RE: Truth Spoken in Jest

I'm going to respond to a fellow group member's post here.

Chris stated that the hard truth said in jest is appropriate because it allows the party in question to either change or stay as they are without much intrusion while still bringing the problem in question up for debate.

We all have those friends who say scathing things to us, and hide them behind an "Oh, I'm just kidding! Don't take things so hard!"

In the case of the Fool, I feel as though it is a little different than both that scenario and the one Chris brought up. I feel as though Lear keeps him around because he lightens the problems surrounding him, because such is the duty of a Fool. Lear feels less stress about his problems because the Fool jokes about them. It's true that sometimes the truth hits Lear a little hard, but he always pushes it away from him.

I don't think any change works within Lear until he is thrust into the wilderness and subjected to the tempestuous weather. There is where he bonds with the Fool and comes to care for him because that's what happens to people who survive horrible things together. While the Fool is the reason for his change, I don't think it was through the Fool's prophetic words. I think it's because Lear came to care for him, and so soften Lear's heart so that he could see his wrong.

Quotes for the Project

Deception:

"I follow him to serve my turn upon him."

Othello (I, i, 42)

Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.

Othello Act 3, scene 3, 155–161

"O, what men dare do! What men may do! What men daily
do, not knowing what they do!"

Much Ado About Nothing (IV, i, 19-21)

Acting:

If this were play'd upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an
improbable fiction.

Twelfth Night Act 3, scene 4, 118–128

Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this
special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature:
for any thing so o'erdone is from the purpose of playing, whose
end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold as 'twere the
mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own
image, and the very age and body of the time his form and
pressure.

Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 17–24

O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her working all the visage wann'd,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect,
A broken voice, an' his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? And all for nothing,
For Hecuba!
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears,
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty, and appall the free,
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed
The very faculties of eyes and ears.

Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 550–566

Infidelity:

"Here's ado to lock up honesty
And honor from th' access of gentle visitors."

The Winter's Tale (II, ii, 9-11)

"Is whispering nothing?"

The Winter's Tale (I, ii, 284-285)

"Let every eye negotiate for itself
And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch
Against whose charms faith melteth in blood."

Much Ado About Nothing (II, i, 178-180)

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger:
But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!

Othello:
O misery!

Othello Act 3, scene 3, 165–171

Midterm already?

A. Learning Outcomes

• How have I gained Shakespeare literacy?

Over this semester so far, I have read five plays, seen two productions, watched a couple of movies, and seen a lot of bad pop culture spoofs. I feel that I've studied these plays in a shorter space of time, but in a way that focuses on the themes and overall important parts. I work generally to understand the bigger themes and relationships between characters rather than the specific meaning of a couple of lines.

• How have I analyzed Shakespeare critically?

Although I have analyzed a couple of passages critically, I tend to post on how I have analyzed the characters. I like looking at how their society differs from our own, and also how similar they are at the same time.

• How have I engaged Shakespeare creatively?

I haven't especially used Shakespeare creatively yet, but I will as the year goes on.

• How have I shared Shakespeare meaningfully?

There is more to come with this as well!

B, Self-Directed Learning

I have begun steering my own course of Shakespearean knowledge by looking into what interests me. Granted, it took a long time to find that direction, but now that I know more of what I want to look at, I can analyze it more critically in context. For the most part, I have noted in previous blog posts the relationships between characters that I find most interesting. Often enough, I won't write about something that someone else has due to a nervousness about "idea-stealing." This is probably a bad habit on my part.

C. Collaborative and Social Learning

I have been struggling more or less with working in my group so that we can all benefit. Group members, I'm sorry. I feel as though all of the good ideas to write about have already been explored, and that I cannot bring anything new and salient to the table, and so I'm always hesitant to write or speak unless I feel my ideas are original.

D. Looking Ahead

In the future, I plan to be more engaged in writing about Shakespeare and sharing my opinions more frequently with my group. I am going to post more frequently, hopefully making up what I have missed, and comment more on other people's blogs. I plan on finding a way to express myself creatively through Shakespeare (possibly the final project). I want to connect with more people about what I am learning, and have the knowledge I have gained become more important to me.