Samantha St.
Claire
Prof. Flack
Eng 6
26 November
2012
Final Essay
This is a super lame draft; I am just trying to get all my thoughts together!
I.
People
were judged not by virtue or merit, but by appearance and blood
·
Bosola recognizes that the brothers are
like plum trees, that grow
crooked over standing pools, [...] are rich
and o'ertaken
with fruit, but none but crows, pies, and
caterpillars feed
on them.
(look great, but inwardly
are corrupt, so only attract the corrupt)
Bosola is our constant
commentary throughout the play on the corruption of the current society, that
everyone believes that outward appearance is more important than inward
character. But Webster speaks through the mouth of a lower-class criminal, who
the audience would never listen to (because they only care about the outside!).
However, Bosola only muses on these enlightening thoughts, because he falls
right into them. He seeks after promotion, to become the upper class, and yet
hates the whole ride and is disgusted by it all.
- · Antonio, though deemed by many to be a very good man, Ferdinand considered a dog because he had lower blood.
- · Duchess had man’s blood, but was treated like a woman and bossed around by her brother
- · Bosola muses to Antonio, “Say you were lineally descended from King Pepin, or he himself, what of this? Search the heads of the greatest rivers in the world, you shall find them but bubbles of water. Some would think the souls of princes were brought forth by some more weighty cause than those of meaner persons: they are deceived, there’s the same hand to them; the like passions sway them” (2.1.89-94). Ferdinand agrees with this, and affirms that we are subject to the same fate. He sighs his dying words, “Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, / Like diamonds we are cut with our own dust” (5.5.68-69). Only then does he seem to understand the equality of the human race.
- · Even more, Bosola, who brings this issue to light, is speaking in the prose of the lower class, while Ferdinand who shallowly class Antonio ……. Speaks in the upper class language of verse. More of Webster saying that wisdom comes from the lowly, while the high are the true fools.
- · Duchess (to Ferdinand): “Say that he was born mean, / Man is most happy when ‘s own actions / Be arguments and examples of his virtue” (4.1.117-119).
- · Ferdinand murders the Duchess’ children, explaining that “the death / Of young wolves is never to be pitied” (4.2.237-238). According to Ferdinand, children born of slaves are “bastards” and are not people.
- · Bosola tries to convince himself of this idea that one should marry within their own class, and pleads with the Duchess to “forget this base, low fellow […] One of no birth […] A barren, beggarly virtue!” (4.1.113-116).
- · (need to put more examples from Twelfth Night)
II.
Shakespeare
shows this cruel societal prejudice through the ridiculous examples of
costumes. Simply by changing one’s outfit, he/she was considered to be higher
or lower than they actually were (be it by virtue or blood).
- The outfit a nobleman (like Sir Toby) wears is just as much a costume as the ones worn by another to trick society into thinking they are from a different class (example: Sir Toby’s noble attire hides his drunken, lower-class-like character, just as Malvolio’s rich outfit he dreams about would only hide his real lower-class blood).
- According to Ferdinand, Antonio’s marriage to Duchess was a costume he was playing pretend with, when in actuality he was still a lower-class dog.
- Feste dressed as priest to freak Malvolio out - which was odd because Malvolio couldn’t see him. Costume was either for himself to “feel his role,” or for audience who would find Feste’s character changed by the outfit he puts on himself (Shakespeare trapping the audience!)
- Viola wearing a boy’s outfit gave her more voice and respect.
III.
The
characters fell into this prejudice, and considered themselves only as high as
their outfits declared they were. Not satisfied with themselves, they sought
costumes and outfits to gain the approval of others or to hide their true
selves in some way. “Hypocrite” – hiding behind a mask to hide one’s true
nature (Sir Toby hiding his drunkenness and poverty behind upper-class garb and
title)
Random
examples:
- Feste dressed in fool’s attire to avoid punishment for honesty (I’m just a fool! What do I know?)
- Olivia hiding behind mourning veil, not out of piety, but as a way to avoid dealing with people
- Viola hiding behind boy’s garb, in order to hide herself from the world after the death of her brother, and in order to free herself from her womanly constraints?
- Orsino hide behind Cesario (when approaching Olivia)
- Bosola dressed as grave digger to represent his role of murderer
- Old women wear makeup, a mask that disgusts Bosola because it’s a lame attempt to hide what’s really going on inside (age) – this is another example of hypocrisy
- Wax figures representing Antonio and children?
- Duchess’s tale of the fish?
- Ultimate hypocrite, mask-wearer, deceiver – Satan as Cherubim sneaking his way into the garden, and hiding in the skin of a snake
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