- Nov 2019
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boisestate.pressbooks.pub boisestate.pressbooks.pub
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True. But as they say Dreams are rough copies of the waking soul Yet uncorrected of the higher Will, So that men sometimes in their dreams confess An unsuspected, or forgotten, self; One must beware to check—ay, if one may, Stifle ere born, such passion in ourselves As makes, we see, such havoc with our sleep, And ill reacts upon the waking day. And, by the bye, for one test, Segismund, Between such swearable realities— Since Dreaming, Madness, Passion, are akin In missing each that salutary rein Of reason, and the guiding will of man: One test, I think, of waking sanity Shall be that conscious power of self-control, To curb all passion, but much most of all That evil and vindictive, that ill squares With human, and with holy canon less, Which bids us pardon ev’n our enemies, And much more those who, out of no ill will, Mistakenly have taken up the rod Which heaven, they think, has put into their hands.
This powerful monologue about the turn and uncorrected self found in dreams, pretty clearly addresses the audience just as much as it addresses the Prince, with a call to action. This was a great play for the Spanish government to condone- asking its citizens to adjust one’s self to the strongly encouraged Bible and to look deeper before one acts. As the Crash Course video stated, the Bible was not the only interpretation of plays in this time. However, keeping time period in mind, it was strongly insinuated that it was the key guiding path.
Despite government control of theatre and other circumstances such as the Spanish Inquisition, Spain still seemed to be lightyears ahead of other countries when it came to the idea of free will. I’m interested in learning more about the governments encouragement and limitations on free will and self-expression during the Renaissance.
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- Sep 2019
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boisestate.pressbooks.pub boisestate.pressbooks.pub
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let the largest conger-eel play a little in the water; when I come back it shall be boned; not before.
So, this is just a silly little example of crossing the line. A dirty joke in a play with a much more crude plot. However, it does a nice job of illustrating how the Greeks liked to test boundaries with their works. The main conflict of this whole play is a war! Not something you'd think to be cracking dirty jokes or to even think that the war could be solved by women or sex. This time in history is so important, and could even be argued as the beginning of satire (which we rely on so heavily in entertainment today).
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boisestate.pressbooks.pub boisestate.pressbooks.pub
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By her own hand
Something that a lot of other students, and professors, mentioned that they have learned was this idea of "catharsis" in Greek theater. How important it was to include it in their writings, and how they pioneered this idea and really got to create it. I think this line is a great example of emotional catharsis for the audience. A woman has killed herself out of guilt, sadness, disgust, or a combination, and yet- we feel relieved. Relieved that she does not have to live with this vile truth of her wedding and having kids with her own son. It allows the audience this emotional catharsis of her release from this life, and a feeling that she knew it was wrong.
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