Happy Birthday Charles.

Happy birthday Charles!

It seems as if the whole world is celebrating today, so I would feel a bit guilty if I didn't say anything. After all, this is a classics book blog. :)

I have a love/hate relationship with Dickens' work, but I am still learning more about him and his work. I actually started David Copperfield last night and I was immediately hooked. As evidenced by the painting above, Dickens has had a lasting impact on the world of literature. I am slowly discovering that world. I'm kind of glad that I have a lot of his work left to read.

Here is to his legacy lasting at least another 200 years. ;)

Book 136: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (Shakespeare Reading Month).

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

For those of you who are getting tired of the Shakespeare, be happy since this is my last post on one of his plays. Yep, play #11 for the event is A Midsummer Night's Dream. I purposefully left this one for last. Besides Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, I know this play the best. I've lost count of how many times I've read it or seen the movie. It is a fabulous example of Shakespeare at his best and one of the "funnest" plays I've read.

This is a play that focuses on the connection between the fairy realm and that of mortals. But there is also a sub-plot that focuses a bit on class issues. I'll touch on that in a minute.

The main plot focuses on 4 humans who wander into the forest. The two men, Demetrius and Lysander, are both in love with Hermia. Only one of them (Demetrius) has the favor of her father, and she loves the other (Lysander). There is also Helena, who adores Demetrius.

The four of the them are wandering around the forest, fighting over each other. They gain the attention of Oberon, king of the fairies, and his friend Robin Goodfellow (he is also called Puck in many editions). Oberon wants to fix the problem by having Demetrius fall in love with Helena using a flower powder, but Robin screws up the instructions and winds up having both men fall in love with Helena. So now, instead of the two men chasing Hermia, they wind up chasing Helena. It causes some funny interactions, but eventually Oberon straightens out the problems, leaving the couples paired off and ready to return to Athens to get married. In typical Shakespearean comedy fashion, it all works out.

The sub-plot focuses on an acting troupe. They are also in the woods at the same time as our four lovers, practicing for a play to perform before the King and Queen of Athens. They serve as the clowns in the play-causing mischief, etc. There are some hilarious scenes with these characters. I love when one, Bottom, is given the head of an ass and Titania, Oberon's wife, falls in love with him due to a spell. I am sure that for viewers back in the Globe, seeing that on stage was a riot.

But they really steal the play with the last Act of the play. They finally "perform" the play they've been practicing live in front of our two couples and the Royal couple. Before they perform, they give a little prologue, assuring the ladies that it is an actor, not a lion, who is roaring at them, and that the "wall" in the play is a man who is only symbolizing the wall. Hilarious. I am sure that with the right staging, etc, this was the highlight of the play in Shakespeare's time.You also get this gem as one of the characters in the play dies...

“Thus I die. Thus, thus, thus.
Now I am dead,
Now I am fled,
My soul is in the sky.
Tongue, lose thy light.
Moon take thy flight.
Now die, die, die, die.”

Ah, so funny. But, while this whole scene is certainly funny, it is important to at least notice the undertone. All of the characters in the acting troupe are from the working class. Their main goal in performing before the King and Queen is to earn the opportunity to make more money. They are at the mercy of those higher than themselves. Their bits of stupidity and hilarity are caused by their lack of education and knowledge about acting. I also think that Shakespeare uses them to poke fun at unprofessional acting troupes. I believe that Shakespeare and many of his contemporaries were showing that actors were higher than the everyday man. But those are my guesses.

The other piece of the play that I love are the ending lines, which I'll also end with. They say a lot about the play, but I also find them a fitting closure for my discussion on Shakespeare's plays this month.

“If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
If you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.”

Book 135: Othello by William Shakespeare (Shakespeare Reading Month).

“Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving."

Othello is the last of the "great" Shakespearean tragedies that I've read (those tragedies include Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet). I knew I wanted to end my reading of the tragedies with this one because I knew I would love it. It is a play that is often talked about, and I have been lucky not to have it spoiled for me.

Like The Merchant of Venice, I read it without doing research beforehand. I think the fact that I understood it and knew what was going on speaks to how reading so many plays has helped my knowledge of Shakespeare's sentence structure. It also kept up a bit of mystery as I read, as I didn't know what would happen.

I am glad that I saved it, and that I finally read it since it is a play that is part of the curriculum for the district I have been working in. It was about time that I read it!

Anyway, the play is about Othello, a Moor from Africa who has become one of the greatest generals in Venice. By the end of the play, he has a huge downfall. At the beginning of the play, everything seems to be going wonderfully for Othello. Beyond his military accomplishments, he recently married Desdemona. There is a bit of hoopla about the marriage because of the difference in their races, but Othello and Desdemona seem happy at the beginning.

Of course, it all spirals down from there. Othello has to choose a new lieutenant and selects his friend Cassio over Iago. This pisses of Iago, who determines to bring Othello down from his lofty perch. Iago is really the mastermind behind all of the tragedy in the play, as he is determined to seek revenge on both Othello and Cassio.

All of these little details wind together-the race issue especially. Since Othello is black, he subjected to a lot of racism, especially given Desdemona's own color. There are many comments throughout the play that focus on the color of Othello's skin and his relationship with Desdemona. Some of these are incredibly sexual and conniving (and most are said by Iago).

Where it all falls apart is when Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are sleeping together. Othello turns into a madman, agonizing over what he thinks is happening. What really struck me about this change was that Othello took Iago's word over anything Desdemona had to say. It seemed as if he didn't care to learn the truth from Cassio or Desdemona before condemning them for their transgressions.

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger:
But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!"

In the end, it all ends in murder and suicide (Shakespeare was a fan of suicides it appears).

This play? Fantastic. I was blown away by the power and evilness of Iago. He might be the best Shakespearean villain. Every move was calculated and he truly used the circumstances of Othello's life and appearance to his advantage. He knew every weakness, the racism, and the insecurity against Othello to bring him down from his lofty heights.

Now I see why this play is the perfect choice for high schoolers. As I was reading, I continually thought of ways to discuss the major issues here: prejudice, the importance of reputations, and learning the full story before acting on information. And while I still think there are better Shakespearean tragedies, this really is a great choice for high school students. There is so much here to discuss.

A bit of me is sad that this is the last of the big tragedies-those most well-known and read-but I am excited to get to the smaller ones in the future and see what other kinds of torture Shakespeare wants to inflict on his characters.

“I hold my peace, sir? no;
No, I will speak as liberal as the north;
Let heaven and men and devils, let them all,
All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak.”
 
What did you think of this one? Love it? Hate it?

Weekly Wrap-up for February 5, 2012: On Singing, Babies, Books, Shakespeare, and More.

I am tired this morning, but I did force myself out of bed to get some things accomplished this morning. I guess I have myself to blame.

Last night we went to a karaoke bar. Now, anyone who has been in a car with me, to a concert, or by me while I think I am alone knows that I cannot sing to save my life. My husband says I can't really call it "tone-deaf" since I can tune myself when I am playing my trumpet, but I cannot carry a tune (Yes, I play the trumpet. Matt and I play in a community band once a week. And yes, I am better than him. ;) Don't tell him that).

So last night was a little tortuous for me, since the friends we went with have not been graced by the beauty that is my singing voice. Needless to say, even with all their peer pressure tactics, I didn't get up on stage and sing. I stayed at our table and listened. Our friend Jay was a little scared of the stage as well, so we just pretended that we were way too awesome to let others hear our golden voices. ;)

It was a good time, and I am glad Matt forced me to go. I was ready to snuggle in bed with a book, as is befitting for a hermit like myself, but I had fun with everyone.

I also went to a baby shower yesterday for one of my oldest and best friends. I met Jenny in the first grade and we have been friends ever since (over 20 years?). She lives down in Knoxville now, but her parents live out in Ann Arbor (about an hour from me). It was great to see her and some other old friends. She doesn't know what she's having yet, so I am excited to see come April.

It seems like a lot of people I know are pregnant or just had a baby! There is baby fever everywhere! I was at one of the schools I worked in on Thursday, subbing, and discovered that three of their English teachers are pregnant! They are all due near the end of July/early August. They were cracking jokes at lunch about something being in the water over there.

Today I don't have too many plans besides recuperating from a busy day yesterday and selling back some books to my local bookstore. They only buy back used books once every couple of months, and the last time I was there, their used section was a little on the empty side (their new sections were also a little bare, which confused me). I still have all those books I culled in November (I missed the weekend buy-back by a week), and since this is the first weekend to sell back since then, I am ready to get these books out of here. 140+ books take up a lot of space when they are just sitting there. Hopefully they'll take most of them. The rest I am going to donate to one of the schools in the area. And, hopefully, I'll get some store credit to buy a few things I've been eying.

In other good, bookish news, I was accepted to be a giver for World Book Night! I don't know which book of my 3 choices I'll be handing out, but I am really excited. I am going to go in and give half the books to some old students (as long at the two teachers I worked for are okay with it), and the rest I am passing out in the area. I am going to hit up one of our local malls. It should be a great experience and I am so excited that I get to do this.

In regards to the blog, Shakespeare Month is wrapping up on the 10th (I extended it) and to be honest, I'm kind of excited to get it finished. I feel a little drained with all the posting, reading, and writing about Shakespeare. Don't get me wrong, I love Shakespeare, but I am burned out. I read 11 plays, so I'm allowed. I still need to go read all the posts everyone wrote as participants, so that will be my main goal this week.

I am also planning a Victorian themed event for June and July. I have a lot of Victorian books to read on my list, so it is a good excuse. I've already started thinking about some prizes (you're going to love them), as well as 1 or 2 challenges to offer something different to the challenge. I'm planning on hammering out all the details in the next two months and announcing it in April. If you have some Victorians on your TBR, save them for June and July! :)

Well, that's all I have for this week. I am planning on catching up on some reading. I am in the middle of Roots by Alex Haley for the readalong, so I want to get to our goal for Wednesday before diving into something else. I'm having a hard time deciding if I should read David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, or one of the two biographies on Dickens. I was thinking of saving the bios (one is the Bicentenary book I showed earlier this week, the other is the Tomalin) for later, but now I am second-guessing myself...Any suggestions?

Happy Reading!!

Book 134: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (Shakespeare Reading Month).

“All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life has sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold
Had you been as wise as bold,
Your in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been in'scroll'd
Fare you well: your suit is cold.' Cold, indeed, and labour lost: Then, farewell, heat and welcome, frost!”
The Merchant of Venice is yet another Shakespearean play that I was unfamiliar with. Unlike some of the others that I read for the first time, I really knew nothing about the play before I started. I was surprised to get into the play and see what it was about.

The play focuses on the "merchant" only slightly, which is what confused me. For being the title character in the play, the merchant, Antonio, does not appear to be the central focus on the play.

Basically, the play starts with a young man, Bassanio, asking Antonio for money. Antonio agrees to sign for a loan from Shylock, a wealthy Jew, to help Bassanio have the opportunity to go and woo his love Portia. Shylock has it out for Antonio, so part of the terms of this loan is that if Antonio fails to pay it back, Shylock can take a pound of flesh from the merchant.

After the loan is in place, Bassanio travels to Portia to win her. There are, of course, some other suitors, who all fail miserably at the test put in place to "win" dear Portia. I was a little amused at the test and found it interesting that her future husband would be determined by his ability to figure out a riddle. If my own father left that kind of a trap for my future suitors, I would have had a fit. It all seems to work out, as Bassanio manages to figure out and he wins dear Portia.

Meanwhile, poor Antonio is in a bit of a bind back home. His ships haven't returned, and lo and behold! No money to pay back Shylock!

This is where the play gets really interesting. I had to reread the last couple of Acts a few times because I was pretty enthralled with events and how Shylock was portrayed. As a Jewish character, Shylock was shown as a dark and mischievous fellow-only concerned with his money and revenge. And Shakespeare really portrays him as being that way. I'm aware that a lot of Jewish characters in literature are portrayed that way. In fact, I was reminded of Fagin from Dickens' Oliver Twist. In both Shakespeare and Dickens' work, the Jewish characters were portrayed in this slimy, disgusting way. Obviously in today's day and age, that kind of..antisemitism is inappropriate and offensive. But, you can't help but be a pit in awe of how these characters appear. I was particularly struck by these lines by Shylock...

"I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge."

Interesting, right? I also have to point out that this speech is in prose, which Shakespeare usually leaves to those of the lower classes in his plays. I had to think a lot about what Shakespeare was really trying to say here. On one hand, you have a character being portrayed in a dark light-he is obsessed with revenge, is shown as being a lower class, and is constantly being called out for being a Jew. On the other hand, he says things like this. He appears to be a sympathetic character. This side makes sense to my 21st century mind, but what kind of impact did his speech have on those who first saw the play performed? Did they question the right for a Jewish character to speak this way? Did it hit home for any of them? I wonder.

I also love that Portia seemed to hold a lot of power in the end of the play. Again, there was a bit of cross-dressing and Portia winds up at the trial to determine the fate of poor Antonio and Shylock. This scene was by far the most interesting-to see how words were twisted to get a desirable result. This whole scene helped show how the play really focuses on the power of language. One bit of intent left out of speech and everything can come crashing down.

I particularly fell in love with Portia's "mercy" speech...

“The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.”

Lovely, isn't it? No wonder it is one of the most famous bits from the play.

I could go on, but I feel I would talk in circles. This is definitely one I am going to return to sooner rather than later. There is so much to explore and question. :)