Sarah's Advice on Studying Shakespeare

Dear Alyssa,

            I’m so excited that you have the opportunity to study Shakespeare! I know that Shakespeare can be intimidating, and takes a little work to understand, but it’s definitely worth the effort. I personally really enjoy reading Shakespeare because his characters are so interesting, and have so much depth. I really felt this as I was reading Hamlet because many people have very stereotypical views of Hamlet, but as I read it I was able to understand much more about who he is, and what motivated his behavior. It really is a great experience to read Shakespeare.

            The best way to understand Shakespeare is to look up a summary beforehand. Because they are plays it is often difficult to get a good idea of what is happening when you aren’t watching it happen. So if you already know what is happening you can sit back and enjoy the language Shakespeare uses, and his characters. I also recommend that you watch performances of the plays. A lot of things that don’t make much sense will click when you see them performed. It also makes it a lot more fun, because the funny things are funnier, and the intense things are more intense when you watch them than when you read them.

            When writing about Shakespeare the most important thing is that you pick to write about something that interests you. The whole process is more enjoyable because you won’t get bored, and will be more involved in what your writing. As far as research Shakespeare is so prevalent in our society today that finding research about him is incredibly easy. The difficult part is sorting through it all to find what is most useful to you. For me, it was really helpful to find some casual sources, on google or social media, just to get a better idea of what interested me and then look for that in more scholarly sources. Also I am a huge advocate of using print sources as well as electronic sources. There are tons of good articles and books in the library, so use them! Also when you find a good source you can usually find other good sources right next to it on the shelf, which is something much more difficult to do with electronic sources.    

            Finally you have to talk about what you are reading and writing with other people. Not only will they have insights that you don’t have, but it just makes the whole process more interesting. First off it puts more responsibility on you to have read and understood the reading. Secondly it gives you the chance to discuss, and refine ideas that you have about the plays. Your classmates make great reading buddies, and of course I am always here, and willing to talk about Shakespeare with you.

            Lastly don’t be so worried about understanding that you forget to enjoy the experience! Shakespeare is a writer like no other that is why he is such a great author to study, and also why he is more difficult to understand. Don’t worry if you don’t get it at first, keep working and it will come!

Love,

Sarah

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Sarah's Annotated Bibliography (2)

Working Title: "Appearance by Design: How Appearance Controls Reality in Much Ado about Nothing and Hamlet"

Working Thesis: Appearance is the dominant force in Hamlet and Much Ado about Nothing because it controls reality by manipulating the characters trust and actions, and eventually changing who the characters are.

Media/Informal Online Sources:

1. Krieger, Leonie. "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." 2015. Slideshare. Web. 17 Nov 2016.  <www.slideshare.net/LeonieKrieger/hamlet-context-and-analysis?qid=f52a3dfb-edfc-46ae-8068-b6348ff3c055&v=&b=&from_search=6>

This slide show goes over some of the historical context and thematic elements of Hamlet. The part I found most useful was that there were a lot of spies, and spying going on during the time, which caused people to distrust appearances more than before.

2.  La Moda. Shakespeare in your Face. Blogspot. 2016. Web. 17 Nov 2016. <shakespeareinyourface.blogspot.com/2016/05/blog-post_2.html>

This blog talks about many different themes and topics in Hamlet. At one point he talks about the play Hamlet gets the actors to put on, and the theme of deception through acting and appearance in the play.

Social Sources:

1. Homie- Dan Cunningham
Dan is my uncle who has spent a lot of time reading, I contacted him through Facebook. When I talked to Dan he mentioned the interesting paradoxes that occur when the appearances of the personalities of the characters don't match up with the characters actual personality. He brought up how a this can be true for villains pretending to be good, and for heroes who appear more cowardly than they are.

2. Peer- Samantha Schroeppel
Samantha is a peer from the University of Utah who I met in high school; I contacted her through Facebook. When I talked with Samantha she brought up how many times the appearance of credibility causes the problems in Shakespeare's plays, because the characters trust the wrong people based on how their credibility appears, not how it actually is.

3- Enthusiast- Leonie Kreiger
Leonie is a high school English teacher from Australia, I found a slide show she made about hamlet and sent her a message about it. I'm still waiting to hear back from her.

4-Expert- Vanessa Corredera
Vanessa is a professor at Northwestern University, I found an article she wrote about how the characters in Shakespeare judge each other on Physiognomy. I'm planing to send her an email when I have a more specific question about my paper.  

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Sarah's Performance Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this production of Hamlet, I would see it again in a heartbeat.

Things I enjoyed:

• The music they played in between scenes- It intensified the effects of the ending scene, and built anticipation for the next. 
• The soliloquies- instead of having the actor be the only one on screen they just darkened everyone else, and slowed down time.  This had the excellent effect of really seeing into the characters mind. 
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet- who doesn't love Benedict Cumberbatch? He did a fantastic job. 
• The slowing down of time when Hamlet kills Laertes- this served to intensify and sadden the moment.
• The special effects- in particular the effect just before the intermission when what looks like black ash blows into the court. It was a deeply affecting symbol of the "something rotten in the state of Denmark." The camera shots also helped a lot with this because they blocked out anything that wasn't included in the special effect, making it the sole focus of attention. 

Things I enjoyed less:

• The costuming- for the most part it was well done, but there were times that the costumes were confusing and distracted me from what was actually happening onstage.    
• Ophelia- as mentioned by other classmates Ophelia's descent into madness could have been better portrayed.     

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Sarah's Annotated Bibliography (1)

My paper will explore the power of appearance to affect reality in “Much Ado about Nothing,” and possibly “Hamlet.” Appearance has this power because of the way people interpret, or perceive, appearance, and then act on their interpretations, which makes appearance reality.

 Working title: “Appearance making reality in ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’”

Working thesis statement: Although the characters in “Much Ado about Nothing” are eventually able to overcome the deceptions of appearance through love, appearance still makes reality by controlling the actions of the characters throughout the play.

 
Scholarly Sources: 

1. Dennis, Carl. "Wit and Wisdom in Much Ado about Nothing." SEL: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 13.2 (1973): 223-37. Web. 11 Nov, 2016

This article discusses how wit and wisdom may be used to interpret situations and appearances, and how the characters in Much Ado About Nothing use wit and wisdom to interpret appearances in the play, and the problems this causes. This article could be useful in developing my claim because it explores how the way humans interpret appearances give appearances power.  

2. Krieger, Elliot. "Social Relations and the Social Order in 'Much Ado about Nothing'." Shakespeare Survey 32 (1979): 49-61. Print.

This article discusses the effect of social order and relations on appearances, and the effect of appearance on social order and relations in "Much Ado About Nothing." This provides interesting insight into how appearance was given power over the reality of social order.    

3. Lewalski, B. K. "Love, Appearance and Reality: Much Ado about Something." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 8.2 (1968): 235-51. Web. 11 Nov, 2016.

 This article discusses the complex nature of perception and reality in the play, and suggests that one can achieve love in a state of true love. This could add an interesting layer to my paper, how love is the way in which one breaks appearances control over reality. 

4. Vincent, Susan J. Dressing the Elite. Ed. Susan Vincent. Berg, Oxford, 2003. Web. 11 Nov, 2016. 

This book explores the power of physical appearance in 16th century England; specifically it discusses the fashions of the age and how they affected and were affected by one's position in society. This book provides interesting historical insights that support my thesis, specifically that there was a law prohibiting lower class citizens from wearing expensive materials. 

    Performances: 

1.      Much Ado about Nothing. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Perf. Kate Bekinsale, Robert Sean Leonard, Denzel Washington, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves. Metro Goldwyn Mayer. 1993. Web. 14 Nov, 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvU9GbaMY40>

This clip shows the moment when Benedict and Beatrice realize they were tricked into falling for each other. It shows the power of the appearance of love to create actually love between them. 

2.       Much Ado about Nothing. Dir. Nick Havinga. Broadway Theatre Archive. 1972. Web. 14 Nov, 2016. <http://search.alexanderstreet.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/view/work/657491> 

This adaptation of "Much Ado about Nothing," sets the play in the 1950's. This helps to show how the themes apparent in the play are applicable to any age.  

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The Power of Appearance

For my paper I’ve decided to talk about how appearance is more powerful and important than reality. I began my research by looking into the cultural beliefs about appearance and reality at the time. I found this website, and this book that talk about the cultural situation at the time, and it mentions that there was a law that forbid people of lower classes from wearing rich or expensive materials. For the most part this wasn’t an issue because the low class couldn’t afford the expensive materials anyway, which makes it even more interesting that they would go to all the effort to make a law forbidding it. This shows some of 16^th century England’s preoccupation about appearance, they believed that appearance was reality, and so forbid anyone from wearing clothes that would hide reality.

In the slack conversation Shelby Ward suggested I explore how this principle is still true today. I think this would be very interesting to see how appearance is more powerful than reality especially in wake of the presidential election, which seems to be almost all about appearance and very little about reality. I found this article that discusses why appearance has so much power in Much Ado about Nothing. It argues that people rely too much on what they see and their ability to reason, and this allows for deception, however when people put that aside and take a more intuitive, faith based approach to life they are less likely to be deceived. I think this is very applicable to my topic and how the characters in Much Ado About Nothing put too much import on what they think they see, appearances, and it is also applicable to the modern world where we put more emphasis on what we see than what actually is.   

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Sarah's Sonnet 129 Recitation

Well here it is...

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The Power of Appearance

As I was reading Much Ado about Nothing I noticed the great lengths that the characters would go to hide their true selves from others. They all put on appearances, either through their dress, their words, or their actions.  It seems that appearance matters more than reality, in particular for women.  The main conflict in the story is caused by the appearance that Hero is cheating on Claudio, which is not reality. The worth of women in society depends on her appearance. 

In our slack discussion Karee Brown and I discussed how the appearance that Hero has been unfaithful destroys her worth in the eyes of her father, to the point that he thinks she would be better off dead, “Death is the fairest cover for her shame/ that may be wish’d for” (4.1).  This appearance also causes her fiancé Claudio to go from ardent love to hatred and public humiliation, causing him to say, “Would you not swear/ All you that see her, that she were a maid/ By these exterior shows? But she is none” (4.1) in front of everyone at their wedding. Even the Friar, who is one of the only people to see through the deception, acknowledges that if they cannot resolve the issue, “you may conceal her/ As best befits her wounded reputation” (4.1). The power of appearance, even false appearance is enough to send Hero into concealment, because appearance, not reality, is ultimately what matters to the society.

I would also like to look at how when a women’s reputation is ruined she cannot defend it, or fix it on her own. Claudio is ruining Hero’s life by accusing her of infidelity in front of everyone she knows, and Hero is unable to resolve this problem without the help of the Friar. There is also a point in the play where Beatrice wants to help Hero and says “O that I were, a man! What, public accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancor,-O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place” she wishes to defend her friend but is unable to because she is a woman, and therefore convinces Benedict to do it for her. Neither Hero nor Beatrice is able to defend her honor without the help of a man.  

I would like to look into the power of appearance across Shakespeare’s plays, and see if there this theme appears in other plays. I would also like to do some background research and see how women were treated, and what was expected of them during Shakespeare’s time to see if the ideas in this play reflected what was actually happening. 

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Sarah's Paper Prewriting

In the last scene of the play, Shakespeare introduces how nature can change

2. In my notes I have been focusing more on identifying themes and how they are developed throughout the play. I have also been trying to look for more rhetorical devices, and more specifically how Shakespeare's use of language helps to develop the themes of the play. 

3. The slack conversation was very interesting, though I will admit that it was sometimes difficult to add to the conversation, this has definitely challenged me to look for new things, and see things differently in the play. It was also cool to see all the different sources people found, and to be able to share them with each other, and I'm sure it will be useful when looking for sources to use in the research paper. It was really cool to see people using Pinterist and many videos and blogs as sources.  

[Policy Claim] Despite the fact that Edmund's Repentance does not change the consequences of his actions men should still repent because of the power it has to change human nature.  

[Causal Claim] Though nature is seen by Edmund to be the cause of his actions, in reality nature nature affects the decisions of people, but does not cause or force them to take action.  

[Comparison Claim] Although Lear and Edmund begin in very different positions in the play, they both experience a change in nature that is similar because it is caused by life-altering events.  

[Definition Claim] Despite Edmund's claim in Act 1 Scene 2 that nature is his "goddess" the play shows how nature is not unchangeable, but rather can change because of great emotional experiences.  

[Evaluation Claim] Even if you cannot change the consequences of your actions, as Edmund couldn't change his, it is still better to repent and receive redemption before death.    

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Beyond the Bars

Beyond the Bars 

Imposing bars have found their way inside My mind,

and though I try I know not why 

Their icy touch becomes the great divide 

Despite my tries to get outside, I sigh, 

And doubt I'll ever have the strength I need 

To break or bend or rend this quarantine 

That keeps the real me trapped, and so I plead 

With bars that mock me with the space between. 

I look Beyond the Bars and then I see 

A Light whose brightness shines like the divine. 

I reach between in hope to find the key, 

and soon I feel a hand connect with mine. 

The bars depart, the key comes from Above. 

My Savior comes and frees me with His Love. 

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Lust and Action

Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 sticks out from other Shakespearean sonnets because of its dark tone, and evil portrayal of lust, this is not a sonnet to read with your sweetheart on a summers day. At times it seems to be a prophetic warning about the dangers of lust, yet in differs from a prophetic warning because it is devoid of hope. Shakespeare accepts that people will always lust, and change isn’t possible, because lust makes them go mad. Laurel J. Brinton says that In Sonnet 29 Shakespeare divides the “lust cycle” into three parts: before, during, and after; which “show the discrepancy between… desire, experience, and memory”. His diction and description of these three stages show how evil lust is in all its stages, and conveys that madness that causes men fall slave to it every time.

Before Action (Desire)

Throughout the sonnet the first stage of lust is described as:

• perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame, savage, rude, cruel, not to trust
• hunted
• A joy proposed
• extreme
• mad

It is clear that lust in this stage brings out many evil characteristics in people; it does this because it drives the person “mad.” Lust causes madness so extreme that one will do anything to achieve that “joy proposed.” Morals no longer matter, and an instinctual man emerges to hunt the object of his desire.  The sonnet asserts that it is because of this madness that men will continually fall into lust; they stop caring about the consequences of their actions.
This idea is also appears in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 147 where Shakespeare describes his desire, or lust, as a poisonous food that he can’t stop eating.  He knows it is hurting him, and many have told him to stop, but he refuses because he is past reason. He says “My reason…Hath left me,” (lines 5-7) and “My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are” (11).  He acknowledges that his lust has caused him to go mad, and behave in self destructive ways, just like in Sonnet 129.  Lust before action brings with it a madness that drives away sense, and causes people to become destructive to themselves and others.

During Action (experience)

The second stage of lust is described as:
• expense of spirit in a waste of shame
• enjoyed
• mad
• extreme
• bliss
• "heaven"

Shakespeare defines this stage as being “The expense of spirit in a waste of shame” because having an affair is wrong, and will cause one to lose their happiness, demonstrated by the depressed tone of the poem. However people do not realize this until after the action, during action the man is still “mad.” He refuses to acknowledge the wrongness of his action and in the moment enjoys the blissful experience. The madness that has taken over continues to control the person. But this self-imposed blindness cannot last forever and the man eventually comes to feel the guilt and “the expense” of his spirit.
 
After Action (Memory)

The third stage of lust is described as:
• despised straight,
• Mad
• a very woe
• a dream
• "Hell"

The madness experienced in the first two stages of lust ends rather quickly and is and is “Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight” (5). The moment the deed is done the old madness is replaced with a new madness, the madness of guilt. The speaker is soon driven to hate himself and his actions. This reading of the poem by Ralph Fiennes does an excellent job of expressing the guilty, mad, and angst ridden tone of the sonnet.

The Sonnet begins in iambic pentameter but as the sonnet continues the iambic pentameter is broken by a series of stressed syllables which conveys the unraveling emotions of the speaker. He is slowly driven mad by the memory of what he did. This madness does not bring determination to fulfill one’s desires, but rather sends one straight to “hell,” And it is from this hell that Shakespeare writes this sonnet which is so devoid of hope, and convinced that man will never “shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.”  

Conclusion

Shakespeare was devoid of hope at this point in his life, his own feelings of guilt led to the writing of this sonnet.  The dark depressing tone and diction convey in a vivid and a deeply affective way. Coming from a place of experience gives the sonnet authority and power that allows the sonnet to express the madness that lust brings, and the dangerous consequences of lust.

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Sarah's Sonnet Draft

Imposing bars have found their way inside
My mind, and though I try I know not why
Their icy touch becomes the great divide
Despite my tries to get outside, I sigh,
And doubt I'll ever have the strength I need
To break or bend or rend this quarantine
That keeps the real me trapped, and so I plead
With bars that mock me with the space between.
Impassive, they remain. and then I see
A Light so bright it shines like the divine
I reach between in hope to find the key,
and soon I feel a hand connect with mine.
The bars depart, the key comes from Above.
My Savior comes and frees me with His Love.  

This Sonnet is about my personal experience overcoming my self-doubt, and loneliness. I had the most trouble with the Volta, I feel like it doesn't flow very well, let me know if you have any advice.      

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Sarah's Informal Analysis of Sonnet 129

1. I found an article on Jstor called "The Iconic Role of Aspect in Shakespeare's Sonnet 129" by Laurel J. Brinton. It talked a lot about the various grammar aspects in the sonnet, and particularly about his use of past, present, and future tense, and its effect on the sonnet.

2. For the informal online source I found a blog post analyzing Sonnet 129 by "Anokatony." His analysis focused on the guilt the author feels in the poem, and uses the previous two sonnets to show the basic story of seduction, action, and guilt.

3. For the Media Source I found a YouTube video of someone reading the poem.  This was very interesting because the reader did a great job of expressing the guilty unsettled tone of the poem.

4. My social source is something my stake president said in sunday school last Sunday.  In discussing lust he said that lust can stem from any carnal desire of the body, from hunger to sexual desires, it wasn't said directly in reference to Sonnet 129, but I feel it applies thematically to the sonnet.      

 

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Sarah's Analysis of Sonnet 129

Sonnet 129 is all about the evils of lust.  The tone is very dark as is discusses the murderous, cruel, and bad effects of lust. To top it all off at the very end of the poem Shakespeare acknowledges that most people know of these evils, yet never well enough to keep them from falling into the trap of lust, leaving the reader in a sad, hopeless place.  This compares in content with Sonnet 147, the tone in 147 is not as dark as the tone of 129, but they both discuss the dangers of lust.  Sonnet 147 compares lust and desire to food that is making you sick, and even though you know that the food is hurting you, you keep eating it anyway; and so it is with lust. In both sonnets lust is deadly, "Desire is death" (Sonnet 147) and "murderous, bloody, full of blame" (sonnet 129). These sonnets both discuss the idea that even knowledge of lust's dangers is not enough to keep people from being lustful, and hurting themselves and others. The sick man in Sonnet 147 continues to eat the food that is killing him, and Sonnet 129 state rather bluntly that "yet none knows well/ To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell." 

In form sonnet 129 compares well with sonnet 37.  Sonnet 129 uses enjambment a couple of times to connect an idea through multiple lines, sonnet 37 does the same.  They also both make lists of characteristics to describe their subjects.   Sonnet 129's list, "murderous, bloody, full of blame,/
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;" punches the reader with each new descriptive word, pushing even farther the dark tone of the Sonnet and the painful, violent end of lust.  Sonnet 37 also uses a list, but only lists seven words and they are broken up into three at a time instead of eight in one go, such as "So then I am not lame, poor, nor despised,". This gives sonnet 37 a softer feel which better fits the poems grateful, happy tone.    

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