The Missing Comments

I've been posting comments on "Steph's Blog" (http://stephaniesshakespeare.blogspot.com/), but they still haven't showed up! Maybe it's some kind of technical error or something. Any ideas? Any and all comments would be helpful.

 -McKinley :D

Julius Caesar: Lesson 1: Review Questions: Question 2 (Week 5)

Shakespeare's play mostly revolves around a group of conspirators, their plot against Caesar, and the unforeseen aftereffects of this plot. Although it is up for debate which characters are to be considered "The Main Characters", in my personal opinion the main characters in said play are as follows:

Julius Caesar
Despite the fact the play bears his name, Brutus has over four times as many lines as Caesar. On top of that, the title character dies relatively early in the play. On the other hand, the focus of the other characters often is trained upon Caesar.

Antony
An absolutely loyal friend of Caesar, he remains true to him until the bitter end, and fights for him even after his death.

Octavius
Caesar's adopted son, he returns from abroad halfway through the play to find his father killed. He then joins Antony to avenge Caesar. After the conflict, he succeeds his father.

Brutus
Pity "poor Brutus", torn between his love for Caesar, and his love for Rome. He greatly respects and admires Caesar, but believes his assassination could greatly benefit Rome. Brutus is a rare breed: an honest politician! The others simply envy Caesar, but Brutus actually has other people's best interests at heart. However, the other conspirators exploit Brutus's honesty and easily manipulate him.

Cassius
Shrewd and sly, "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look." He is jealous of Caesar's power, and will get rid of anything- and anyone- that gets in his way. He uses subtle flattery and forged letters to sway Brutus to his point of view, and eventually succeeds in his attempts to  assassinate Caesar.

These characters are often in the spotlight, or "the focus of the play", and for that reason, they have secured their spots as the "Main Characters" in my mind. They tie the play together, giving it direction and feeling. They intrigue us, repulse us, and win our admiration. These are the characters that, despite their every word being scripted, have so much personality and make Shakespeare's play a timeless work of art.

P.S. After finishing my post I look over it, unsatisfied at my work. Nothing I can do will scratch that itch to make it just right. Is this normal? What can I do? Any and all comments would be welcome.

 -McKinley :D

HenryV: Lesson 4: Review Questions: Question 10

The play ends alluding to a wedding of great ceremony, "Prepare we for our marriage; on which day, My Lord of Burgundy, we’ll take your oath...", quickly followed by the Chorus' apologies for the play, "Thus far with rough and all-unable pen our bending author hath pursued the story", his praise for Henry, "Small time, but in that small most greatly lived this star of England." Then, after touching on Henry VI and making one last apology, the Chorus exits, the curtains are drawn, and the play ends. What does this say about Shakespeare's view of Henry V? The answer seems clear to me; through the Chorus, he emphasizes the achievements of Henry, "Fortune made his sword, By which the world’s best garden be achieved and of it left his son imperial lord." If he was still alive today, I believe Shakespeare would probably put to rest any ideas about a double meaning to "The Mirror of all Christian Kings". In my humble opinion, Shakespeare simply meant it in the first sense, seeing Henry as a reformed low-life who became a great man of God.

P.S. Sorry, but I won't be able to make it to co-op this coming Friday.

Henry V: Review Questions: Question 6

"Upon the king! Let us our lives, our souls, our debts, our careful wives, our children, and our sins lay on the king! We must bear all," Henry laments. He's obviously feeling the crushing weight of  responsibility that comes with such a high position. The only advantage of such a position, he claims, is ceremony; something he cannot see the value of.  It cannot cure disease, its abilities are only of ritual. Just wearing a crown, holding a scepter, or being preceded by a title gives no real power, he argues. Beneath the ceremony he's just an average man, a life he wishes he could have. He would exchange his life and the responsibility that comes with it, for the hard, grueling life of a peasant. In conclusion, it is made explicitly clear that the ultimate difference between commoner and king is, in fact, ceremony. It's the only thing making Henry different from any other man, and in his eyes, the power of ceremony is no power at all!

Henry V: Lesson 2: Review Questions: Question 10

Just before an attack, Henry tells his troops to "... imitate the action of a tiger: Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage, then lend the eye a terrible aspect...", and so on. He's basically telling his men to be fierce and threatening, perhaps trying to boost morale, or make it seem as if his army is more powerful then it actually is. Or perhaps, he's just trying to frighten the enemy into surrendering in order to win the battle without spilling a single drop of blood! This seems like a "sound Christian advice"; after all, no one is hurt, just a peaceful surrender. However, this is a classic example of "The End Justifies the Means" philosophy, something that's definitely not Christ-approved. In fact, this command to inspire fear in the French is just the opposite! I believe that Henry was war-crazed and thirsty for blood. This speech was simply given to inspire his troops and instill in them the same blood lust that came upon Henry.

Lesson 1: Review Questions: Question 9.

The Dauphin of France sent Henry tennis balls, along with several mocking remarks regarding the wild days of his youth, his inexperience on the throne, and his bold claim to ownership of various dukedoms. As for the significance of said tennis balls, it's most likely a reference to Henry's youth and immaturity (he calls the tennis balls "meeter for your spirit", or, in modern English, "more suited for your character"), but some suggest that the Dauphin is saying that England is no match for the military might of France, that Henry is simply playing at war, and should not be taken seriously. Perhaps the Dauphin's joke was in good humor, but it seemed to me that his message was designed to provoke Henry into war. Whatever the case, the Dauphin's disrespect for Henry was one of several factors that led to mass loss of life in a war between England and France.