Happiness in the Taming of the Shrew

A great question to pose is what brings Kate individual happiness in The Taming of the Shrew? I believe Kate becomes happy once she is married because it let her clear her identity and start over since she was following societal norms of marriage. Before she was married she had the identity of a shrew because of her wit and a un-ladylike behavior. I think this behavior stems from jealously of her sister Bianca because of her looks and polite behavior. Kate was always negatively compared to her younger sister which may have been hard. Her witty personality was a her way of coping and a backlash against the norms of societal behavior which gave her a shrewd identity. Her social status she had to live up to was the expectations of an affluent young maiden-in-waiting. Since she did follow the expectations of her role in society she was called a shrew which made her very unhappy. When she is married she given a clean slate and is able to start fresh by following the norms of a wife which was to be passive and obedient to her husband. I feel like Petruchio does not tame her because she wants to follow societal expectations so she would be liked and seen as her sister is seen by society. Kate finds a way to tame herself and still hang onto her agency and independent aspect of her character. It is deceiving because to the audience it appears as if Petruchio has tamed her into an obedient wife. In her final speech Kate appears to be so tamed that it tests the power relations with males maybe suggesting she tamed herself and did not the power of a man to do this. This idea is complex and confusing but men rely on subordinating women to generate their power. In this case Kate was not resistant to him and tamed herself but this throws off his sense of power. Overall Kate is happy in the end because society sees Kate as following her status and role in society. Does happiness stem from societal acceptance?

Symbolism in Othello

Desdemona’s handkerchief holds a great amount of symbolic meaning in Othello. In Act III, scene iv, Othello knows Desdemona no longer has the handkerchief he has given her as a gift and has made up his mind that she must be having an affair. He tells Desdemona the history of the handkerchief, where it first belonged to an Egyptian sorceress who gave it to his mother and said it would keep her desirable and keep her husband faithful. Before Othello’s mother passed away she passed the handkerchief down and told him to give it to the woman he would one day marry. The handkerchief represents Othello’s mixed Christian and Venetian heritage. It also serves as a symbol of loyalty and chastity and since Desdemona has lost it he believes she is not being loyal and is cheating on him with Cassio. To Desdemona the handkerchief serves as a symbol of Othello’s love. Since she knows the importance of the handkerchief she does not immediately tell Othello she has lost it she just acts like she has misplaced and truly believes it will turn up. The handkerchief serves as a symbol of manipulation to Iago and becomes a driving aspect of his evil plot. If Iago did not have the handkerchief is it possible Othello would not have truly believed his wife was no being loyal to him? Before Iago brought it to attention to Othello do you think the handkerchief was a symbol of Desdemona’s loyalty and chastity? To me it seems like Othello did not make this symbolic connection until Iago imposed the idea. The handkerchief is also suspected to symbolize virginity since it was woven with silk worms and the dye was extracted from the hearts of virgin mummies. The pattern on the handkerchief has strawberries embroidered on the white silk. The red dye of the strawberries symbolize the bloodstains left on the sheets on a virgin’s wedding night. Does the handkerchief hold the most symbolic meaning in the Othello? Would Iago be able to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unmoral love without the presence of the handkerchief.

Depicting Desdemona

Desdemona is difficult character to fully understand. She takes on a feministic view in some cases but in other scenes she seems like she is obedient and takes on the female character role society holds for her. She tests power and shows her agency in the beginning of the play by secretly going against her father and getting married. Not only did she get married under secrecy but she when against cultural norms and married an African American. Her independence and free will exemplifies her strong powerful nature in her character. There are many instances where Desdemona struggles through the hierarchical status of power generated by men and she seems to not mind. This is confusing to me because she seems like she is testing societal norms by showing her agency and independence by secretly marrying an African American. For example when her father asks who she is obedient to she says she is now under Othello’s power and compares herself to her mother since she once was under her fathers rule until she married him. This shows her as being rebellious towards her father but at the same time conforming to societies expectations by saying she is now loyal and obedient to her husband Othello. Desdemona’s feministic aspect of her character decreases in Act II when Iago starts to degrade women. Surprisingly it does not seem like Desdemona takes on great defense. Iago makes a comment saying women are useless and lazy and the only thing they bring to the table is sex. Iago basically says it does not matter if a woman is beautiful and intelligent overall they are equally despicable and only good for sex. Desdemona does not seem to take defense and actually plays along with Iago’s deceitful comments. Why does this rebellious character confirm Iago’s statement? She basically is agreeing with Iago, which belittles and degrades not only herself but women as a whole. Overall is Desdemona categorized as a feminist testing societal expectations of women or is she viewed as a dependent, passive, obedient character?

The Twelfth Night an epiphany

The Twelfth Night is reference to a Christain festival observed on January 6th (twelve days after Christmas) to the gentiles and the persons of the Magi. It is also called an epiphany and the holiday was historically celebrated as a festival in which everything was turned upside down which portrays the chaotic aspects in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. There are many elements and references of the holiday seen in the play such as servants dressing up as their masters, masters as their servants, men and women, and women as men. The cross-dressing and switching of roles was an aspect of the feast of the epiphany holiday. This is also shown in the play and the reversal of the cultural origins stems the overall confusion in the play. One example of role reversal is Olivia taking the head of the household because men usually take on this aspect. Viola dresses up as a man (Cesario) to confine her female identity which shows she was cross-dressing. When Malvolio dresses up as a women because he thinks Olivia desires this act is another representation of the holiday overlapping ideas and notions onto how the play functioned. The idea also is brought about that people are not always as they seem. For example Feste, the jester and clown of the play, is actually witty and knowledgeable because he offers intelligent advice and is the only one not driven to insanity from love. It poses the question does love drive people mad. Feste was the only one in the play who did not have a partner but in the end he seemed the happiness. Overall the general comedy and chaos that results from the confusion also references the ritualized chaos of the Twelfth Night holiday. The confusion I am talking about is the misconception of identity, gender and sexual desires. In our modern day we define epiphany as a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. Does the Twelfth night represent a double meaning of epiphany? I believe yes because it portrays the historical epiphany twelfth night holiday as well as offers insight on how dysfunctional the society is which is initiated through all the role and cultural reversal.

Aspects of Vision and Location in Othello

There is a contrast of location seen in Othello between Venice and Cyprus. Why does Shakespeare choose to locate some of the action in one and some in the other place? I believe the Othello portrays two types of genres and each location respectively correlates with the theme. In Venice it seems like the play is a political tragedy because there is a strong emphasis of political and military issues. Although personal problems between the characters are illuminated and discussed, the main weight of the play is guided by political activity. This is true because when Brabanzio wants to discuss his anger about Othello and his daughter, the Duke of Venice decides to put the military predicament first. In Act II the play is transitioned into Cyprus as well as shifts into a domesticated tragedy. Iago is the main force driving the play into tragedy while everyone else seems to be completely unaware or even blind of their own surroundings. It is believed that Othello is metaphorically blind because his passion and towards Desdemona emphasizes his own imprisonment since he is in his private residence in Cyprus but still does not know Iago’s tactics and tricks of manipulation. There is a correlation between physical and emotional references to sight. In both Act I and Act II an aspect concerning the limitations of sight is noted. When the men are traveling on boat from Venice to Cyprus they cannot see lies ahead of him. This layers in to the notion that Othello is metaphorically blind since he does not catch himself being deceived. The ironic sense of Othello’s metaphoric blindness is his metaphoric vision. Othello is blinded by actions that are actually occurring such as Iago deceiving people by plotting against him, but at the same time he makes false speculations without actually ever seeing things happen. When he accuses his wife for cheating on him he never actually caught saw her partaking in the act. The play relies on the act of not seeing something. Is Shakespeare indirectly hinting to the audience and society the importance of understanding and seeing something rather than making false assumptions under blindness?

Iago's deception in Act 1

Act 1: Thoughts on Iago
Iago is easily seen as the villain of his play due to his deception and manipulation. It is interesting how many enemies he has but most of them see him as a friend. He seems conceded and is defiantly one to only think about him. It is clear his hatred towards Othello stems from Othello overseeing Iago and giving the lieutenant promotion to someone else. Besides that in the first act there is no explicit reason for Iago’s cold-hearted personality. Iago goes through all the trouble to impart revenge on other characters for his own benefit. In the be first scene of the play Iago stirs up the pot by telling Rodrigo to go running to Brabanzio to tell him his daughter was secretly wed to Othello. Iago is deceiving because he is constantly plotting by giving his so-called advice to other characters but in reality he is creating a mess. This tactic he uses creates damage to other characters but since he is only making accusations and speculations rather than explicitly doing the dirty work the other characters do not see the villain he really is. A question to pose is what is the driving force of Iago’s villainy? Besides of his lower rank in the military he should be happy since he is married and seems to hold an average position in society. Iago seems damaged because he does speculate the idea that his wife is cheating on him. In his soliloquy he expresses his scheme of cheating Rodrigo out of his money. If Rodrgio and Iago were true friends Rodrgio would not have to pay Iago for his advise and plans to win Desdemona’s love. Overall I think Iago’s manipulative motives stems from a power struggle. He is jealous of Othello’s status in the military and wants to be a hero, but instead becomes the opposite as a villain. Iago feels as if he will reach power by creating chaos for everyone one else. Why is Iago such a damaged character and why does he think his wife is cheating on him?

The issue of race in Othello

Racism seems like a dominant theme at the beginning of the play. Before Othello’s first appearance he is referred as the Moor and the thick lips and is never called by his real name. It is easily distinguishable that Othello is African American. I found it interesting that Othello held a high rank as a general in the Venice Army in the dominant Caucasian society. It is clear that that many of the characters are racist towards him and it is surprising his rank was socially accepted in that time of day. It seems like other characters are jealous of his personality, characteristics, and high rank, which might be the result of the existing racism. I thought it was also interesting that Othello and Desdemona secretly eloped. Brabanzio did not explicitly portray racism towards Othello, instead he accused him for using magic on his daughter and wanted him charged with using witchcraft methods. His racism towards Othello is blatantly clear but it is implicitly conveyed. During the time period and context of the play I would of thought there would be a visible social and class divide between Caucasian’s and African American’s. Othello’s high rank in the army and his respectable character points otherwise. Was racism more so implicitly implied throughout that era? Another question I pose is was Shakespeare trying to address the issue of racism by giving an African American such an elite hero type role? I think Shakespeare was showing how people of any race are just as capable to create and maintain as high of a status as the dominant class. Othello is culturally and racially an outsider of mainstream society but is respected and valued through the military and state. It would be interesting to see how he was noticed and given the respect the state has for him. Overall I think although there are implicit and verbally explicit racial implications this play spreads awareness to reduce racism in society.

Identity and Gender in the Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night portrays a reoccurring theme in Shakespeare’s plays of appearance versus reality and ideal versus real. The misconception of identity and gender are revealed through disguise. It is interesting how Olivia falls in love with a women whom she thinks is a man and Orsino is suggested to love Cesario since he often remarks on his beauty even though it is really Viola disguised. It also is interesting that the play is called twelfth night because it was first performed on the feast of epiphany twelve days after Christmas. There are many elements of the play that resembles the actual holiday. In the early 1600’s the holiday would be celebrated by dressing up as other identities where a servant might dress as a duke or a women may dress as a man. The characters in the play also switch identities by dressing up as opposite genders. In reality there was a limited social mobility within society and disguise altered that restriction of status through the play. Gender reversal and disguise perpetuate the plays confusion but the misunderstanding of identity brings humor to the audience, which is why it is a comedy. I wonder if the modern day term epiphany was understood when this play was made because it is ironic that it was produced during the holiday, the feast of epiphany but also demonstrates an insight onto reality, which is disguise of identity can alter the structure society created. Overall I believe the play represents an unknown notion to society back when it originated that suggests the status structure of society should not be as fixated and represented by ones social status.

Antonio and Sebastian's relationship

The relationship between Antonio and Sebastian seems clearly erotic. It seems as if Antonio is obsessed with Sebastian, where Sebastian was grateful for Antonio for having him take him in after the shipwreck but was ready to move on. Antonio portrays his love towards Sebastian because of his willingness to protect and serve Sebastian. Even though Antonio has enemies in llyria he insists on following Sebastian. His discourse and behavior represents the strong feelings he has for Sebastian which seems like he most likely wants to be more than friends. Later Antonio discloses information saying that if he cannot have the love of Sebastian’s then he wants to be his servant forever. This shows his obsession towards Sebastian because he basically is saying he will never leave him. The love is portrayed through the aspect of safety. Since Antonio insists following Sebastian for his safety, he shows his true passion towards him since he rather put Sebastian’s safety before his own even when he knows he has many enemies in llyria. It is ironic that later in act III Antonio mistakes Sebastian for his sister Viola dressed up as Cesario because he has such desirable feelings for Sebastian and then mistakes his identity. Deception and identity rolls become important and bring humor to the play since the audience is aware of what is going on but the characters do not, making them vulnerable and confused. Overall Antonio fulfills the elements of desirable love since he puts himself before Sebastian at all times. A question to pose is to think about the aspects and elements that draw people into love. Why is Antonio obsessed with Sebastian, this is never really clarified. Is it solely physical attraction because what is so charming about Sebastian’s personality to make Antonio obsessed?

Twelfth Night Act 1 scene 2

Similar to The Taming of the Shrew disguise is a central theme of Twelfth Night. Viola was recently in a shipwreck , which landed herself on llyria and she wishes to be a servant of Olivia. I believe she wants to work for her because it is a way for her to escape and blend into the new town she is in until she wants to properly identify herself. This will not work because Olivia will not see anyone. It seems that Viola wants to be the Duke’s servant but as a disguise of a man. She tells the captain her plan and wants him to play along with the idea. Music seems important to the Duke and Viola says “It may be worth thy pains, for I can sing and speak to him in many sorts of music”. This basically is saying she will sing to him and talk about music. The idea is that she will sicken him with too much music until he does not care about love anymore. Viola says she wants to be disguised as a servant or a eunuch. I believe Viola is pretending to be her brother’s identity because he died in the shipwreck. It is a little confusing why exactly Viola wants to become a man because it seems straight forwardly it is to hide her identity and get a job as the Duke’s servant. She may feel scared and alone since she randomly came upon llyria and may think she will be safer since men are strong seen as safeguards. I think Viola is vulnerable and does not want to portray herself as that. I also think she is emotionally ‘not there’ since she just went through a traumatic shipwreck and losing her brother. I think this will be an important aspect that will be uncovered as Twelfth Night unravels. I think there will be gendered related issues since Viola is dressing up as a man.