A both-sides-win demonstration of retooled and revitalized tradition: when you wish for a Position Paper to push the two-page limit, your dreams come true. Who would guess that this form, intended for essays written and read at a breakneck clip, would prove so amenable, so elastic, and so gloriously conducive to the fast-paced pondering of an essay twice its size when called upon to exegize the dreamscapes of Antony and Cleopatra and "The Dream of the Rood"? In asking a simple Freudian question of each text--what are the wish-fulfillments disguised in your dream depictions?--the Position Paper has magically become a space for expansive syntax, mirthful speculations, and insolent digressions. In its simultaneous protraction and compression, …show more content…
The indecisive dreamer--one imagines him praying for a "sign," a solution to a quandary that has tortured and crucified him--is treated to a turbulent passion play by the figures of his unconscious. My theory is that the cross which narrates the dream's Crucifixion is a concise visual "condensation" of the dreamer's wishes, both conscious and semi-conscious (Freud 151). Hilariously, when we first see the "wondrous tree," it is surrounded by an aureole, "the brightest of beams"; it's as if the dreamer's unconscious is worried that he's too dull-witted to recognize his disguised wish without the eye-catching aid of bombastic backlighting (4-6). The "victory-tree" is victorious because elected by the unconscious to absolve the dreamer of his interminable inner conflict (12). "Beneath that gold I began to see / an ancient wretched struggle, for it first began / to bleed on the right side": the dreamer can vividly see under the tree's adornments the very struggle that he has, until now, only been able to experience as thoughts and feelings, a struggle which drains from the tree now that the dreamer has realigned with his destiny …show more content…
Cleopatra's dream has received minimal critical attention in the canon of Shakespearean scholarship and is completely overlooked even among the appreciations I like best (Harold Bloom's and Camille Paglia's), a curious fate for a passage that forces us to reprocess not only the Egyptian queen but her rambling, indigestible play as well. Difficulty isn't the problem; these critics' foci are comparatively subtler and practically impervious to unspecialized contemplation. How to explain, then, the agonizing struggle, especially at this crucial moment in the play, evinced by many of the best and most illustrious actresses of stage and screen who have braved the role? Perhaps the critic who expects--nay, hopes--that our most gifted actors will also necessarily be good or even merely adequate readers is dreaming. But to misunderstand Cleopatra's dream is to misunderstand Cleopatra; no serious, earnest interpreter of the part can botch this passage. (An impromptu recitation by Helen Mirren uploaded to Youtube proves the point: she purrs the lines warmly, flirtatiously, stuck as she is in the kittenish register that has, by now, become the default interpretation among Cleopatra's most flagrant misreaders. Mirren refuses to modulate; she doesn't understand that Cleopatra must mature in the span of these twenty lines or else the play capsizes.) A perfunctory analysis
One of the major themes developed throughout “The Dream of the Rood” is triumph. In lines 13-16, the dreamer described the tree as being a jewel covered tree of triumph. This brings out the
In the article, “The Interpretation of dreams, and of jokes” by Mathew Hugh Erdelyi, it discusses many points in the relations of cognitive ability on how dreams are interpreted in our waking lives. There is many debated theories among psychologist as to the many problematic restricting research and lack of research on how to study and evaluate a conclusive answer, whether or not dreams are actively continuously impacting our awake state. To briefly conclude what the article talks about, is that there is newly found information despite that dream research have been neglected for several decades because of the widely held view that dreams are random mental events(Solms, 1991, 2003). Neuropsychologist Mark Solms showed from his analysis of REM-dreaming
From the beginning of the scene to the moment when the spirit appears, Hamlet dominates the stage both theatrically and sexually. The Queen speaks no more than twelve lines while the
Within this essay, I will analyze the symbolism of the tree in the poem The Dream of the Rood in the first 24 lines, excerpted above. The tree in this section represents the way the story of Christ is portrayed to pagan communities. This portrayal differs from the story told in the Bible in that it depicts Christ as a distinguished and opulent figure, not a humble figure as the Bible knows him to be; this is in order to appeal to a pagan audience. In keeping with biblical teaching, however, the tree also represents the blessings to come to followers of Christ in heaven.
In William Shakespeare’s play Anthony and Cleopatra, Anthony is from the west while Cleopatra is from the east, resulting in a complex and unusual relationship. The principles of east and west are deeply woven into the play. The west, represented by Rome, values the traditional and those who are “brave” and “noble” (Shakespeare 1994: 297). The east, on the other hand, is exotic, having “strange serpents” (Shakespeare 1994: 213), and sexualized, with a queen who can control men’s hearts “by th’strings” (Shakespeare 1994: 246). Introduced by eastern attributes, this sexual theme is pursued throughout the play. For instance, the “sword” (Shakespeare 1994: 199) is commonly used to represent a phallus. I will examine these sexual themes
In the end, both extracts show that toxic relationship of Antony and Cleopatra was the downfall of their political careers and ultimately cost them both their lives. By studying these historical texts, we see an example of how our own opinions and ideas play a part in how the reputations of
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is one of his most beloved plays. There are several notable themes that construct the play that makes twelfth night a great play. Many elements within the play take on what it was like during Shakespeare’s time, while others talk about political commentary. The play talks about the main character Viola and her disguise as a man, while looking for her brother Sebastian. Her disguise creates a lot of misperception; many would say Twelfth Night shines light on sexuality; however it is the reader’s exploration into Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, in which they will explore the many possible truths and understanding of the play. Exploring the themes of gender identity, love, madness and death, readers will have a better understanding the play an how each of the themes connect.
"My dream was grey and foggy. It started off at the beach with my 2 year old son and boyfriend. The beach was in a glass box. My son then had an identical twin and they were getting washed away by the water. I yelled for my boyfriend to help me but he refused to help. I finally was able to save my son and the twin from the waves. I Then take my son and walk out of the glass box. I no longer have my son and there is a black spiral staircase. I was walking down it with blackness around me. Then a little doll in a white nightgown was below me on the steps. I felt so afraid that I jumped over the railing and into The darkness."
Throughout history, Shakespeare’s works have been able to captivate and enchant audiences of all backgrounds. His words have an undeniable ability to sway a crowd’s emotions and truly affect them. His plays are timeless pieces of art considered the foundations of English literature. Shakespeare’s most dramatic and infamous tragedy, Hamlet, has earned its place as a cornerstone. In the play, Shakespeare poetically writes speeches that reveal the true colours of the characters, whether good or devious. The main antagonist, Claudius, exposes his treachery to the audience, through his speech to his wife Gertrude. Those living during Shakespeare’s times, the Elizabethans, were the first to witness Claudius’ deception and were able to fully appreciate the play. Claudius’ conversation with Gertrude in Act 4, Scene 5 of Hamlet effectively targets the Elizabethan audience through the clever use of literary tools and the connections to aspects of Elizabethan society.
The protagonist the Queen is a powerful personality who has individual concept of life. The Queen becomes the most admirable character in the play because of her logical argument and her equalitarian approach. She is ‘imaginative’ and ‘sensitive’, firm in her faith and commitment, but she is a conscious woman of her place in the royal family and as a queen in the society. The dramatist has evolved her character from her childhood days to the present state of act. She is courageous, persuasive and demonstrates her ideas and actions. She is a blend of practical wisdom and commonsense. She keeps up these features of personality in all circumstances, without giving a second thought to it. By opposing everyone’s idea of offering sacrifice to gods,
Throughout William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, the titular characters are not often painted in the best of lights. Quite often seen as selfish, overbearing, lazy, arrogant or obsessive, one nevertheless feels drawn to them on the stage and much of that is to do with the grandeur of their language where grandeur in this sense meaning eloquent and poetic language that utilises an abundance of metaphors and hyperboles This essay will be examining the difference in speech between the principal characters characters (that being Antony, Cleopatra, and Caesar) and how that affects the audience’s view of them, how the grandeur of the language of the principal characters changes over the course of the play and if grandeur of language does indeed make up for a lack of other types of greatness.
We can say that Shakespeare has treated this play with sentiments of Erotic and Marvelous. It proves that we can analyze any play or creation ofany country. We may not specify any sentiment as significant in dialogue or description in any literary creation, but they may be charming by the beauty of their style. Thus we can conclude drama is a combination of
Betrayal, honor, power dynamics and the struggle between reason and emotion are a few of the themes prevalent in the Shakespearean play and can be witnessed mirrored in celebrity culture today. Many of threat character is Antony and Cleopatra Rae descendants of three royal, wealthy and famous. The respect and admiration they receive by their followers can easily be equated to the many of celebrities idolized today. This essay will further elaborate on ways in which the characters in the play relate to the celebrities and celebrity culture.
William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra is a play that is centred around a pair of historical lovers from two distinct cultures, Mark Antony from Rome and Queen Cleopatra from Egypt. The Roman and Egyptian cultures have vastly different norms and social ideas that are almost complete polar opposites in nature. These conflicting views are instrumental in the way that Cleopatra and Antony act. These two characters are so great in their respective societies that they serve as models to look to, although Antony may not be everybody's perfect vision of what a Roman should be. It is also important to look at not only what these two characters think of their cultures, but what cultural
In William Shakespeare’s drama Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s numerous characters include just two women; Calpurnia and Portia; the wives of Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus respectively. Though the parts are small, they each make important contributions to the play as a whole. Both women in Julius Caesar exist only in the context of their relationships with men. It is evident then, that both make a major contribution to the development of the characters Caesar and Brutus, their husbands, with whom both are respectively depicted.