Setting in "The Tempest"

A driving question that we have had in class recently is whether or not setting is important in The Tempest. Although we have a rough understanding of the setting -- a secluded island with berries and such -- we are unsure of the exact location of the island. In this way, Shakespeare avoids having his play being associated with colonialism. However, setting can also be important in some cases because it provides a basis of historical context, and without it readers might struggle in finding a multi-dimensional understanding of the text. Although this can be true, in The Tempest and other works of Shakespeare, the setting's one-dimensional context makes it applicable to other time periods. Without this context, readers may interpret the play more fully and individually, rather than taking it as a historical commentary. Furthermore, it allows for more diverse productions of the play.

Prospero's Power - "The Tempest"

Throughout Prospero's life, his power fluctuates greatly. As the Duke of Milan, he had great monarchial control, yet as his skills in sorcery were augmented, he gave Antonio the opportunity to usurp his political control. On the island, Prospero's magical power makes him an autocratic ruler of Caliban and Ariel. His harsh treatment of the island natives characterizes him as cruel, relentless, and manipulative. Prospero's power is also used to demonstrate his development as a character. When he loses his monarchial power, he uses his magic to seek vengeance on the people who have wronged him in the past. However, as he watches his daughter fall in love and directly encounters the people of his past, he realizes that his possession of magical power has only inflicted harm upon himself. In the end, he becomes merciful and decides to return to normalcy, thus giving up his magic. Prospero's magical power, although his strongest attribute, was also his biggest weakness and catalyzes his downfall as a ruler, along with his moral downfall.

"Travel" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Travel

Edna St. Vincent Millay

The railroad track is miles away, 

    And the day is loud with voices speaking, 

Yet there isn’t a train goes by all day 

    But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn’t a train goes by, 

    Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming, 

But I see its cinders red on the sky, 

    And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with friends I make, 

    And better friends I’ll not be knowing; 

Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take, 

    No matter where it’s going.

The poem that I chose for the poetry project is "Travel" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. When I first read "Travel" I found that it flowed extremely well and really liked the imagery. Then, as I read it over again I started to understand the deeper meaning of the poem.

In this poem, Millay repeats the phrase "there isn't a train goes by," however she can hear and see trains passing. She claims to be willing to take any train, regardless of its destination. I think that in this poem, the train is symbolic of paths of life and opportunities. Millay sees life paths and possibilities passing her by, yet these opportunities are intangible. Instead, she hopes for a train to eventually pass by so she can experience the world in a broader sense. She also makes a comment on people and how they influence her life: "My heart is warms with friends I make, and better friends I'll not be knowing." To me, this means that although she is content with her friends, she yearns to encounter new people and get new perspectives. I really love the imagery in the second stanza with the imaginary train passing by, spitting out "red cinders" into the night sky. This poem is also very relevant to a young person's life as they can see opportunities arising, yet things seem intangible. 

"She's The Man"

When I watched the movie She's The Man, at first I was confused by the use of the names Viola and Sebastian -- until I learned that it's a modernized version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In Twelfth Night, twins Viola and Sebastian are separated in a shipwreck (Shakespeare apparently really loves shipwrecks). Viola, disguised as a man named "Cesario," serves as a page to Duke Orsino of Illyria. Duke Orsino is helplessly in love with Olivia, but Olivia is in love with Cesario/Viola, creating a complicated love triangle.
Instead, in She's The Man, Viola is played by Amanda Bynes. After being bashed by her boyfriend for sexist remarks about her ability to play soccer, Viola leaves her school, pretending to be Sebastian and play on the soccer team at an all-boy boarding school. Upon arrival, "Sebastian" realizes that she will be rooming with the popular jock, Duke, played by Channing Tatum. Duke is in love with Olivia, however Olivia falls in love with "Sebastian." All the while, Viola falls in love with Duke.
Modern adaptations of Shakespeare, such as She's The Man, and others like West Side Story and 10 Things I Hate About You, are important because they appeal to wider, younger audiences. Moreover, although She's The Man is extremely modernized, I find it exciting that the ideals and plots from Shakespeare's time are timeless and universal.

Shakespeare Uncovered

After having watched Shakespeare Uncovered in class, I'm genuinely intrigued by the The Tempest. As Shakespeare's final full text, critics suggest that he wrote it as a farewell play with autobiographical elements. As a sorcerer, Prospero conjures people of his past to the island, controlling them with his skills in magic -- similarly to how Shakespeare brings people together in the theater with his skills in playwriting. It is also predicted that Prospero giving up his magic in the end is symbolic of Shakespeare's end to his career in writing. The host of the program, Trevor Nunn, even proposed that Shakespeare himself could have played Prospero.
As a final "hurrah," Shakespeare used experimental illusions in productions of The Tempest to create special effects, a revolutionary element in theater at the time. Scholars studying The Tempest also conclude that it was never performed in the Globe Theater, but rather in a dark, enclosed space because a lantern or spark in darkness has a much more jarring effect.

Illusions - quick write

Q: Are illusions a good thing in life? Would it be better to live with some illusions or to know the actual truth/reality of every situation?

Although illusions are associated with trickery and deception, if people were able to know the truth and reality of every situation there would be no wonder. Humans are inherently curious, searching out the answer and "full truth" of every possible scenario. Without false perception, misconstrued ideas, and uncertainty, there would be no debate among human beings pertaining to common life experiences and things such as politics. However, illusions can still be bad. People can deliberately create illusions to manipulate someone (or a sector of a political party... ahem Trump) to achieve a personal goal or make others believe their fallacies. All together, although illusions can have a negative impact on society, illusions are the basis of human wonder and curiosity.

Backgrounds of Poets

A poet's bringing, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender can all influence the content and tone his or her literary works. By understanding more about a poet's life, one can further analyze the significance and central messages of the poet. A prime example of the influence of a poet's life on her works is the American poet and playwright, Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay was born in Maine in 1892. In her upbringing, Edna's mother encouraged female ambition and independence and emphasized a deep appreciation for art, music, and literature. Later in her life, influenced by her mother's insistence of the importance of literature, Millay moved to Greenwich Village in New York City where she spent her days writing poetry, desperately trying to be published. While in New York, however, many men tried to persuade her into marriage despite her open bisexuality. After her refusal of marriage, Millay published her controversial volume of poetry, A Few Figs From Thistles, discussing feminism, female sexuality, and independence of women in the modern world. There is no doubt that Edna St. Vincent Millay's liberal upbringing influenced her sexually-expressive and controversial poems about feminism.