's effects in relation to this scene (focus on the beginning of the scene when BOTH Trinculo and Stephano consider how the beast might make them rich).�

Thanks!

Dr. Martin

Welcome back to Shakespodospheare!

The following episode is a dramatic reading of 2.1 of The Tempest.�

In this scene,�audience members and readers find the wedding party on shore at Prospero's island.��It is important to know the relationships between these men. I do my best with different voices to help readers distinguish among them.

Alonso is the King of Naples. His son Ferdinand (whom we just left) is shipwrecked elsewhere on the island. Sebastian is Alonso's brother. Antonio is Prospero's brother and the current (de facto)�Duke of Milan. Remember how Prospero told Miranda about the way Antonio came to power--partially because Prospero ignored state affairs by focusing solely on his studies (His library was dukedom large enough). Antonio, however, prone by nature to corruption, took advantage of being the substitute for Prospero and was the man behind the attempt to kill Prospero and Miranda (by sending them to sea in a boat that could barely float--even the rats did quit (flee from) it). Please note that although Gonzalo, Prospero's trusted advisor, and now Antonio's and Alonso's, did get the job of having �to kill Prospero deceitfully,�could not do it because he was friends with and loved Prospero. Gonzalo, therefore, should always be seen as a good character--a good man among many bad ones.

Two very important themes emerge in this scene:

First, utopia. Gonzalo, eternally optimistic, declares how he would strive to create a utopian world, given the chance.

Second, conspiracy. There are two�examples of conspiracy in the play so far. First, there is the one in the past just described above, the one in which Prospero was supplanted by his wicked brother, Antonio. The second is the�one that develops in this scene, as a result�of Antonio's plotting. Antonio�persuades Sebastian to make an attempt on Alonso's life. As they draw their swords, Ariel sings a song in�Gonzalo's ear, waking him up. He and Alonso find Antonio and Sebastian with their swords drawn. The conspirators lie about�why they are wielding their weapons, and all of the men eventually decide to keep walking and try to find Ferdinand.

Please do your best with the dialogue at the beginning of the scene. Imagine Gonzalo, Adrian, and Francisco on one side of Alonso (or the stage), and Sebastian and Antonio on the other. As Gonzalo,�Adrian, and Francisco speak optimistically, Sebastian and Antonio make fun of them and sepak negatively about their current state of affairs. Eventually, all but Sebastian and Antonio are put to sleep by Ariel's music, so that the two evil characters can plot against Alonso. Sleep is another theme in the play, by the way. Might there be multiple meanings�for the term?

Please pay attention to how this conspiracy plays out, how it reflects on the previous one, and how the upcoming plot created by Caliban and Stephano is a comic mirror to the serious one. Shakespeare used double plots in many plays (much to the dismay of neo-classical adherents to the criterion of unity of�plot/action).�How do each of the plots help an audience get perspective on events in the play and the nature of conspiracy in general?�

I'd like to offer another special thanks to Mary Margaret for singing the lyrics to "While You Do Snoring Lie!" She gave up valuable time to help make this series more entertaining. Thanks a million, Mary Margaret!!

And to repeat the caveat I supplied in the previous show notes, Shakespeare's text calls for Ariel to play a tabor and pipe, but I use a guitar. Look for a separate "ideacast" on the music in The Tempest, complete with authentic music (forthcoming, I hope, in January of 2007). I wrote the music for the play, and Mary Margaret used her keen ear to come up with the melodies for the tunes I created.

Thanks for joining me!

Enjoy!

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Apologies for the long delay in posting the second scene of the play.

I've added a few extra features to the series, and this particular scene required writing music, recruiting two�students to read and sing, and needed lots of editing. Special thanks to Kelsey for reading for the role of Miranda, and to Mary Margaret for singing Ariel's songs. They offered their valuable extra time at very busy points in their lives, and I am extremely grateful. Thanks, ladies!

So, without any further ado, welcome back. I've always thought of this as one of my favorite plays, and this scene reminds me why. The first part of the scene is a perfect example of exposition. In the first scene, we meet what is commonly refferred to as the wedding party. They have left Alonso's daughter's wedding and are returning to Naples via ship, but a storm shipwrecks them. In this scene (1.2), Prospero explains to his daughter Miranda why he used his magical powers to begin a process of (merciful) revenge. He explains to his daughter, too, how they themselves ended up on the island, and how it resulted from his own failure to attend to the matters of state becuase he was so involved with private study. This is one of the major themes in the play, at least in my mind--the relationship between book knowledge (a priori) and experience (a posteriori). It also introduces another major theme--art vs. reality. Prospero calls his magical abilities his arts, a term with various meanings in the Renaissance. He uses his powers in the middle of the exposition to put Miranda to sleep and call on his fairy servant Ariel to get a report on how his revenge plan is working. We learn here the background of the relationship between Ariel and Prospero. Ariel tells Prospero how the plans are going. The audience learns via Ariel about Prospero's control over the elemental forces of the air. Is it coincidental that Ariel is the musical character in the play? Think about how Ariel may be a descendant of Puck (MND). [NB: Please see a not below about the music in the play]

After this section of the scene, we meet Caliban, Prospero's earthy servant, possibly inspired by accounts of Native Americans in travel literature from the period. Caliban's story is related to the audience, and much like other "villains" in Shakespeare's comedies�(Shylock, for example) he is indeed antagonistic but has been granted sympathetic features. In this case, we learn that Caliban once had the island to himself, was treated well by Prospero at first, but has since been subjected to servitude and physical abuse. Prospero explains that it was because Caliban tried to violate his daughters honor (rape her), that he eventually had to use corporal punishment to "motivate" him. The play also explores this major theme--how do leaders get their subjects to act. Prospero says that Caliban does not respond to kindness, only stripes (whippings). Ariel, however, needs only to be threatened. Pay attention to how Prospero leads other characters to certain actions throughout the play.

After the Caliban episode, we meet Ferdinand, Alonso's son, and therefore the heir to the throne of Naples. Ferdinand is led in by Ariel's musical rendition of "Come Unto these Yellow Sands," a song which hints at the desire Prospero and Ariel have to unite Ferdinand and Miranda. Ask yourself what other evidence in the scene supports the fact that Prospero wants Ferdinand to fall in love with Miranda. Not long after, Arield then sings "Full fathom Five," a song that reminds Ferdinand that his father is probaly dead (we learn in 2.1 that he is not). So Prospero uses Ariel/music to plant a seed of romance in Ferdinand's mind, and almost immediately after reminds him that he is alone in a strange world. Pay close attention to the lyrics of "Full Fathom Five." Ask yourself how Alonso (and other characters) undergo sea-changes (and continue to do so throughout the play). This is the other major theme of the play introduced in this�scene--change. Change is at the heart of all great comedies. Hegel defined the difference between comedy and tragedy as such: in tragedies, a character is single-minded and persists in his single-mindedness, failing to change and therefore heaping on himself and others great suffering. In comedies, a single-minded character learns to change, and because s/he is flexible is able to live in the world (and is usually able then to get married).

The other critic I'd like everyone to think about is Northrop Frye. His simple point that comedies are about confusion/chaos morphing into a reorganized social order is an important point to consider in this play. He also explores how�Shakespeare's plays themselves evolve. I suggested above that Ariel�is related to Puck.�Think about Prospero being in the long line of blocking fathers. He�brings Miranda and Ferdinand together, but�then he artificially pretends to block the relationship. Why does he do this?

Finally, and related to this last point, we should all ask ourselves about the�role Prospero plays in the play itself (artist?�father?�deposed�duke? brother? slave-holder??? imperialist? merciful friend? magician? playwright?) and the larger spectra of Shakespeare's ouevre and the history of drama.

The scene ends with Prospero leading Miranda and Ferdinand off-stage, Ariel invisibly following.

Please�use your imagination to think about how�the three separate groups of characters are isolated in different locations on the island. Ferdinand is�in one place, Stephano and Trinculo, another, and Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, and Antonio (and the minor characters Adrian and Francisco) in yet another.

In review, in this scene�we get the exposition about Prospero and Miranda, the context of their current situation, and the reason for the shipwreck; we are introduced to Ariel, then to Caliban, and finally to Ferdinand. This is a very important scene in the play, for it is the initial situation (think Aristotle). Pay close attention to how things change.

Above all else, enjoy the show!!

Dr. Martin

[NB: I wrote the music for the play using guitar becuase, well, it's the only instrument� Ican play with any reasonable abilities. The script calls for Ariel to have a tabor (drum) and piep, however. I plan to do a separate episode on the importance of music in the play, and I am making plans to work with our Fine Arts department to put together a more traditional arrangement based on music of a 17th century musician who may have worked with members of Shakespeare's company. For now, please accept my apologies for the inauthentic nature of the music. What guided me was practicality, but I did indeed try to make the light songs light, and the solemn songs sad and heavy. Let me know what you think!]

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This show is devoted to an explanation of and lecture on selected sonnets by Shakespeare. Unlike my lectures on Othello, it is not a line-by-line explanation of the sonnets (though I will make every attempt to record this kind of show in the future if there is demand).

This episode includes readings of the following selected sonnets by William Shakespeare:

1. #3: "Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest"
2. #18: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
3. #29: "When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes"
4. #30: "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought"
5. #33: "Full many a glorious morning have I seen"
6. #71: "No longer mourn for me when I am dead"
7. #80: "O how I faint when when I of you do write"
8. #116: "Let me not to the marriage of true minds"
9. #126: "O thou my lovely boy, who in thy power"
10. #130: "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun"
11. #135: "Whoever hat her wish, thou hast thy Will"
12. #144: "Two loves I have of comfort and despair"

I chose these sonnets for various reasons, which I will explain in the next episode, the lecture on and explanation of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Standard high school texts often only include only four or five sonnets, which I feel is insufficient to understanding the wide spectrum of ideas explored in the sonnets as well as the nature of the sequence. On the other hand, college anthologies often include all of the sonnets or so many that it would overwhelm those new to the sonnets. I have taken the middle ground, selecting one of each type (adressed to the young man, addressed to the dark lady, including the rival poet, etc.), a few of the major (most popular) sonnets, as well as some that I personally like to teach.

Please follow along in your own text of the sonnets . . . and, ENJOY!�

This show is devoted to a small sampling of sonnets by England's two earliest sonneteers--Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey.

The two poems by Wyatt which are read and discussed are "The long love that in my thought doth harbour" and "Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind."

The two poems by Surrey which are read and discussed are "Love, that doth reign and live within my thought" and "Alas! So all things now do hold their peace."

Both Wyatt's "Long love" and Surrey's "Love, that doth reign" are "translations" of Petrarch's Rima 140.

For background information on sonnets in general, on the importance of sonnet-writing during the English renaissance, and an introduction to the major sonneteers (Wyatt, Surrey, Sidney, Spenser, and Shakespeare) please listen to my previous show titled, "Introduction to English Sonnets." A PPS is available there as is an Excel chart comparing the different English forms.

Future shows on Sidney/Spenser and Shakespeare are in the works . . .�

There is also now an index of shows available on my website for�easier access to older shows. �

Thanks!

5.4� is another short scene. Brutus enters quickly (or does he simply stay on from 5.3?). Then it becomes a fight scene. Cato bravely fights but succumbs. Lucillius pretends to be Brutus, but he is taken prisoner. Is there some irony in the fact that Lucillius tries to protect Brutus but he cannot?

5.5 is, of course, the final scene in the play. Does the fact that Brutus is the last to die tell us how much this is "his play"? What are your final (emotional, literary, logical) reactions to the play?

5.2 is a transitional scene, which one finds regularly in Shakespeare's plays. Many scenes, especially when this short are practical scenes which help clear the stage, reset the scene, and provide the audience with practical information about what is to come. In this case, Brutus tells Messala to take orders to the other soldiers. It creates suspense (will Brutus succeed? We know he won't but maybe we suspend our disbelief to enjoy the dramatic tension).

5.3 leads up to Brutus' demise. In it, Cassius and Titinius both take their own lives. What do you make of Cassius slaying an ensign who flees from a battle which they are all beginning to realize they cannot possibly win?

What do you make of Brutus' closing speech?

The scene opens with a minor argument between Octavius and Antony (about whether the enemies would stay at Sardia or bring the battle to them). They also argue about who will get the right side of the battlefield, the right being reserved for the better/senior general's troops in Roman tradition.

The four major generals then meet, but no peace can be struck, so they prepare for battle.

Brutus and Cassius discuss what they will do if they lose.�Brutus says he will deal with it stoically, unlike Cato who killed himself. Cassius asks if Brutus is willing to be led around Rome (a common tradition for the losers to be paraded around for the Romans to see--very humiliating; Cleopatra talks about it in A & C). He says he is not, but . . .

Does the end of this scene serve as foreshadowing?

Note: Some editions of the play provide only one long scene for 4.2 and 4.3. I follow this principle, since the stage is not entirely cleared; in fact, Brutus and Cassius remain on stage together from 4.2 to 4.3. So this episode is a reading of both 4.2 and 4.3 if your text is broken up that way.

The scene opens with Cassius upset about Brutus having wronged him somehow; Brutus tries to quiet him down (because it is not good for their men to see them quarrel), and so he clears the stage. The argument between Brutus and Cassius ensues.

Many issues are raised in this argument. First, consider how Shakespeare shows us the way the rebellion starts to unravel from within. Is internal strife what causes Brutus and Cassius to fail? That's for you to decide. We have seen Octavius and Antony argue, but it is hardly the kind of argument that Brutus and Cassius have.

I have decided to read this scene (argument) and the tone of it a certain way, but a director of this scene will have to make some hard decisions about how to interpret it. Do the two argue at a high intensity the whole time (until they share a drink of wine)? If so, it makes for a long, tense scene. I like to think that the scene would start off heated (forsing Brutus to ask Cassius to be quiet and then "go into his tent"), settles down a bit, reaches a fevered pitch (when Cassius asks Brutus to kill him), and then settles down when they share a bowl of wine. This hints at almost a musical movement with the crescendo at Cassius' request to be killed.

What do you make of:

• Cassius throughout: Is he being honest? Has he really been failed by a messenger or is he making excuses? Does he have an itching palm? Is he just manipulating Brutus in the way some of Shakespeare's villains manipulate other "good" characters (Iago and�Richard III, for ex.)?
• Brutus being rather callous about his wife's death? Is he all statesman now and an unfeeling man? Or, is he just taking care of business?
• Why does Brutus "get his way" about taking the fight to Octavius? As much as Cassius is devious, he appears to be right about several things: he didn't want to let Antony address the masses, and he wants to keep the highground. Hmmmmm ???

Enjoy, and please post comments or questions.

4.1 involves a minor dispute between Antony and Ocatvius. At first they are both working on determining all of the men they will put to death for contributing to the conspiracy. Many will die. Their argument is about Lepidus--Antony cannot believe he is worthy of belonging to the triumvirate, but he also knows he is necessary for support in the short term. Ocativius finds him to be a "valiant soldier" (4.1.28)

Consider how audiences are presented with two contiguous arguments. First we see a very brief one between Antony and Octavius. In 4.2 (and/or 4.3 depeneding on your version of the play), Brutus and Cassius argue in depth about their relationship. More on that later . . .

For now, I think the important technical feature of the scene is to show Antony and Octavius having differences which are�more political (and pracitcal) than personal. It is they, now, who are prepared to do what is necessary to save Rome. In the next scene, we see a much more personal fight (albeit one that is resolved) with politcal overtones. Notice in 4.2/4.3, the discussion of whether to�be defensive or take the fight to�Antony and Octaivius�occurs almost as an afterthought.���

3.2 and 3.3, if daigrammed, might look like this:

Brutus speaks to and wins support of Plebeians --> Antony speaks to and wins support of Plebeians --> Plebeians show their maniacal support for Antony's "good" cause by attacking an innocent poet . . .

3.2 is an interesting scene in many ways. I am always interested in the structure of dramatic works and how� a writer chooses to present information, action, dialogue in patterns. 3.2 begins with Brutus speaking to the masses (Plebeians). He convinces them that Casesar's death was necessary, and they offer to crown Brutus (which is a reason Brutus wanted Caesar dead--to preserve the Republic and prevent one man from becoming too powerful). Is Brutus simply bad at "reading" the�Roman citizens, or does�he not "hear" them. Perhaps he is too much of an idealist to recognize the fervor in the crowd to have one man be crowned king in Rome. Hmmmmmm?

After Brutus speaks, Antony delivers his famous "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech. The crowds are incited to near hysteria and then in 3.3, the results of this mob mentality are shown in the attack on Cinna the poet.�

Some questions for meditation and discussion:

1) Is Antony a well-versed rhetorician? Is he a better speaker than Brutus? Or, is the crowd so fickle that they will believe whoever spoke more recently? (The attack on Cinna the poet in the following scene seems to bear this out, showing that the whole�second half of the act was as much an examination of mob mentality and the inevitability of monarchy/empire as of leadership or communication skills! The crowd is quite active/vocal in these scenes (and recall how the play opens!!). Add to this the oddness of some of our original expectations of the play when we hear the title (that it will be a play about Julius Caesar, not Brutus, Cassius, Antony, et al, but in point of fact, it really is not about Caesar--he's conspicuously absent.).�The next "logical" question is to ask again about the genre of JC--is it a tragedy (hard when the title character is dead before the middle of the play)? Is it a history? Perhaps it is less a history in the way H5 is (verging on a biased dramatic biography of sorts), and more in the way�1 and 2H4 are--pastiche stories which paint a broad picture of life in Rome (or Merry Old England), using men like JC and H4 to title the play, but then populating the�stage/page with more dramatically�interesting men like Cassius, Brutus,�Hal and Falstaff.��

2) If the second half of the third act is not primarily an investigation of the mob, you might consider the possibility that Shakespeare was using the mob as touchstone which helps the audience see (in yet another way)�Brutus and Antony for who they really are.

3) How much does the shouting of the crowd add to the tension that is brewing in these scenes?

4) How do we speak as a crowd (good or bad) today? Are we heard? When? Where? Why?

Keep thinking about how Shakespeare uses parallel plots and action lines to help the audience get a clear picture of the whole dramatic spectrum (events and characters).

��

3.1 is perhaps the central scene in the play. The most important event--Caesar's murder--occurs in this scene, so to some extent the rest of the play revolves around it (leading up to or declining away from).

As an activity, it might be interesting to look at the Aristotelian plot features of the scene to show how, in many ways, it is self-contained. It has an initial siutation, out of which some conflict develops. At the middle of the scene, there is a climactic event which serves, too, as�a turning point. The remainder of the action (with one exception which I� will discuss below), while tense, could be considered falling action or denoument (culminating with the rebellion's "inclusion" of Antony).

At the end of the scene, however, this falls apart because the audience learns that Antony was only hiding his true feelings about the rebellion and will eventually side with Ocatvius. After the conspirators leave, therefore, there is a transition in the action tfrom the beginning of the play to the remainder of the play--the ensuing�war between Antony/Octavius and Cassius/Brutus (and all of their supporters).���

�

2.3 and 2.4 are both quite short, so I combined them into one show.

2.3 is Artemedorus reading through his cautionary letter to Caesar.

2.4 involves Portia and the boy (servant) and eventually the soothsayer. Does this scene show a different side of Portia or does it verify that she does what it takes to strenghten her resolve.

Ask yourself, too, if 2.4 sets the mood and atmosphere for 3.1

I'd urge you to consider this the companion scene to 2.1 (involving Brutus and Portia). Brutus is the lead conspirator against Caesar.�He and his wife, Portia discuss the atmosphere of doom which pervades the�early morning air. Caesar and Calphurnia then discuss the same thing (in very general terms).�Brutus and Caesar contrast with one another dramatically in these two scenes. Pay attention to how each thinks about recent events, takes advice, listens to his wife, etc. In addition, consider the way Portia and Calphurnia contrast with each other.

If Brutus is introspective and somehwat indecisive at first, he is eventually convinced to go through with the plot and be active. Caesar starts out telling Calphurnia he cannot be passive (and is therefore decisive),�that he must go to the capitol. Calphurnia talks him out of it, and then Decius talks him back into going.

Portia is all bravery and strength and wants�at the very least to know what Brutus is doing. Calphurnia is very fearful, pushing Caesar to stay home.

These two scenes, in other words, show us�several��somewhat�binary forces at play in Rome.

PPS show which accompanies podcast/serves as show notes.

MS Excel Sonnet Comparison Chart.�

In this episode, there is information about the technical features as well as the five major English��� sonnet writers during the Renaissance: Wyatt, Surrey, Sidney, Spenser, and Shakespeare.

PPS Show Available at Beowulf PowerPoint Show

PPS available at: Anglo-Saxon Poetics PowerPoint Show

Power Point Show (PPS) for Show Notes at: Anglo-Saxon History and Literature PowerPoint Show

This scene focuses on Brutus. We first find him awake in the middle of the night, troubled by the thought of plotting the political murder of his friend and a great Roman. The important term here is general, a word that appears throughout Shakespeare's works, especially those focused on the nature of politics, government, and leadership. General here means the general good. What is good for all of Rome versus what is good for one man (recall Cassius' words), is a central question at the heart of this play.

One thing I hope students notice about Shakespeare studies is the rhythm of action within scenes as well as the rhythm of the whole play (movement from one scene to the next).

The scene, in a sense is broken down into four basic phases:

1. Brutus alone, thinking about the horrific thought of killing Caesar
2. Brutus joined by Casca, Cassius, and several other conspirators (here they discuss both killing Caesar, as well as some conspirators' desire to kill Antony, too)
3. Brutus and Portia (is this a personal scene? Portia wants to know Brutus' thoughts. What o you make of her stabbing her own thigh? What does she say about the nature of women?)
4. Brutus joined by Caius Ligarius, another potential conspirator.

Notice how the scene sort of breathes in (Brutus thinking), breathes out (Brutus deciding to join the conspirators but deminading they not kill Antony), breathes in (Brutus meeting with Portia), breathes out (Brutus convincing Caius Ligarius to join them).

Another question: has anyone wondered why Julius Caesar is nearly absent from this play so far?

Stayed tuned for the answer!!

The major players in this scene are Cassius and Casca, and later Cinna. This scene narrates the atmospheric maelstrom which occurs in Rome while the conspirators plot their course of action.

Readers should be aware of the way Shakesepare links action in the heavens with events on earth. Things are not as they should be . . .

While we do meet Caesar (and Calphurnia, his wife, and Antony, his friend) in this scene, most of the action (as is the case with almost all of the first act) is devoted to the developing conspiracy at the heart of which is Cassius. Cassius tries to convince Brutus (another one of Caesar's friends) that Caesar wields too much power for one man. Later, Cassius also tries to draw Casca (a sour man) into the conspiracy. Pay attention to what Cassius says when he is alone on stage, delivering a soliloquy.

Who does he remind you of from another work of literature or film?

We're off on another adventure, this time with a play that blurs the lines between chronicle play (a history) and tragedy. Technically speaking, it is included with the tragedies in teh First Folio and is, indeed, titled The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. It is possible that this is one of, if not the, first plays performed in the newly constructed Globe theatre (1599). What a better topic than perhaps the most famous political figure of all time (from a Eurpoean perspective, anyway). And the play grapples with how a vastly successful leader handles the way his power gets handed off to another. Well, Caesar doesn't deal with, which is part of� the problem. Elizabethans, too, were thinking if this issue, for Elizabeth was aging, lacked an heir, and said little about the transition to the next monarch. So it was a timely play to produce in several ways.

While it deals with historical issues and tragical ones (universal truths, so to speak), the play opens with a bit of a comedy routine to set the scene, if not the tone. In this scene, Marullus and Flavius, two tribunes (politicians elected to represent the affairs of "common" men--not to be confused with slaves, non-citizens, and the like) accost a group of commoners. See if you cna find the humor in it ,but look, too, for a serious, dark strand. What are the political implications of the action?

And, again, welcome! and enjoy!

Doc

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. . . I have been remiss in posting the explanations of the scenes. I apologize for this, but time constraints will force me to put this off until I have more spare time. I will, however, proceed with posting the readings of the remainder of the scenes.

This is a reading of 3.4. Keep in mind that 3.4 follows a very tense scene. We begin again with action involving the clown. In this case, there is a joke about the word lie. In a way, two of the more important themes in the play are captured by this very word. On the one hand, to lie, means to state something that is false. Iago is the quintessentail liar. His very life ("Honest Iago") is a lie. The Renaissance was a period which was, in a way, obsessed with different kinds of lies, the big ones for Shakespeare being art and acting. The other meaning of lie is, obviously, sex. To lie in bed together implies sex.�Iago uses this word to throw Othello into an epileptic fit in 4.1.

So, here we have a joke�about a word with very serious meanings and implications.�This joke, unlike the previous one, is connected to the major themes of the play. �

More later . . .

I give a brief overview of the seven basic phases of action in this, the longest and perhaps most important scene in the play in the first 5-6 minutes of an otehrwise very long episode (1 hour+!).

These are the phases:

1. ll. 1-34: Cassio, Desdemona, and Emilia discuss Cassio's suit
2. ll. 35-89: "Ha, I like not� that" (Iago plants the see); Othello annoyed with Desdemona repeatedly asking about Cassio, but he's still in love with her ("Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul /�But�I do love thee; and when I love thee not / Chaos is come again")
3. ll. 93-159: Iago and Othello; Iago gulling Othello by baiting him with his hesitancy to tell him what he eally is thinking
4. 260-81: Othello's first soliloquy: going back and forth; at end, trying to convince himself to lover her
5. 282-291: Desdemona and Othello discuss the pain in Othello's forehead; she drops the handkerchief
6. 292-321; Emilia's soliloquy (short) about Iago wanting the handkerchief; Iago enters and eventually gets the handkerchief from her
7. 322-480: Othello and Iago discuss Cassio's alleged�dream, the handkerchief, and Othello is convinced (despite asking for ocular proof); the scene ends with the monster-marriage (revenge ritual) of Iago and Othello.�

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Show notes to follow . . .

3.3 is a long scene, perhaps one of the most import in the play. It is certainly at the middle of the play. It is in this scene that Othello is made fully jealous; it ends with a marraige of sorts between Iago and Otehllo, a monster-marraige, based on the purpose of revenge.

More notes later . . .

Both 3.1 and 3.2 are short scenes. I've decided to put them in one file.

3.1

Action involves Cassio, the musicians, a clown, and Emilia. Consider the possibility of the clown being used here to provide comic relief. There has been some tense action recently (Montano stabbed, Cassio fired, Iago scheming), and it's time for the audience to breathe. The scene also sets up Cassio's desire to get access to Desdemona or Othello or both so he can get back in Othello's favor.

3.2

This is merely a transition scene that gets one group of actors off stage and another on, so that first group can come back on "later."

Show notes to follow . . .

2.2 is a VERY short scene in which a herald invites the islanders to celebrate the defeat of the Turkish fleet and the wedding nuptials of Othello and Desdemona.

2.3 is what I call the "fight" scene. I have a document availabe to help students get a good overview of the basic action (which can be confusing when just reading the scene). It is available by clicking here:�

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In addition to the scene being a fight scene, it is also a drinking scene. It opens with Iago trying to gull Cassio into saying some rude things about Desdemona, and then trying to get him drunk (at which Iago succeeds). Iago's plan is to get Cassio so drunk that he'll be easily angered. Then, Roderigo will pick a fight with Cassio (which he does) and make him look bad. The plan is successful--Cassio ends up stabbing Montano, the general of the island, and Othello, as a result, fires him. We are left at the end of the scene with Iago (deceitfuly, mind you) telling Cassio that reputation isn't all it's cracked up to be. And, to help Cassio, Iago has suggested that Cassio ask Desdemona to ask Othello to give him his job back. All of this is done by Iago as part of the larger plan to make Othello insane with jealousy.

The action moves now to Cyprus. In my show notes for the reading, I note the three basic bits of action in this scene (arrival at Cyprus-->battle-of-the-sexes word "game"-->Roderigo/Iago).

Here are highlights for each of the major themes upon which we are focusing:

Race:

• Iago's "advice" to Roderigo (and his trying to boost his self-confidence) is full of racial and gender stereotyping

Gender:

• "Our great captain's captain" = Desdemona having control over her husband; collision of private and political
• Cassio's "customs" as he kisses Emilia (and Iago's reactions) and Desdemona's (and Iago's narrations)
• "you are pictures out of doors . . . " -- look at this WHOLE passage
• "You rise to play, and go to bed to work" = "You're bad at being housewives (i.e., always playing instead of working; you go to bed to work= prostitute yourselves, if even to your husbands -- do you hear echoes of the Wife of Bath)
• All of Iago's section on fair and foul women
• Iago's soliloquy at the end has misogynistic overtones--re-read

Evil:

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Wordplay:

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2.1 can be divided into three bits of action:

1. The one-by-one arrival of the Venetians in Cyprus and the eventual news that the Turkish fleet has been sunk in a tempest
2. The battle-of-the-sexes (my terminology) game played by Iago with Desdemona and Emilia (major Gender issues in this section); followed by Othello's arrival; be careful with the game--it's hard to read. Listen to the explanation for, well, an explanation.
3. Iago builds up Roderigo's hope AGAIN!! Scene ends with a soliloquy by Iago in which he states he will get revenge on Othello, "wife for wife" because he continues to think Othello has slept with his wife (Emilia); in addition, he adds that he also�suspects Cassio of wearing his "night-cap too" (or, cheating on him with Emilia).

It is important to understand the relationship between political matters and personal matters as they come to fruition in this scene. The Duke is asked to decide the fate of Venice as well as Desdemona. Both are economic decisions.

One of the things I love about this scene is the discovery of Othello's storytelling abilities being what wooed Desdemona. It is especially interesting because he tells us early on that he is rude of speech.�

I also love, in a related way, the profound love between the two; it transcends physical attractions and is based on both stories and a common understanding of them. They see each other as beautiful not only for their stories, but also for their ability to speak them. Desdemona is given voice by Othello, an uncommon act in Renaissance England. If accused of whoring, a woman was most often simply guilty of it , whether it is true or not. What is so frightening is that this deep, profound love is preyed upon by evil, telling us that if it were possible for a perfect love to exist it, too,�may be vulnerable to corruption.

The discussion of will and reason is sensational, too, but we must be stricken by the fact that otherwise good advice (cool your lust by using reason), is uttered by Iago.

Finally, It's important to analyze Iago's soliloquy carefully. I hope you enjoy what I have to say about it.

Race:

• Othello's beautiful passage about wooing Desdemona contains the stories of his strange adventures. They verify that he is indeed exotic, but mainly because of his experiences, not his birthplace or race.
• "Your son-in-law is far more fair than black"
• These Moors are changeable in the wills

Gender:

• The divided duties of Desdemona (to father, to husband, and perhaps to state?)

Evil:

• Remember that one of Iago's traits is his ability to pretend to be honest and thoguht so; the Turks are shown pretending to sail to Rhodes to trick the Venetians. Is Iago tricking more than just Othello? Caasio? Could he also be tricking Roderigo? Yes. The politcal action sheds light on the�personal matters�involving Othello, Brabantio, and Desdemona.��
• My wits and all the tribe of hell

Wordplay:

• We get the Duke's neat aphorisms at the end of the "trial" section of the scene; Brabantio counters with his own. Touche!
• Iago's continuing ability to manipulate people with words.
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1.3 divides neatly into three basic sets of action:

1. The Duke in council discussing the matter of the Turkish fleet and its sailing to either Cyprus or Rhodes
2. The interruption of the political matter with Brabantio's personal suit
3. Iago's further gulling of Iago ("Put money enough in thy purse.")

It is important to consider the nature of political and personal matters in this scene and how they intersect (collide) with one another.

Keep looking for references to race, gender, evil, and wordplay.

Some action we get to see in this scene:

• Iago pretending
• Cassio's first entry
• Brabantio's accusation of Othello shows the Venetian perspective on Africans to be based on exocticism and mysticism

Central action of the scene:

• Othello and Iago discuss Othello's rumored marriage and Brabantio wanting revenge. Iago pretends to be Othello's friend.
• Cassio enters with the message that Othello is wanted by the Duke in council.
• Brabantio enters and accuses Othello of� bewitching his daughter and stealing her. Othello agrees to be "tried" (my word); he is on his way to the Duke's chamber anyway, so he can try the case

The following recording is a line-by-line explanation of 1.1 of Shakespeare's Othello.

1.1 involves Iago and Roderigo. Roderigo is a Venetian gentleman who is deeply in love with Desdeomona, a weatlhy, beautiful woman who is Brabantio's daughter. Brabantio is a greatly respected senator in Venice. Iago is a soldier and is Othello's "ensign" or "ancient." He has been passed over for a promotion in rank, the promotion having been given to Michael Cassio (a Florentine"almost damned in a fair wife"). As the play opens, both Iago and Roderigo are on stage, and are in the middle of a conversation. Roderigo is upset that Iago has not told Roderigo sooner of the rumor of Desdemona's marriage to Othello. Iago is upset that he did not get the promotion to lieutenant. Both agree to hate Othello and get revenge on him. They begin by awaking Brabantio in the middle of the night, uttering vulgar racial slurs to create a vivid image in teh father's mind of his daughter sleeping with an African man.

Important Features of this Scene/What to Look for:

Race:

• "What a full fortune doth the thick-lips owe, / If he can carry it thus" (1.1.67-8) (also about economics and the exchange of female bodies within marriage)
• "Even now, now, very no, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe" (1.1.89-90)
• Barbary Horse (another racial and animalistic image) (1.111)
• When Brabantio re-enters and discovers his daughter is missing, he says, "O that you had had her," having just told Roderigo not to "haunt about (his) doors" anymore. Why the quick change of heart? Is it racial or does Brabantio just want control of his daughter?

Evil:

• "Evil" begins, in this play, as a form of perverse individualism. As such, I will place examples below of Iago stating his form of individualism. In no way do I believe that individualism in general is an evil--far from it. Students interested in this topic might explore Machiavel and his work The Prince, which are statements of early Renaissance individualism.
• "Others there are / Who, trimmed in forms and visages of duty, / Keep yet their hearts attending on their on themselves" (1.1.49-50)
• "I am not what I am" (1.1.66) Is this a mirror of "I am who am" (Yahweh)?