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wordwhackerWell, it's time for me to come out of the closet. I've probably aroused some suspicions already, but just to make sure this is out in the open: I really really suck at understanding plays when reading them cold off the page.
Now that we have that embarrassing little tidbit out of the way, and we have collectively come to the realization that I am going to have to read this play at LEAST once more to really "get" it, here are some preliminary thoughts on it.
I understand that we're talking about the 1600's and all, and that on top of that, at least a certain amount of the characters' behaviour is over-the-top. But I still kept getting creeped out about how women were treated in this play. Every time I flipped a page some woman was getting threatened with a sword or pushed into a house or locked in a room or threatened with having her eyes jabbed out with a pen. I don't think it would have worried me if the same treatment was given to men, but there wasn't much of it that I can remember. Is this meant to be light-hearted entertainment? How much of this is tongue-in-cheek, and how much of it is just "par for the course"? (I mean, to argue for the former, the fact that "Pinchwife" was the worst of the lot does say something, eh?)
Another thing this play has a lot of (similar to Marriage a la Mode, but even more prevalent since they're not trying to hide the fact that it takes place in England) is general "upper class" drama. Who's having supper at whose house with whom. It's like a game of Clue gone very, very dull. I will admit, part of Act II had me almost sleeping in my chair (pp 108-109 in the concise text, the scene in which the ladies are talking amongst themselves) - probably because I'm not well versed in the lingo of the period, so I am missing about 80% of the wit. Acts III through V I found very fun and engaging, once the plot had started to really move along. Very fun, as well, the way people keep referring to Sparkish as being a "frank" person - obviously a jibe relating to one Mr. Frank Harcourt who's intent on stealing his soon-to-be wife. There are probably plenty of plays on words that I'm missing on the first read-through. Hopefully the class discussion will help open that up to me.
I think my favourite scene is in the final act (V.iv), with Horner (great name, that) entertaining three ladies in masquerade. First, the song (p. 147) is great: "'Tis wine only give 'em their courage and wit; / Because we live sober to men, we submit." (lines 36,37) The ladies totally own this scene; the song is a fun prelude to the ladies' discussion of reputations (p. 148.) I think Dainty captures the sentiment perfectly: "For I assure you, women are least masked when / they have the velvet vizard on." (lines 117-18) There is a kind of subversive power suggested in this scene that I find really interesting. (The fact that it's a "subversive" power casts a certain darkness on it, though... There's probably an element of showcasing women's "devilish" nature in this scene.)
There is a strange kind of resolution to this play - by which I mean, there isn't much. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Horner essentially get away with his whole Eunuch gig? What's up with THAT? Essentially, the boys win, while the girls remain in the same position they started in. Poor Margery, she's way too cute for ol' Pinchwife, and I get the feeling Alithea is mostly going with Harcourt because A) Sparkish is a loser and B) Harcourt won't stop buggin' her. (Then again, I guess that's the primary reason most high-class women got married in this time period...)
I'll have some more constructive thoughts once we've talked about it in class.
Number of plays read: 2
Ladies-dressed-as-boys: 3
Now that we have that embarrassing little tidbit out of the way, and we have collectively come to the realization that I am going to have to read this play at LEAST once more to really "get" it, here are some preliminary thoughts on it.
I understand that we're talking about the 1600's and all, and that on top of that, at least a certain amount of the characters' behaviour is over-the-top. But I still kept getting creeped out about how women were treated in this play. Every time I flipped a page some woman was getting threatened with a sword or pushed into a house or locked in a room or threatened with having her eyes jabbed out with a pen. I don't think it would have worried me if the same treatment was given to men, but there wasn't much of it that I can remember. Is this meant to be light-hearted entertainment? How much of this is tongue-in-cheek, and how much of it is just "par for the course"? (I mean, to argue for the former, the fact that "Pinchwife" was the worst of the lot does say something, eh?)
Another thing this play has a lot of (similar to Marriage a la Mode, but even more prevalent since they're not trying to hide the fact that it takes place in England) is general "upper class" drama. Who's having supper at whose house with whom. It's like a game of Clue gone very, very dull. I will admit, part of Act II had me almost sleeping in my chair (pp 108-109 in the concise text, the scene in which the ladies are talking amongst themselves) - probably because I'm not well versed in the lingo of the period, so I am missing about 80% of the wit. Acts III through V I found very fun and engaging, once the plot had started to really move along. Very fun, as well, the way people keep referring to Sparkish as being a "frank" person - obviously a jibe relating to one Mr. Frank Harcourt who's intent on stealing his soon-to-be wife. There are probably plenty of plays on words that I'm missing on the first read-through. Hopefully the class discussion will help open that up to me.
I think my favourite scene is in the final act (V.iv), with Horner (great name, that) entertaining three ladies in masquerade. First, the song (p. 147) is great: "'Tis wine only give 'em their courage and wit; / Because we live sober to men, we submit." (lines 36,37) The ladies totally own this scene; the song is a fun prelude to the ladies' discussion of reputations (p. 148.) I think Dainty captures the sentiment perfectly: "For I assure you, women are least masked when / they have the velvet vizard on." (lines 117-18) There is a kind of subversive power suggested in this scene that I find really interesting. (The fact that it's a "subversive" power casts a certain darkness on it, though... There's probably an element of showcasing women's "devilish" nature in this scene.)
There is a strange kind of resolution to this play - by which I mean, there isn't much. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Horner essentially get away with his whole Eunuch gig? What's up with THAT? Essentially, the boys win, while the girls remain in the same position they started in. Poor Margery, she's way too cute for ol' Pinchwife, and I get the feeling Alithea is mostly going with Harcourt because A) Sparkish is a loser and B) Harcourt won't stop buggin' her. (Then again, I guess that's the primary reason most high-class women got married in this time period...)
I'll have some more constructive thoughts once we've talked about it in class.
Number of plays read: 2
Ladies-dressed-as-boys: 3
