Shakespeare reflection, writing's, and play
Overall our Shakespeare project this year was based off of the William Shakespeare original play, "A Midsummer Nights Dream". Basically we all read the book and were given a role in the play, and in the making of the play. My two roles were Egeus(Hermia's Father) and set design. so I helped to create the set, (drapes, trees, city) During the project we analyzed several excerpts from shakespeare and wrote essays about them to analyze them. Ex. Poetry conversion, Theseus essay.
This project was difficult because we only had a month to prepare all the set design and memorize lines… the most challenging part was making the set designs without help from most of my group for the majority of the time. I had to really persevere when that happened and just make it happen for the greater good of the play. “the show must go on!”
In this project I think I learned that I am really not a great actor, I tried my best to portray the emotions of my character Egeus, but I did not feel that it could be classified as “good acting”. Although I had a lot of fun making the project.
I think that we still study Shakespeare because his teachings are much like the Beatles music, timeless. there are lessons to be learned in everything he has done, more than any scholar to this day no doubt.
TJ Rifkin
April 18th, 2014
Humanities
Theseus on Love, Perception, and Reality
In the play written by shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Theseus talks about his perception of love, perception, and of course, reality. I believe that Theseus’ view on some of these things is warped to fit his own benefit. Therefore I do not agree with theseus. Rather I believe that things like love aren’t always in the form of marriage, as I have perceived that Theseus thinks.
Shakespeare speaks through Theseus in a way that shows how Theseus thinks that love is shown in the form of marriage.(1.5.3) I don't believe that this is true for many reasons. First I don’t think that you have to be married to show your love for something, you can have a unique love for someone or something that doesn't share the same love for you back, therefore not meriting the form of marriage for the person who loves. But does that change whether or not it is really true love? That love can be as steady as the world spinning for that person. I have felt this myself! Just because somebody doesn’t love you back does not mean that your love for them isn’t just as true as if two people love each other. It is still love. Whether shared mutually or not, it is always that same love.
Theseus has a warped view of all three character’s, the madman, “who sees more demons than even hell can hold”, the lover “who seems as if though all is frantic”, and finally the poet “ whose eye is in a frenzy rolling. ( 5. 1. 5-8) This shows each character in hyperbole. None of these are general enough to explain people in their real lives. I don’t believe that this could ever correctly portray any of these types of characters in the real world. I feel like his argument is just a bit one sided and that Theseus especially in the setting of a Midsummer Nights Dream doesn’t see the side of the lovers and rather only of Hermia’s father. I could be wrong and Theseus could be right for any given person. I guess it really just depends on every person and their own personality.
I believe that when Theseus said “Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.
(5.1.4-6) I see theseus as being a person in the story who had previously been one of these types of characters and something happened, a great loss or a broken heart. Something that even made him deny his own feeling of love and things that I see and believe that he almost wants to feel but can’t. He portrays these people as fools, almost as if for having some artificial sense of hope. But without that sense of hope what is there to hold onto in the real world?If we’re all focused on reality all the time I don’t believe that there would ever be any chance. Because people would always be focused on the facts and probabilities of being denied by somebody, or the high chance of not winning.They would live their life on the edge that makes life fun at all. In most people’s lives that thrill gives their life meaning. And without that, what is there to live for?
In conclusion, I believe that theseus has a distorted view of love, perception, and reality. He shuts down any advantage that love has and denies it himself. I don’t believe that a person like this could have an accurate perception and any of these types of systems of live (love, perception,, reality). Overall, I do not agree with Theseus, rather I see him as totally wrong.
April 18th, 2014
Humanities
Theseus on Love, Perception, and Reality
In the play written by shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Theseus talks about his perception of love, perception, and of course, reality. I believe that Theseus’ view on some of these things is warped to fit his own benefit. Therefore I do not agree with theseus. Rather I believe that things like love aren’t always in the form of marriage, as I have perceived that Theseus thinks.
Shakespeare speaks through Theseus in a way that shows how Theseus thinks that love is shown in the form of marriage.(1.5.3) I don't believe that this is true for many reasons. First I don’t think that you have to be married to show your love for something, you can have a unique love for someone or something that doesn't share the same love for you back, therefore not meriting the form of marriage for the person who loves. But does that change whether or not it is really true love? That love can be as steady as the world spinning for that person. I have felt this myself! Just because somebody doesn’t love you back does not mean that your love for them isn’t just as true as if two people love each other. It is still love. Whether shared mutually or not, it is always that same love.
Theseus has a warped view of all three character’s, the madman, “who sees more demons than even hell can hold”, the lover “who seems as if though all is frantic”, and finally the poet “ whose eye is in a frenzy rolling. ( 5. 1. 5-8) This shows each character in hyperbole. None of these are general enough to explain people in their real lives. I don’t believe that this could ever correctly portray any of these types of characters in the real world. I feel like his argument is just a bit one sided and that Theseus especially in the setting of a Midsummer Nights Dream doesn’t see the side of the lovers and rather only of Hermia’s father. I could be wrong and Theseus could be right for any given person. I guess it really just depends on every person and their own personality.
I believe that when Theseus said “Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.
(5.1.4-6) I see theseus as being a person in the story who had previously been one of these types of characters and something happened, a great loss or a broken heart. Something that even made him deny his own feeling of love and things that I see and believe that he almost wants to feel but can’t. He portrays these people as fools, almost as if for having some artificial sense of hope. But without that sense of hope what is there to hold onto in the real world?If we’re all focused on reality all the time I don’t believe that there would ever be any chance. Because people would always be focused on the facts and probabilities of being denied by somebody, or the high chance of not winning.They would live their life on the edge that makes life fun at all. In most people’s lives that thrill gives their life meaning. And without that, what is there to live for?
In conclusion, I believe that theseus has a distorted view of love, perception, and reality. He shuts down any advantage that love has and denies it himself. I don’t believe that a person like this could have an accurate perception and any of these types of systems of live (love, perception,, reality). Overall, I do not agree with Theseus, rather I see him as totally wrong.