The Glass Menagerie (1)

Realism vs. Nonrealism

"The play is memory. Being a memory play, iris dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic. In memory everything seems to happen to music. That explains the fiddle in the wings. I am the narrator of the play, and also a character in it." (1236)

One of the major themes of this play is realism vs nonrealism. The quote above is a perfect example of nonrealism. Tom is the narrator and a character in the play and he is telling this story from memory. Memory is nonrealistic because some details are omitted and others exaggerated. At some points, Tom addresses the audience and explains what is happening or about to happen, which is nonrealistic. There is also a time when Tom asks for more light on Amanda. Some other parts of the play, such as the imaginary fourth wall are necessary nonrealistic elements of the play. 
The play also contains realism which is apparent in the characters' interactions with one another. The way the characters talk is realistic because they do not always talk in full sentences. The way Tom portrays his family is also realistic because he does not make them seem like a perfect family, instead he describes his family life the way it really was.  

As You Like It

"Play, music! And you, brides and bridegrooms all, / With measure heap'd in joy, to the measures fall." V.iv.78

Why don't we all get married? Is that really the ending? Every little conflict in this play is resolved quickly. By the end, all conflict is resolved and multiple people get married. It was basically a happy ending for everyone. I don't understand what the point of the play is. I also didn't find it funny at all, so I don't understand why it is a comedy. This play was pretty easy to read compared to other Shakespeare plays, but it was a little bit of a letdown for a Shakespeare play.

As You Like It - Theme

"I will speak to him like a saucy lackey, and under the habit play the knave with him.  Do you hear, forester?"

All is not as it seems.  This is one of the themes of the play.  There are many things in the play that are not as they seem.  Ganymede and Aliena are really Rosalind and Celia.  They choose to disguise themselves to avoid thieves when they flee to the Forest of Arden.  Rosalind had the chance to tell Orlando who she really was but she choose to keep her identity a secret.   She maintained her disguise as a man to find out if Orlando really loved her.  In addition to the women disguising themselves, the Forest of Arden was not what it seemed.  Exile in the forest was nothing like one would imagine exile.  Duke Senior described banishment as better than life in the court.  Therefore, things were not as they seemed in the play.

As You Like It - Dynamic Character

"And to the skirts of this wild wood he came; / Where meeting with an old religious man, / After some question with him, was converted / Both from his enterprise and from the world /His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother,"  V.iv.78

Duke Frederick and Oliver are dynamic characters in this play.  They both change drastically by the end of the play.  At the beginning of the play, Frederick was cruel and greedy so he banished his bother. But at the end, he had a conversion when he about to kill his brother and returned his brother's dukedom instead of killing him. Oliver had a similar chance of heart during the play. To start, Oliver was bitter and cruel to his brother, but by the end he became kind and loving. After Duke Frederick threathen Oliver with banishment and Orlando saved him in the forest, Oliver had a conversion. He changed his attitude toward his brother. Oliver no longer wanted to kill Orlando and he fell in love with Aliena. Therefore, both Duke Frederick and Oliver are dynamic characters.

Othello Reflective Essay

            Shakespeare’s plays are not particularly the easiest to understand, but they do provide timeless and universal themes that still apply to the twenty-first century.  For example, Shakespeare’s Othello provides timeless and universal themes of jealousy and love which connect to modern tales such as Cinderella and The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse.  Each of these works presents a different example of jealousy as a human flaw.  Jealousy is present in most aspects of life and has been for thousands of years.  Othello illustrates a quintessential example of the presence of jealousy in mankind and its destructive nature. 

            Jealousy is a prevalent theme in Othello.  Multiple characters experience this feeling at some point in the play.  Roderigo feels envy when he learns that Desdemona married Othello.  Then, Othello becomes jealous of Cassio because Iago fed him lies about Cassio having an affair with Desdemona, his wife.  Othello’s jealousy inflamed an internal conflict in him about how to handle the situation because he loved his wife dearly.  Othello’s love for his wife and Iago’s lies provoked the jealousy within him, leading him to kill Desdemona.  When Iago’s wife Emilia learned of Iago’s deception, she described jealous men as “not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. 'Tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself” (III. iv. 154-156).  Love makes people jealous because everyone is looking for love in their lives and they do not like when other people have what they cannot find.  Jealousy caused by love is also a common theme in the novel Eclipse.  In the book, Jacob grows to love Bella, but she only loves him as a friend.  Instead, Bella is in love with Edward, which makes Jacob jealous of Edward.  Jacob was there for Bella when Edward left, but Bella still loved Edward even though he abandoned her. Jacob confronted Bella with his feelings saying, “You love me, too. Not the same way, I know. But he’s not your whole life, either. Not anymore. Maybe he was once, but he left. And now he’s just going to have to deal with the consequence of that choice — me” (Meyer).  Jacob knew Bella loved Edward more but he could not help being jealous because he just wanted to be loved as well.  

Iago becomes jealous of Cassio when Othello names Cassio lieutenant instead of him.  Iago’s envy of Cassio’s position prompts him to create lies and manipulate others to get what he wants.  Likewise, the stepmother and stepsisters in Cinderella act in a similar manner towards Cinderella.  Cinderella lived with her father and stepmother, who only married for the money.   “It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed. Cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters” (Cinderella).   The stepmother was so jealous of Cinderella’s beauty that she treated her like a servant and made her life miserable, similar to Iago’s manipulation of Othello.  Cinderella’s stepmother manipulated Cinderella’s father and took over his home and his fortune after his death without a care about what happened to Cinderella.  Her stepsisters also envied her beauty, which is apparent as they rip her dress up when she is ready for the ball.  They did not want to be out done or want her to attend the ball so they destroyed her dress out of jealousy.  Therefore, it is obvious that jealousy will always be present in human nature, making Othello timeless and universal for addressing such a prevalent aspect of human nature.

  

Works Cited

Cinderella. Walt Disney, 1950. DVD.

Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.

Perrine, Laurence. “Othello.”  Perrine’s Literature:  Structure, Sound, and Sense. Fort Worth. Harcourt College. 2002. 1361-1462. Print.

Othello Song Connection

"When he lays you down, I might just die inside, It just don’t feel right, ‘Cause I can love you more than this."

The song More Than This by One Direction connects to the theme of unrequited love in Othello.  This song is about loving someone who loves someone else, which makes me think of Roderigo's love for Desdemona.  Roderigo will do anything to get Desdemona's attention.  He used all his money and trusted Iago to help him win her love, but she does not notice him at all.  It was killing him knowing that she married Othello.  Roderigo was heartbroken and I think this song helps explain how he feels.  The lyrics above from the song express Roderigo feelings toward Desdemona.   

Othello (6)

"Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, / A housewife that by selling her desires / Buys herself bread and clothes. It is acreature / That dotes on Cassio, as 'tis the strumpet's plague / To beguile many and be beguiled by one. / He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain / From the excess of laughter. Here he comes. / Aw he shall smile, Othello shall go mad, And his unbookish jealouly must construe / Poor Cassio's smiles, gestures, and light behavior / Quite in the wrong." IV.i.91-101

I thought Othello was an interesting story that kept my attention. I surprisingly wanted to keep reading to find out what Iago would do next. I thougt Iago was a very interesting character and I was amazed by his ability to manipulate everyone else. In the beginning, I kind of felt sorry for Iago because he was passed up for lieutenant for someone who had never fought in a battle. However, as the play progressed, I began to understand why Cassio was choosen instead of Iago. Iago was deceitful and manipulated, while Cassio was a gentleman. Iago was never telling the truth unless he was alone and he was speaking to only the audience. Therefore, I began to feel less sympathy for Iago because he did not deserve the position according to his actions. However, that did not make me hate Iago; I still thought he was very clever and he made a great villain which made the play interesting.