English 536

            After taking an entire semester of a class on William Shakespeare, I will not lie I am glad to be done. I went into the class with an optimistic attitude about wanting to not only learn more about the works of William Shakespeare but to learn how to enjoy his work as well. Now that the class has come to an end, I feel relieved to say that I can totally understand why writers are so influenced and get so ecstatic about his work. I admit during the beginning of the course I enjoyed the plays of Titus Andronicus and Richard III. I don’t know if it is because of my dark sense of humor or my need for bloodshed, thanks to years of violent video games but I found the tragedies of Shakespeare way more entertaining.

I like the fact that within these tragedies there were no squeaky, clean good guys or no bad to the bone, bad guys. I like the construction of characters such as Aaron and Richard III, who were simply products of their environment. These characters were not bad for the sense of being bad but they were villains for a reason. I also enjoyed the relationship between the characters such as Romeo and Juliet, along with Benedict and Beatrice. While I found the relationship of Romeo and Juliet as one of the most romantic stories ever written about the love shared between a man and a woman, I found the relationship between Benedict and Beatrice completely humorous.

            I admit that I no longer find the work of William Shakespeare pretentious because I now have a better understanding of him as a playwright and also I have a better understanding of his works. I do consider Shakespeare as one of the greatest writers and some of his work as the best that has ever been written.  I still don’t experience the same excitement as other writers experience about his work. I admire the beautiful words and the language as I have always but I am still waiting for the day when I read one of his plays or piece of poetry and I just get chills. No matter how I feel about Shakespeare personally, my feelings about English 536 will forever be bittersweet because I would have never considered myself a fan of Shakespeare before the class but now that it is over I consider myself a great admirer of his work.

The Tempest

            In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I found it hard to just read the text of the play because I had hard time imagining each scene being played out in my head. I found myself wanting the scenes to be played out with actors and special effects because the play has so much action, which is created with magic. Magic is also something that I think I would rather witness on a stage or in a film instead of reading about it in just plain text. I think having to read the play first then watching certain scenes after I had read it, took away from my experience of the play.

I think watching the scenes after I had read the play took away from my experience because once you have read it, you have already imagine the scene constructed inside your head. I found myself let down a little because the scenes I watched were not like I imagined. Like in Act III, Scene III, when King Alonso and his party are tired from searching and they are visited by these strange shapes bringing in a banquet of food. This is one of those particular scenes that I think you just can’t read about and truly get the full effect of the play. I think with a scene like this one you have to see it because a simple description doesn’t do it justice. I wanted to see the strange shapes that are talked about in this scene. I wanted to see a banquet of food being laid out for these weary men. I wanted to witness the food and drink being made to vanish right in front of these men. I didn’t just want to see it in my head.

 Also the characters in the play that are not considered human such as Ariel and Caliban, I think I wanted to see created with the use of special effects and costumes on screen or on a stage. Just reading about these characters I think did not do them justice as well. It could be my lack of imagination or the fact that countless movies go overboard on spending with the budget for special effects and costumes but I just really wanted to see what could have been done with these characters outside of the text. Overall, I like the fact that this played used magic. I think that is what most attracted me to the play.

Roderigo

            If there is one character in Shakespeare’s Othello that I felt sorry for, it was the character Roderigo. Through the entire play Roderigo appeared as no more than a pawn in Iago’s game. Iago used Roderigo’s affection for Desdemona to manipulate him. I thought it was so sad that this poor guy wanted to win the heart of Desdemona so bad that he would turn to a guy like Iago, who clearly used people for his own gain throughout the entire play. Roderigo appeared as sort of a pathetic, lovesick guy who couldn’t pursue Desdemona for himself but hired someone else to do it for him. It kind of shined a light onto Roderigo character’s because I feel sorry for him but at the same time I am thinking is he the type of character that is made up to believe that everything can be bought with his money. I feel sorry for Roderigo but also I questioned his character a lot because I asked myself a lot while reading the play, “Does he really think he can just buy Desdemona affection?”

            I am at odds about the character of Roderigo because I don’t know if he is just naïve or just not all that bright because of Iago’s manipulation of him. He appeared to believe whatever Iago told him. Even when he tried to end his pursuit of Desdemona, Iago persuaded him to keep trying to win over Desdemona. He appeared to be foolish because of this in the play because he doesn’t really question Iago intentions. He continued his pursuit of Desdemona but without questioning, “Is Iago simply helping because of the money?” At least by the end of the play, Roderigo appeared to have a little doubt about Iago’s intention because he had written letters explaining the truth about Iago’s plot. It revealed that Roderigo wasn’t as naïve or dimwitted as I might have thought because he was smart enough to write down everything that had gone on with Iago. I often wonder that maybe Roderigo’s feelings for Desdemona were genuinely strong to the point where he didn’t want to give up pursuit of her because he did after all risked his life getting into fights and was willing to murder in his pursuit of her. It made me think that Roderigo was just this poor guy who got caught up in an evil plot by Iago because of his love for Desdemona.

Desdemona

In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the Moor of Venice the character of Desdemona, the wife of Othello appeared to me as one of the most naïve characters within the play. She appears somewhat brave in the beginning of the play because she has secretly married Othello without her father, Brabantio’s knowledge. She also appears brave when she makes an attempt to stand up to her father after he accuses Othello of using magic to woo her. Desdemona stands up to her father in Act I, Scene III, when she states, “And so much duty as my mother showed/ To you, preferring you before her father,/ So much I challenge that I may profess/ Due to the Moor my lord.” I considered Desdemona to be very brave in this scene because her father pretty much considers her his property. He states in Act I, Scene III, “She is abused, stol’n from me, and corrupted/ By spells and medicines brought of mountebanks.” It is clear he considers her property because he thinks of Othello as stealing her away from him by secretly marrying her. I think it took guts for a young woman during her times to stand up to her father about who she decided to marry but also Desdemona appears very naïve in her marriage to Othello because in Act III, Scene IV, Desdemona has a hard time catching onto what Othello is trying discuss with her.

In Act III, Scene IV, Othello question Desdemona about the handkerchief he gave to her as a present. Desdemona lies to Othello saying that it isn’t lost when he asks her for it and she quickly changes the subject to Cassio. Othello tries to tell her the importance of the handkerchief and how it use to belong to his mother but she doesn’t want to admit that it is lost so she keeps bringing up Cassio’s case. Throughout their entire discussion Desdemona doesn’t sense that Othello appears to be growing jealous and that he is requesting to see the handkerchief for other reasons. The more Desdemona appears to bring up Cassio, the more Othello appears to be demanding to see the handkerchief but Desdemona just doesn’t seem to catch on to the reason for her husband’s behavior.  Emilia tries to bring it to her attention. She states, “Is not this man jealous?” Desdemona who still doesn’t get it states, “I ne’er saw this before./ Sure there’s some wonder in this handkerchief!/ I am most unhappy in the loss of it.” Desdemona just doesn’t seem to understand Othello’s purpose for wanting to see the handkerchief. Later in the scene, when she tells Cassio what happened when she tried to discuss his case with Othello she thinks that he is upset because something dealing with the state either from Venice or Cyprus. Emilia points out, “Pray heaven it be/ State matters, as you think, and no conception/ Nor no jealous toy concerning you.” Emilia appears to think differently unlike Desdemona she understand that Othello could possibly be jealous and that could be the reason why he is upset. Desdemona appears to be naïve because she doesn’t understand that her husband could be jealous and that is the reason why he is upset.

 

 

 

Twelfth Night

In Act I, Scene V in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, there is a conversation between Olivia and Feste, the clown. Olivia does not find Feste funny so she is pretty much saying, “Take the fool away” but Feste  wants to prove to her that he is a fool and that he can be funny. Olivia asked Feste to give her proof that he is funny. Feste asked Olivia, “Why mourn’st thou?” She tells him that she mourns for the death of her brother. Feste said to her, “I think his soul is in hell, Madonna.” Olivia responded that she know his soul is in heaven.  Feste tells her that she is the one that is the fool because why should she mourn for her brother’s soul if he is heaven so he said that she is the one that is the fool and should be taken away, not him.

I find this particular scene between Olivia and Feste, the clown funny because in this scene Olivia seemed to be kind of annoyed with Feste and she didn’t really find him funny.  Feste said to her and Malvolio when they enter the scene that, “Those wits that think they have thee do very oft prove fools.” Olivia responded to him as if go away but Feste does prove his point when he asked her why does she mourn for her brother’s soul if she knows he is in heaven. I think that it is kind of a good point he made because it’s understandable that people mourn the loss of a love one but should we really be mourning if we actually believe that they have indeed gone to heaven, where as Christian we believe it is a better place with no pain or suffering.  

I think Feste did kind of poke fun at Olivia in this scene a bit because he acknowledges the fact she doesn’t think he is funny so he wants to prove to her that he can be funny and in return he makes her out to look like a fool and he tells her “the lady bade take away the fool; therefore, I say again, take her away.” I think that is kind of who Feste’s character is in the play, his job is to be a clown and make people laugh but he is instead kind of this sarcastic smart alec. He doesn’t really make jokes in a conventional way but in a wise-cracking way like with Olivia. I think Feste stated it best when he said, “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.”

Dogberry, the Constable and the Watchmen

            In Act 3, Scene 3, in Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado about Nothing, the character Dogberry, the Constable is introduced along with the watchmen. The watchmen served the city of Messina in the play as kind of a police force with Dogberry acting as if he is kind of the chief of police. In this scene Dogberry is trying to select one of the men that are a part of the watch to be in charge of the other watchmen and to keep guard that night. One of the men suggested to Dogberry that he should choose one of the two men, who can read and write. Dogberry takes the man suggestion and chooses one of the men, who can read and write but he stated, “Well, for your favor, sir, why, give God thanks, and make no boast of it; and for your writing and reading, let that appear when there is no need of such vanity. You are thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the constable of the watch; therefore bear you the lantern.” Dogberry considers it vain the fact that the man can read and write because it is apparent there are only two men, who are a part of the watchmen, who can read and write. If there are only two men, who can read and write then it is revealed that the most of the men in the watchmen are not the smartest men because they can’t read and write. The play kind of paints the image of the watchmen in a bad light because they are not the smartest group of men but they are in charge of keeping the peace and order in Messina.

            There is more revealed about the watchmen when Dogberry is advising them on their duties in Act 3, Scene 3. He advised that they are to order any men to stop in the name of the prince that are “vagrom men.” One of the watchmen asked Dogberry what if the man doesn’t stop in the name of the prince then Dogberry advised him to do nothing to the man because if he doesn’t stop in the prince’s name then he is not one of the subjects of the prince’s and the watchmen are to deal with only the prince’s subjects. Dogberry also advised the watchmen to go to the “ale-houses, and bid those that are drunk get them to bed,” and if they do not go he advised the watchmen to leave them alone until they are sober. Dogberry as the head of the watchmen is not giving the other men very good advice. He basically advised them to do nothing. The watchmen in the play appeared as unintelligent group of men, who just so happen to hear the conversation between Borachio and Conrade, where Borachio revealed his plans of how he deceived Claudio and Don Pedro.

Oliver & Orlando

            In Act I, Scene I, Oliver, the eldest son of Sir Rowland de Boys is having a conversation with Charles, the wrestler from the from Duke Frederick’s court. Charles has basically come to warn Oliver to try to convince Orlando not to wrestle him because he will get hurt. Charles warns Oliver out of love for him but Oliver isn’t concerned about Orlando’s well-being. Oliver basically drags his brother name through the dirt. He stated, “It is the stubbornest young fellow of France, full of ambition, an envious emulator of every man’s good parts, a secret and villainous contriver against me his natural brother.”      

 I think maybe Oliver said such bad things about Orlando because he feels threaten by his younger brother.  Oliver in the beginning of the play comes off as selfish because he has denied Orlando of a proper upbringing. Orlando stated, “You have trained me like a pleasant, obscuring and hiding from me all gentlemanlike qualities.”  After Oliver threatens Orlando, Orlando overpowers him grabbing him by the throat and confronts him about the way he has been treated. Oliver maybe fears that just like Duke Frederick, the younger brother of Duke Senior banished his brother then maybe one day Orlando will overpower him and take control of their father’s fortune. Oliver tried to convince Charles that he should do what he must with Orlando during the wrestling match because he is not a good guy.

 Oliver basically lies about Orlando because it is truly Orlando who has been wrong because Oliver has not provided him with the things that he was instructed to provide in their father’s will. Oliver has this unexplained hatred for Orlando and he makes it clear that he wants to see him hurt. He stated, “I hope I shall see an end of him, for my soul—yet I know not why—hates nothing more than he. Oliver appeared to be jealous of Orlando which is probably the reason he has denied Orlando of what was promised to him by their father. Oliver explained in Act I, Scene II, “he’s gentle, never schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of all sorts enchantingly beloved, and indeed so much in the heart of the world, and especially of my own people, who best know him, that I am altogether misprized.” 

In this scene Oliver reveals some of his own insecurities about himself in comparison to his brother, Orlando. He acknowledged that Orlando even though he has denied him of a proper upbringing, has turned out to be a pretty well-rounded guy.  Orlando is still smart though he hasn’t been to school; he is noble, and loved by people who Oliver described as despising him. Oliver saw the chance to get rid of Orlando with the wrestling match against Charles and he took advantage of it. He convinced Charles it was Orlando, who is against him and Charles stated, “I’ll give him his payment.” Oliver is convinced his problems are over with Orlando after the wrestling match. He stated, “But it shall not be so long; this wrestler shall clear all.”

Romeo and Juliet's Suicide

            In William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet there is one thing I never can really fully understand about the play and also the one thing I never really liked in particular was Romeo and Juliet’s choice to use suicide as a means to an end. I understand that the play is a tragedy about young lovers and the idea that most people received from the play, is a person would rather die than go through life without someone that they love. I don’t like the idea that they were so quick to choose suicide to escape their problems. It seemed as if whenever times got too tough, they wanted to end their life. In Act 3, Scene 3, after Romeo finds out from Friar Lawrence of the news he is banished by the Prince, for killing Tybalt and the Nurse enters telling Romeo that Juliet is stricken with grief over the death of Tybalt, Romeo makes an attempt to kill himself but Friar Lawrence stops him before he succeeds.

In Act IV, Scene I, Juliet visits Friar Lawrence after the argument with her father about her marrying Paris and she stated, “Be not so long to speak; I long to die.” In this particular scene in the play, Juliet also seems to be running out options so she appears to be leaning towards her quickest way out which is death. I can understand why death seemed to be the inevitable for both Romeo and Juliet because Romeo’s character always appealed to me as somewhat as a loner which is true once he becomes banished and Juliet after the fight with her father, is left with either marrying Paris or being throw out onto the streets.

I agree with the idea that the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet somewhat romanticizes suicide because they are two young people, who appear to only have each other but they can never truly be together because of tragic circumstances. The tragic circumstances ultimately lead to Romeo and Juliet’s suicides. I was first introduced to this play when I was about ten years old and at the time, I thought how crazy can two people be to want to die because they think they can’t be together. As a kid, I never really grasp the concept of suicide in Romeo and Juliet. It seemed totally idiotic that someone would want to die for love instead of fighting for it. Now that I am older and I have learned more on Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet, I know that the play wouldn’t be a tragedy if Romeo and Juliet didn’t die by the end. I also believe that as a play, it is much more entertaining for Romeo and Juliet to die for the sake of their love. It is much more heartbreaking because they are young lovers. Although, I still believe suicide was not their only option and the play still could have been as tragic if they both had died by some other mean.

 

Juliet & the Nurse

            In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the relationship between Juliet and her Nurse is one of the relationships that I found most interesting in the play. Throughout the entire play, the Nurse seems to support Juliet. In Act I, Scene IV, the Nurse tells Juliet before her father’s party to, “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.” While Juliet is at the party, she meets Romeo. It is the Nurse, who reveals to her that Romeo is the son of her family’s enemy but also it is the Nurse, who relays messages back and forth between Romeo and Juliet. She not only bonds with Juliet as her caretaker but also over the secret of her love for Romeo and eventually their marriage.

            The Nurse appears to be more of a mother to Juliet then Lady Capulet. In Act III, Scene V, after Juliet has had an argument with her father and he threatens to throw her out on the street, if she doesn’t marry Paris. Juliet turns to her mother for help. She asked, “O sweet my mother; cast me not away. Delay this marriage for a month, a week, or; if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies.” Juliet is basically pleading to her mother in this scene for help. She is simply asking her mother to try to talk to her father so that the wedding to Paris is delayed but Juliet’s mother refuses to hear her. Lady Capulet tells Juliet, “Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.” I feel at this point Lady Capulet abandons Juliet on the issue of her marrying Paris. Juliet is crying out for help in this scene when all goes wrong with her father and her mother chooses to turn a deaf ear to her.

            Juliet at this point turns to the one person she feels she can rely on, the Nurse. Juliet in a plea of desperation asks the Nurse for advice. She asked, “What sayst thou? Hast thou not a word of joy? Some comfort, nurse.” The Nurse I feel doesn’t give Juliet the advice Juliet wants to hear but the advice she feels Juliet needs to hear. She basically tells Juliet that she is better off marrying Paris because Romeo has after all killed her cousin, Tybalt and is banished. I don’t think that the Nurse really wants this for Juliet but she has just witness the argument between Juliet and her father. I think that because the Nurse has taken care of her, her entire life, she just wants what she thinks is best for her.  

Lady Grey, Queen Elizabeth

            One particular relationship I found interesting in Shakespeare’s “Richard III” was the relationship that Queen Elizabeth and Richard shared. In Act I, Scene I, Richard is having a conversation with his brother Clarence, who has been arrested and being sent to the tower. In this conversation Richard appears to be pointing the finger at Queen Elizabeth as the reason behind Clarence arrest. Clarence is trying to figure out why his brother, King Edward IV has sent him to the tower and Richard convinces him that Queen Elizabeth is behind it all. He states, “Tis not the King that sends you to the Tower. My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, ‘tis she that tempers him to this extremity.” It is apparent that Richard harbors animosity toward Queen Elizabeth because he refers to her as “Lady Grey,” the name given to her from her previous marriage. Richard doesn’t even acknowledge Elizabeth as a Queen in the beginning of the play. Richard is degrading Elizabeth by stripping her of her title as Queen.

            In Act I, Scene III, Richard and Queen Elizabeth are going head to head in an argument where he again insults her title as Queen. He states, “The world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch. Since every Jack became a gentleman, there’s many a gentle person made a Jack.” In return Queen Elizabeth states, “Come, come, we know your meaning, brother Gloucester. You envy my advancement and my friends’. God grant that we never may have need of you.” In this Scene of the play Richard and Queen Elizabeth go back and forth in a disagreement. Richard points out in the scene that since Elizabeth has become Queen, people have become noble that are not really considered noble. Richard is accusing Elizabeth of trying to acquire a position of power by marrying his brother just to become Queen. Elizabeth on the other hand accuses Richard of being envious of her position of power.

            As the reader of Shakespeare’s, “Richard III” we are aware of Richard’s devious plans and we know that it is Richard, who is behind his brother, Clarence arrest. Richard is trying to turn his brothers against each other. He is simply putting the blame on Queen Elizabeth because of his pure dislike for her. He even goes as far as to accuse her of trying to do what he; himself is plotting, trying to acquire a position of power and control. Richard appears jealous of Elizabeth because she is in a powerful position. It is clearly understandable of why he wants to ruin her.

           

Richard III

            In Act I, Scene II, of Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Richard III,” the play begins with a long speech from Richard. Richard begins this speech on sort of a high note. He states, “Now is the winter of our discontent.” He explains how their discontent or bad times are ending and made glorious by his brother, King Edward IV. Richard repeats this idea that the bad times are over and the good times are ahead in his speech and then his tone quickly changes after he discusses how after war his brother is no longer mounting horses but instead as stated in lines 13-14, “He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber to the lascivious pleasing of a lute.”  It is after these lines, I noticed a dramatic change in Richard’s tone. Richard begins to reveal some of his own insecurities about himself, compared to others. He expresses how he is “not made for sportive tricks.”  

He acknowledges the fact that he is unattractive because as he states, “am curtailed of this fair proportion, cheated of feature by dissembling nature, deformed, unfinished.” Richard doesn’t believe that a woman would love him or want to be with him because of the way he looks. He knows that he is not aesthetically pleasing which he blames on nature. He thinks of himself so unattractive that “dogs bark at him when he stops by them,” as he states in line 23.

Richard is unhappy with the way he looks and how others treat him because of his appearance. He feels like he has been cheated by nature because of his deformity. Instead of trying to fit in with everyone else, Richard chooses another fate for himself because he feels like he doesn’t fit into society. He states in lines 27-31, “since I cannot prove a lover to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain and hate the idle pleasures of these days.” Richard chooses to become a bad guy because he doesn’t feels accepted because of physical attributes. He lays out evil plots to help him succeed in his goals of what he thinks will make him happy. Richard wants to be King.

He stated earlier in his speech how their winter is “made glorious summer by this son of York.” The son of York being Richard’s older brother, King Edward IV. Richard appears to be jealous of his brother, Edward especially his relationship with Queen Elizabeth. Richard talks about not being made for “sportive tricks” such as those of “lascivious pleasing in a lady’s chamber” which is something he believes his brother engages in. He later states in Act I, Scene I, in a conversation with his brother Clarence, who he has turned against Edward, that the King is ruled by women. Richard leads Clarence to believe that it is really the Queen Elizabeth, who has convinced her husband to send him to the tower. Richard seems not only to have ill feelings toward his brothers but also his brother wife, who he demeans by referring to her as Lady Grey, the name from her previous marriage.

Aaron & Tamora

            In Shakespeare’s, “Titus Andronicus” there is one particular relationship that interested me the most, the relationship between Tamora and Aaron the Moor. In Act II Scene I, Aaron is first introduced as Tamora’s lover. It is not until this point of the play that we know the role of Aaron in the play. In this particular act of the play Aaron is going on and on about Tamora. I find their relationship as one-sided because Aaron seems to be more invested in Tamora more so than she is into him. Throughout the play, there seems to be this underlying reason behind Aaron’s action that he could be doing all of his misdeeds for Tamora.

            It is believe in the play that Aaron’s character is just pure villainous and that he is just an all-around bad guy but his love for his son proves otherwise. Aaron is well aware of his wrong doings and is willing to admit them all to Lucius, if Lucius will only spare his son. Aaron’s love for his son appears to spurn from his love for Tamora because throughout the play Aaron has never had any real connection with Titus or his family other than Tamora. Titus captures Aaron along with Tamora and her sons at the beginning of the play but Aaron never really had a reason to seek any revenge on Titus. Why would Aaron want to cause such harm to Titus and his family? A reasonable explanation is to seek revenge for Tamora because Titus killed her son. Aaron seems to want to please Tamora by trying to hurt Titus. In Act V Scene I, Aaron even brags about the damage he has done to Titus and how when he told Tamora of his deed, she sounded please and rewarded him with twenty kisses.

            Tamora doesn’t appear as interested in Aaron as he is into her. In Act II Scene III, she refers to him as her love and tries to be intimate with him before they are discovered by Lavinia and  Bassianus. It is here in the play where Tamora feelings for Aaron is revealed but later in the play after she gives birth to his son in Act IV Scene II, she tells the nurse to bring the child to Aaron so that he can kill his own child. In this scene of the play, Tamora appears to care little for Aaron or his child because she wants the child dead unlike Aaron, who wants to make sure his son grows up into a man.

Titus Andronicus

            In Shakespeare’s play, “Titus Andronicus,” the character Titus appeared to resonate with me the most because he showed the most growth in the play. In the beginning of the play Titus, a Roman general stands firmly by his country and his newly crowd emperor so much that he slays one of his own sons because he goes against emperor, when the emperor announces he wants to marry Titus’s daughter, who is already promised to the emperor’s younger brother and Titus’s sons stand by their sister when they help her run-off with the emperor’s younger brother. One of the brothers, who decide to stay behind blocking the door so the others have time to escape, is slain by their very own father because Titus views their action as treasonous.

            It is at this point of the play that Titus appears as this very cold, stern Roman general, who values his country more than his own family. It is completely obvious that Titus is willing to sacrifice his own family for the sakes of Rome. Shakespeare makes this aware to the reader in the first act of the play because it is here, Titus is returning from battle to bury twenty-five of his own sons. Titus appears to show no remorse that he has lost twenty-five of us own children in battle but appears proud for having sons die in battle for their country.

            Near the end of the play after, Titus has had two more sons slain because they are frame for murdering the emperor’s younger brother; I start to see Titus grow as a character. I start to see Titus evolve into more of a caring father, who cares for the well-being of his children because before his sons are executed he is trick into cutting off his own hand in exchange for both of the lives of his sons. It is at this point in the play that my feelings for Titus change completely because no longer is he willing to sacrifice his children for the sake’s of Rome but he is willing to sacrifice himself for his children.

            At the end of the play, when he kills his only daughter because she has been raped, I still view Titus’s character as remorseful because he doesn’t want her to go through life carrying her shame. The idea of Titus killing his only daughter is viewed as unkind but I can understand the reason behind his action. Titus even goes as far as to ask the emperor was it well done for Virginius, a Roman centurion who also killed his raped daughter. The emperor agrees that it was well done because as long as the girl lives, she bares the shame of the rape and her father will feel sorrow for his daughter for the rest of her life. At this point in the play, I view Titus as more as a sympathetic father, who even tries to rationalize his reason for killing his daughter because of the questions he posed to the emperor about Virginius. It is also at this point that I see Titus character as fully evolved from the cold, stern Roman general to the caring, sympathetic father because Titus is no longer allowing his children to be killed as a sacrifice but he kills his own child out of mercy.

           

           

Sonnets & Shakespeare

            After, first reading one of Shakespeare’s sonnets I always find it hard to understand what it is exactly that Shakespeare is trying to say to the reader. I find myself reading the lines of the sonnet over and over again. After, I have read it a couple of times it is then that the words begin to make little sense to me. I believe the reason why I have always found Shakespeare’s work somewhat confusing is because of the language and the way his work is written. I find it hard transferring a language that was written centuries ago into that language that we speak today. It not only becomes frustrating trying to understanding the language but also it makes you want to completely give up on Shakespeare all together.

The thing I find most interesting about learning about Shakespeare is the influence that he has on most people, especially writers. As a writer, I always found Shakespeare’s work somewhat pretentious. It was probably because of my teachers in high school that I felt this way because there wasn’t a year that went by, where we didn’t get to a chapter in our books where Shakespeare was praised for his writing. I always felt that if I wanted to be a writer then I should enjoy Shakespeare but this was never the case. I never enjoyed Shakespeare’s work as much as most of my colleagues. I felt almost compelled to like him as a writer. Even today as I read his sonnets, I still think that I am missing out on something because I don’t get excited or a chilling feeling when I read it as I have heard other people described these feelings to me after, they have read his work.

I must admit that even if my feelings aren’t mutual for Shakespeare as others, I do like the way his sonnets are presented. I find that reading the sonnets is fairly easy because of the flow of words and the pace. One might find it hard to understand to catch onto the meaning of the sonnets in the beginning but I find if you continue to read or if you read it again and again the meaning because clearer and eventually so does the theme of the sonnet.  Eventually, after the reader understands what Shakespeare is trying to say within his sonnet, they can realize how beautiful the words and the language are in his work.