The Womanizer

             Why are Shakespeare fans embarrassed by The Taming of the Shrew? The controversy about controlling women in the play is hotly debated issue, but was it as big of a deal in Elizabethan society? The presence of gender roles is an important aspect of the play. The relationship between Petruchio and Katherine balances on a thin line between acceptable and controversial.

            In Elizabethan society, men were permitted to beat their wives. Men at the time were concerned of shrewish women because of their power to disrupt the model of a perfect household. Shakespeare might be showing a lighter side of the Elizabethan gender treatment. He does not show physical violence against women in the play. But Petruchio does threaten to hit Katherine and uses other tactics to tame and exert his superiority. Even in the courting process Petruchio makes Katherine his property. He offers to marry Katharine to save her from being a spinster. Petruchio also comments on Katherine’s physical beauty and says that she has passed the test but implying that she just barely passed. But the main controversy is the means in which Petruchio “tames” Katherine. 

            Petruchio uses many different controversial techniques to “tame” Katherine. From there first meeting Petruchio tell Baptista that Katherine has agreed to marry him when she obviously did not wish. Later at the wedding, Petruchio shows up late, in unfashionable clothes, and riding a broken horse. In the middle of the reception Petruchio asserts his authority on Katherine and forces her to leave. When they arrive to Petruchio’s house he decides to “kill her with kindness”. He does this by saying that nothing is good for her and therefore she is not allowed to have anything that is not perfect. This put Katherine in an awkward position because he has never claimed that he does not want the best for her.  Because of this Katherine cannot retaliate in anger. Katherine’s speech at the end of the play proves that Petruchio’s strange tactics have worked to tame Katherine.

            In the 21^st century, The Taming of the Shrew is seen as more controversial than it was when it was originally written. I think we have to remember that the play is written as a comedy and in a time where traditional gender roles were practiced therefore we should not take the play too seriously. 

My Journey to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

            As a Christmas gift, my Grandma heard I was taking a class on Shakespeare and decided that I should experience his work in person. I received tickets to see “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, February 4^th. It was an amazing performance that had me laughing non-stop. This play is interesting in the fact that we know very little about the history of the play. Historians do not know the exact date of the play’s first performance but they do suspect that the play was performed for a wedding celebration in the palace. From class we have learned how difficult it is to direct a play that has limited direction. Kent Thompson, the director of this particular play had some different interpretations from other directors.

            Originally the play has more emphasis on the young lovers and their complex relationship in the magical forest. In Thompson’s rendition he finds interest in the veteran lovers, Oberon and Titania. The two old loves seem accustom to the young lovers due to their long relationship of squabbling for 30 years and usually get over it.

            Thompson also wanted to focus on the danger of the forest. Even though no one is in danger. Thompson wanted to have the characters be unaware that the forest could become a jungle. Puck is playful but that could get out of control. He feels that it “is the classic opportunity for comedy. Audiences love to see characters almost go too far and then find their way back.” This interest in pushing the boundaries of the play allows for a different personality from other interpretations of the play.

            Unlike other versions of the play, Thompson went for a fresher and lighter version that allows the humor to shine through.  He did an amazing job at making a play that was written in the Elizabethan era seem relevant in the 21^st century. A wonderful summary of the performance by Dan Sullivan says, “Dream remains an amazingly fresh play, a remix of classical legend, down home superstition and backstage foolery, braided into a tall tale that keeps us laughing and leaves us reflecting.” 

Why is there an Induction in "The Taming of the Shrew"?

              The purpose of the induction in the Taming of the Shrew could be for many reasons. The use of this technique was a common feature during the Renaissance period, but a rare element in Shakespeare’s plays. Although none of the characters in the induction are present through out the main part of the play they do serve as an important role. The Induction serves to introduce key themes that will become present in the main play such as identity, disguise, illusion and reality.

            The induction consists of the Lord playing a practical joke on homeless, drunk named Christopher Sly by dressing him up and making him believe that he is the Lord. This funny, little story draws a parallel to Katherine’s story in the main play. Sly’s story reinforces the idea that a person’s environment and treatment can determine their behavior. Sly is told and treated like a Lord therefore he believes it is true. In the main play Katherine is told from her father and husband to be an abiding wife. Although Katherine struggles with the thought of being a dutiful wife she has no choice and is forced to conform. Katherine and Sly are treated like puppets and whatever their controller decides to make them do they are at there will.

            Another theme in the induction and play is the concept of “social mobility”. In Shakespeare’s time many people were worried that someone from the lower class would simply move up in class by dressing in nicer clothes and acting as though they were of a higher class. The Lord in the induction does exactly that and dresses up the lower class drunk in nicer clothes and then is presumed to be a Lord. It brings up the issue of individual identities and whether people can disguise themselves as others and believe that their new identity is true. This concept might be a clue from Shakespeare that someone or something is pretending to be something other than what they seem in the main play.

            The interesting and humorous induction ends with the beginning of the play. We never find out what becomes of Christopher Sly and his beautiful wife, but the induction serves as a valuable lead in to the main portion of the play. 

The Boar in Richard III

            Richard III is referred to through out the play as a boar. Historically, Richard’s royal symbol was a boar. Unlike his brother Edward whose symbol was the sun, which reflects the royalty view that they are godly. Richard’s symbol represents a fierce and hideous creature. Just like the boar that destroys the obstacles in his path, so does Richard by killing the people who cared for him and crushing the dreams of the citizens of England.

            In Elizabethan time, the boar was a popular animal to hunt due to its aggressive nature. But some laws Privatized certain land and animals for hunting only for royalty. The boar was one of the creatures that only royalty could hunt. In the play, Richmond is the one who kills Richard because only a man who is equally royal could kill the boar.

            The Elizabethan period also enforced a natural hierarchical order. On top was God then royalty and higher society, then peasants, and at the bottom were animals. Richard’s symbol is placed on the lowest tier of the order, which makes it strange that he is made king and corrupting the system. It only makes sense that to restore order in England, Richard must be removed from the throne to replace order in society.

            However, Richard’s character is even lower then a raging boar because he lacks all humanity. Richard and Anne have a discussion about even how beasts have pity. Richard claims he has no pity meaning that he is not a beast or human. The audience can come to the conclusion that Richard is far worse then any beast, he is an unnatural creature. Through out the play Richard refers to himself as ugly and unnatural looking and so do other characters. Margaret mentions that Richard was born with teeth. This might indicate that he is something other than human and that is why he does not have human feelings.

            Comparing Richard to a boar is more of a compliment then he deserves. His viscous acts of killing the people closest to him and not feeling any remorse proves that he is lower on the hierarchical order than an animal. Shakespeare has taken the aggression of the boar and combined it with a heartless soul to create Richard III. 

War of Roses (Richard III)

             Richard, Duke of Glouster, begins the play by telling the viewers that the House of York is in power. His brother, King Edward IV, is the one leading York House to power. The War of the Roses is the underlying historical context of the Shakespeare play, Richard III. I am interested in learning about the War of the Roses to form a better understanding of the influences and mindset of the characters and the audience during the time period that the play was performed.

            The War of Roses consisted of  two branches of the Royal House of Plantagenet. The houses of York and Lancaster competed for the throne of England from 1455 and 1485. The war ended with Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond coming into power and founding the House of Tudors. Henry Tudor united the House of York and Lancaster, even combining the symbol of the white and red rose into an emblem of a red and white Tudor rose.

            An influence that the battle between the houses could have affected was the courtship of Richard III and Lady Anne. Lady Anne is part of the Lancaster family. Richard’s alliance with Lady Anne might help him get both the approval of his own house and the House of Lancaster.

            History not only plays as a background setting in the play but was also an influencing matter in the presentation of characters in the play. Queen Elizabeth I was in power at the time, who was a Tudor, of the writing and performance of Richard III. Shakespeare wanted to please the royal family because they could influence the success of his career. Due to this pressure Shakespeare portrays Richard III as a horrendous villain in order to make Henry Tudor appear in a much brighter light. If Shakespeare did not show the devilish side of Richard III as much as he did then Henry Tudor would have looked less heroic. Even though the history of England has swayed the representation in this play due to the fact that the characters he was writing about were still alive and influential. 

Wikipedia Experiment

I attended Cherry Creek High School. For my edit I went to my high schools wikipedia page and added myself to the list successful individuals who have graduated from Creek. I wonder how long it will take for them to take this off.

GigaPan ("Hybrid" Art)

  http://www.gigapan.org/

             Hybrid art is a contemporary art movement in which artist work with frontier areas of science and emerging technologies. During my numerous art classes my understanding of hybrid art was the process of combining two different mediums to create one piece of art. I learned about the traditional forms of hybrid art but in the 21^st century technology has presented itself in art. Technology has transformed they way we view and explore art. Artist now undertake research projects, view results in a new way, and use these results to evaluate the social implications. Today’s artists are free to make art with whatever material or technique they can imagine. This freedom creates new opportunities to express ideas and concepts. It also opens up a number of challenges, choices, and decisions for artists

            The GigaPan is a piece of art that can only live on the computer. It cannot be displayed in a museum or over the mantel. To appreciate the beauty and creativity of the GigaPan you must see and interact with it online. This breaking edge technology of photograph mixed with the controls of the computer form to generate the largest projection of the world.

            First we need to fully understand the concept of the GigaPan. GigaPan is the newest development of the Global Connection Project, which aims to help us meet our neighbors across the globe, and learn about our planet itself. GigaPan will help bring distant communities and peoples together through images that have so much detail that they are, themselves, the objects of exploration, discovery and wonder. They believe that enabling people to explore, experience, and share each other's worlds can be a transforming experience.

            GigaPan consists of three technological developments: a robotic camera mount for capturing very high-resolution (gig pixel and up) panoramic images using a standard digital camera; custom software for constructing very high-resolution gig pixel panoramas; and, a new type of website for exploring, sharing and commenting on gig pixel panoramas and the detail our users will discover within them. The GigaPan website allows hosting and sharing all kinds of panoramas.

            The Gigapan process engages with the user in four steps. First you can search and explore all the panoramas that are available on the site. Exploring the scenes that others have posted and discovering what they found. The second step is to start creating your own content for the site. You will be included into the community of GigaPan. The third step is to create your own Gigapan creation. There are special GigaPan robotic cameras but apparently the use of a high-quality digital camera will do. The process is really taking hundreds of pictures and stitching them together to create one large image. The last step is to share your creation.

            While exploring the site I found one very interesting GigaPan. Created by Davis Bergman is a large photo of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. Bergman photo description is “I made this Gigapan image from the north press platform during President Obama's inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009. It's made up of 220 images and the final image size is 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 mega pixels.” This amazing picture gets more interesting when you and able to zoom in on any area of the picture and get a clear picture of the President speaking. You can zoom in and out of the picture and explore the details of the scene. Each artist can select a few zoomed in images that they would like the view to investigate. In this example, there is a picture of a man taking a picture of the president, or a picture of a man that looks like a version of Frankinstein. The pictures can entertain the viewer for hours, but also allows the viewer to discover the world though the GigaPan.

            All in all, the GigaPan is current example of hybrid art. These interesting picture allow the viewer to play with the image and see all the pieces of the art up close. The GigaPan truly allows the viewer and artist to explore the world and see the things that aren’t possible with the human eye or without the tool of the Internet.