"Gaylie's Advice on Studying Shakespeare"

“Gaylie’s Advice on Studying Shakespeare”

Travis Mark,

If you ever decide to study English, don’t let anyone tell you that Shakespeare is antiquated and unapproachable. While the language may be a little different from what we use when talking with our friends or what we hear in most movies and shows, it is still English and with a little confidence you can understand the Bard.

Plus, if you let your fears govern your reading selection, you will find your way hedged up on several sides, denying you some truly enlightening opportunities. Travis, Shakespeare is lauded a lot, especially in English literature, and while I don’t find all of his works particularly intriguing some of his stuff is truly fascinated. While studying some of his works this semester, I have been impressed with the universal themes so prevalent in his works.

I got to study Hamlet and then go see a live broadcast of the play starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Travis, it was amazing!

I gained a lot from that experience, and learned a lot about how I, personally, should approach Shakespeare and even literature in general. If you are ever feeling stuck, I hope this will be relevant for you.

One of my favorite parts of seeing Hamlet was being able to see the different artistic modifications made by the directors and actors. It was so interesting to me to see how different aspects were portrayed. I was also impressed by the variation in readings and understanding that were presented.

If you move forward in literature I would highly recommend that you pick topics in the literature that interest you. For me that was in an artistic vein, which based on your current interests, I think that will be something that fascinates you as well. Travis, read the work looking for those themes or for the ways the author formats and presents those themes.

Then explore the ideas of others! I would high recommend that you find friends to talk about the works with. Some of my most meaningful experiences in Shakespeare class and as an English major have come from gaining perspective by listening to and discussing the thoughts of others. And don’t be afraid to turn to visual sources and media sources to draw on for material.

Finally, pour yourself into whatever you are doing. On the Friday before my final project was due I found myself spending hours into digitally creating the image that accompanied my final presentation and trying to cleverly articulate my point in the form of a recipe. Did it take a while? Yes, but it was so worth it. Even doing that really helped me get excited about what I was learning and form a personal connection with what could have been just another English paper.

Travis by doing these things you will have a far better understanding of the topic and it will mean more to you. That will be crucial whether it is for writing a paper, preparing for an exam, or simply providing fuel to persevere as an English major despite the general lack of respect you may face.

Travis Mark, life is what you make it, and literature can help you get so much more out of the limited time and opportunities you have been given.

Love you little brother, best of luck!

Gaylie

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"Gaylie's Annotated Bibliography (2)"

Working Title: Shakespeare the Propagandist: Establishing English Legitimacy

Working Thesis: Shakespeare's plays have long been understood to endorse the Tudor monarchy, however in King Lear, goes a step further, establishing the legitimacy of the Christian English kings at the expense of the Jews. Ever a propagandist, Shakespeare uses King Lear to establish the English monarchy's legitimacy in this sort of creation tale for Christian authority while justifying the discrimination against the Jews because they refused to acknowledge this transfer of authority.

2. Performances

National Theatre Discover. “King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 15 July 2015. Web. 16 November 2016.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_womZ_BE0Q.>

• A modern reenactments of the first scene of the play.
• Dramatizes the ridiculous public spectacle in which Lear asks his daughters to proclaim their love in exaggerated depth.
• The gross imbalance is presented here, especially in the way Reagan sits on her father’s lap and then he slaps her butt as she struts away,

I might use this as a way to emphasize the grossness of this obsessive pursuit of ceremony.

National Theatre Discover. “King Lear - nothing will come of nothing.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 30 May 2014. Web. 16 November 2016.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnYInEJ1-v0.>

• A commentary on a performance of King Lear.
• Relates the great treachery of the sisters.
• Also helps explain why they are so cruel, the rude assumption that Lear made coming to visit with such a large company with no warning.
• Discusses the possibility of Lear’s condition being what we would now call dementia.

Not exactly sure what I will do with this here, possibly give a little bit more context to the cruelty of the sisters? This was an interesting source, I'm just not sure I will actually use it in this paper.

Roman Styran. “King Lear by William Shakespeare (1994) - Starring Sir John Gielgud and Kenneth Branagh.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 15 June 2015. Web. 16 November 2016.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JylxvHvdtA.>

• The introduction starting with Edmund and Gloucester is particularly revealing.
• We understand the joke the Gloucester makes out of his son Edmund, how he is constantly belittled by the circumstance of his birth.

I think this could be useful in establishing the lack of legitimacy that Edmund faces and helping to thus introduce that topic.

3. Social Sources

Grace Dayton (homie)

• I think of Shakespeare as a propagandist.

This really helped me to figure out a way to anchor my idea in the context of the day. Talking through my idea briefly with Grace, and hearing about her allowed me to see my topic in the bigger picture.

***Roman Styran. (enthusiast? possibly expert?)

• He posted an audio transcript of King Lear (as shown in the performance sources above). I noticed he took pains to answer many of the comments made on the video and am hoping to get a response.
• “Thank you so much for sharing this, I think it is so much easier to understand the play when we get to listen to the emotion and motive in the voices of the actors! I thought the very beginning was particularly powerful, because from the mocking tone of Gloucester we get a sense of the jokes that Edmund is constantly subjected to. Do you have any thought on the role of legitimacy in "King Lear"? I am writing a paper and any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks again for the video!”
• Still waiting to see if he will respond.

*** Alice Hahn (enthusiast/homie?- I wonder how she would feel about that, hahahaha)

• I also reached out to my high school English teacher. She is the teacher responsible for introducing me to Hamlet, and I gained a lot from the discussions in her class. I emailed her telling her a little about my topic and asking if she had any feedback of general thoughts on King Lear.
• "....Hamlet, is actually for my Shakespeare class. And as I am writing a paper about King Lear.I had this crazy idea that King Lear actually had some weird parallels to the Jews. It’s a lot to try to convey via email, but basically Lear is essentially the Pharisees. He gets so caught up in ceremony and pride that he becomes blind to his situation that he rejects Cordelia a Savior figure. And though he eventually repents and is redeemed, he still has to face the consequences of his choices. Cordelia is killed, his children die unfortunate deaths, he wallows in denial for a little while and finally the kingdom is taken and given to another. To my way of thinking this is a sort of loosely drawn parable for what the Christian Englishmen think happened to the Jews. And furthermore, as the Christian Europeans are represented by Edgar who gain the kingdom, they see Lear and thus the current Jews as pitiful and lost. They believe themselves to have gained the legitimate authority while the Jews wander without the proper authority to guide them.
• Anyways, I was hoping to ask if you had any insight or thought? I know this topic is a lot to swallow and it honestly might be a bit of a stretch but I can’t quite utterly disregard it. If you have any thoughts  to offer about the topic of legitimacy, or Shakespeare and the Jews or even general thoughts I would love to hear them...."
• Still waiting to hear

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To Be or Not to Be for All the World's a Stage: Gaylie's Hamlet Performance Analysis

If all the world's a stage then at times it is a stage full of rotary, mundane action. It lacks coordination of theme music and costume. If the world is a stage, then it is made up of restrained thought and expression, and wants a proper intermission in which the exhausted players are allowed a brief reprieve.

In contrast, the Encore broadcast of Hamlet was riveting. The general opinion hold true, so much life and color and dimension is lost when a play is read silently. The characters, stage and plot are two dimensional, trapped in a prison of black and white printed uniformly on bound sheets, encased between two solid coverings.

To see a play is to see the humanity of it. This humanity is the gift of those who choose to breathe life into it, and with it comes pieces of their personality and unique experiences. Glimpses of these pieces were offered throughout the play: dressing Hamlet as a toy soldier when he was mad, using Nat King Coles "Nature Boy" as the music for the introduction, giving Ophelia a camera to emphasize her brief role and the importance of her memory, and many more. The idea of abandoning the use of curtains in favor of a single stage set up emphasized the unity of the events and the sad lack thereof in the actions of the royal family and staff.

To be or not to be may very well seem the question, but the answer may very well be that tis noblest in the mind to suffer temporarily through a sea of troubles.  And through striving, struggling and passionate effort inspire one's fellow soldiers thus rearming them in preparation for the next wave of the onslaught.

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"Gaylie's Annotated Bibliography (1)"

I would like to address the legitimacy and the divine right of kings and how Shakespeare as a propagandist used King Lear to address legitimacy and the common belief regarding the Jews. Shakespeare loved England and was very passionate about supporting the monarchy and government through his works. As a result much of his works can be seen in a propagandist light, as being even heavy handedly political in their support of the legitimacy of the English (Tudor) monarchy. Furthermore, part of establishing the legitimacy of the Tudor line required addressing the lineage of that authority as it was gained from Christianity. Shakespeare uses King Lear as a piece of propaganda to further build up the legitimate Christian claim on authority by demonstrating the tragic situation of the Jews and how they continue to follow their leaders in the dark because they fail to recognize that the authority has long been lost.
(As you can see from my last sentence, my working thesis is in need of a lot of work. Every piece I read seems to offer a slight way to tweak it to be a little more in tune. So I am excited to begin writing in earnest to really nail down thoughts so that I can clarify my claim accordingly.)

Scholarly Sources
Bezio, Kristin M.S. "Drama & Demigods: Kingship and Charisma in Shakespeare's England." Academia.edu - Share Research. Religions, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.mdpi.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/2077-1444/4/1/30/htm.>

• An exploration of the idea of Charisma, a sort of grace that is granted to a king, by God when he performs his spiritual duties. 
• I can use this as a way to explain and support my ideas about the divine right of kings and the spiritual duties an English king had to his Christian people.

"New Testament Primer: Pharisees and Sadducees." LDS Living. Deseret Book, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.ldsliving.com/New-Testament-Primer-Pharisees-and-Sadducees/s/5141.>

• This site features a breakdown of the Pharisees and Sadducees and their differences.
• I am interested in using this source to possibly back my idea of Lear being a representation of the Pharisees. 

Baldwin, T. W. “On King Lear.” Modern Language Notes, vol. 37, no. 8, 1922, pp. 504–504. <www.jstor.org/stable/2914871.>

• This article explains that Shakespeare is a propagandist and his addition of Burgundy, in King Lear, is an example of the propaganda employed by Shakespeare.
• I am playing with the idea of incorporating a piece of this article to support my presentation of Shakespeare as a propagandist, possibly by citing this example.

Ebarb, J. "Shakespeare on the American Yiddish Stage (review)." Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, vol. 23 no. 2, 2005, pp. 131-133. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/sho.2005.0054.
<https://muse-jhu-edu.erl.lib.byu.edu/article/179472/pdf.>

• A Jewish reading of Shakespeare, in Jewish version Cordelia doesn’t die, happy reconciliation. 
• I might use this as a contrasted view of King Lear. The reading I present is a Christian reading, it might be useful to employ a Jewish perspective to highlight the differences.

Media/Informal Sources

Seth. “The Secret Jewish History of William Shakespeare.” Forward. Forward, 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2016. <http://forward.com/culture/196969/the-secret-jewish-history-of-william-shakespeare/>

• A blog post featuring several instances of Jewish culture featured in Shakespeare's works.
• Ariel in Tempest Shakespeare name meaning lion of the God.
• Holofernes in Love’s Labour’s Lost
• King Lear is essentially a Job figure in King Lear
• As You Like It, themes about the Garden of Eden
• I am considering using this as support for the fact that Shakespeare did talk about Jewish things, and thus it isn't a huge stretch to consider King Lear as his answer to the Jewish question, but this is a tentative idea.

Bardseyeview “Bardseyeview.” Blogspot. 25 Dec. 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
<http://bardseyeviewblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/shakespeare-and-judaism.html>
General rebuff about the anti-semitic themes throughout Shakespeare

• This is a blog post featuring Shakespeare's treatment of England and the Jews. 
• I am interested in incorporating the following quote as an introduction to why I think Shakespeare wrote King Lear as an answer to the Jewish question.
• “Shakespeare loved England. He saw it as the premier expression of Western civilization. Ten of his 37 plays are English history plays, including an eight-play series. Their overriding theme is legitimacy; taken together they read like an updated version of Genesis and Exodus, the working out of which king or claimant for the throne reflecting the handing down of the Blessing from one Patriarch to the next.”

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Shakespeare: Legitimacy, Propaganda and the Jewish Question

In researching for my final paper I have come across many intriguing topics that appear to be related but are rarely addressed together. I would like to address the legitimacy and the divine right of kings  and how Shakespeare as a propagandist used King Lear to address legitimacy and the question of the Jews.

One of Shakespeare's most common themes is that of legitimacy. This theme is particularly poignant in King Lear, because Shakespeare presents us with such an obvious foil of this concept in the brothers, Edmund and Edgar.  Edgar, the older brother was born in the bans of matrimony and stands to inherit his father's title and possessions. His younger brother, Edgar, is mocked and regarded as a bastard because he was conceived out of wedlock. According to the custom of the day, illegitimate individual were seen as morally inferior. Not only that, but these individuals were essentially outside the bounds of legal citizenship, they were not able to inherit and virtually lacked rights. Thus in the mindset of the day to be illegitimate was to be outside of the benefit of the law, to lack rights and privileges afforded by the legal system.

This belief did not only affect those born out of wedlock, this idea was ingrained in the way individuals viewed each other and their king. The path the crown would take was an incredibly big deal to these people. A legitimate king was thought to possess divine authority over his people, given him by Deity. The belief was that a legitimate king was essentially endorsed by the Divine, and so to disobey him was a sin against God. However, this power was received on a condition, the king had to fulfill his spiritual duty to the people, being just and providing for their needs otherwise God would allow his position to be taken from him.

This belief was long seated in the English tradition because it had its roots in Judaism, notion of which had long since been incorporated into Christianity. Judaism has a long history of  relying on national leaders who were also spiritual leaders because their culture rested entirely on their religion. This lead to a unification of the roles of spiritual and national leader. When Christians split they took this aspect with them because they believed that they were following the correct spiritual leader, they believed Christ had established a new line of authority through his apostles. Thus they no longer saw Jewish leader as being legitimate because they held that authority had been passed along a different line. Furthermore, the English believed that their monarchs were the recipient of this authority while viewing the Jews as a mislead group worthy of scorn not only because they crucified the Savior but because they continued to follow after leaders who had long since lost legitimacy.


King Lear can be read as a propagandist answer to the Jewish question which can be read as a sort of parable of the Jewish situation. King Lear is a stand in for the ancient Jewish leaders, specifically for the Pharisees at the time of Christ. A proud man, he gets to carried away in the pomp and ceremony that he rejects his own daughter when she offers him genuine love and loyalty instead of the theatrics he asked for. His abandonment of her marks his rejection of his savior-figure and the loss of his divine authority for kingship. He continues struggling on but his power is gone and he is subject to the consequences of his actions. This remains the case despite the redemption and sacrifice of Cordelia, the Savior figure. Lear is redeemed but her death was still indirectly caused by his actions and so he wallows in denial for a little while, desperate to believe that she isn't dead. He suffers and dies in this sad state, his kingdom a mess while authority is passed to Edgar, Gloucester's loyal son.
This whole sad little story represents Shakespeare's depiction of the way English and most European Christians saw the Jews. The Jews were like the sad Lear at the end of the play wallowing in denial suffering from the consequences of their actions while they saw themselves as Edgar, recipient of the authority rightfully stripped from the nation who had killed their Savior.

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A Midsummer Nightmare: Prewriting

An example of the elevated diction used to describe love in ShakeSpeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

 I finally took the opportunity to read Shakespeare's, A MidSummer Night's Dream. For a long time I have heard about this play in casual conversation, it would spring up in a passing comment or flit by in a piece of a movie scene. Well, while it wasn't exactly what I expected (Strangely the sublime, intangible concept it is always hovering just beyond complete understanding and realization) however, it certainly had some choice lines and interesting points.

I would enjoy taking a closer look at the stereotypical portrayal of love(See picture above). At some point, Europeans at least, (I am less familiar with the literary traditions of other groups of people)  decided that love required more eloquence. It became common practice to write love poetry or to sing Odes about your beloved, and the subject (love generally, or yours specifically) demanded a sort of elevated diction (or your best attempt, as was clearly often reality). This concept is present in the writings of Shakespeare, Samuel Coleridge, Elizabeth Browning, and many others. I believe this is because love, like that unintelligible, half-baked, preconceived notion, is associated with the sublime and thus in an effort to seek the extraordinary people turned to language to pursue what was ordinarily out of their reach. I think it would be interesting to examine this psychological phenomenon by comparing Shakespeare's descriptions of love and lovers with those of some of the other well known writers.

Another aspect of the play that drew my attention was topic of gender roles. I have often heard that there are lots of arguments for feminism in many of Shakespeare's works. While that is true, these are sometimes brought to light through characters who argue against feminism. The quote pictured above was an example of one of these. This metaphor of a rose as a symbolic objectification of a woman has several disturbing implications. For example, "But earthlier happy is the rose distilled / than that which, withering on the virgin thorn" suggests a divided future for a woman. If she wishes to be happy she must yield her agency and choice to a man. notice the impersonal verb "distilled". However, if she chooses to maintain her ability to choose she does so by sacrificing happiness and companionship. I could spend several pages unpacking this metaphor and denoting the implications its message would have on the lives of women.

Finally, as I am in a dance class this semester I was interested by the element of dance that frequently pops up in reference to the fairies and their ability to control the seasons and maintain order. Often times dance used to be use as a social mechanism. Dances were performed in a specific way and used to celebrate a sense of community. Underlying their celebratory nature is also an affirmation of society's structure and thus, it's rules and regulations. I am considering writing a paper analyzing this play through that lens.

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Prewrite: A Shot in the Dark

Marking a book while reading is one of the most effective ways of truly engaging with a text.

Previous to the first discussion of or notes I was entirely blind to the theme of sight glaring from each page. After Shelby pointed it out, the frequency of this theme almost made it an eyesore. Thematic literary analysis has allowed me to look at the play more carefully and see more deeply into what is before me.

I have benefitted from the discussion on Slack about the fool and his relationship with King Lear. It has been really helpful to read classmate's posts about the decline of Lear's mental state and the symbolism of this decay actually resulting in his being more able to see what is actually going on. I appreciated that conversation especially because it was one I struggled with on my own.

[causal claim] Despite being the reason for Gloucester's blindness, Edmund is ultimately the reason Gloucester gains the knowledge and insight that he does, forced from his position in society, he has to depend on Beggar Tom and from him gains knowledge.

[policy claim] King Lear should be listened to in some audio format to fully appreciate the powerful rhetoric with which Shakespeare, through Lear, addresses the storm, accepting its abuse and maltreatment which he compares to the treatment he has received from his daughters.

[comparison claim] Comparing the two great patriarchs, King Lear and Gloucester reveals a plague of blindness infects them both, suggesting a criticism of a patriarchal society.

[defining claim] Lear is a tragic hero, he has to overcome his pride to truly see things as they are, to do this he must strip off the cultural labels and expectations but also the personal labels and roles he has assumed.

[evaluative claim] Shakespeare's use of settings to describe the internal moods of his characters allows him to connect with his audience and convey emotions in a way that is more accessible that any of his competitors.

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Wandr'ing Storm Cloud and the Like

Photo Credit: Sebastian Gabriel

The wand’ring storm clouds high up in the sky,

the little running blue grey birds in line,

green leaves that pop as sky veiled, seems to cry,

the wind’s cool gentle lick, of sun and brine;

Poppies of orange and yellow tulips bright,

the river’s gasp while running off the brink,

the mountain’s rocky shoulders, twilight bathed

a shell’s smooth inside surface soft and pink;

Stars brightly lit on heaven’s calm, dark face,

cold lace of stars from winter’s sky falls down,

the sea’s waves playful, warm in sand’s embrace.

the petals soft, a flower’s tiny crown.

From paintings, sonnets, even prose these shine.

Yet, I hear whisp'ring. These are works of Mine.

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Analyzing the Promise of Immortality

Shakespeare's Obsession: Time

Throughout his many sonnets there are several prevailing themes: love, sexuality, and the beauty of the human body. Through many of his poem another theme constantly seems to be lurking,  though no always directly addressed, and that is time.  In sonnet 106 it is a more subtle reference, voiced in his lamentation about the great writers that have passed on, and the lack of writers of similar talent at present. In sonnet 73 a lament on his own aging, time, the cruel taskmaster has decreed the beginning of the end, or so our poet feels as he mourns the loss of his youth.

A Lover's Vow: An Attempt to Beat Lord Time

Sonnet 18 also reflects a fascination with time, though this sonnet is a unique case. Sonnet 18 is written in a playful, even flirtatious tone to a love interest of Shakespeare (most likely a male). It begins with the praising of this individual through comparisons to aspects of nature, all of which are inferior when compared to the subject of the poem. The subject is more calm and lasting than a summer's day, not as blinding and harsh as the sun and eternal in beauty. And yet, it is the last two lines of this poem that are the most interesting. Shakespeare goes beyond praising this beautiful individual to promise immortality to his subject. He claims to have bested even Lord Time, by giving his love an everlasting legacy. Shakespeare writes, that because I have recorded your beauty here in this poem you will be immortal, you shall never be forgotten. The generations to come shall breathe life into you as they read this, and you shall live forever.

The Intrigue: Unrequited Love

Over time as more people have studied Shakespeare there has been some debate about who Sonnet 18 is addressed to. Today's scholars largely agree that this sonnet and many of the others he wrote were addressed to men. This interpretation makes the writing of these sonnets a little more complicated because homosexuality was so largely rejected in the time of Shakespeare. Allison Scott in her article, " A Mutual Render, Only Me for Thee: True Gifts in Shakespeare's Sonnets", explores some of the turbulence and anxiety that must have tormented Shakespeare as he struggled to pen these pieces and possibly present them. While this article focuses on the "Procreation Sonnets" there is relevant material that pertains to Sonnet 18 as well. In her article, Scott refers to the dilemmas of gift giving, the procedure and expectation inherent in the very culture of gift giving. She addresses the trickiness involved in giving to a superior, the complications of gift that are motivated by more than just kindness or good will. She delves into the complicated anxiety that Shakespeare might have felt in trying to give this sonnet to a male superior, hoping that it might produce mutual feelings. She also addresses the further turmoil that he likely felt when these affections were requited.

The Sly Bard: The Betrayal 

And yet, there is another aspect to this poem that needs to be addressed, as presented by James Boyd-White. He essentially argues that Shakespeare make the grandiose claim about being able to provide immortality to his love.  However, if you read the poem a little more carefully you realize that Shakespeare has actually immortalized himself and his talent rather than his love. Despite the comparison to a summer's day and the praise of being lovely and temperate we know absolutely nothing about the person Shakespeare wrote the sonnet about. Modern scholars are left to argue and guess about even the gender of Shakespeare's sonnet. Instead, what survives is Shakespeare's graceful and masterful use of language. The poet effectively immortalized himself, and who is to say that wasn't his intention all along?

He Who Laughs Last Laughs Loudest: Bastille's "Poet"

Whether or not Shakespeare intentionally intended to immortalize himself in the words of Sonnet 18, the fact is that we still read, study, celebrate and seek inspiration from this sonnet. Recently the band  Bastille, produced a song, "Poet", that was inspired by Sonnet 18. Part of the first stanza of the song is a sample of the creative license taken with the idea of immorality set forth in Sonnet 18,
 "I can't say the words out loud,
So in a rhyme I wrote you down.
Now you'll live through the ages,
I can feel your pulse in the pages".

Shakespeare and his ideas live on. Immortalized in writing, his skill and deep thoughts continue to inspire artists and writers who in turn breathe new life into his works.


The Nitty Gritty Details: Sources

Link to the article by Allison Scott

• (http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&docId=GALE%7CEIOWRM424406254&docType=Essay%2C+Critical+essay&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=LCO&contentSet=GALE%7CEIOWRM424406254&searchId=R2&userGroupName=byuprovo&inPS=true)

Link to the argument presented by James Boyd-White

• http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18detail.html

Link to the Bastille Lyric video, and typed lyrics

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5NIoWpkdj4
• https://play.google.com/music/preview/Ty6ey6qtszhixpibzev6jjj5kze?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

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Gaylie's Draft Sonnet

Dark roaming storm clouds high up in the sky,
Small blue brown birds running tight in a line,
The colors that pop as the sky seems to cry,
The scent in the wind of sun, salt and brine,
Orange faced poppies and yellow tulips,
Hand written notes done in dark, thick, black ink,
The wings of a humming bird as it sips,
The notes of a song that run off the brink,
The sun on my back as I sit outside,
Full seashells plucked from the sand covered shore,
Stained glass windows in their color and pride,
A dark and deep night sky with stars galore,
From these I gain joy, from these I gain strength.
These are some of my favorite things at length.

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Informal Research for Sonnet Analysis (18) by Gaylie Bowles

Traditional Scholarly Source

• This article by Alison Scott, "A Mutual Render, Only Me for Thee: True Gifts in Shakespeare's Sonnets" offers a new perspective on what may have been Shakespeare's mindset as he wrote some of these sonnets. While this article focuses on the "Procreation Sonnets" there is relevant material that pertains to Sonnet 18 as well. In her article, Scott refers to the dilemmas of gift giving, the procedure and expectation inherent in the very culture of gift giving. She addresses the trickiness involved in giving to a superior, the complications of gift that are motivated by more than just kindness or good will. These beg the question, what prompted the penning of this sonnet? What motivations inspired these coupled lines? I find myself inclined to believe that this sonnet ought to sit in juxtaposition to the ones she refers  to. I don't feel the tension of unrequited love or the struggle to defend word that ought to have been beyond value due to their sentiment. Rather, this sonnet seems to me to be a playful, even flirtatious exercise, a gift given unhindered by the fears that loomed throughout the other sonnets.

(http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&docId=GALE%7CEIOWRM424406254&docType=Essay%2C+Critical+essay&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=LCO&contentSet=GALE%7CEIOWRM424406254&searchId=R2&userGroupName=byuprovo&inPS=true)


Informal Online Source

• I appreciated the straight forward, contradicting view this article presented. Of particular interest to me was the second, by James Boyd-White which discounts Sonnet 18 as a love poem calling it instead an act of self glorification. And I am convinced there is truth in this. The sonnet lacks any real detailed description of the "object" of affections. Though the individual (gender of "object" aside) is compared to various things and said to be superior to all, by the end of the sonnet we are left without any mental picture of what the individual looked like, being destitute of any real concrete description. Then in the final couplet, the sonnet says, and don't worry darling, these lines will allow you to live forever. In a sense that is true, hundreds of years later, we are aware that Shakespeare wrote a "love" poem in the form of this sonnet but we know absolutely nothing about the person (assuming it wasn't just a creative exercise) that he wrote it about. Instead we all gawk over the beautifully penned lines and the grace with which Shakespeare dances around his subject. Which begs the question, what was his real intention?

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18detail.html

Media Source

• Confession, this is by far my favorite bullet point! So in my efforts to find a piece of art (I was looking for an image) that was inspired by Sonnet 18 I looked up the wikipedia page for Sonnet 18. At the very bottom,  the last blip before the notes section, was a sentence claiming (this is wikipedia after all) that the lead singer of Bastille wrote the song "Poet" after being inspired by the words of this sonnet. Guys, that so awesome, I was fascinated by some of the lyrics to this song before and now they take on a whole new depth because they connect in a way I didn't expect! 

(youtube lyrics video- below)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5NIoWpkdj4
Social Source

 (lyrics in written format- below)
https://play.google.com/music/preview/Ty6ey6qtszhixpibzev6jjj5kze?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

Social Source

• So after the discovery that I described in the above bullet point, I immediately texted my friend who introduced me to Bastille. She thought it was pretty cool too (or at least she pretended to). After texting her the sonnet's lines and the lyrics to the song so that she could compare them, I told her how cool I thought it was that an artist was inspired by a prominent piece of literature. I am intrigued by the idea of taking something like that, and thus having a "box" to work from and then creatively finding something new and thus building something out of the box. Anyways after I confessed that I am a nerd, she one again reiterated "that's so cool!" (and she used an exclamation point, so that's good right?) So this was my attempt at having a social experience with Shakespeare's 18th Sonnet. 

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Gaylie's Shelfie

Confession, I didn't have my Shelfie up in time, and this is a practice one until I can make it put up one of the pictures from my phone......clearly not the most tech savvy (nor alas, the most punctual). Stay tuned for the edited version with the correct picture.....

Wow, so apparently this has been a draft this whole time. Let's try this again.

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