(16) Henry VI, Part 1

I finished my first History play on this fine last day of September and I enjoyed it. It is at once the same and different from the Comedies I just finished, if that makes any sense. There seems to be a greater emphasis on plot…with political overtones everywhere, which is pretty much what I expected I guess. Shakespeare had something to say about his times and was using this play to say it. Understand though, that he gets his facts wrong all over the place, as the Riverside liner notes happily point out, over and over again. This was perhaps unintentional but probably not; my guess is that he was more interested in furthering his own artistic ends rather than accurately depicting the facts. I’m not sure how I feel about this…seems rather like cheating, doesn’t it?

I am being told that the next four plays I am about to read can be grouped together (Henry VI, Parts 1-3 and Richard III), as they all deal with a specific era in English history, namely The War of the Roses. I’ll be studying this era then, from an historical perspective, as I read these plays from an aesthetic perspective. All good.

(15) Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure is my last comedy and it was a pleasure to end on such an excellent play, although the ending of the play itself was quite peculiar (more on that in a minute). To summarize: The Duke of Vienna rolls out of town and leaves his deputy Angelo in charge. Angelo, a true scoundrel, immediately arrests and sentences to death Claudio, a man who has knocked up his own girlfriend, but innocently, because the two are lovers and are soon to be married. But alas, because he has sired a child out of wedlock, which is technically against the law, Angelo decides Claudio must die. Enter Claudio’s sister, Isabel, who goes to Angelo and begs for her brother’s life. Angelo responds to her entreaties by saying he will only pardon her brother if she sleeps with him. Nice, right? She famously refuses and drama ensues.

In Angelo, this play presents one of the most (if not the most) dastardly characters I have yet to encounter. To me, he represents the worst type of villain. At every turn, Angelo is a liar, an abusive, power-hungry tyrant, and a true hypocrite, characteristics that I find particularly irksome. For example, when Isabel finally realizes that Angelo is telling her to sleep with him to gain pardon for her brother, she is at first shocked, then recovers, and then says she will simply “tell the world aloud what man thou art” so as to undo his evil plans. Angelo’s reply? No worries, no one will believe the words of a low-born woman against the words of the great Angelo. And that’s not the least of it. Trust me, this guy is a real jerk.

As mentioned earlier, this one ends oddly by throwing all logic to the wind to end in a marriage. As with All’s Well That Ends Well, the marriage thing is forced, right at the very end, without warning and context. Also, in this case, it does not appear to be consensual because the female betrothed is told who she will wed and never responds. Weird, right? Again, the form seems forced here, the comic formula (end with a marriage) followed for the sake of the genre. It doesn't really work, but oddly it doesn't matter, as it’s still a great play, in my most humble of opinions. Strange…obvious missteps (is that the right word?) fail to tarnish the thing.

So anyway, with that, I leave the comedies behind. Fare thee well my jocular friends, it has been a true pleasure getting to know you! It was a great ride but it’s time to move on. Up next? The Histories (queue ominous music).

Thou surly swag-bellied clotpole!

I love this site. Get insulted by Shakespeare!

I'm Surprised I Made It This Far

According to this article, I have only read two of the top 10 plays, and these are listed as 9 and 10. So, having seperated the wheat from the chaff, it should be all smooth sailin' from here on out.

(14) All’s Well That Ends Well

Another one in the bag, the second to last comedy in the list, and it was a good one, quite good actually, one of my favorites. A blasphemously quick summary: A low-born girl (Helena) is in love with a high-born man (Bertram). To win his hand in marriage, she cures an ailing king who then orders Bertram, his subject, to marry her. Bertram, a tool for sure, can think of nothing worse than marrying a lower class woman (“A poor physician's daughter my wife! Disdain rather corrupt me forever!”). However, the king forces him to do so and he does, and then immediately runs away, forcing Helena to hatch a typically tricky plan to win him back. Crazy, madcap hijinks ensue.

It’s actually not as lighthearted and happy-go-lucky as the above passage may suggest. Shakespeare is again coloring outside the lines (shocking, right?), blurring the divisions between comedy and tragedy, or semi-tragedy, or tragicomedy, or something...else? To be sure, there are comedic moments, but generally speaking things are quite dark in this one, with tones of death and decay everywhere, coupled with a healthy dose of lies, deceit, and mental abuse. Happy times!

But speaking of happy times…at least there is a happy ending…kind of. Indeed, I'm really not sure how happy the ending is. It’s as if The Bard were grudgingly submitting to the requirements of the comedic genre, abruptly, right at the very end. The perfunctory, curtain-closing “all’s well that ends well” ending fulfills the obligation to the form, an obligation that even Shakespeare seems unwilling to wholly break.

Interestingly, the Riverside introduction to the next play (and last comedy) on my list (Measure for Measure), suggests that Shakespeare was perhaps tiring (is that the right word?) of the genre in these late career comedies. The transitional elements one finds in these plays, the so-called comedic problem plays, exist in large part because of this mixing of genre. Perhaps they are intentional and indicative of an artist changing, or even abandoning, forms? I think I can buy that.