myths and legends

New Class: Shakespeare and Star Wars!

| astronut1
Course title image

Using self-paced online activities, your child(ren) will compare the plot and characters of Star Wars to Shakespeare’s plays. We will also discuss  Shakespeare writing by looking at “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” by Ian Doescher.

Course Description

  1. Concept: To compare and contrast the plot, characters, themes, and language of Shakespeare’s plays with Star Wars
  2. Student Description:
    1. Epic battles, quests for revenge, pirates, funny characters, powerful warriors swinging swords. Star Wars has something for everyone. But did you know that in many ways, Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? In this course we’ll peer beneath the veil of Shakespeare and Star Wars to find the universal stories of love, revenge, power, and growing up, using games, artwork, and dramatic readings by professional actors!
    2. Did you know that Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? This class will teach you about writing and characters though games, interactive activities and dramatic readings of both Star Wars and Shakespeare!
  3. Course organization (the class is divided into 6 parts that students can complete at their own pace over a week-long period.
https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/9-10/

Outline

Unit 1: How Is Shakespeare Like Star Wars?

Class I- Setting the Scene

  1. That is the Question:
    1. What is Star Wars about?
    2. What parts of the Star Wars story are like Shakespeare’s plays?
    3. Are Shakespeare and the Star Wars movies saying anything similar about war? Families? Growing up?
  2. Lesson Objectives
    1. To teach about the characters and plot of Star Wars by comparing them to Star Wars
    2. To introduce the concept of archetypes, tropes, 
  3. Set the Scene
    1. Star Wars is about an evil empire trying to take over the galaxy. They have more ships, more soldiers, and a fearsome weapon that can blow up planets. The rebels on the other hand, though fewer in number, are faster, smarter, and have the advantage of fighting for a good cause. 
    2. In addition, the story is about growing up- Luke becomes a Jedi Knight. He takes revenge on the man who destroyed his father.
  4. The Players (slides)
    1. Luke
    2. Obi Wan/ Yoda
    3. Vader
    4. Leia
    5. Han
    6. R2D2 and C3PO
    7. The Emperor
  5. Words Words Words
    1. Epic
    2. Parody
    3. Theme
    4. Plot
    5. Archetype
    6. Character 
    7. Trope
    8. Theme

Class 2: The Journey of Han and Leia

  • Han and Leia vs. Beatrice and Benedick
    1. Show videos of Han before Leia
    2. Plot summary of Much Ado
    3. Clips of the bickering of Benedick and Beatrice
    4. Read blog and look at the writing.
    5. Activity- how would you write a love letter to Han or Leia?
    6. Play the scene from Jedi

Unit 2- The Prequels and Shakespeare’s Histories

  1. A Crash Course in Shakespeare’s Histories
  2. The Rise of Palpatine/ Richard III
    1. Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars rises to power through a combination of manipulation, intimidation, and by killing his opponents. 
    2. Bio of Richard III
    3. Slide- Richard’s rise to power
    4. Slide- Palpatine’s rise to power
  3. Quizlet

Unit 3- The Verse of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher

  1. What is William Shakespeare’s Star Wars
    1. Introduce the plays
    2. Explain how Shakespeare’s verse works
    3. Look at the common verse elements
      1. Sonnets
        1. Show the chorus of “Verily a New Hope”
          1.  It is a period of civil war. The spaceships of the rebels, striking swift From base unseen, have gain’d a vict’ry o’er The cruel Galactic Empire, now adrift. Amidst the battle, rebel spies prevail’d And stole the plans to a space station vast,Whose pow’rful beams will later be unveil’d And crush a planet: ’tis the DEATH STAR blast. Pursu’d by agents sinister and cold,Now Princess Leia to her home doth flee, Deliv’ring plans and a new hope they hold:Of bringing freedom to the galaxy .In time so long ago begins our play,In star-crossed galaxy far, far away
          2. Stychomichia
          3. Half lines
          4. Enjambment
          5. Title Crawl (make a gif via Canva)
  2. Side By Side Comparisons
    1. Read/ watch segments of the play
      1. To Be Or Not To Be
      2. All the World’s a Stage
      3. St. Crispin’s Day Speech
    2. Try to turn a Star Wars line into verse, and then look at the reveal.

Unit 4- Literary Devices of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars

  1. Using the educational guide, we’ll learn about the following literary devices:
    • Extended Metaphors (Luke’s green lightsaber)
    • Anaphora (Luke’s call to action in Jedi)
    • Premonatory Dreams (Calpurnia)
    • Stichomythia Richard III vs. Han and Leia

Unit5- The Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker

Class 1: What is a Hero’s Journey (Slides)

  1. Learn a little about Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. using the Percy Jackson post, Crash course video about monomyth
  2. Chart Luke’s monomyth journey
  3. Activity- Mad libs- write a star wars movie!
  4.  Quiz on plot elements from the monomyth (Quizzes or Quizlet)

Class 2 :  Hamlet and Luke Skywalker

  1. Plot comparison
    • (use infographic)
    • Quote from Doescher:
      • Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is Shakespeare’s most famous play. It’s also the play I make the most references to in William Shakespeare’s Star Wars.
  2. To Be Or Not to Be
  • Use my video about the speech to explain the structure
  • Note how Doescher repurpuses every line in the Star Wars Trilogy:
    • Sometimes it expresses fear: 
    • Sometimes concern: 
    • Frustration: “The whips and scorns of time”
    • Hope: “The undiscovered galaxy” “Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.”
    • Activity: write your own paraphrase of Hamlet’s speech, using the 6 beats I provided.

Unit 6- Become a Bard Warrior (Slides and Sites)

Notes

Resources:

Web: https://americanshakespearecenter.com/2011/05/in-the-force-of-his-will-shakespeare-and-star-wars/

Close Reading: Shakespeare’s Star Wars (Empire Scene) https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2024/04/17/close-reading-william-shakespeares-star-wars/ 

The Journey of Han and Leia: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2023/06/16/new-podcast-william-shakespeares-star-wars-part-ii-the-journey-of-han-and-leia/ 

Darth Vader Does Shakespeare

Review of Jedi:

Review: “Star Wars-  the Jedi Doth Return .” by Ian Doescher

Video

  1. William Shakespeare’s Star Wars and the Power of Iambic Pentameter – Summer of Shakespeare the First
  2. The Wampa From “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars”
  3. Han Solo Does Shakespeare
  4. Emperor Shakespeare
  5. Darth Vader does Shakespeare
  6. Dagobah Cave Vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0otvBA0iAA0 
  7. Duel between Luke and Vader: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars excerpt: the Duel from “The Empire Striketh Back.”
  8. Comparison:
    1. 1st 10 minutes of Jedi: Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi Opening Scene HD720p
    2. Doescher’s version: Darth Vader Reads Star Wars Shakespear The Jedi Doth Return Vader Reviews

Podcast:

  1. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BJ6TuhFO699OxWRLZNL2U?si=_cRGo7FzQjakUuZuPT0KwA 
  2. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1E3Eh9OpcR7lpMHI8edU4o?si=p-PrlRzQStqwGnoz4Y88pA 
  3. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SFDcMAfF14ANVIki6xxr8?si=0YWtFyWoQE2CtG8fAEK22A 

https://roomescapemaker.com/u/kuhz1234/egregree#google_vignette

Great Classes for the Month of May!

| astronut1
Short, soothing summary of my online classes available in the month of May!

Great online classes in Shakespeare and science are available for students all this month at Outschool.com. These classes are Flex Schedule, which means the teacher prepares the activities in advance and allows you to do them at your own pace without direct consultation.

Class Descriptions

  1. An Interactive Guide To: “Macbeth”
https://outschool.com/classes/an-interactive-guide-to-shakespeares-macbeth-jp7TIh9B?usid=MaRDyJ13&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

2. An Immersive Guide to Shakespeare’s London

3. The Violent Rhetoric of “Julius Caesar”

4. Gravity Falls: Defeat the Cypher

Special Promo

Get $10 off my class “An Interactive Guide to Shakespeare’s London” with coupon code HTHESFIL0I10 until Jun 2, 2024. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/an-interactive-guide-to-shakespeares-london-E6KqeBQQ and enter the coupon code at checkout.

Click the link below to get started:

https://outschool.com/teachers/The-Shakespearean-Student?usid=MaRDyJ13&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&utm_campaign=share_leader_link

Review: “Star Wars-  the Jedi Doth Return .” by Ian Doescher

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Introduction

What Is William Shakespeare’s Star Wars?

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars is a series of parody plays written by Ian Doescher that takes the prose screenplays of the Star Wars story and transforms them into Elizabethan verse. Last time I mentioned how much I loved the cheeky references to Shakespeare and Star Wars, and how Doescher adapts the cinematic quality into Elizabethan drama very well. In my podcast, I also emphasized the way Doescher gives each character verbose Shakespearean language that works very well for radio and theater:

My podcast episode where I do dramatic readings of “Verily A New Hope.”

I must confess, Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie. I’ve seen all 9 films and it’s still my favorite. I adore the effects, the tight storytelling, the emotional farewells, and the dramatic victories. What I want to do with this post, (and the accompanying podcast), is to see whether this edition captures what I love about Jedi. The short answer is- no. It doesn’t capture it, IT EXPANDS IT! In many ways this play is Doescher’s triumph- he manages to capture the tone and characters of Star Wars perfectly, and makes the Shakespearean style his own!

Notes about the play

  1. The first play in the series, “Verily, A New Hope,” took plot and structure inspiration from Henry V; it tells the story as an epic heroic story of Luke’s heroic deeds, much like how Henry V is about a king who grows from boy to man.
  2. The second play “The Empire Striketh Back,” takes inspiration from Hamlet and Macbeth to explore Luke’s temptation by the Dark Side of the Force. It also uses Much Ado About Nothing as an inspiration for the burgeoning relationship between Han and Leia
  3. I would argue that “Jedi Doth Return” is a mixture of all the other plays Doescher took inspiration from. Unlike the previous plays, this feels less like a parody, and more like an adaptation. I feel that Doescher has finally become so comfortable writing in the Shakespearean style, that he rarely needs to flat out parody lines and speeches, and simply uses Shakespearean dialogue to tell the story.

Moments to Watch for:

The Language

I’ll discuss the language of Jedi in greater detail in my podcast, but I’d like to highlight one or two here.

Extended metaphors:


Vader: It is the role I play, my destiny—
The grand performance for which I am made. 
Come, author of the dark side of the Force,
Make me the servant of thy quill and write 
The tale wherein my son and I are seal’d As one. 
Come, take mine ev’ry doubt from me,
 And fashion from my heart of flesh and wires 
A perfect actor: callous, cold, and harsh.
Let this, the second Death Star, be the stage,
And all the galaxy be setting to 
The greatest moment of my narrative:

The scene in which the Empire’s fight is won 
Whilst I decide the Fate of mine own son - The Jedi Doth Return Act I, Scene i

3. Parody Lines

The biggest appeal of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars is the fact that it is a parody, and I’ve said for many years that parody and gentle riffing on Shakespeare is a great way to get students to overcome their fear of Shakespeare and engage with him. Students who know Star Wars but don’t know Shakespeare will recognize the familiar characters and plots of the movies and then see how Shakespeare’s language tells the story anew. Similarly, people who know Shakespeare will recognize the way Doescher re-tools famous Shakespeare quotes to give to characters in the Star Wars Universe, like here, where he spoofs the famous “All the World’s A Stage” speech:

In the Educator’s guide, which I’ve attached below, Doescher tells you exactly which lines he has parodied and the plots of the original plays so the students can learn about Shakespeare through these famous speeches. Orson Wells once said: “We sit through Shakespeare to recognize the quotations,” and this edition gives us thrilling space battle, wonderful characters, and witty dialogue to keep us entertained while we wait.

Characterizations

What I love the most about the movie and the play is that it’s a very character-driven story. Instead of long trench runs with pilots we’ve never met, we get duels to the death between characters we’ve known for years. At its heart, Jedi is the story of the Skywalker family reuniting after Darth Vader ripped it apart. It’s also the culmination of Luke growing from a boy to a man. Doescher does an incredible job voicing these characters through the verse, and his use of the language helps highlight each character’s struggle and journey.

Luke/ Vader

Left- production photo of Mark Hamil holding a skull Yorrick-style. Right- AI art I created of Luke as Hamlet.

Luke has more of a duality in this story- sometimes his speeches are hopeful, positive, and full of decisive language, while other times he is bitter, angry, and mournful. This is a perfect characterization for a young man whom the Emperor hopes to turn to the Dark Side, and these speeches excellently bring out his character. Sometimes Luke even repeats lines spoken by Vader and the Emperor just to drive this point home.

Emperor

A speech from “Jedi Doth Return.” Notice how the ideas run on past the ends of lines and how long each sentence is

As for Emperor Palpatine, his speech is similar to Claudius in Hamlet in the sense that he has many run-on lines that only get to the point at the very end. This man knows he has the ea of the entire galaxy, so he can afford to make people wait for him to finish talking. As Luke himself says: “Your overconfidence is your weakness,” and Doescher does a great job conveying that weakness through the language.

Leia/ Han

My favorite part of The Empire Striketh Back was how Doescher conveys the love between Han and Leia. In that play/ movie, it was done through irritating each other in public, and soliloquizing in private. In Jedi, Han and Leia are more of a couple, supporting each other in their fights and the language has more of a romantic tone.

Han (Hal Jourdan) and Leia (Janine Ashley) finally confess their love in this scene.

My Criticism

To sum up, Jedi is a milestone in the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars Series where Ian Doescher learned how to make the language his own, rather than borrowing lines and phrases from Shakespeare. It’s a pity there aren’t more books in this series…. right?

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars Prequel Series
Doescher’s official website.

The Education Guide

Support My podcast

If you enjoyed the accompanying podcast episode to this post, please consider subscribing and donating to help me continue making fun and educational content like this!

Donate

New Class: The Violent Rhetoric Of “Julius Caesar” (Flex Schedule Edition)

| astronut1

Course Description

  1. Concept: To explore the plot, characters, and themes of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar while also gaining an insight into Ancient Roman history and culture.
  2. Student Description: Delve into the passionate speeches of Brutus and Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which led a whole country to revolution.
  3. Parent Description  Using self-paced online activities, and a helpful handout, your child(ren) will analyze the rhetoric and persuasive power in two speeches from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” The course will also cover the culture of Ancient Rome, and the circumstances that led to Julius Caesar’s assasination, which inadvertently led to the birth of the Roman Empire.
  4. Course Organizaiton (the class is divided into 4 parts that students can complete at their own pace over a week-long period
    1. Each lesson will have:
      1. “That Is the Question” (Essential Question)
      2. Lesson Objectives
      3. Set the Scene (Background and context)- 1-3 slides
      4. The Players (biography) 1-3 slides
      5. Go Deeper (Webquest)
        1. Explore military life and the lives of women in Rome using my blog and other websites as a guide.
        2. Post 3 things you learned to the Outschool page or send a photo of your completed handout.
      6. Words, Words Words (Vocabulary, famous lines) 
      7. A Taste of Your Quality (Independant Project)
      8. Show us your mettle (Test)
    2. So each class should be 14-15 slides long.

Outline

Class I- Background on Caesar and Roman Culture

  1. That is the Question: 
    1. Why did Brutus feel Julius Caesar had to die?
    2. What was the aftermath?
    3. Can one person’s speech effect an entire nation?
  2. Lesson Objectives
    1. To provide historical and political context to explain why Julius Caesar was assassinated, and how his death inadvertantly created the Roman Empire.
    2. To explain the Rhetorical Triangle, the building blocks of persuasive speech.
    3. To go through the story of Julius Caesar focusing on the effect of the speeches.
    4. To study the  famous “Friends, Romans Countrymen” speech.
    5. To contrast this speech with some more recent political speeches and you think critically about:
      1. What does the speaker want?
      2. What tactics does he use?
      3. How effective is it?
  3. Set the Scene
    1. History
      1. Government
        1. Horrible History
      2. Military
        1. https://www.livescience.com/ancient-roman-spike-defenses-made-famous-by-julius-caesar-found-in-germany 
        2. Caesar Cipher
        3. https://kids.kiddle.co/Julian_calendar 
    2. Culture
      1. Fashion: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2022/03/11/the-fashion-is-the-fashion-ancient-roman-fashion-and-beauty/ 
      2. Role of Women: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2021/03/29/i-lift-the-veil-on-shakespeares-celebrated-roman-female-characters-and-discuss-the-social-norms-they-embodied-and-challenged/ 
      3. The Lupercal- https://wordpress.com/post/shakespeareanstudent.com/4545 
  4. The Players (slides)
    1. Julius Caesar Julius Caesar – Greatest Conqueror Ever?
    2. Cassius Longinus
    3. Marcus Brutus
    4. Marc Antony
  5. Go Deeper- 
    1. Go to Google Arts and Culture and find 3 facts and 3 pictures of Caesar
    2. Answer the following Questions:
      1. Name 3 jobs Caesar had in the Roman Republic
      2. Was Caesar Deaf? Was he epileptic? 
      3. Name 3 things Caesar accomplished during his career.

Go to opensourceshakespeare.com and look at Caesar’s lines- how does Caesar view himself? Write 3 examples.

  1. Words Words Words
    1. Republic
    2. Dictator
    3. Lupercal
    4. Assassinate
    5. Senate
  2. A Taste Of Your Quality
    1. Make a news headline about Caesar’s triumph. How would you report on it? Would you be allowed to say anything bad about Caesar?
  3. Show Us Your Mettle
    1. Quizlet for the terms

Class 2- Cassius Manipulates Brutus

HC Selous Illustration, "Brutus and Cassius" 1830

That Is the Question- 

How does Cassius convince his brother-in-law Brutus to betray and assassinate Caesar, his friend and colleague?

Learning Objectives-

  1. To give historical context as to why the Senate in general, (and Cassius in particular), feared and hated Caesar.
  2. To examine Brutus’ character
  3. To demonstrate how Cassius uses persuasive speech 

Setting the Scene- The Plot

The Players-

Cassius- slide/ https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/julius-caesar/character/whos-who 

Write 3 facts we learn about Cassius at the start of the play:

Brutus:  

https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/julius-caesar/character/whos-who

Go Deeper- 

Brutus- Podcast episode. I posit in this episode that Brutus is 

Words, Words, Words- 

  1. Traitor
  2. Republic
  3. Dictator
  4. Revolution
  5. Ethos
  6. Pathos
  7. Logos
  8. Rhetoric
  9. Colossus
  10.  Aeneus

A Taste Of Your Quality: 

(Independent work): We’ll examine a painting of Brutus’ ancestor Lucius and learn why Brutus values Rome more than even family.

Show Us Your Mettle: 

Quizzes on Brutus

Class 3- Antony and Brutus’ Dueling Speeches

George Ed Robertson Antony
(c) Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Service; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

That Is the Question

  1. After Caesar’s Death, his friend Marc Antony held a funeral for him where he gives the famous “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech. How did Antony’s speech affect the crowd?
  2. Brutus has a speech where he explains why he killed Caesar. What does he say, and how effectively does he say it?
  3. Antony was secretly plotting to take power for himself, and get Brutus and Cassius killed. How did he do it?
  4. Do speeches have the power to change a nation?

Learning Objectives

  1. To explain the Rhetorical Triangle, the building blocks of persuasive speech.
  2. To study the famous “Friends, Romans Countrymen” speech, as well 
  3. To look at these speeches and get you to think critically about:
    1. What does the speaker want?
    2. What tactics does he use?
    3. How effective is it?

Setting the Scene

RSC Learning Zone- Act III, Scene 2 https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/julius-caesar/story/scene-by-scene

The Players (use the videos from the RSC)

Brutus- Man of Honour VS Man of Action | Julius Caesar | Royal Shakespeare Company

Antony Julius Caesar, Act 3 Scene 2 | 2012 | Royal Shakespeare Company

Go Deeper

Words, Words, Words

  • Irony
  • Antimetabole
  • Rhetoric
  • Countrymen
  • Lend
  • Interred
  • Noble
  • Hath
  • Grievous
  • Coffer
  • Honorable
  • Lupercal
  • Cause
  • Mourn

A Taste Of Your Quality

  • Watch the video of Antony’s speech:

Quizzes

Class 4- After Caesar-

We’ll talk about the consequences of violent revolutions and how Julius Caesar has inspired some of the greatest speeches in political history.

-Patrick Henry

– Gettysburg Address

– Mean Girls

That Is the Question

  1. How have people interpreted the play “Julius Caesar” in America?
  2. Does this play promote violence?
  3. What kind of violent speech do we deal with in politics today?

Learning Objectives

  1. To show the link between American History and Julius Caesar
  2. To address the controversy and the misconception that the play promotes violent assassination.
  3. To end on a cautionary note people must think critically about what they hear in politics and not make rash decisions based on appeals to fear.

Setting the Scene- US History

  • America was founded using the principles of republican government that Ancient Rome used- with a senate, and a series of checks and balances to ensure no one has too much power.
  • America was founded in a violent revolution, and some of our country’s early leaders used Brutus as an inspiration- to overcome a tyrannical king.
  • In later years, however, some people have forgotten what happened to Brutus
  •  Today, we are often bombarded with speech that encourages fear and anger and we must think critically when we hear such speech in whatever forum- Roman, or Reddit.

The Players (use my JC lecture?)

  • Patrick Henry
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • John Wilkes Booth
  • Donald Trump

Go Deeper

-Watch the Caesar Video

– How does the play promote nonviolence?

– How did Brutus’ assassination fail to save the Roman Republic?

Words, Words, Words

Four-score

Dedicate

proposition

Civil War

Endure

Consecrate

Devotion

A Taste Of Your Quality (Night Cafe)

  • Use AI to create your own image for Julius Caesar
    • What time and place would you set the play in?
    • how do you see him- is he a hero, or a tyrant? 

https://outschool.com/classes/the-violent-rhetoric-of-julius-caesar-flex-schedule-edition-fwB3cwQM?refuid=MaRDyJ13

Happy International Women’s Day

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Happy International Women’s Day! I would like to dedicate my posts today to my daughter, a wonderful strong girl, a Shakespeare fan, and a lifelong lover of the musical “Six”.

Some of Shakespeare’s Best Female Characters

I’ve discussed Shakespeare’s best Mother characters before, and his Roman characters as well, but I thought I should include some of the ones who are not mothers and/or unmarried (at least for most of the play). I don’t want to rank these characters since I detest ranking women in general, so here are some of Shakespeare’s best characters, and some of their immortal speeches:

CleoPatra

Katherine Of Aragon

Even though “Henry the Eighth” is my least favorite Shakespeare play, I love how strong Katherine is and how well she fights against the machinations of Cardinal Woosey and her husband. She is a courageous, virtuous, and strong-minded woman, who when Henry demands that she consent to a divorce, Katherine simply says: “No Way!”

The Awesome world of “Six”

Lady Macbeth

Close Reading: Lady Macbeth “Come You Spirits.”

A fascinating and electrifying character. She seduces her husband and makes him fully commit to murdering the king. If you look at the post above, you can see the multiple potential readings for why she courts evil spirits to convince her husband to murder the king. Her strength and energy is highly attractive and it was easy for me to see how a man might do anything to make her happy.

Isabella From “Measure For Measure”

I think Elizabethans would have seen the connection between the Virgin Queen who fought off assassination from the Pope, and Isabella, a virgin who fights off the advances of Angello, who seems pious, but who secretly is degenerate and cruel. Isabella even becomes a princess at the end of the play, (assuming she marries the Duke), which means she could literally become a Queen Elizabeth to English eyes.

https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/measure-for-measure/character/analysis

Stick figure version of Isabella from “Peace Good Tickle Brain.”

Portia Catonis (Wife of Brutus)

One of the best female characters in the Roman plays, Portia demands to be taken seriously as a wife and as a Roman citizen. In her one great scene we see her demand that Brutus tell her why he has been so distant and cold:

Elisabetta Sirani, Portia Wounding her Thigh, 1664, oil on canvas, 101 x 138 cm (Collezioni d’Arte e di Storia della Fondazione della Cassa di Risparmio, Bologna)
Some have speculated that in real life Portia helped Brutus with the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, after all, she was the daughter of Caesar's great rival senator Cato, who was willing to die when he realized the Roman republic was finished.
Not only was the real Portia a great woman, she also inspired some great art. Below is the great masterpiece:  Portia Wounding her Thigh, by Elisabetta Sirani (1664). According to Dr. DR. MAURA GLEESON, the painting was commissioned by a fabric merchant, which explains Portia's sumptuous outfit. Portia remains totally calm, yet focused and determined as the other women in the background idly spin clothes in the background. For more information on this masterpiece, click the link below:
Elisabetta Sirani, Portia Wounding her Thigh

If you’d like to learn more about Portia and Julius Caesar, sign up for my online class on the play via Outschool.com. Get a $5 discout with coupon code HTHES6Q5XA5 until Apr 2, 2024. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/the-violent-rhetoric-of-julius-caesar-flex-schedule-edition-fwB3cwQM and enter the coupon code at checkout.


So happy International Women’s Day ladies! Hope you get some of the love and appreciation you deserve today! More posts coming soon!

Roman Women Week!

| astronut1

Since International Women’s Day is Friday, I’m devoting the following week to talking about the awesome female characters in Shakespeare’s Roman plays: Titus, Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus

First, here’s my post and an accompanying podcast on Roman women, which includes an analysis of Lavinia, Portia, Valumnia, and Cleopatra:

Shakespeare’s Roman Women

Here’s a fascinating video about the lives of Roman girls:

And here’s a special section about Cleopatra:

Comedy sketches about Cleopatra from “Horrible Histories” BBC, 2015.
cleopatra facts infographics in 2021 | Cleopatra facts, Ancient history facts, Cleopatra history
A Lady-Gaga-esque song about Cleopatra from “Horrible Histories,” 2014
Infographic from an article about Cleopatra’s beauty regimen. Source: http://socialdiary.pk/

http://socialdiary.pk/beauty-secrets-of-cleopatra

Shakespeare On Dragons

| astronut1

Tonight is the Chinese New Year, beginning the Year of the Dragon. I’ve talked before about the fascinating relationship between Shakespeare and China, and I thought I’d illustrate it here by talking about a shared cultural mythology- the concept of dragons. Both Western and Eastern cultures use dragons in their myths, but as you’ll see, they have very different cultural meanings.

Quotes from Shakespeare About Dragons

Before thee stands this fair Hesperides,
With golden fruit, but dangerous to be touch’d;
For death-like dragons here affright thee hard:

Antiocus, Pericles

Sometimes we see a cloud that’s dragonish;
A vapour sometime like a bear or lion,
A tower’d citadel, a pendent rock,
A forked mountain, or blue promontory

Antony and Cleopatra

In Western myths, dragons are symbols of wrath and fierceness. In ancient Greek and Viking myths, dragons are often guards of treasure, (and sometimes in modern stories like Harry Potter). In the myth of Hercules, a multi-headed dragon guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, (the apples that kept the gods young and immortal). King Antiochus wants to scare Pericles by comparing his daughter to the apples; if he fails to win her love, he’ll be devoured as Hercules almost was.

Coriolanus and Dragons

His CORIOLANUS is grown
from man to dragon: he has wings; he’s more than a
creeping thing.

Coriolanus

Shakespeare’s Roman general Coriolanus is frequently compared to a dragon in Shakespeare’s play. According to Dr. Peter Saccio of Dartmouth College, this is because the general is unable to relate to other humans- he is solitary, violent, jealous of his power and wealth, and prefers to strike first, then retreat from other people when the battle is won. This is why he utterly fails to get the Roman people to elect him consul in this scene from Ralph Fiennes’ movie. I find it ironic that Fiennes has played not only this character, (who is associated with dragons), but with Lord Voldemort, (who controls several large serpents), and also Francis Dollarhyde in the film Red Dragon:

Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven’s eye! I lodge in fear;
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here.

Cymbeline

Sometime he angers me
With telling me of the mouldwarp and the ant,
Of the dreamer Merlin and his prophecies,
And of a dragon and a finless fish,
A clip-wing’d griffin and a moulten raven,
A couching lion and a ramping cat,
And such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff
As puts me from my faith. 

Hotspur, Henry IV, Part I

A thousand hearts are great within my bosom;

Advance our standards, set upon our foes

Our ancient word of “courage,” fair Saint George,

Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!

Richard III

St. George and the Dragon

In the medieval story of St. George, the titular knight defeats a dragon, which is basically a stand-in for Satan. George was seen as the ideal knight- virtuous, devoted to his cause, strong, and patriotic. His defeat of the dragon was an allegory for how knights should devote themselves to protecting their lords, ladies, and the innocent against evil. Therefore, it’s intentionally unsettling that Shakespeare has Richard III telling his soldiers to act not like the virtuous St. George, but like the cruel and violent dragon. Richard is Shakespeare’s most villainous king, so it makes sense in context that he would side with the dragon, and thus his defeat would seem even more like a triumph of good over evil. In addition, the real King Richard flew this flag with a dragon on it during the actual Battle of Bosworth Field.

Royal standard of Richard III, using the dragon of St. George

Peace, Kent!
Come not between the dragon and his wrath.

King Lear

Dragons and Chinese Culture

None of the animals is so wise as the dragon. His blessing power is not a false one. He can be smaller than small, bigger than big, higher than high, and lower than low.”

–Chinese scholar Lu Dian (AD 1042-1102)

Qualities of Dragons

Dragons didn’t have the negative connotations of Western myths. In China, they were symbols of good luck, strength, and success. They were also known to be proud and temperamental-sometimes kind but sometimes vengeful to people who didn’t show them proper respect. In a sense, the dragon was like the ancient Greek gods- they should be viewed with respect and gratitude as well as fear.

Zodiac

Dragons & Tigers (Part I: Chinese Sayings)

The Chinese calendar goes by a cycle of years, not months. It has 12 animals that represent various qualities and those qualities will characterize the coming year. So hopefully a year of a dragon will be a year marked with courage, good fortune, and justice.

IV. What would a Chinese Lear look like?

Looking at the quotes I showed you earlier, it’s interesting that King Lear calls himself a dragon, and it made me think- Lear is a powerful warlord who demands absolute loyalty from his children. Would a Chinese version of King Lear work?

2017 Chinese Language production of “King Lear” at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

There was a Chinese production of King Lear back in 2017, where the translator and director traveled to the Royal Shakespeare Company in England and worked with the actors and directors of a London production to make their production gain insight into the characters’ motivations. However, I wonder how successfully they translated the Western ideas and values of the play for a Chinese audience. One of the reviews from China Daily.com describes the play like this:

Originating from old British legend, King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s four most famous tragedies. Through the internal disorder of the royal family, the rise and fall of King Lear’s fate and the final punishment of evil powers, Shakespeare expresses his optimistic views in the future of society, thereby adding the glory of strong idealism into his work.

ChinaDaily.com

The last word I would use to describe King Lear is “optimistic”. It is the only tragedy where not only does everyone die, but the entire future of the monarchy is in question. Nevertheless, reading about this production makes me interested in imagining my own version of King Lear, one that emphasizes Chinese values, but also questions them.

Many Chinese stories stress family loyalty, communalism, and respect for elders. You could portray King Lear as a story about the disastrous consequences of self-interest. After all, Regan and Goneril cast their father out and dismissed his followers, and it led their kingdom into civil war. In that version, Lear is like the Dragon King, who in Chinese folklore, was a powerful ruler of the seas, (giving new meaning to the lines “Blow winds, and crack your cheeks”). As a bonus, historically, many imperial Chinese rulers decorated their palaces with images of dragons, and the emperors themselves were associated with the creature, (especially during the Han Dynasty), so when Lear says “Come not between the dragon and his wrath,” In his mind, he literally is a dragon.

Han Dynasty watercolor print of a Han warrior whose clothing is embroidered with dragons.

In 1736, Jean-Baptiste Du Halde wrote about the Emperor: “His clothing is embroidered with dragons: they are his emblem, and only He can wear dragons with five claws – any infringement to this rule is punished severely.”

Cornell University: Emblems and Mascots of Rulers:
Chinese Imperial Dragons

That said, some dragons were associated with bad luck and ill omens. I’ve said before that Lear’s biggest flaw is that he fails to take time to examine himself or think about the consequences of his actions until it is too late. Maybe Lear thinks of himself as a benevolent dragon, but really is a bad man cursed with bad luck; he is not a dragon, he just has one on his back. So, in short, a Chinese re-imagining of King Lear could be a fascinating look at Chinese culture and give a fresh re-imagining of Shakespeare’s tragic story.

I hope you enjoyed this look into dragons in Shakespeare and Chinese culture. Joseph Campbell said that all cultures share and interpret archetypes to understand their own culture, but also to grasp what makes us all human. For whatever reason, every culture on Earth has some kind of large serpent- Chinese dragons, European dragons, The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the Viking Yormungand, even the Piasa of the native tribes of the Mississippi. and they can mean many different things to many different people, which means that we as humans are in some way tied to gether through all these dragon tales (no pun intended).

V. Sources

  1. https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/young-audiences/2023-2024/dragon-kings-daughter/#:~:text=Chinese%20dragon%20mythology%2C%20martial%20arts,inspiring%20songs%20by%20Marcus%20Yi.
  2. https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-7/chinese-dragons/#:~:text=Another%20well%2Dknown%20legend%20involves,benevolent%2C%20divine%20force%20in%20nature.
  3. https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/dragons/asian-dragons
  4. https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/chinese-dragon-language.htm
  5. https://studycli.org/chinese-culture/chinese-dragons
  6. https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/AnimalLegends/exhibition/emblems/dragons.html#:~:text=Already%20a%20royal%20symbol%20in,and%20his%20brother%20Yan%20Di.

Is Percy Jackson Hamlet?

| astronut1

I’m really excited about the Disney Plus release of the Percy Jackson TV show. My family and I are really enjoying it and I think it’s a very good adaptation, (much more faithful than the previous movie versions). The tone is darker, the characters are better fleshed out, and also there’s a much more nuanced take on Percy’s character, which I believe is at the core of the series. The movie is essentially just a fetch quest where Percy is going from location A to location B looking for various magic items and fighting monsters. Movie Percy is a very static character but in the books and the show, they keep all of those journeys but also delve into his complicated relationship with the gods, his own insecurities growing up without a father, and his overwhelming feeling that this world of gods and mortals is fundamentally flawed and that he is the one to fix it.

“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse…and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”

-Percy Jackson, The Sea of Monsters


In short, what makes the show great is that it emphasizes the elements of the book that make it a classic story of a young man who is trying to find his place in the world and complete the quest that his father set for him. Of course, once I started watching it, my Shakespeare Brain activated, and I immediately compared him to Shakespeare’s ultimate example of a hero trying to complete a quest given to him by an absent father- Hamlet.
So today I’ll Talk about why I think Percy Jackson is actually a descendant of Hamlet or rather that Hamlet and Percy Jackson are both descendants of the same common ancestor in Greek mythology and touch on what these classic stories can say to us today.

1. The Plot

AI Art I created of Percy Jackson. Nightcreator.com.

As I touched on earlier, there are some glaring similarities between the plots of Percy Jackson and Hamlet- we have a young man who has who hates his stepfather, who is deeply protective of his mother, who goes on a magical quest given to him by his father, (who cannot directly aid him because he’s not physically there). In Percy Jackson, his father is a god- the ancient Greek water god Poseidon, while Hamlet’s father is a ghost. Both heroes have to deal with treachery, uncover a plot, avert potential wars, and get caught up in great military and political power schemes. While Hamlet is trying to restore the rightful heir to the throne (himself), Percy is trying to avoid a war between the gods. Both heroes have stoic sidekicks- Hamlet has Horatio whereas Percy has Annabeth and his friend Grover the Satyr. Hamlet’s friend l Horatio is kind of like a combination of Annabeth’s intelligence and Grover’s kindness and empathy. Finally, both stories conclude in a duel (spoiler alert) where they fight against a near-impossible adversary, and in the end, succeed in their quest, although in Hamlet’s case, he does so at the cost of his own life.

The main difference between these stories is connected to tone and genre- Hamlet is a revenge play, and most Revenge tragedies end in the death of the avenger. Percy Jackson is an adventure quest so based on the conventions, he can succeed, survive, and go off to fight another day. Nevertheless, in terms of the broad outline, the plots are very similar. I would argue this is probably because Hamlet has its roots in many ancient mythological stories like Oedipus, Orestes, and of course, the Danish Viking myth of Amleth. I would argue that both Percy Jackson and Hamlet have a very clear direct common ancestor: the ancient Greek myth of …

2. A Common Ancestor- Perseus

https://prezi.com/btk3m_bamkmh/hamlets-monomyth/

As this funny cartoon illustrates, the plots of Percy Jackson and Hamlet can be seen as a modern incarnation of the Perseus myth, from the villainous stepfather to the hero’s protective feelings to the mother to the magical quest to get rid of a stepfather who takes away his birthright. These plot elements follow a very similar formula; as Jake also alluded to, all three of these stories are part of what writers and scholars like to call the monomyth or the “Hero’s journey,” a concept in mythology and storytelling that has inspired works such as Percy Jackson, Star Wars, and many others.

What Is the Monomyth?

Crash Course Mythology- The Monomyth

In 1949, scholar Joseph Campbell wrote a book called “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” which posited that every culture has stories that fit into universal archetypes- that essentially all human cultures have unique stories, but also call to mind universal truths about humanity. He then distilled the common archetypes and plot tropes of these myths into something called “The monomyth” or “The Hero’s Journey,” a 17-step process that is at the core of many ancient myths, modern adventure stories, or revenge stories such as Hamlet. Below are some of the common tropes of the Hero’s Journey. When you see it spelled out like this, it is very clear that both Hamlet, Percy Jackson, and Perseus follow the Monomyth formula:

Infographic of the Monomyth from David R. Jolly.com

Part I: The Call To Adventure:

Where’s the glory in repeating what others have done?

The Lightining Thief

Every Greek hero starts with a call to adventure- Theseus finds his father’s sword and sets out to find him. Oedipus needs to lift the plague on Thebes, and Hamlet needs to find out why his father’s ghost has returned.

A Half-Blood of the eldest gods, Shall reach sixteen against all odds
And see the world in endless sleep
The Hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap
A single choice shall end his days
Olympus to preserve or raze.

The Oracle- Sea of Mosters

Part II: Refusing the Call

If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.

The Lighting Thief

I won’t go looking for trouble. I usually don’t have to

Neither Hamlet nor Percy outright refuse to go on their quests, but both experience doubts. Percy, looking at how the gods have cursed and fought and betrayed each other, wonders whether or not they deserve his help:

Percy watches the story of the gods in the Tunnel of Love (Episode 5, Disney Plus 2024.)

Hamlet on the other hand, is so worried that the ghost is trying to deceive him into killing an innocent man, that he nearly kills himself in the most famous speech in all of Shakespeare.

Part III: Supernatural Aide

Supernatural Aid – A magical helper appears or becomes known

Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all.

The Nereiads, Lighting Thief Chapter 17

Both Percy and Perseus get help from the gods- magical weapons, advice, etc. Hamlet gets the revelation from his father that his uncle killed him and how. What sets Hamlet apart from any number of myths is that, since there’s no tangible evidence that his father was there, Hamlet is not sure if his father helped him, or if he is going insane.

Suspecting and knowing are not the same.

-The Lighting Thief

Crossing the first threshold

In Perseus, the first threshold would be when he leaves Acrisius’ palace and sails to the island of Cerebos. In Percy Jackson, this would be when he leaves Yancy Academy and goes to Camp Half-Blood, and in Hamlet, it would be when he meets the ghost.

My fate cries out, and makes each petty artery in this body as hardy as the Nemian Lion’s mane. Still am I called!

Hamlet, Act I, Scene iii.

Belly of THe BEast

There’s always a part of the story when a character feels they are in too deep. Sometimes it’s a literal belly of the beast- Pinocchio and the whale, Luke Skywalker and the Sarlaac pit, Frodo when he reaches Mordor, and Agent K in Men In Black when he literally gets eaten by the Bug. In Percy Jackson, it would definitely be when he journeys to Hades, like many Greek heroes like Orpheus or Hercules.

I’d love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera.

The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh!.

Usually, the belly of the beast occurs near the climax of the story- the ultimate test of the hero’s courage and resolve. For Hamlet, this would be the duel with Laertes- he’s in a situation where Claudius has total control of what he does.

“You weren’t able to talk sense into him?”
“Well, we kind of tried to kill each other in a duel to the death.”
“I see. You tried the diplomatic approach.” (The Sea of Monsters)

I’ll get into a deeper summary of the steps of the Hero’s journey on my podcast later this month, but to summarize, the Hero’s Journey is essentially a story of growth, maturity, and enlightenment. It’s not a coincidence that all three of these heroes are young men who leave home and then return to confront an evil stepfather or uncle. Campbell regarded the Hero’s journey as a metaphor for young men growing up, learning about themselves, gaining confidence in themselves and their abilities, and taking their rightful place in society by displacing a corrupt older authority figure. This is also why these stories often resonate with young people, and why storytellers like Disney often use the Hero’s Journey as a template for children’s movies.

These universal stories of growing up, maturity, and a life worth living have always inspired people and even though the stories have different purposes and the plots take different forms, the core of what makes them universal remains the same.

Close Reading: Viola’s “I Left No Ring With Her” Soliloquy

| astronut1

For my Shakespeare club, I’m coaching two young actors on Viola’s celebrated soliloquy in Act II, Scene ii.I thought I’d share some of that work with you. In this speech, Viola has an epiphany; the lady she was sent to woo on her master Orsino’s behalf LOVES HER!

The Text

VIOLA

I left no ring with her: what means this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charm’d her!
She made good view of me; indeed, so much,
That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speak in starts distractedly.
She loves me, sure; the cunning of her passion
Invites me in this churlish messenger.
None of my lord’s ring! why, he sent her none.
I am the man: if it be so, as ’tis,
Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness,
Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
How easy is it for the proper-false
In women’s waxen hearts to set their forms!
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!
For such as we are made of, such we be.
How will this fadge? my master loves her dearly;
And I, poor monster, fond as much on him;
And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.
What will become of this? As I am man,
My state is desperate for my master’s love;
As I am woman,–now alas the day!–
What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe!
O time! thou must untangle this, not I;
It is too hard a knot for me to untie!

Exit

Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene ii, lines 648-672.

The Given Circumstances

Viola has spent an unspecified amount of time disguised as a man. She has just tried (unsuccessfully) to woo Countess Olivia on behalf of her employer, Duke Orsino. Olivia seemed intrigued by her in her disguise as “Cesario,” and refused to hear any more words about Orsino, but asked Viola to come see her again. The Countess then sent her messenger Malvolio to give Viola a ring, which he claims she tried to give to Olivia as a gift. At first, Viola is confused and upset by the accusation, but slowly realizes that the ring is actually a gift for her; in fact, it’s a love token.

Traditional Interpretations

I think the comedy depends on how Viola reacts to the realization that Olivia loves her. I’ve seen some Violas that are embarrassed, some that are a little frightened (after all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned), and others with sad sympathy. Viola is a good person, so she can’t laugh at the lovesick countess, but she can have a wry laugh at herself and how her disguise has caused all this trouble; making her unable to confess her love to him, while at the same time making Olivia think she is a handsome young man.

Michelle Terry In the Globe Theater (2021)

Michelle Terry as Viola in the 2021 production of “Twelfth Night”

Michelle Terry is very matter-of-fact in her portrayal. She doesn’t pause, she doesn’t drag out the lines. In fact, she seems more annoyed and scandalized than anything else. The comedy comes mainly from her gestures and movements as she talks to the audience as if they were one of her gal-pals- venting her frustration with this ridiculous situation.

 Michelle Terry excels as Viola, straight-faced, tormented, only occasionally raising a conspiratorial eyebrow at the audience. 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/aug/08/twelfth-night-review-shakespeares-globe-theatre

Judy Dench in the RSC TV show “Playing Shakespeare” is very sympathetic to “Poor Olivia, ” and plays the speech with a romantic sentimentality. She’s focused on Olivia, and feels awful for the false hope she’s given her.

Both these interpretations are valid, and they’re a good baseline for two sides of Viola’s personality- the sensitive genteel duke’s daughter who is sympathetic to Olivia, and the down-to-earth funny one who is willing to disguise herself as a boy to survive.

Literary Devices

Imagery

The main image here is the image of the knot- a central image of how convoluted this love triangle is.

Verse

First Folio Reprint from The Boldlien Library.
I left no Ring with her: what meanes this Lady?
Fortune forbid my out‑side haue not charm'd her:
[650]
She made good view of me, indeed so much,
That me thought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speake in starts distractedly.
She loues me sure, the cunning of her passion
Inuites me in this churlish messenger:
[655]
None of my Lords Ring? Why he sent her none;
I am the man, if it be so, as tis,
Poore Lady, she were better loue a dreame:
Disguise, I see thou art a wickednesse,
Wherein the pregnant enemie does much.
[660]
How easie is it, for the proper false
In womens waxen hearts to set their formes:
Alas, O frailtie is the cause, not wee,
For such as we are made, if such we bee:
How will this fadge? My master loues her deerely,
[665]
And I (poore monster) fond asmuch on him:
And she (mistaken) seemes to dote on me:
What will become of this? As I am man,
My state is desperate for my maisters loue:
As I am woman (now alas the day)
[670]
What thriftlesse sighes shall poore Oliuia breath?
O time, thou must vntangle this, not I,
It is too hard a knot for me t'vnty.

It’s interesting to note that (in the First Folio text), the verse alternates between being regular, and using a run-on technique called enjabment, where the thoughts continue after the end of the lines, starting with lines three and four. Ironically, when Viola says that Olivia was distracted and confused when she visited her, her own thoughts are disjointed and fragmentary as she reaches the inevitable conclusion that Olivia is infatuated with Viola in her disguise.

Viola’s Emotional Journey

In the book “Shakespeare’s First Texts” by Neil Freeman he describes how the Folio prints the speech in four distinct sections. Freeman hypothesizes that Shakespeare organized this speech into four phrases that chart the stages of emotions Viola goes through:

Each stage has its own easily identifiable quality, reflecting the growing steps of Viola’s journey in what for her is a huge struggle not only to comprehend, but also to deal with the enormous complications of the dreadful love triangle- the potential results of which are now becomming only too clear.

Freeman, 175.

Stage 1: Introduction

In the first three and a half sentences, Viola goes through the facts- she gave no ring to Olivia, Olivia was eying her, and half paying attention to what Viola was saying. The phrase ends with Viola’s conclusion that Olivia must be in love with her.

Stage 2: Complications

The sentences are of very irregular length- sometimes six words per line, sometimes a few as four. According to Freeman, the irregularity of the verse shows how Viola’s emotions are getting the better of her. Viola could be gasping with remorse over the pain she’s caused Olivia, or shocked at how easily she was taken in by Viola’s disguise.

Stage 3: Crisis/ Catharsis

Each line of this section mentions the people in this love triagle: “My master,” “And I,” “And She,” etc. Viola might be thinking about the possible outcomes to this situation- getting fired, getting discovered, getting married, etc.

Stage 4: Summary: “O Time, Thou Must Untangle This, Not I.”

Like Hamlet before her and Macbeth after her, Viola ends her soliloquy by saying she has no conclusion. She has no idea how to solve this problem, but can only hope that Time will provide a solution.

Audience Interaction

As I said, this is a soliloquy, which is to say, a speech where the character is solo or alone onstage. Some people think this means that the characters are talking to themselves, but I firmly disagree with this notion. One reason why Shakespeare writes soliloquies is because they allow a character to share their thoughts and feelings with the audience. They are the ancestors of every aria or solo in opera and musical theater, and every Disney Princess/ Villain song. I’ve even said before that there are some similarities between Viola and a famous Disney Princess:

Resources:

Illustrations