Yesterday, I touched on the subject of subjection in All’s Well That Ends Well. Today, I want to flip that coin, and look not so much at submission but rather at the imposition of power, especially male power.
All’s Well… Subject-ively speaking
Yesterday, I looked at the concept of marriage (if not wedded bliss) in All’s Well That Ends Well. Today, I want to look at a subject that in other plays can be inextricably tied to matrimony: subjection.
[see what I did there? subject… subjection]
All’s Well … that ends in marriage?
The last play we discussed, Troilus and Cressida, was a kind of anti-comedy, where if marriage wasn’t a non-issue, then it was the root of a problem (Helen’s kidnapping by Paris from her husband Menelaus). But it’s a new month (actually closer to the second month of our discussion), a new play, and a new view on marriage. All’s Well That Ends Well‘s entire raison d’etre is matrimony. The first half of the play is all about Helena getting her husband, and the second half is all about her getting her husband, if you know what I mean (nudge nudge, wink wink).
But within the confines of the play, what is the meaning of marriage?
Save the Date: October 2
For those in Ventura County, California:
On October 2, 2015, the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) will be presenting Library Learning Day 2015, taking place at the VCOE Conference Center in Camarillo.
I’ll be presenting a workshop “Shakespeare in the Secondary: resources, films, books, websites and apps” for high school librarians and teachers (though none of the material is inappropriate for grades 6-8).
Details coming soon!
The Bill / Shakespeare Project presents: This Week in Shakespeare news, for the week ending Monday, August 24th, 2015
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
[archive]
This week’s Shakespeare news review includes some previews and reviews, and discussions over the placement of THE soliloquy in Cumberbatch’s Hamlet. PLUS our usual recap of this week’s daily highlights in Shakespearean history.
APP REVIEWS: Shakespeare Insult Generator, FreePlay Shakespeare Quiz, The Sonnet Project, RE: Shakespeare
Yesterday, I mentioned that I recently purchased a new phone and had downloaded some Shakespeare-related apps. In that blog post, I reviewed The Sonnets, Shakespeare Search, and Shakespeare. Today, let’s take a look at Shakespeare Insult Generator by Superior n, the FreePlay Shakespeare Quiz by Handyx, The Sonnet Project by NY Shakespeare Exchange, and RE: Shakespeare by Samsung Electronics UK in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
APP REVIEWS: The Sonnets, Shakespeare Search, (Play)Shakespeare
Just got a new phone… upgraded to a new Samsung Galaxy 6. So I took the opportunity to download some Shakespeare-related apps. Today, I’ll let you know what I think of The Sonnets by Socratica, Shakespeare Search by movin’App, and the subtly-named Shakespeare by the folks at PlayShakespeare.com.
Continue reading “APP REVIEWS: The Sonnets, Shakespeare Search, (Play)Shakespeare”
All’s Well That Ends Well: A question of gender
All’s Well That Ends Well begins with a number of patriarchal deaths, both recent and seemingly imminent. The widowed Countess mourns not only the loss of her husband but of her son as well, since he is off to become the “ward, evermore in subjection” (I.i.5) to the dying king. If the death of a father is what frees the son to take on the mantle of manhood–as in the tales of kings–it certainly doesn’t seem so in Rossillion.
This king, a dying man, still holds all the power.
Save for that over death.
Continue reading “All’s Well That Ends Well: A question of gender”
Two characters under the same inky cloak
As I dive back into the first scene of All’s Well That Ends Well, I’m struck by Helena’s first words:
I do affect a sorrow indeed, but I have it too.
- I.i.53-4
A Look to the Future
So as I look to the next month and a half of discussing All’s Well That Ends Well, I’m seeing some topics lining up…