Category Archives: Keywords

Ganymede: From the Gods to Shakespeare

“I’ll have no worse name than Jove’s own page, / And therefore look you call me Ganymede.” (2.1.122-3). In Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, Rosalind utters these lines to proclaim here new undercover identity as she goes to the Forest of Arden. But Ganymede is not just any old name; it has a long history rooted in mythology and is often associated with homosexuality. Also, Rosalind is the daughter of a banished duke and thus an aristocratic figure, yet Ganymede is a “page”, or servant.

This begs the question, why does Shakespeare choose the name Ganymede to be Rosalind’s alter ego?

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The Economics of Redemption

In his play Henry IV Part I, Shakespeare juxtaposes a sample of Henry IV’s time as king against the economic and social tensions during his reign. These tensions, for Henry, run particularly high given his questionable rise to power. Because Henry claimed the throne by waging war against Richard III, his rule could in many ways be viewed as illegitimate. As such, he finds himself racing against time to unite the people whom he divided when stealing the country from Richard. Henry plans to achieve this end by shifting attention away from his questionable ascent and onto a Crusade. It seems as though his expectation is that waging a Holy War will redeem himself to his people and so secure his rule. His idea introduces redemption as having religious roots. However, when tracking the word redeem, this sacred concept is revealed to have a far more secular meaning than initially implied. Continue reading →

My Sweet Wag

Shakespeare’s interpretation of the word wag in his play Henry IV Part 1 can be interpreted multiple ways. The word wag only appears five times in the play and is only spoken by Falstaff. I believe through this portrayal Shakespeare is trying to send the message that wag is not a word used by those in royal standings; which is why Falstaff who is the lowest of the low seems to make it a part of his everyday vocabulary. Continue reading →

Corrivals: Broken Symetries

Hotspur aspires to “pluck up drowned honor by the locks; / So he that doth redeem her thence might wear / without corrival, all her dignities” (Act 1 Scene 3). The play sets him up, however, a direct corrival in Hal. These two Harrys form the most obvious example, but by propagating the concept of corrivality through other pairings, we find other broken symmetries within the Henry IV, Part 1 and can illuminate the conflict of idealized chivalry and the realities of politics. Continue reading →

True or False?

Sir Henry Percy, also known as Hotspur, is a major character in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1. However, he was also a man in real life. Many scholars have debated how much of the events and characters in Shakespeare’s plays are accurate depictions of history, and how much is theatrical embellishment. I now apply this question to Sir Henry Percy.

How much of Shakespeare’s depiction of Sir Henry Percy, or Hotspur, is fact and how much is fiction? Continue reading →

Artificial Anxiety of the Bachelor

‘The Three Caskets’: The Merchant Of Venice, Act III, Scene II. Robert Alexander Hillingford. Oil on Canvas.

The will of Portia’s father immediately surfaces as the central obstacle to the comedic plot-line of The Merchant of Venice. It is a clear example of a patriarch’s legal posthumous authority. Portia’s role as the central female protagonist leads most critics to focus on the restrictions that the will sets on her freedom. Much less discussed is the will’s control over Portia’s numerous male suitors.

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The limited value of virginity: “But even now worth this, and now worth nothing?”

The limited value of virginity: “But even now worth this, and now worth nothing?”

 

Beginning with Salarino’s extended metaphor in Act One, Scene One, describing one of Antonio’s ships run a-ground as a violated woman, female worth in Merchant of Venice is connected to chastity.

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Gossip as a Noun

The term “gossip” in The Merchant of Venice could have many meanings, but they have chosen to use it in a specific context. One of the definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defined it as, “to act as a gossip, or familiar acquaintance; to take part (in a feast), be a boon-companion; to make oneself at home.” Shakespeare clearly did not mean for his usage of the word to be interpreted as such. Continue reading →

Mercy in the Courtroom: How Shakespeare Uses the Law to Influence Audiences

It is difficult to know whether it was Shakespeare’s intent to make his character Shylock in The Merchant of Venice a sympathetic character or a Jewish villain to satisfy an anti-Semitic audience. Clues to this debate can be gathered if we carefully consider Shakespeare’s treatment of Shylock in the courtroom. A conflict of mercy vs. vengeance  and between the spirit and letter of the law become apparent in the courtroom scene of Act IV. Mercy is a central theme to both Christianity and Judaism and is used by Shakespeare to make larger claims about such religions. Continue reading →