Shakespeare in context II July. 8, 2013
Article discussion:
Rabbit = man who grows up, exemplary Christian
Duck = Machiavellian prince
Intransigently fixedly multivalent (paradox) pg 295 of Duck article
Multi-valence = multilayered
Once you start seeing the other, you can’t go back
**Next class = debate focus act 5, scene 2 of Henry V
Pick a short exchange, no more than 6 lines and focus analysis on a particular word. Look word up in
OED and lexical dictionary. Pick the meaning you think actor should have in their mind.
Antony and Cleopatra:
- Themes: ideas of rule and theatricality of rule
o Ceremonies, speeches esp in Henry V
- Sexual passion expressing sabotage
- Dichotomy between east and west (Rome and Egypt)
- Egypt = lust, romance Rome= Time, law
- Cleo= kind of player (aware of her own theatricality)
o Worries about her part being played by a squeaky boy (metaanalysis)
- Two diff antonys depending on where he’s located
- Is this play a tragedy? If so, who’s tragedy is it?
- Cleo = threatheing to rome not just because she’s antony’s wife
o Slowly expands her geo-political power
o Henry will also expand his geo political power through marriage to Catherine
- Parallels b/w cleo’s seduction to antony and Q. Elizabeth’s well known affair w/ Essex
o England and Spain war with Q. Elizabeth
o Both of these women think of themselves as powerful women (almost mystical goddess
figures)
o Cleo Isis and Queen Virgin
o Antony died for an entire act before Cleo dies
o Cleo controls the speech of o/s
o O/ characters have difficulty interrupting her too
Even as Antony is dying he asks to speak a little and Cleo says No, let me speak
- Tragedy in Shakespeare’s time is somewhat self-inflicted
o Ex: Othello is too trusting therefore he kills his own wife which is his tragedy (his very
nature leads to his tragedy) How you work, is going to be the thing that brings you down
Ex: Hamlet’s misery leads to his tragedy
Queen Elizabeth: The golden age (speech to troop at Tilbury)
o Handout of the famous speech
Problem of what if there are traitors within the army?
Army = way of escaping poverty; there to be paid when the war is over
Therefore not all patriotic (they just need a bigger tip)
Q. Eliza is aware of this when she makes the speech
Idea of king’s 2 bodies (body natural, and body politic)
o Q. Eliza’s natural body is that of a “weak and feeble women”
BUT “heart and stomach of a king” reminding ppl of the body
politics (metaphor for the kingdom of England)
Also reminding them of her blood lineage to Henry V
- Love affair b/w cleo and antony may have reminded ppl of Q. eliza and her “favourite”
Henry V
- Hist play tagedy that o/ 2 enres don’t pose
- Early mod audience would have been somewhat confused as well since this genre was being
created only during the time that it was being performed
- Shakes hist like a dramatic experiment audience needs
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