ELIT 17

ELIT 17Class 2

TeamsLecture: Shakespeares EnglandDiscussion The Comedy of ErrorsDiscussion QuestionsQHQs

AGENDA

The teams will change on or near essay due dates. You must change at least 50% of your team after each project is completed. You may never be on a team with the same person more than twice. You may never have a new team composed of more than 50% of any prior team.

We will often use teams to earn participation points. Your teams should be made up of 4 people.

Points will be earned for correct answers to questions, meaningful contributions to the discussion, and the willingness to share your work. Each team will track their own points, but cheating leads to death (or loss of 25 participation points).

Answers, comments, and questions must be posed in a manner that promotes learning. Those who speak out of turn or with maliciousness will not receive points for their teams.

At the end of each class, you will turn in a point sheet with the names of everyone in your group (first name, last initial) and your accumulated points for the day. It is your responsibility to make the sheet, track the points, and turn it in.

Sit near your team members in class to facilitate ease of group discussions

Billy R IIILan N IIIIJose S IIIChristine L II

13 points

Your First Group!Get into groups of four. (1-2 minutes)

If you cant find a group, please raise your hand.

Introduce yourselves, and write your names down on a sheet of paper. This will be your point sheet.

7

Queen Elizabeth I ( 1558-1603 )Ruled England for 45 years.Nicknamed the Virgin Queen and produced no heir to the throneRestored Protestantism and formalized the Church of EnglandDuring her reign, the economy was weakened by inflation, food shortages, and high rent. During the Elizabethan Period, hundreds of people were convicted as witches and executed.

King James I ( 1603-1628 )

Religious, and believed in the supernatural and interested in witchcraftCommissioned a translation of The Bible from Latin to EnglishPublished a book about witchcraft called Demonologie in 1597

Renamed Shakespeares acting troupeThe Kings Men

About one in three children died before reaching their teenage years.The average total lifespan was only about 35-40 years.In Shakespeares family, only he and his younger sister Joan lived past 50 his other six brothers and sisters died much younger.

Life Expectancy in Shakespeares England

In Elizabethan times, shifting economic class was not possible. The wealthy were the nobility and land-owners. (This was only three percent of the English population).Middle classes included farmers, tradesmen, and clergy.The poor were the servants, orphans, hired laborers, and soldiers returning from the wars.

The Social Classes

Catastrophic diseases like malaria, syphilis, typhus, and smallpox killed tens of thousands each year. Bubonic plague wiped out nearly half of London during two outbreaks in the late 1590s.Medicine was very primitive, with most doctors treating illnesses with bleeding, and applying various homemade herbs and poultices. Broken bones were not set, since it was believed that such accidents were the result of immoral behavior and were a punishment from God. If you broke your leg, there was a good chance you would never walk again.

Only the wealthy and middle classes were educated. The wealthy were taught in their homes by private tutors, while the middle classes attended public schools which were in reality, private schools which you had to pay to attend.Students learned to read and write Latin and French. Other subjects might include dancing, drawing, theology, fencing, and an archaic study of the sciences.Generally, only boys attended school. Girls stayed home and learned cooking, sewing, and other household duties. Wealthy young girls might be taught reading, drawing, and dancing.

The poorer people were, the more chance they had of choosing their own spouse. Wealthy families arranged marriages for sons and daughters to secure the family fortune.The legal age to marry in Elizabethan times was fourteen for boys, and twelve for girls. But it was common for most men to wait until they were 25-26, and girls until they were 23. This was when most boys had finished their apprenticeships and could afford marriage.

Apprenticeships began in the late teens and continued until age 25.Apprenticeships lasted for at least seven years, and apprentices were not allowed to marry until their apprenticeship was done.Job included clothiers, woolen cloth weavers, cloth workers, dyers, hosiers, tailors, shoemakers, tanners, pewterers, bakers, brewers, glovers, cutlers, smiths, farriers, curriers, sadlers, sappers, hatmakers, feltmakers, fletchers, arrowhead makers, butchers, cooks, or millers.

In England, there was only ONE Protestant church, (The Church of England) and everyone was required to be a member of it.By law, you had to attend church at least once a month, or you would be reported and fined.Catholicism, which was seen as being complicit with Englands enemies Italy and Spain, was strictly forbidden, although it is rumored that Shakespeares father, and William himself, were secret Catholics.

London during Shakespeares life was the center of politics, art, literature, and theater.It was also a brutal place to live, with raw sewage running down the streets, and infested with plague-carrying rats.Because everyone drank alcohol, and everyone carried a blade; swordfights were common, and often deadly.Queen Elizabeth would display the severed heads of criminals above the gates of the city.

The London when Shakespeare lived was a dangerous, primitive place by modern standards, and yet a vast expansion in ideas, exploration, language and art occurred during this era.Its a paradox to think that despite living in such a deadly, dark, brutal time, some of the worlds most beautiful poetry and immortal plays were written, and survived to our day.

Shakespeares London

ComedyErrors

The Comedy of Errorsis one ofWilliam Shakespeare's earliest plays circa 1593. It is his shortest and one of his mostfarcicalcomedies. In addition topunsandword play, a major part of the humor comes from fromslapstickand mistaken identity.The play was not published until it appeared in theFirst Folioin 1623.History

Key plot elements are taken from twoancient Romancomedies ofPlautus.FromMenaechmicomes the main premise of mistaken identity betweenidentical twinswith the same name, plus some of the stock characters such as the comic courtesan. FromAmphitryonhe borrows the twin servants with the same name, plus the scene in Act 3 where a husband is shut out of his house while his wife mistakenly dines with his look-alike.Theframe storyof Egeon and Emilia derives fromApollonius of Tyre, also a source forTwelfth NightandPericles, Prince of Tyre.

The story takes place in Ephesus, on the west coast of Asia Minor (where modern-day Turkey is). There has been a long-standing battle between Syracuse on the east coast of Sicily and Ephesus.This sets up part of the tension in the plot, with three characters from Syracuse sneaking into Ephesus to set the story in motion.

SyracuseEphesus

SolinusDukeof EphesusEgeon amerchantof SyracuseEmilia his lost wife, now LadyAbbessat EphesusAntipholus of EphesusandAntipholus of Syracuse twin brothers, sons of Egeon and EmiliaDromio of EphesusandDromio of Syracuse twin brothers,bondmen, each serving his respective AntipholusAdriana wife of Antipholus of EphesusLuciana her sister

EgeonSolinus

Egeon, a merchant of Syracuse, is condemned to death in Ephesus for violating the ban against travel between the two rival cities. As he is led to his execution, he tells the Ephesian Duke, Solinus, that he has come to Syracuse in search of his wife and one of his twin sons, who were separated from him 25 years ago in a shipwreck. The other twin, who grew up with Egeon, is also traveling the world in search of the missing half of their family. (The twins, we learn, are identical, and each has an identical twin slave named Dromio.) The Duke is so moved by this story that he grants Egeon a day to raise the thousand-mark ransom that would be necessary to save his life.

Meanwhile, unknown to Egeon, his son Antipholus of Syracuse (and Antipholuss slave Dromio) is also visiting Ephesus--where Antipholuss missing twin, known as Antipholus of Ephesus, is a prosperous citizen of the city.Antipholus of Ephesuss wife, mistakes Antipholus of Syracuse for her husband and drags him home for dinner, leaving Dromio of Syracuse to stand guard at the door and admit no one. Shortly thereafter, Antipholus of Ephesus (withhisslave Dromio of Ephesus) returns home and is refused entry to his own house. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse has fallen in love with Luciana, Adriana's sister, who is appalled at the behavior of the man she thinks is her brother-in-law.

Antipholus of EphesusAdriana

Antipholus of SyracuseLucianaDromio of Ephesus

Dromio of Syracuse

Add to this chaos, a gold chain given to the wrong Dromio, which leads to an angry merchant and a mistaken arrest, a true comedy of errors!

Despite its high comedy The Comedy of Errors has never been turned into a motion picture although several made-for-TV versions have been made.The first, in 1978, stars Dame Judi Dench as was presented as a madcap musical comedy.The second, from 1983, was part of the BBCs Complete Works of Shakespeare.The most recent, from 2007 is a filmed performance from the Stratford Festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtvriM_iUx8

The next clip is from The Comedy of Errors as adapted in 1976 into a modern musical form for the RSC, by Trevor Nunn.

This scene: In Ephesus on holiday, Antipholus (Roger Rees) and Dromio(Michael Williams) of Syracuse are unknowingly mistaken for their long lost twin brothers Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus by Adriana (Judi Dench), the denied and restless wife of Antipholus of Ephesus

Act 2 Scene 2 lines 115 to the end of Act 2

There have been several adaptions of the play into various formats, including opera, musicals, film, and television!There was a popular 1938 Broadway musical called The Boys From Syracuse written by Rodgers & Hart. There was also a 1988 movie called Big Business based on the play.The popular TV showThe X-Filesfeatures an episode called "Fight Club, the story of which heavily parallels many elements from this play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e73Jt0W8vjAThe 1988 adaptation of The Comedy of Errors, Big Business, staring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, begins with two sets of identical twins who are mismatched at birth. Forty years later, their paths cross amid the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, and the result is unrestrained pandemonium.

The next scene is the initial mismatch.

In GroupsDiscuss your answers to the homework questions and your QHQs.

QuestionsFind examples of the different kinds of comedy we discussed in class today. Explain why the scenes or elements are or arent funny.

This Shakespearean wordplay is an excellent example of a pun:

Back, slave, or I will break thy pate across.DROMIO OF EPHESUS

And he will bless that cross with other beating.Between you, I shall have a holy head.

(Act 2, Scene 1, 83-85)

Shakespeare is having fun with the multiple meanings of the word holy and across. He will literally make a cut across his head, and Dromio of Ephesus takes across to mean a cross, and he will now have a holy head, in both the religious sense of the word, and he will also have a head full of holes. This type of comedy is still regularly employed in films today, and if it werent for the language barrier, I would find this scene very funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHPHgNhWH9oThe Comedy of Errors performed by the University Classic Players. Bob Jones University

Act 3, Scene 2 lines 79-172 4:40

QuestionWhat elements of this scene make it funny?What are the required elements to make something funny?Are there different kinds of humor?How many kinds of humor does Shakespeare use in this scene?Consider Puns, stereotypes, and sexual innuendo

Wordplay: RepetitionHere, just after the previous example from Act 2, scene 1, we see the word quoth repeated over and over, as an example:

Tis dinnertime, quoth I. My gold, quoth he. Your meat doth burn, quoth I. My gold, quoth he. Will you come? quoth I. My gold, quoth he. Where is the thousand marks I gave thee, villain? The pig, quoth I, is burned. My gold, quoth he (Act 2, scene 2, lines 330-336)

Shakespeare goes on for quite a few more lines keeping up his repetition while slipping in words with double meaning like pig and meat to yet again add layers of complexity to his comedy. Even these small, deceptively simple sections of Shakespeares comedic works contain these deep layers, which adds to their enduring value, and is part of the reason they are copied in modern works so often.

Mistaken IdentityAnother comedic element I found was mistaken identity. This element is one of the main comedic element of The Comedy of Errors. I find this element funny, it reminds me of the movie Parent Trap that I watched as a kid. In the movie separated twins are reunited and decide to switch places. The element of mistaken identity in the movie is the fact that the parents can not tell that it is not the right twin. In The Commedy of Errors, an example of this is in act 3, scene 1.

Adriana:Who is that at the door that keeps all this noise?Dromio of Syracuse:By my troth, your town is troubled with unruly boys.Antipholus of Ephesus:Are you there, wife? You might have come before.Adriana:Your wife, sir knave? Go, get you from the door.

This scene is funny because not even Adriana can recognize her own husbands voice at the door. Rather she thinks it is unruly boys just like what Dromio said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn74SDSLGL4An example of slapstick is the two Dromios constantly getting beaten due to the chaotic confusion surrounding their situation. This is funny to the reader as humans tend to take pleasure in other peoples misfortunes.SlapstickStart to 25 seconds.

QHQDoes farce comedy still play a role in modern entertainment?

Why do people during this time period (today as well) think that slapstick comedy or physical humor is funny?

QuestionsWooing scenes are prominent in Shakespearian plays. Find the wooing scene between Antipholus of Syracuse and Luciana. Explicate the meaning and explain how successful it is.

Sweet mistresswhat your name is else I know not,Nor by what wonder you do hit of mineLess in your knowledge and your grace you show notThan our Earths wonder, more than Earth divine.Teach me, dear creature, how to think and speak.Lay open to my earthy gross conceit,Smothered in errors, feeble, shallow, weak,The folded meaning of your words deceit.Against my souls pure truth why labor youTo make it wander in an unknown field?Are you a god? Would you create me new? Transform me, then, and to your power Ill yield.

But if that I am I, then well I knowYour weeping sister is no wife of mine,Nor to her bed no homage do I owe.Far more, far more, to you do I decline.O, train me not, sweet mermaid, with thy noteTo drown me in thy sisters flood of tears.Sing, Siren, for thyself, and I will dote.Spread oer the silver waves thy golden hairs,And as a bed Ill take them and there lie,And in that glorious supposition thinkHe gains by death that hath such means to die.Let love, being light, be drownd if she sink.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE3:2:31 to 3:2:54

The Wooing Antipholus in an earlier scene has expressed that he feels he has lost himself while in search of his family. [] In this scene, Antipholus is in awe of all that Luciana says and profess his love for her [] He has found someone that can help him be a different man and in a sense, gain some identity. He wants to be shown how to change his ways and treat people differently; Lucianas kindness towards her sisters needs has shown him compassion. Antipholus wants what he did not have before and believes Luciana can be the one to guide him. This scene is successful in showing what it is that troubles the characters of the story and giving glimpses of who they are. It is not successful in terms of the characters reciprocating their feelings for one another.Is his wooing successful? As far as this scene is concerned, not really. He continues to flirt with Luciana, but she rebuffs his advances at every turn, almost always by mentioning her sister. When he persists, she excuses herself talk to her sister about this. From her actions alone, it is obvious that she is troubled by his feelings, and does little to encourage them. And who would? Antipholuss persistence is rather creepy, in my honest opinion. For Luciana, it must be doubly so, as she believes him to be her brother-in-law. Its difficult to gauge the true effectiveness of his advances, however, because it is impossible to determine whether her lack of interest stems from true indifference, concern for her sister, or apprehension due to the moral implications of such a liaison.

QHQ

Q: What is exactly Lucianas view to marriage?

Q: What undertones are found following an analysis of Antipholus of Syracuses monologue to Luciana?

Compare and Contrast one set of the twins. Are they more alike or different?

Antipholus of Syracuse: This twin is certainly more playful than the other. He is more kind and considerate when you compare him to Antipholus of Ephesus. Though the way he interacts with his servant is harsh at times, more often than not, he is sportive. Antipholus of Syracuse is also a man of many words when it comes to wooing women. A prime example of this would be his interaction with Luciana in Act III, scene ii. This wooing scene displays the amorous nature of Antipholus and his ability with words: Teach me, dear creature, how to think and speak (3.2.35). Though we witness his confidence with words, there exists within him a sense of lost self. In searching for his mother and brother, he realizes that there is a part of him missing. This is clearly shown in Act I, scene ii:

I to the world am like a drop of waterThat in the ocean seeks another drop, Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself.So I, to find a mother and a brother,In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself (1.2.35-40).

Melancholy exists within. In searching for his mother and brother, he is finding himself and attempting to reclaim a part of who he is.

Antipholus of Ephesus: I must admit this twin is certainly not my preferred one. In various ways he seems like a fool! He is unbelievably oblivious to everything that surrounds him. He does not seem to be much of a character or have much substance to him. He is what one would call a plot device. He has built quite a reputation for himself as he seems to know everyone in town. From Antipholus of Syracuses interactions with the townspeople, one may surmise that they treat Antipholus of Ephesus formidably well via their confusion of Antipholus of Syracuse for Antipholus of Ephesus. In a way, Antipholus of Ephesus seems a bit preoccupied with himself. Unlike his twin brother, Antipholus of Ephesus has no time to muse or reflect on the whereabouts of his lost brother and father. He is a man of the town and much prefers to occupy himself with reason and practicality. His nature seems to be one of pragmatism, while Antipholus of Syracuse is a bit more on the magically enchanted side.

I do have to say, though, that it may be slightly unfair to compare the two brothers personalities based on the events were privy to. When you think about the situations they are in, A of S has come to a city that mainly just seems enchanted to him. Its confusing, but the things that happen dont seem that bad. Hes brought into the nice home of a woman who calls him her husband, he meets her sister who he falls for, hes given a nice gold chain. A of E, however, gets accused of theft, arrested, locked out of his house, all in all he is having a pretty bad day. Ultimately, though, I think the brothers are intended to be very different, as they are really illustrating the two halves of a whole. Like the drops of water that are repeatedly referred to, these twins have been split and need to reconnect in order to be whole again. When A of S is wooing Luciana, he calls her mine own selfs better part. Hes searching, he knows he needs another part, he just cant find what it is.An Unfair comparison?

The Dromios?

Read: The Comedy of Errors Acts 4 and 5Post #2Shakespeare s choice to make misidentification unintentional complicates the issue of both identity and trickery. Misidentification causes a rapid switching between social positions. For instance, Adriana is both an alluring temptress who tries to trick a traveler and a loyal wife who mistakenly invites an impostor into her house. Find a scene of intentional or unintentional deception. Who is the trickster? What are the results of the miscommunication or misidentification?Discuss the theme of Identity as it is presented in the play. Is there a difference between public/social identities and private identities? Are the Dromios servants or slaves? Are their beatings meant to be farcical? Are farce and social custom connected? Can you think of a contemporary example?Discuss Pinch and his role in the story

Homework

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