The Glass Menagerie - 3

"I didn't go to the moon, I went much further - for time is the longest distance between two places."

First of all, I want to elaborate on this quote because I like the wording.  This quote had me think about how quickly time passes us by without us even realizing it.  It also made me realize that as time goes on, people and things change, and there is nothing we can do about it.

I thought this play was interesting in that Tennessee Williams put so much stage direction in it.  Shakespeare had very little stage direction and allowed the play director to have a little freedom.  In this play, hardly ever is there a place where a little creativity can be shown.  The lighting, music, characterization, and setting are all pretty descriptive.  I also read somewhere that Williams put a glimpse of himself in the play in the character of Tom.  They both have similar backgrounds, and Williams wanted to include a character like himself.  I thought this was really cool and creative for him to do this.

The Glass Menagerie - 2 - Characters

"[Amanda]'s characterization must be carefully created, not copied from type.  She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia" (Characters, pg. 1234).

Tom is a character that has a double role in the play.  He is the narrator but also one who acts out what he describes to the audience.  In the role of the narrator, he tries to be focused and informative.  In his role as a character, he likes to be laid back and not as strict and proper.  I would say that Laura is the protagonist in the play as she is the only character that is compassionate and generous towards others.  I don't remember a time where she was the mean character in the play.  The antagonists in her way are Amanda and Tom.  Amanda is Laura's mother who is in constant control of what Laura does.  Tom is Laura's brother who Jim is a minor character who kind of just moves the play along with his interactions with the main characters. Tom's character continues the action of the play without creating much of a disturbance.

The Glass Menagerie - 1

Throughout the play, nonrealistic qualities are displayed.  In the first scene, the stage is dimly lighted to make it seem like a dream because "the scene is a memory" (stage direction for scene 1, pg. 1235).  Another nonrealistic convention demonstrated is a character talking to the audience.  Tom begins the play by giving a little background information to the audience, but people don't talk to those who they believe might be watching in real life.  The Glass Menagerie has a narrator which is also a nonrealistic convention.  Another nonrealistic aspect is that most of the scenes fade out with music being played.  The play is probably on the more surrealistic side of the spectrum because of some of these nonrealistic qualities like talking to the audience.  I haven't noticed any breaks from the norm yet except the fact that some of the scenes do not have directions to fade the scene out and play music.  I don't know what the significance is, but hopefully I will find out.

As You Like It - 3

The amount of time covered in this play cannot be very long.  There are not many occasions where the time or days are mentioned so they sort of run together.  There are some events in the beginning that occur offstage, but most of the play's events occur onstage.  One event that is spoken of which the audience just has to take the character's words for it is the scene in the forest where Oliver is sleeping under the tree.  "A green gilded snake had wreathed itself, who with her head nimble in threats approached the opening of his mouth.... A lioness, with udders all drawn dry, lay couching, head on ground, with catlike watch, when that the sleeping man should stir" (IV.iii.pg 64).  Oliver must explain the details of this event as it did not happen onstage.  I do not believe that there is a meaning in which actions are dramatized and which are reported.  I thought the play's structure was pretty tight as the events happened right after another with no real breaks besides scene changes. Overall, I thought the play was O.K.  I deemed it sort of unreal because as soon as Rosalind and Orlando saw each other, they were in love.  This sort of thing happens many times in Shakespeare's plays so I was not really surprised.

As You Like It - Theme

This particular play has many themes.  One of them is that love is a many splintered thing.  This theme is portrayed in relationships including Phoebe and Ganymede, Phoebe and Sylvius, Rosalind and Orlando, and Touchstone and William and Audrey.  Phoebe falls in love with Ganymede, who is really Rosalind dressed as a guy.  During this scene, Rosalind/Ganymede pleads "I pray you, don not fall in love with me, for I am falser than vows made in wine" (III.v.pg 52).  Right after, Sylvius tries to convince Phoebe that he should not be in love with Ganymede but with him instead.  Sylvius says, "Whatever sorrow is, relief would be: If you do sorrow at my grief in love, by giving love your sorrow and my grief were both extermined" (III.v.pg 53).  Touchstone, Audrey, and William are involved in a love triangle.  Eventually, Touchstone tells William to leave Audrey alone by saying, "I will deal in poison with thee, or in bastinado, or in steel" (V.i.pg 68).  Obviously, the play focuses around the relationship between Rosalind and Orlando, and Rosalind even dresses as a guy to help guide Orlando to say and do the right things when he sees her.

As You Like It - Comedy

"As You Like It" is a comedy because no one dies at the end of the play like in Othello.  Instead, there is a happy ending, and good rules over evil.  It is primarily romantic because most of the main characters are in love or want to get married by the end of the play.  The audience does not really experience any drama as they just watch it take place on stage.  There are not very many moments, if any, that make the audience feel any sort of emotion in this particular play.  One instance in the play where there is no emotion displayed, just a retelling of the story, is in Act I, scene i.  On page three, Charles says, "the old duke banished by his brother the old duke, and three of four loving lords" (I.i.pg 3)  Shakespeare could have portrayed this banishment taking place, and the audience could have had sympathy for Duke Senior.  Instead, he has a character explain the event to make the audience feel less emotion.  I like to relate to the characters I read about and feel their emotions, but Shakespeare did not allow me to do that in this play.

Reflective Essay

           Corruption is a reoccurring problem that societies have been struggling with for hundreds of years.  Understanding the multiple layers of corruption issues is critical to developing a plan to counteract its influence.  Analyzing its effects in classical literature can provide insight to identifying the types of behavior that lead to destruction.  As in other works of timeless literature, one of the central themes in Othello is that of corruption where an individual abandons their obligation and duty and makes choices that are immoral. 

In Othello, Iago manipulates multiple characters for his own self-benefit.  In the beginning, Iago starts by deceiving Roderigo by telling him that he will help him get the love of his life for money.  In no way was Iago trying to help Roderigo; he was just taking the money (II, iii.328-332).  He then moves on to beguiling Othello into believing that his wife was cheating on him in order to get on his good side (III.iii.198-201).  As the play advances, Iago continues to weave a web of lies until he eventually he is caught.  The progression of deceit which begins with minor flaws and moves toward greater involvement is not only seen in Othello but in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as well.  Edmund deliberates which side is the good side and which is the evil.  He ends up convincing himself that the witch is right and cannot turn back.  It all started with a little piece of Turkish delight with which the witch tempted him but snowballed into corruption of his self-identity.  This succession of corruption is not unique to literature but found in historical events as well as demonstrated in the life of Adolf Hitler.  He started off with a weak self image and paranoia and evolved into the epitome of large scale misuse of power.  Some considered Hilter to be opportunistic in his early rise to power; however, with more power came more inflexibility and unfounded hatred.  Clearly, this led to countless well-documented events of destruction and madness particularly toward the Jewish people (Wistrich).

It is difficult to distinguish corruption without considering the influence that it has in leadership.  Abuse of power was present in Othello when Iago tries to make Cassio fight Roderigo in an attempt to kick Cassio out of office.  When he is explaining his reasoning, Iago says, “For even out of that will I cause these of Cyprus to mutiny, whose qualification shall come into no true taste again but by the displanting of Cassio” (II.i.255-257).  His main motive was to get Cassio out of office so that would be the person to take his spot.  In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edmund believes and resents that he is powerless and makes him susceptible the White Witch’s offer to make him the prince.  He was all about the fame and glory of a leadership role that he missed what he truly valued in life.  Convinced that he was destined to control the world, Hitler had a sole motive of ultimate power.  In all three of these examples it was the quest for authority, position in power, and control that fueled the demolition of their personal character.   In order for progression in a society to continue, it is critical for those put in power to have integrity, competence, concerned for society as a whole. 

This video illustrates Hitler plotting to gain power and control through deception.

Adolf Hitler

1889-1945

This video shows how the White Witch has control over Edmund, and his desire to gain control is what fuels his corruption.



Iago telling Othello that his wife is cheating on him.




Works Cited

Heath, Ian. "Corruption of Power." Discover Your Mind. 2003. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

<http://discover-your-mind.co.uk/3-corruption.htm>.

Perrine, Lawrence,  "Othello."  Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.  Fort Worth. 

Harcourt College. 2002. 1361-462. Print

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Dir. Andrew Adamson. Perf. Tilda Swinton, Georgie

Henley and William Moseley. Walt Disney Pictures, 2005. Film.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Thriving Family. Focus in the Family, 2011. Web. 13

Feb. 2012. <http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Family/Media/book-reviews/l/lion-the-

witch-and-the-wardrobe.aspx>.

Wistrich, Robert S. "Adolf Hitler: Biography." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. Who's Who

in Nazi Germany, 1997. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html>.

White Liar - Miranda Lambert

I believe that White Liar by Miranda Lambert has a perfect description of Iago in Othello.  She is basically talking about how the truth will eventually come out, and when it does, he will be in so much trouble.  This did happen to Iago in the play because he lied to everyone throughout the play, and it hurt him in the end.  The following lyrics of the song demonstrates what I think are the most important lines of the song.

"The truth comes out a little at a time
And it spreads just like a fire
Slips off of your tongue like turpentine"

In Act V of Othello, all of the main characters were in a room discussing why Othello killed his wife, and the truth starts coming from Emilia.  During this event, Iago has nothing to say as he does not wish to confirm or deny the truth.  The truth came out a little at a time, and it spread very quickly as Othello tried to kill Iago immediately.  Throughout the play, Iago's lies just slipped off his tongue like nothing was wrong.  He deceived Desdemona, Othello, Emilia, Roderigo, and Cassio and makes them all believe something different.  In the end, everyone finds out all of the lies that Iago has been telling them, but most of them end up getting killed anyway.