My addition to the girl power motif. I wanted to show how mundane power can be, that even when you think you don't have it, you could. Or other people think that you have it--which is the same thing as actually having it. Shakespeare's girls are thrown into extraordinary situations, but that isn't the only type of girl power. Some girls have to settle with the mundane, underwhelming kind, especially in this modern world. And so, mine does.
Office sounds are heard. The melodic hum of a copier scanning meaningless memos. Co-workers mumble about their children. Someone spills coffee onto themselves, loudly. Each cast member creates a rhythm with various office supplies. The rhythm builds as a Ticonderoga-yellow light illuminates the cyclorama, casting shadows over the set which is a series of cubicles, with a secretary’s desk front center and a water-cooler stage left. A woman walks out and gracefully climbs onto the secretary’s desk, she looks out at the audience.
Spot up on Miranda, who is the woman on top of the desk. The beat fades but does not die.
Miranda: I went to Brandeis. Seriously, I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but I have a degree in fucking business from Brandeis. So after I graduate, they set me up with this internship, big company, they tell me I’ll be running it someday. Great career opportunities. I get here, and they’ve given my job to some CEO’s brain dead, spoiled rotten, nephew. I moved myself all the way out here, I’m broke, and stranded! I call Brandeis, you now what they tell me to do?
The phone rings cutting off her line, when the phone rings the beat stops. She hops off the desk and into a chair behind it. She answers the phone. Stage lights come up on the office.
Miranda: Hello, General Corporation, Miranda speaking. No he’s not in yet. No he won’t be in for another hour. Yes, I’ll tell him. You too.
She hangs up the phone, looks defeated. It rings again.
Miranda: Hello, General Corporation, Miranda speaking. Hold on, I’ll transfer you to computer aid.
She hangs up the phone, looks defeated. It rings again.
Miranda: Hello, General Corporation, Mir-
Enter Valerie, out of breath, and holding two coffees.
Valerie: Hey!
Miranda shushes her, she is still on the phone.
Valerie: Oh, sorry.
Miranda hangs up the phone. It rings again.
Valerie: Put it to voicemail. I’m serious, no one needs to talk to anyone this early in the morning.
Miranda: Val, it is 10 o’clock.
Valerie: Yea, no one needs to talk to anyone this early in the morning. Here’s your coffee. Bossman in yet?
Miranda: Of course not. He’s probably cleaning tequila off of one of his cashmere sweater vests. Anyway, why should the person running the office be here at the same time as his workers?
Valerie: God bless corporate America.
Miranda: God bless Starbucks.
Valerie laughs and fades back to her cubicle. Jeremy enters, holding two coffee cups.
Jeremy: Mornin’ Miranda. I got you a co-
He sees Miranda’s coffee.
Miranda: Sorry, Val…
Jeremy: Yea, dumb of me. Everyone has coffee at this hour.
Miranda: It is 10 o’clock.
Jeremy: Yea, everyone has coffee at this hour. I was already late, I would have felt bad walking in looking refreshed with you looking so-
Miranda: I look like I’ve been working in a job a hate for a year, you can say it.
Jeremy: I was gonna say tired, but you know, you always look good.
Miranda smiles. Beat.
Miranda: Did your alarm not go off again?
Jeremy: Define “not go off” ?
Miranda: Did the little black box on your night table not beep at the appropriate time?
Jeremy: Was that definition from Webster’s sarcastic dictionary?
Miranda: Sorry, I-
Princeton, the boss, enters.
Princeton: (Looking at Jeremy.) Why aren’t you upstairs?
Jeremy: I came down to ask Miranda about sick days. She practically has the whole manual memorized-
Princeton: Why are you holding two coffees?
Jeremy: I am, look at that, two, well, it is your lucky day Miranda, here.
Princeton: Miranda, did I miss any calls?
Miranda: One sir, I left a post-it on your desk.
Princeton: Don’t I budget out money for this branch to have high speed internet?
Miranda: I don’t know anything about the budget sir.
Princeton: Use email next time. This is a corporation, not a Ma and Pa’s general store. I’ll be in my office.
Princeton exits.
Jeremy: Jerk.
Miranda: He wouldn't know a corporation if it latched itself to his ass.
Jeremy: Very becoming language.
Miranda: I just don’t understand how I put up with it. Every night I play out these great speeches in my head. I tell him how I would run the company, I really stick it to him. I throw in some stuff about his awkward bald patch, the insults I have dreamed up are truly vicious. Then I come in here and I just do what I’m told. What is wrong with me? I can’t even tell someone I hate, who I should have no connection with--that I think having a gerbil as an office pet would do more for the company than he ever has.
Jeremy: Nothing is wrong with you, except that gerbils are incredibly unsanitary. I mean, what can you do? Whatever you say, he just wouldn’t care.
Miranda: I know, I’m the most expendable person here. I answer the phones, I hand out the memos-
Jeremy: You’re not expendable!
Miranda: I’m a secretary. I five-year-old with a pleasant demeanor could do my job.
Jeremy: Okay, so you’re expendable, but think about all the stuff you know. All the stuff you tell me. If you were expended--
Miranda: Expended?
Jeremy: It sounded more eloquent than fired.
Miranda: Fired?
Jeremy: I’m not saying that you will be, I’m saying that if the company knew what you knew, knew all those little secrets you’ve been hearing since you started working here, they’d give you a corner office with a view and a zip line--just to keep you from revealing all the stupid mistakes the company makes on an everyday basis. Hell, everyone in this office should be terrified about what you know about them.
Miranda: I don’t know anything about anyone. I answer the phones.
Jeremy: I bet you don’t even think about it, but you open the office and you are the last to leave. You see it all!
Miranda: I see that I work with some of the most boring people in Michigan.
Valerie: (from her desk) And that is saying something! Woops…
Jeremy: How can she hear us?
Miranda: Oh, shit. Oh, no, no, no…
Jeremy: What?
Miranda: I put your extra coffee on the conference call button.
Jeremy: And the conference call button…
Miranda: Arranges wedding bouquets, it conference calls Jeremy!
Jeremy: The entire office?
Miranda: The entire office.
Jeremy: And Princeton?
Princeton: (from offstage) Miranda, can I see you in my office?
Lights out. Curtain closes. Two leather chairs are set in front. Princeton fills one.
Lights up. Miranda enters.
Miranda: You heard the call?
Princeton: Oh, yes.
Miranda: If you could just not tell any of my future employers that would be great. I’ll go get some boxes from shipping-
Princeton: Miranda, you’re not fired. I wouldn’t want you to think you were that, what's the word, " expendable".
Miranda: You’re kidding right? I compared you to a gerbil, the entire office heard. I completely undermined your authority. Are you keeping me here as a punishment?
Beat.
Miranda: Oh my god, you really think that I know something? Jeremy, the guy who took a week off to try and prove that there was a tunnel under the grassy knoll, has really get you going? What is there to know? It isn’t like this is some big, evil corporation. We sell lawn-mowers for chris’sake.
Princeton: The sale of lawn-mowers is a lucrative business.
Miranda: For the past year I have been answering the telephone, sending out emails, planning cook-outs and for what? The hope that someone would realize that I deserve your job? I was so caught up in getting what I thought was mine, I forgot that we’re selling lawn-mowers in Michigan. I wanted some kind of power over my life, for something to go my way…
Lights out. Spot up on Miranda. The office beat resumes.
Miranda: And things did go my way because I am not selling lawn-mowers in Michigan. Why didn’t Princeton fire me? Power is a funny thing. When he thought I knew something, I still would really like to know what that something is, I gained the power. But the kind of power you get because someone is afraid of you, that’s not the kind of power I want. I want the kind of power you just don’t see anymore, the kind that comes with confidence in your own strength and other people’s confidence in your personality.
Phone rings.
Miranda: Can someone else get that?
Lights out.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The road to girl power is paved with pink DVD cases...
Choosing girl power as my motif has opened up a wonderful world of options for me to find “another, non-literary work of art”. Before I realized it had to be non-literary, I had was going to keep this blog very classy and say some wonderful insightful things about Twelfth Night, which is always dear to my heart. Being the cautious person that I am, I re-read the directions and caught myself. I have decided that after a week of reading 10 acts of Shakespeare, stopping only to study the anatomy of a fetal pig, I am going to choose a modern work that is fun. And since it is three minutes past midnight, twelve hours and twenty-seven minutes before this blog is due (I wasn’t going to start timing myself responsibly 12 days before I graduate.), I am going to choose a modern work with absolutely no artistic merit, that will probably rot my brain while I watch it!
Reader, let’s talk about the modern day chick flick, the girl power it embodies, and how Shakespeare helped us to accomplish such cinematic gems as Love Actually, Bridget Jone’s Diary, 27 Dresses and the new release He’s Just Not That Into You. During this blog I will focus on Bridget Jone’s Diary because it is my favorite. Feel free to email me if you need to discuss the other films or want to paint nails and set up a viewing party.
From Shakespeare to Colin Firth, how does one make this jump? In a couple hundred years will high schools the world over be staging their own versions of Maid of Honor? Who knows. I can safely say that Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets to did start out with all the literary merit that is now attached to them. They were written to entertain and to make money. That is exactly what a good chick flick does, they entertain, they provide laughs, they throw in a moral here and there. They show common women that there is something out there. If you want culture go see an RSC production…
Essentially, Shakespeare’s heroines and Bridget are the same, common women trying to make it though to world on there own. They give the audience that “you can do it feeling” when they leave the theatre. The only difference is that with time Shakespeare has become fine art, and Bridget is just cheap thrills. However, strip away the language, the prestige and the dogma and The Tempest becomes something starring Sharon Stone and the Olsen twins star in Twelfth Night. In writing strong women into his plays, Shakespeare opened the door for other people to create strong women and thus, the modern road to girl power was paved.
Reader, let’s talk about the modern day chick flick, the girl power it embodies, and how Shakespeare helped us to accomplish such cinematic gems as Love Actually, Bridget Jone’s Diary, 27 Dresses and the new release He’s Just Not That Into You. During this blog I will focus on Bridget Jone’s Diary because it is my favorite. Feel free to email me if you need to discuss the other films or want to paint nails and set up a viewing party.
From Shakespeare to Colin Firth, how does one make this jump? In a couple hundred years will high schools the world over be staging their own versions of Maid of Honor? Who knows. I can safely say that Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets to did start out with all the literary merit that is now attached to them. They were written to entertain and to make money. That is exactly what a good chick flick does, they entertain, they provide laughs, they throw in a moral here and there. They show common women that there is something out there. If you want culture go see an RSC production…
Essentially, Shakespeare’s heroines and Bridget are the same, common women trying to make it though to world on there own. They give the audience that “you can do it feeling” when they leave the theatre. The only difference is that with time Shakespeare has become fine art, and Bridget is just cheap thrills. However, strip away the language, the prestige and the dogma and The Tempest becomes something starring Sharon Stone and the Olsen twins star in Twelfth Night. In writing strong women into his plays, Shakespeare opened the door for other people to create strong women and thus, the modern road to girl power was paved.
And what strength I have's mine own...
Trying to find one motif, one anything that pertained to these three works was difficult. Not because there weren’t options, there were too many, pride, revenge, water, fire, food, gods, mythology, children, the list could go on and on. I wanted a motif that was at the core of each one, even the sonnet. I wanted it to be eloquent…
Well I got the “at the core of each one” thing down, but it is not eloquent, and since I am a child of the 90’s I can only say this one way.
In my opinion, Shakespeare’s final motif is: Girl POWER! (The exclamation point at the end of “girl power” is necessary and I would not delete it if one of the Spice Girls came to my house and asked my personally.)
Girl power, or the power of a woman to make everyone else in the work look a little weak or silly by comparison, is a motif in all Shakespeare’s work, but I think he really nailed it down toward the end. I guess that Shakespeare really admired women (some days…)
Obviously, the period he wrote in was entirely male dominated. The incredibly strong, realistic and flattering female characters he devised were played by men. A Queen held the throne of England and the real women outside the walls of The Globe were still treated dismally compared to Shakespeare’s women.
Sonnet 154.
Let’s start with the sonnet, shall we? First of all, it should be said, that sonnets 153 and 154 are weird. They are not written to a specific character and for most of the poem, they recount a myth, as opposed to illustrate some incite about love, breeding, beauty, etc. Of course, when it comes down to it, it is a love poem. A love poem that involves a chick that rips off Cupid.
First off all, theft, no matter how sleepy the opponent, squarely puts you into the girl power category. So, one point, Diana’s nymph. Second of all, she stole a weapon from the son of Venus, two points. Now, this myth is not the romantic point of the sonnet. Shakespeare is trying to say that although, “love’s fire heats water“, no amount of water (or any other substance) is going to cure the love he feels for the person he wrote the sonnet for. Good ole’ Will uses ancient girl power to beget modern (for him) girl power. The nymph stole the arrows, you stole my heart, the arrows can heat the water, the water can’t cool my love…Slap a couplet on it and call it a girl power sonnet.
The Tragedy of Coriolanus.
Now, in both Sonnet 154 and The Tempest, the main source of girl power comes from the romantic lead/ingénue. There aren’t many women is Coriolanus, and all of them are eclipsed by the mother of Coriolanus, Volumnia. I am going to liken sports to war for this next simile, I know it is in poor taste, bare with me. If Roman warfare is like sports, then Volumnia is a hockey mom (one that would make Palin proud). She pushed her son into war, and made damn sure he stayed there, controlling him with her pride and the pride of their family name. She says on more than one occasion that she would rather see her son die for Rome, than do a plethora of other, less noble things. In Act 1, Scene 3, she says to her daughter-in-law, “If my son were my husband, I should freelier rejoice in that absence wherein he won honor than in the embracement of his bed where he would show most love.”
Obviously, Volumnia is a tough mamma. However, her attitude toward her son’s honor is not what gives her the girl power. It is her complete control over him, in fact, if you recall from the summary, Coriolanus stops his attack on Rome. Why? Because his mother told him to and threatened to disown him if he didn’t. Not because she was displeased, she was proud her son was attacking the city that exiled him. However, she loves her country despite what they did to her son, she lives in Rome--there was a definite conflict of interest. No matter her reasons, Coriolanus stops his assault at her request and is killed because of his decision. The following is what Coriolanus say to his mother, wife and son after he decides to leave Rome in peace, “Ladies, you deserve To have a temple built you. All the swords In Italy, and her confederate arms, Could not have made this peace.”
Volumnia’s attachment to her son saved Rome. Volumnia saved Rome by controlling a man who loved her. Girl power.
The Tempest.
Girl power in The Tempest is a little downplayed, but it is there nonetheless. I say this because, sometimes, Miranda can give off a Disney princess vibe, but we must try to remember the facts. Fact, Prospero is an incredibly learned, powerful duke and magician. Fact, he can control a myriad of forces on the island and is not to be meddled with. Fact, he has tutored Miranda in everything he knows for the past twelve years ( “Here in this island we arrived, and here Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit Than other princesses can that have more time For vainer hours and tutors not so careful.”) Fact, he loves Miranda more than anything in the world. So who holds the power? Miranda. This theory is never tested, because like most romantic leads, Miranda is dutiful and courteous to her elders. However, there can be no doubt the Prospero would do anything for his only daughter and heir. Thus, she who holds the heart of the powerful father, has the power, which is the complete opposite of the parental dynamic in Coriolanus (the parent who holds the power controls the person who can actually wield it).
Not to mention, that when Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda, he is completely smitten and continues to reiterate things like “(I) Do love, prize, honor you.” and “I thus humble ever.” Lines like this can only lead the audience to believe that their marriage will be one of equals…or she will always have the upper hand.
Miranda also makes it clear that she will work for her love and act as an equal. In Act 3, Scene 1, she offers to carry the burden of Ferdinand’s logs so that he might rest ( “If you’ll sit down, I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray, give me that. I’ll carry it to the pile.”)
Each of the women in these works, manipulate a man’s power, or learn from a man’s power to create their own special form of girl power. They do or offer to do what a man can not. Or they deceive and manipulate a man in ways he knows not. The fact that the strength on these woman can still be perceived by an eighteen-year-old girl living in 2009 is a testament to how strong they are, and will continue to be. Perhaps they are not motifs within the works that they come from, they are characters if they can be called anything, but they are a common motif throughout all of Shakespeare’s works, especially his last.
Well I got the “at the core of each one” thing down, but it is not eloquent, and since I am a child of the 90’s I can only say this one way.
In my opinion, Shakespeare’s final motif is: Girl POWER! (The exclamation point at the end of “girl power” is necessary and I would not delete it if one of the Spice Girls came to my house and asked my personally.)
Girl power, or the power of a woman to make everyone else in the work look a little weak or silly by comparison, is a motif in all Shakespeare’s work, but I think he really nailed it down toward the end. I guess that Shakespeare really admired women (some days…)
Obviously, the period he wrote in was entirely male dominated. The incredibly strong, realistic and flattering female characters he devised were played by men. A Queen held the throne of England and the real women outside the walls of The Globe were still treated dismally compared to Shakespeare’s women.
Sonnet 154.
Let’s start with the sonnet, shall we? First of all, it should be said, that sonnets 153 and 154 are weird. They are not written to a specific character and for most of the poem, they recount a myth, as opposed to illustrate some incite about love, breeding, beauty, etc. Of course, when it comes down to it, it is a love poem. A love poem that involves a chick that rips off Cupid.
First off all, theft, no matter how sleepy the opponent, squarely puts you into the girl power category. So, one point, Diana’s nymph. Second of all, she stole a weapon from the son of Venus, two points. Now, this myth is not the romantic point of the sonnet. Shakespeare is trying to say that although, “love’s fire heats water“, no amount of water (or any other substance) is going to cure the love he feels for the person he wrote the sonnet for. Good ole’ Will uses ancient girl power to beget modern (for him) girl power. The nymph stole the arrows, you stole my heart, the arrows can heat the water, the water can’t cool my love…Slap a couplet on it and call it a girl power sonnet.
The Tragedy of Coriolanus.
Now, in both Sonnet 154 and The Tempest, the main source of girl power comes from the romantic lead/ingénue. There aren’t many women is Coriolanus, and all of them are eclipsed by the mother of Coriolanus, Volumnia. I am going to liken sports to war for this next simile, I know it is in poor taste, bare with me. If Roman warfare is like sports, then Volumnia is a hockey mom (one that would make Palin proud). She pushed her son into war, and made damn sure he stayed there, controlling him with her pride and the pride of their family name. She says on more than one occasion that she would rather see her son die for Rome, than do a plethora of other, less noble things. In Act 1, Scene 3, she says to her daughter-in-law, “If my son were my husband, I should freelier rejoice in that absence wherein he won honor than in the embracement of his bed where he would show most love.”
Obviously, Volumnia is a tough mamma. However, her attitude toward her son’s honor is not what gives her the girl power. It is her complete control over him, in fact, if you recall from the summary, Coriolanus stops his attack on Rome. Why? Because his mother told him to and threatened to disown him if he didn’t. Not because she was displeased, she was proud her son was attacking the city that exiled him. However, she loves her country despite what they did to her son, she lives in Rome--there was a definite conflict of interest. No matter her reasons, Coriolanus stops his assault at her request and is killed because of his decision. The following is what Coriolanus say to his mother, wife and son after he decides to leave Rome in peace, “Ladies, you deserve To have a temple built you. All the swords In Italy, and her confederate arms, Could not have made this peace.”
Volumnia’s attachment to her son saved Rome. Volumnia saved Rome by controlling a man who loved her. Girl power.
The Tempest.
Girl power in The Tempest is a little downplayed, but it is there nonetheless. I say this because, sometimes, Miranda can give off a Disney princess vibe, but we must try to remember the facts. Fact, Prospero is an incredibly learned, powerful duke and magician. Fact, he can control a myriad of forces on the island and is not to be meddled with. Fact, he has tutored Miranda in everything he knows for the past twelve years ( “Here in this island we arrived, and here Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit Than other princesses can that have more time For vainer hours and tutors not so careful.”) Fact, he loves Miranda more than anything in the world. So who holds the power? Miranda. This theory is never tested, because like most romantic leads, Miranda is dutiful and courteous to her elders. However, there can be no doubt the Prospero would do anything for his only daughter and heir. Thus, she who holds the heart of the powerful father, has the power, which is the complete opposite of the parental dynamic in Coriolanus (the parent who holds the power controls the person who can actually wield it).
Not to mention, that when Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda, he is completely smitten and continues to reiterate things like “(I) Do love, prize, honor you.” and “I thus humble ever.” Lines like this can only lead the audience to believe that their marriage will be one of equals…or she will always have the upper hand.
Miranda also makes it clear that she will work for her love and act as an equal. In Act 3, Scene 1, she offers to carry the burden of Ferdinand’s logs so that he might rest ( “If you’ll sit down, I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray, give me that. I’ll carry it to the pile.”)
Each of the women in these works, manipulate a man’s power, or learn from a man’s power to create their own special form of girl power. They do or offer to do what a man can not. Or they deceive and manipulate a man in ways he knows not. The fact that the strength on these woman can still be perceived by an eighteen-year-old girl living in 2009 is a testament to how strong they are, and will continue to be. Perhaps they are not motifs within the works that they come from, they are characters if they can be called anything, but they are a common motif throughout all of Shakespeare’s works, especially his last.
O brave new world, that has such motifs in 't!
When I began reading Coriolanus, I kept thinking: dear god, how am I ever going to relate this downward pride spiral to a comedy about being shipwrecked and a sonnet about Cupid? I thought that if these works were written close enough together, which they were, the motifs within them would reveal something new and exciting about the over-researched William Shakespeare. I cursed psychology--the science that taught me that works of literature reveal more about the authors than they do anything else--for leading me astray. Then, four warm potato skins later, I began The Tempest and I kept thinking: thank god, there are parallels, there are parallels, oh, the parallels!
So before I reveal my carefully composed motif, I am going to share with you the other things I’ve found, because, quite frankly, I think they’re cool, and I am the one with the power to push the “submit button”.
Pride.
Ah yes, It is Coriolanus’ pride that gets him exiled and Prospero’s lack of it that gets him exiled. And yes, they were both exiled. Coriolanus is loved by the nobles and snubs the common people and the common people show him who is boss. He does return with a vengeance, but ends up getting stabbed, so his pride must be blamed for at least one gapping stab wound. Prospero is loved by his people, but he neglects his state, and the state (led by his brother) exile him. Twelve years later, Prospero shows them up. Neither of them learn anything--the major difference being that Prospero gets to be a duke again and Coriolanus resolves one issue only to be taken down by another variation of the same issue.
The moral with pride is always pretty clear, have some, but don’t flaunt it. Put these two characters together and you have a foil that gets the point across. Obviously, things worked out better for Prospero, but he was written into a comedy--Coriolanus was going to get killed no matter what--the curse of being a tragic hero.
Coriolanus and Prospero.
These two men are so dissimilar, yet so strangely connected. I know that plenty of scholars have pointed out that Prospero was Shakespeare’s way of saying goodbye to the arts. He gives up his magic, in the final line of the epilogue he asks that the audience, “Let your indulgences set me free.” In other words, he was done writing and begging them to set him free. The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last play and it was his goodbye, Prospero is very clearly the embodiment of Shakespeare. In Act 4, Scene 1, Prospero says, “Be cheerful, sir. Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air.” Prospero, of course, talks of a performance during the scene, but the quote could easily be applied to his last performance as a playwright.
If Prospero is Shakespeare’s fond farewell, then Coriolanus is his last angry tirade at an ignorant public. Let’s face it, Shakespeare was a smart guy and he probably resented having to dumb down his work to sell tickets. Coriolanus, his last tragedy, is extremely unpopular, why? Because there are no redeeming qualities to be found, it is all evil, war and pride. There are no fools, very view characters without flaw and it does not leave you feeling good in anyway. The steady stream of hate constantly aimed at the Roman public probably offended a groundling or two. Coriolanus is a proud man, who resents the need of approval from people he thinks beneath him. He is a master soldier, and resents having to flaunt his wounds for the public’s affection. In Act 4, Scene 5, a serving man talks of war and peace, “ Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing but to rust iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad-makers.” I’m sure that an artist like Shakespeare, resented having to be a ballad-maker, to entertain a bored populace-- Coriolanus was Shakespeare’s way of saying this to the public…not that many of them say it.
There are so many other paralleled things that I wish I had time to research further like: the use of fire in Coriolanus and water in The Tempest and the use of them both in the sonnet, the appearance of Roman gods and other divine creatures in all three works, the similarities between Menenius (Coriolanus’ advisor) and Gonzalo (Prospero’s advisor), the almost exact likeness of the Tribunes, Sicinius and Brutus (in Coriolanus) and Sebastian and Antonio (in The Tempest), and of course why all of these repeated traits and words were stuck in the Bard’s head…
Alas, I am only a high school senior, and I only have so much patience.
Thus, I am about to reveal THE FINAL MOTIF. In my next post.
So before I reveal my carefully composed motif, I am going to share with you the other things I’ve found, because, quite frankly, I think they’re cool, and I am the one with the power to push the “submit button”.
Pride.
Ah yes, It is Coriolanus’ pride that gets him exiled and Prospero’s lack of it that gets him exiled. And yes, they were both exiled. Coriolanus is loved by the nobles and snubs the common people and the common people show him who is boss. He does return with a vengeance, but ends up getting stabbed, so his pride must be blamed for at least one gapping stab wound. Prospero is loved by his people, but he neglects his state, and the state (led by his brother) exile him. Twelve years later, Prospero shows them up. Neither of them learn anything--the major difference being that Prospero gets to be a duke again and Coriolanus resolves one issue only to be taken down by another variation of the same issue.
The moral with pride is always pretty clear, have some, but don’t flaunt it. Put these two characters together and you have a foil that gets the point across. Obviously, things worked out better for Prospero, but he was written into a comedy--Coriolanus was going to get killed no matter what--the curse of being a tragic hero.
Coriolanus and Prospero.
These two men are so dissimilar, yet so strangely connected. I know that plenty of scholars have pointed out that Prospero was Shakespeare’s way of saying goodbye to the arts. He gives up his magic, in the final line of the epilogue he asks that the audience, “Let your indulgences set me free.” In other words, he was done writing and begging them to set him free. The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last play and it was his goodbye, Prospero is very clearly the embodiment of Shakespeare. In Act 4, Scene 1, Prospero says, “Be cheerful, sir. Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air.” Prospero, of course, talks of a performance during the scene, but the quote could easily be applied to his last performance as a playwright.
If Prospero is Shakespeare’s fond farewell, then Coriolanus is his last angry tirade at an ignorant public. Let’s face it, Shakespeare was a smart guy and he probably resented having to dumb down his work to sell tickets. Coriolanus, his last tragedy, is extremely unpopular, why? Because there are no redeeming qualities to be found, it is all evil, war and pride. There are no fools, very view characters without flaw and it does not leave you feeling good in anyway. The steady stream of hate constantly aimed at the Roman public probably offended a groundling or two. Coriolanus is a proud man, who resents the need of approval from people he thinks beneath him. He is a master soldier, and resents having to flaunt his wounds for the public’s affection. In Act 4, Scene 5, a serving man talks of war and peace, “ Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing but to rust iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad-makers.” I’m sure that an artist like Shakespeare, resented having to be a ballad-maker, to entertain a bored populace-- Coriolanus was Shakespeare’s way of saying this to the public…not that many of them say it.
There are so many other paralleled things that I wish I had time to research further like: the use of fire in Coriolanus and water in The Tempest and the use of them both in the sonnet, the appearance of Roman gods and other divine creatures in all three works, the similarities between Menenius (Coriolanus’ advisor) and Gonzalo (Prospero’s advisor), the almost exact likeness of the Tribunes, Sicinius and Brutus (in Coriolanus) and Sebastian and Antonio (in The Tempest), and of course why all of these repeated traits and words were stuck in the Bard’s head…
Alas, I am only a high school senior, and I only have so much patience.
Thus, I am about to reveal THE FINAL MOTIF. In my next post.
Never Fear, The Summaries are Here!
Before I begin trying to tie these works together using a single prevailing motif, I figure I should give a brief summary of each...
Here we go...
Coriolanus.
Coriolanus is essentially Shakespeare’s action movie. Seriously, here is some perspective: the first act has 10 scenes, almost all of which have some kind of uprising or battle in them. The protagonist Caius Martius (later Caius Martius Coriolanus) is a hardened and fierce soldier, he is yelling, killing or plotting for most of the play and everyone around him follows suit.
Basically, the common people of Rome (plebeians) are on the verge of rebellion because they are starving. They are attempting to blame their plight on the patricians (nobles), specifically Caius Martius, who is very proud and not very nice to them. They are granted some corn and two men to speak for them in the future (Sicinius and Brutus). Just as this uprising is settling, Caius Martius runs off to battle the Volscians led by his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius. The battle starts to turn south for the Romans when they can’t take the city of Corioles and most of their plebian army flees. Caius Martius is locked inside the city gates and presumed dead. Turns out, he was alive and kicking, and wins Corioles almost single handedly. For his bravery in this battle he is given the surname Coriolanus (Corioles) by his commanding officer. He returns to Rome where he is to run for consul. The nobles elect him, no problem. The plebeians elect him, some problems are had. Sicinius and Brutus view him as a threat so they convince the plebeians to rescind their votes. Coriolanus is a proud man and when the plebeians led by Sicinius and Brutus confront him…he says some things that lead all of Rome to brand him as a traitor. He is then exiled. With vengeance in mind, Coriolanus joins forces with the Volscians and they march on Rome. His old friends try to persuade him not to burn Italy to the ground, but in the end, his mother Volumnia prevails (after she threatens to disown him). He leads the Volscian armies back to their lands, where he is called a traitor for allowing Rome to stand (by Aufidius) and is stabbed to death by conspirators hired by Aufidius. After his death, everyone agrees that, despite his pride, his was a decent guy and great soldier.
The Tempest.
Prospero, the Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda are usurped of their titles by Prospero’s brother Antonio and Alonso, the King of Naples. They are run out of the country and end up on a island. During the twelve years they spend there, Prospero refines his magic and befriends/enslaves the spirits/creatures of the island. Then, a boat containing Antonio, Alonso, and most importantly Alonso’s son Ferdinand (among others) “happens” by the island. Prospero, along with a spirit in his service, Ariel, “crash” the ship on the island and strategically scatter the survivors. In the end, Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love and he offers to make her Queen of Naples. Alonso, possibly Antonio, and a few others are changed by Prospero’s plot and see the error of their ways. Prospero reveals that the ship and crew are safely in a harbor on the other side of the island (which the audience has known the entire time) and they all return to Italy (with the help of the audience’s applause--Tinkerbell style.) Prospero gives up his magic and his dukedom is returned to him. He frees Ariel and all ends well. I am leaving out some Caliban shenanigans, but that is the general gist.
Here we go...
Coriolanus.
Coriolanus is essentially Shakespeare’s action movie. Seriously, here is some perspective: the first act has 10 scenes, almost all of which have some kind of uprising or battle in them. The protagonist Caius Martius (later Caius Martius Coriolanus) is a hardened and fierce soldier, he is yelling, killing or plotting for most of the play and everyone around him follows suit.
Basically, the common people of Rome (plebeians) are on the verge of rebellion because they are starving. They are attempting to blame their plight on the patricians (nobles), specifically Caius Martius, who is very proud and not very nice to them. They are granted some corn and two men to speak for them in the future (Sicinius and Brutus). Just as this uprising is settling, Caius Martius runs off to battle the Volscians led by his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius. The battle starts to turn south for the Romans when they can’t take the city of Corioles and most of their plebian army flees. Caius Martius is locked inside the city gates and presumed dead. Turns out, he was alive and kicking, and wins Corioles almost single handedly. For his bravery in this battle he is given the surname Coriolanus (Corioles) by his commanding officer. He returns to Rome where he is to run for consul. The nobles elect him, no problem. The plebeians elect him, some problems are had. Sicinius and Brutus view him as a threat so they convince the plebeians to rescind their votes. Coriolanus is a proud man and when the plebeians led by Sicinius and Brutus confront him…he says some things that lead all of Rome to brand him as a traitor. He is then exiled. With vengeance in mind, Coriolanus joins forces with the Volscians and they march on Rome. His old friends try to persuade him not to burn Italy to the ground, but in the end, his mother Volumnia prevails (after she threatens to disown him). He leads the Volscian armies back to their lands, where he is called a traitor for allowing Rome to stand (by Aufidius) and is stabbed to death by conspirators hired by Aufidius. After his death, everyone agrees that, despite his pride, his was a decent guy and great soldier.
The Tempest.
Prospero, the Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda are usurped of their titles by Prospero’s brother Antonio and Alonso, the King of Naples. They are run out of the country and end up on a island. During the twelve years they spend there, Prospero refines his magic and befriends/enslaves the spirits/creatures of the island. Then, a boat containing Antonio, Alonso, and most importantly Alonso’s son Ferdinand (among others) “happens” by the island. Prospero, along with a spirit in his service, Ariel, “crash” the ship on the island and strategically scatter the survivors. In the end, Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love and he offers to make her Queen of Naples. Alonso, possibly Antonio, and a few others are changed by Prospero’s plot and see the error of their ways. Prospero reveals that the ship and crew are safely in a harbor on the other side of the island (which the audience has known the entire time) and they all return to Italy (with the help of the audience’s applause--Tinkerbell style.) Prospero gives up his magic and his dukedom is returned to him. He frees Ariel and all ends well. I am leaving out some Caliban shenanigans, but that is the general gist.
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