A Midsummer Night's Dream--Comedy

"If we shadows have offended,Think but this, and all is mended:That you have but slumbered here,While these visions did appear; And this weak and idle theme,No more yielding but a dream,Gentles, do not reprehend.If you pardon, we will mend."

This quote is said by Puck as he addresses the audience after the performance of the play. This is not only the end of the play within the play, but also the last paragraph in the play itself. Shakespeare intends for this last passage to cause uncertainty. Throughout the play, references to dreams are made, and there is a surreal quality surrounding much of the play. Bottom and Theseus believe that much of the play was a dream; Puck regurigitates this to the audience, saying that if the play was found offensive, it should be regarded merely as a dream. This addrses of the audience after the play is performed adds to the surreal feel of the work, and forces the reader to wonder exactly what in the play was reality, and what was dream. This concluding speech is a statement on the dream-like, surreal atmosphere of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Puck describes he and his fellow cast members as "shadows". This gives them the appearance of something mystic and unreal. In the shadows, sight is limited and senses are blurred. Shadows tend to cause one to secondguess oneself. He is attempting to instill doubt in his listeners' minds. Puck speaks of slumbering and visions, alluding to sleep and dreams. He is diverting blame away from himself, and onto the audience themselves. It is not his fault that the play was a failure, the fault was theirs for they dreamt it. Puck speaks in riddles, and brings the reality of the play into question.

Comedy
This Shakespearean comedy utilizes irony, situational absurdity, and confusion in order to achieve its comedic intent. The tone of this play is light-hearted, especially when juxtaposed with Macbeth and Richard III. The play casts a plethora of foolish, silly, and otherwise absurd characters. Bottom is so arrogant and full of himself (and wrongfully so) that the audience can do nothing but laugh at his actions. He plays "the fool", and is the butt of Shakepeare's jokes. His absurd actions, as well as the incompetance of the other moronic actors in the play adds a comedic element to this Shakespearean comedy. The entire situation that Hermia, Lysander, Helena, and Demetrius are in is positively crazy in itself. Their dillema (switching partners/falling in love with the wrong people) gives A Midsummer Night's Dream a relatable and funny perspective. It makes it easy for the reader to relate to their debacle, for it is a common problem to have multiple people fall for each other, but the huge and unrealistic extent of their struggle is what makes it humerous.

What I Think...
Though it would not be considered funny by today's standards by most people, I thought this play was tremendously comical. I, for one, love dry humor and situational irony. This play could be considered the "original sitcom" because of its absurd plotline and cast of quirky and comical characters. Each character's subtleties and nuances make the play funnier as it goes on; as the reader gains a better understanding of each individual character's quirks, everything that follows seems increasingly more humerous. This was an easy read compared to Taming of the Shrew, thus it was more enjoyable. I was able to better appreciate the comedy without having to decipher each individual line. Bottom was most likely my favorite character for his sheer and utter stupidity. The surreal quality embodied by the work also enhanced its humor by adding depth and mystery; it blurred the distinction between reality and dream, causing the reader to have to actively think about it. Reading such a great Shakespearean comedy in contrast to reading his enthralling tragedies and epic histories, shows his masterful skill in myriad genres.

Richard III--History

"The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.What do I fear? Myself? There’s none else by.Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I. Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am.Then fly! What, from myself? Great reason. Why:Lest I revenge. Myself upon myself?Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good That I myself have done unto myself?O no, alas, I rather hate myself For hateful deeds committed by myself.I am a villain." (V.v.134–145)

This passage is so extremely important to the play, so inarguably essential to both the plot and characterization. After his visitation with the ghosts that haunted his sleep, Richard made this speech. This is the first, and only, moment in the play when Richard shows the slightest shred of doubt or regret. At this point, Richard becomes "human", showing human qualities for the first time in the entire plot. Though he is alone, he is unable to find comfort in his solitude. He realizes that he is the person he should most fear. Richard's initial reaction to this realization is to run away, only to realize that he cannot run from himself, his efforts would be futile.
It is not only important to analyze the meanings of the words spoken here, but also the words themselves. Shakespeare characterizes Richard in this passage through descriptive diction. Blue, the color of the light protruding into the room, is a key word. The word blue is often used to describe feelings of doubt or sorrow, which is exactly what Richard is feeling at this point. The word "cold" is used to describe Richard's sweat. The use of this word is omni-purposeful. It makes reference to the cold-blooded nature of Richard's prior actions. Also, it refers to Richard breaking out in a cold sweat; a "cold sweat" typically exemplifies dfear, nervousness, or panic. In this case, Richard is feeling all of the three. Finally, the word "cold" carries a negative connotation even without any meaning attached to it. It is used to help set the ominous tone. The word "dead" is used to describe midnight. This is ironic because Richard is brooding over all of the deaths that he has caused. Also, perhaps "dead" is used as a type of foreshadowing of his impending death. Creative wordchoice on Shakespeare's part...

History
Richard III is a well-known and well-received history written by Shakespeare. He incorporated factually correct English history with his own fictional flair. For example, Richard in real life, was not deformed--Shakespeare made him that way in the play to allow for a deeper chraracter development, more complex. Shakespeare tailored history in a manner that would best suit himself societally, and that would give his plays greater meaning. RIchard III was written while Queen Elizabeth ruled England. Elizabeth openly let her anger at Richard be known, so Shakespeare played up his character to be evil and villainous, mainly for her benefit. To say otherwise would have been foolish on his part. By tweaking reality ever-so-slightly, Shakespeare's Richard III was more believeable than pure fiction, and more entertaining than pure fact. By combining subtle comedic irony, tragic loss, and overpowering violence, Shakespeare created a historical masterpiece.

What I think...
I enjoyed this play; not that I love reading Shakespeare for pleasure exactly, but I found the characters in the play particularly intriguing. The character that I was most impressed with was, obviously, Richard. His insanity was at a level greater than Kurtz in Heart of Darkness. His character was simply so brutal and sociopathic, constantly acting without regard for human life. His strive to satisfy his own ends at the cost of others is reminiscient of Machiavelli's "The Prince". One effect that I greatly appreciated was how Richard engaged the audience. His narratives and monologues gave the reader incite that other characters in the play did not have. This helped bring the reader directly into the mind of Richard, giving a view into his insanity that is almost too close for comfort. This helped evoke fear and similar emotions, for the reader often knew what was coming while the victims did not. I did struggle, however, digesting the complex family lines throughout the story. The family blood lines just made me work harder to understand exactly what was going on. After understood though, it ceased to be a problem.

Macbeth--Tragedy

"That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood, Stop up th’access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry ‘Hold, hold!’"

This passage is found early-on in the play. Lady Macbeth says this upon Duncan's arrival at the castle. She desires to eventually have Duncan murdered, so she needs to summon up all of the evil that she possibly can. She casts aside her womanhood and femininity, for only men are perceived as srtong and brute. She feels that as a woman, she would lack the power necessary. The most obvious reference to this is when she says "unsex me here". She no longer desires to be a woman, because she feels it is holding her back. This passage gives the reader insight into exactly how power-crazed Lady Macbeth is fairly early on. She is a crazed wife who is dissatisfied with her husband's accomplishments. She feels she must take matters into her own hands, for in her eyes Macbeth is simply too weak to carry out the actions she thinks are essential to his success. She wants to live vicariously through him, and takes more pride in his successes than he himself does. Her power-hungry, show-no-mercy attitude is transferred to her husband, just as she intended. Because of her, Macbeth was as he was.

Tragedy
As is the case with most Shakespeare tragedies, Macbeth is filled with blood, violence, and murder. By definition, a tragedy must entail a person falling from a zenith to a nadir. This path is clearly followed in Macbeth; he seems unstoppable as his power continues to grow. He eventually reaches the top, only to fall plummeting into death, to be remembered as a failure and villain forever. Macbeth, essentailly, is not an unlikeable character. He is subdued and thinks carefully about his actions. He is too easily manipulated. He emblematizes innocence, but only for a brief while. After his thoughts are corrupted by his wife, he turns into a mass-murderer. This emotional transformation engages the audience, and they are able to foresee his fall in advance. Since emotional ups and downs, characterized by extreme violence, greed, and revenge make up this story, it is correctly labeled as a tragedy.

What I think...
This story was an "okay" read. It was difficult to decipher at times, making for a rather slow read. The pace of the plot, on the other hand, was quite different. The plot moved along at breakneck speed. Twists and turns, up and downs, all characterized by the violent and ingenious scheme of Lady Macbeth. I loved how Lady Macbeth was able to completely transform Macbeth into an object of her own creation. She modified him to her liking, to better suit her ends. That is quite relatable to today; people are yet manipulative and use others for their own gains on a regular basis. This is particularly true in the world of politics, just as in the play. Lady Macbeth's scheme was quite simple in the start, but grew more and more complex as time went on. This is natural and to be expected, as problems and setbacks are likely to occur along the way, but seeing how it all unfolds is quite spectacular. The constant setbacks and obstacles that Macbeth faced just go to support the overall theme: attempts at gaining power fraudulently are futile.

From In Memoriam A. H. H.--Alfred, Lord Tennyson-285

Speaker: The speaker of this poem is Lord Alfred Tennyson. This poem is part of a sequence composed after the death of the poet's closest friend, his sister's fiance. In the poem, the author is reflecting on his feelings after the mans's death. He felt such a great emptiness, as evident by the poem's content and language. The fact that the poem is told by the closest friend of the deceased makes the poem seem even more sorrowful, knowing that it is personal and heartfelt. Knowing of their relationship, the reader can truly sympathize for the author.

Rhyme: There is a definite rhyme scheme in this poem. The last word in the first and last lines of every stanza have an end rhyme. The middle two lines of each stanza also have end rhymes. This creates a familiar feel to the poem, allowing the reader to concentrate more on the content iteself than the rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme maintains the rythm of the poem also.

Meter: Stressed and unstressed syllables are key in this poem. Stressed syllables came every two or three words, varying by the line. Because of the rhyme scheme, the last word of every line was one syllable, and those syllables were all accented. Commas and other punctuation, along with the meter, helped to slow down the pace of this poem. By reading it with the appropriate breaks, it is more dramatic and emotional, thus achieving the author's intended effect.

Synecdoche: The author of this poem uses synecdoche. He talks about standing by a door, waiting for a hand. It is not a hand he is waiting for though, it is a person that he is waiting for. He says that this hand can be clasped no more. He refers to his deceased friend as a hand, because it is too difficult to remember him in his entirety, it is too painful. He cannot conjure up memories of his friend as if he were a person because they were so close; this is a type of subconscious diversion often associated with the death of a loved one. Also, the word hand makes you think of outstretching and reaching for something. He is grasping for his friend, for he misses him so horribly. It is a pathetic gesture that the reader can relate to. He keeps reaching and keeps trying for something that is gone; simplying envisioning that evokes powerful emotions.

In the last stanza particularly, the author uses alliteration. The stanza opens with, "He is not here." The alliteration of this line seems to be a sort of resignation. The author accepts that his friend is gone, but says so with a subtle bitterness, by accenting "he" and "here". Also, alliteration was used in the last line: "On the bald streets breaks the blank day". This alliteration emphasizes three negative words, reflecting the author's negative emotions. The word bald describes not only the emptiness of the streets, but also the emptiness that the author feels inside. Not only does day break, but so did the author's heart. Not only was the day blank, but so was the author's life. he felt such an emptiness and hopelessness; he expressed it through the accentual alliteration of those three words.

Reaction: This poem made me feel rather depressed. I sympathized for the author, and felt truly horrible for his loss. It made me imagine what it would be like to lose my best friend. The thought hurt me so badly...I had this vividly empty feeling inside after reading this, as if I had just suffered what he had. The poem made me realize that I need to value and cherish all of my relationships, because you never know when it could all be swept away...

The Death of a Soldier-Wallace Stevens-281

Speaker: This poem is told from an omniscient point of view. The unknown speaker, presumably the poet, talks of death and the continuation of the world when someone dies. Such an all-knowing perspective makes this poem slightly eerie. It makes the reader seem sure that the speaker is right, that he/she speaks only the truth. Without identifying a speaker, the reader cannot blame anyone in particular for what he is reading. The reader does not feel that the poem is obscured by personal bias, and its point more readily accepted.

Rhyme: There are no rhymes in this poem. In poems with rhyme schemes, the reader becomes used to the rhyme, relying on it, and trusting it. Since there is no rhyme scheme in this poem, there is nothing to count on. The reader just reads through and accepts it for what it is, without thinking twice. There is no need for the bounce of a rhyme scheme, for that would give levity to the subject of the poem. This poem needs to uplifting, it is intended to be dark.

Meter: The stressed and unstressed syllables of this poem make it flow continuously. It is an easy flow from the beginning to end, without giving the reader time to comprehend what he thinks until it is over. Such a fluid and rapid movement over this poem contributes greatly to its effect.

The author uses assonance in this poem. He puts words together such as "as in", "is expected", and "is absolute", in order to maintain the flow of the poem. The assonance of these two words allows for the reader to flow right over them, just as life can flow right over an individual. The consistancy of this fluidity helps the reader arrive at the end of the poem, so he/she can contemplate his feelings of the subject of death after, and not during the poem.

Also, alliteration is used. "When the wind..." is an example of this alliteration. By emphasizing the wind in such a manner, along with reference to time (the word when), the author is showing that a person's death does not stop nature. Time will reign supreme, and the natural flow will remain uninterrupted.

Reaction: This poem made me contemplate different philosophies on life and death. It is depressing to think that human life is so meaningless, that the natural world will be unaffected if I die. I've been thinking about this topic a lot since reading the poem, and i have split feelings on the subject. It is slightly reassuring and calming to know that we mean nothing in the scheme of things. It makes our mistakes and wrongdoings seem unimportant, our fears minimal. But at the same time, it also makes our accomplishments and our succeses seem minimal and unimportant. It is quite a double-edged sword. Sure, we all want to feel important. We all want to feel like we changed the world in some way during our lives. But the reality is, almost all of us will be forgotten within a century of our death. And that century is nothing in the span of time...

The Warden Said to Me-Etheridge Knight-250

Speaker: The speaker of this poem is a man named Etheridge. Etheridge is an imprisoned black. Also, Etheridge is the name of the author, so it can be deduced that the speaker of the poem relates in some way to the author's past. The speaker uses incorrect English, and poor grammar. He is characterizing a common sterotype of blacks that was held by many whites during that time period. Ironically, the white warden too uses bad English, showing that he is not superior; they are truly equals.

Rhyme/Meter: In this poem, there is no rhyme scheme or meter. This poem is a personal account, giving a conversational and casual feel. Rather than an ineffectual attempt to describe the situation, the author brings the reader directly into a conversation. The fact that the poem is presented in this way shows the blight of the African American race, without obscuring it with personal bias.

Irony is utilized in this poem. The parenthetical interjection, "innocently, i think", is used twice. This is an example of verbal irony, as the speaker knows that neither man's remarks were innocent. The use of these two sarcastic lines shows the conflict between not only the two men, but their respective races, presumably white and black. Such sarcasm gives a malicious feel to the conversation, a certain bitterness that cannot be ignored. Also, as previously noted, it is ironic that both men speak with the same proficiency. Though in society they are far from equal, as men they are equal.

This entire poem is symbolic of the struggle between whites and blacks. Both races have struggled for power, and both have had groups that hate the other. This conversation in the poem does not represent the struggle of two men, rather it symbolizes the conflict between two races throughout history.

Reaction: I liked this poem for its simplicity and its straight-forward nature. It directly addressed a problem that still exists today. Because racism is still prevalent in American society today, it affected me greatly. I believe that all people are created equal, the idea of inherent superiority irks me tremendously. This poem actually evoked slight anger in me, because i hate injustice of any sort, especially because of something as meaningless as the color of one's skin.

Good Times-Lucille Clifton-209

Speaker:
The speaker of this poem is the author, Lucille Clifton. Though the poem speaks of her childhood days, she is telling it from an older perspective, like a reflection. She tells the story of her family having "good times" as if she is in the present. By the last two lines though, it becomes evident that she is telling it looking back on those days. She says, "oh children think about the good times." She ends the poem in such a manner to remind the reader to focus on the good in life, and not the bad. Good times can make the bad times seem more bearable. Before the last two lines, the purpose of her poem is unclear, but by reading those last two lines, it is evident that the poem is intended to teach, or advise.

Rhyme:
This poem does not have a structured rhyme scheme, though two lines do ryhme.
"...and the insurance man is gone
and the lights is back on"
She rhymes the words "gone" and "on", two seemingly contrasting words if not considered in context. If analyzed alone, these two words seem to be opposites. She intentionally rhymed them to accentuate this. She emphasizes the words "gone" and "on" particularly to show that good times come and go, without warning. She places emphasis on these words to say: Appreciate the good things that happen to you, because nothing is certain.
Other than that, there are no other rhymes. The structure and wording of the sentences reminds me of a slave speaking. The language is unsophisticated, and the grammar is poor. She writes in such a style to imply that she had bad times too, the good times were temporary.

meter:
This poem uses accentual meter. The accents are placed on the fifth and last syllables of each line, except for the two word lines. The way that makes this poem flow is very repetetive, almost forced. The accents give the poem a slightly bouncy feel, but not in a happy way. The "bounce" is consistant and ongoing, symbolizing her life. Her life just kept on going, through the good and the bad. Since she is telling this story from a younger perspective, perhaps she structures it like this to make her sound naive.

Repetition for effect:
Repetition for effect is used in this poem. Obviously, "good times" is repeated five times, six if you include the title. This is done to tell the reader to focus on the good times, Clifton's main theme of the poem. By repeating it, it seems more important. Also, the word "kitchen" is repeated twice in a row. Kitchen makes the reader think of food, it is easily identifiable. By repeating "kitchen", she was trying to convey to the reader how exactly how dire her situation was; her family struggled to afford food much of the time.

Allegory:
Clifton uses the word drunk to convey two things: First, her family is drunk. Literally, they are drunk. But the connotation that is attached to that word is negative. "Drunk" makes people think of stupidity and disallusion. By using that word to describe her family, it takes on dual meanings. Sure they are drunk, but they are also naive and blind to the seriousness of the situation. By making use of a word's connotation and denotation at once, Clifton made use of allegory.

Reaction:
This poem affected me personally, because I often find myself taking life for granted. I wallow too deeply in the things that trouble me, without devoting enough thought to the good things that happen to me. My negative experiences often cast a dark shadow over my positive experiences. This poem helped me to be more aware of this, so hopefully I can overcome it. If I follow the advice of this poem, I"m certain it will have long term benefits for me personally.