Author: paco

Implications of Forwards

According to Ball, forwards are first and foremost a tool used by playwrights to keep the audience actively engaged in the play and prevent them from losing interest.  However, their secondary function is to call attention to important thematic elements of the play.  Some of the forwards in Merchant of Venice serve in this capacity, once again using forwards including the confrontation between Antonio and Shylock, the ring subplot at the play’s end, and Antonio’s mercantile ventures to draw attention to religious conflict, morality, and financial themes in the play.

Implications of Exposition

Because the play is based on a medieval story, Shakespeare’s exposition is important because it establishes the differences between his adaptation and the original tale.  The thematic elements introduced to Merchant of Venice require some adjustments to the information presented in exposition.  For example, Shakespeare’s version of the challenge to win Portia’s hand fits better with the play’s heightened emphasis on religious values and morality, especially since Portia represents a virtuous Christian character diametrically opposed to Shylock the Jew.  Shakespeare also inserts exposition detailing Antonio’s willingness to lend Bassanio money on top of his already existing debt as a way to further develop the contrast between the “Christian” philosophy of charitable giving and the “Jewish” method of extortion/usury practiced by Shylock.  Finally, Shakespeare’s exposition at the beginning of the play establishes that most central characters are wealthy and relate to each other through financial transactions (another predominant theme in this play).

A few forwards

Portia hints at the three caskets in act one, but we don’t actually find out what they contain until act two.

Shylock spends an entire scene deliberating before he reveals his condition for the loan.

Jessica’s scene with Lancelot lets the audience know about her plan to elope with Lorenzo ahead of time, creating a sense of anticipation.

What do the play’s actions and outcome suggest?

Each of the main characters’ actions reveal ideas crucial to the play.

Stanley’s actions (playing poker, drinking, having sex with Stella, raping Blanche) are fueled by his primal desires (compete with men, dominate women). Because Williams presents us with a society created and dominated by men, Stanley’s male desires can be fully expressed without inhibition or fear of any negative consequences. Stanley is free to satisfy all of his desires by taking direct action, completely unopposed by society.

Stella is also driven by desire, and she too reveals this through her actions. She stays with Stanley despite his physical abuse because she can derive sexual and emotional pleasure only from being with him. Of course she does not like being beaten but Stella’s actions make her priorities clear: she will sacrifice her independence if it is necessary in order to satisfy her desires. The idea illustrated here is that while social rules do not completely prohibit women from pursuing pleasure, they do restrict the ways in which women can do so, essentially demanding that they submit to male control of their lives. As opposed to men, who are largely free to do as they please, women must carefully balance their actions to get what they want without stepping outside their social boundaries.

Blanche is the author’s example of a woman who refuses to accept the social limitations placed on women. Through her actions, (kissing the paperboy, drinking, flirting with Mitch) Blanche seeks to satisfy her desires in the same way that the men do. But society automatically condemns her because according to its rules, women should not have that same freedom. Throughout the play, as characters learn about Blanche’s "scandalizing" past and present, they categorize her as an outsider, someone who breaks the rules of society and is therefore inferior. Both Mitch and Stanley attempt to force themselves on her because they desire her, but also because they disapprove of her openly expressed sexual desires.

Analyzing the outcome of the play for each character: Stanley satisfies his desires at no personal cost, successfully dominating his male friends and wife and ejecting the troublemaker Blanche from his house. Stella, by staying with Stanley and ignoring Blanche’s accusation of rape, chooses desire (sex and love) at the expense of submitting to Stanley’s power and losing her sister to an asylum. Blanche, as the only character who defied society’s rules with her actions, is raped and sent to a mental institution. Her pathetic end demonstrates the futility of rebellion against acceptable social behavior.

The action and outcome of the play, then, suggest that both women and men are fundamentally driven by desire. However, in a male-dominated society men are free to seek gratification, while women must accept the constraints imposed on their desires or be crushed by unbearable consequences.

Philosophical statements

That’s a great compilation of quotations, I only have a few to add for consideration:

“Is he so different?” “Yes.  A different species.”  (Blanche and Stella referring to Stanley)

“The Kowalskis and the DuBoises have different notions.”  (Stanley to Stella)

“A woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion” (Blanche to Stanley)

“Physical beauty is passing.  A transitory possession.”  (Blanche to Stanley)

“Whoever you are-I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”  (Blanche at the play’s end)

A Streetcar Named Desire

Multiple meanings of the title, here are a few:  1) Literally, Desire is the name of the streetcar route that Blanche takes to get to her sister’s house.  2)  Symbolically, Blanche has let desire take over her life, losing her self-control by hopping on “a streetcar named desire” and enjoying the ride, though she has no idea where it will take her.  3) The fact that it is a streetcar and not a more upscale mode of transportation indicates that even though Blanche pretends to be cultured and rich, she has sunk to poverty and dependence on others because of her desire.

complications?

some complications: Ismene refuses to help Antigone, Creon publicly forbids Polyneices’ burial, the Chorus agrees to respect Creon’s wishes, the guard informs Creon that his command has been disobeyed, Creon sends him in search of the perpetrator, the guard captures Antigone, Creon orders her execution.  Haemon argues with Creon, Creon ignores him and buries Antigone alive, Tyresias warns Creon.

Here I think is the moment of crisis from which there is no turning back.  If Creon listens to Tyresias, he might still be able to prevent anyone from dying and undo the offense he has committed against the gods.  Instead, Creon ignores and insults the prophet, leading to Tyresias’ dooming prophesy.  Despite Creon’s reluctant change of heart, he cannot act quickly enough to prevent the ensuing suicides of Antigone, Haemon, and the queen, leading to Creon’s ultimate downfall.