Designing Love

These people seem to create their own ideas of love. In this case, what Tinkerbell says is true. If you believe in fairies, they exist. If you don't, they die. I already talked a little bit about this in a prior blog. As long as the characters in Pride and Prejudice believe in the love stories they create, they exist.

Charlotte believes she is happy:

"Poor Charlotte! it was melancholy to leave her to such society! But she had chosen it with her eyes open; and though evidently regretting that her visitors were to go, she did not seem to ask for compassion. Her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry, and all their dependent concerns, had not yet lost their charms."

Lady Catherine plans her daughter and Mr. Darcy's future.

This is an interesting topic but I'm out of textual proof. Maybe I could merge it in with happiness.

* Off topic but very interesting:

Elizabeth's modesty and lack of interest in army men, wealth, and such.

While Lydia brags about her marriage with Wickham, she keeps Mr. Darcy's proposal a private matter.

"We have dined nine times at Rosings, besides drinking tea there twice! How much I

shall have to tell!"

Elizabeth added privately, "And how much I shall have to conceal!"

Irony

Whole lots of irony in Pride and Prejudice.

Elizabeth hates Darcy. She says he's "the last man she would marry," and ironically, they become husband and wife.

Mr. Darcy dislikes Wickham and ends up paying for his marriage. Not any marriage. Darcy pays for his enemies nuptials with Lydia, his love's sister.

Lydia's running away makes the family mourn. Mrs. Bennett turns very ill. Upon her return, the Bennett family couldn't be happier. Mrs. Bennett's attitude toward the whole situation is ironic.

Mrs. Bennett is concerned of getting her daughters married. Her sadness as Lydia departs is ironic.

Charlotte joins Elizabeth in saying that Collins is silly. She ends up marrying him.

Focusing On A Deeper Happiness

Insightful.

Elizabeth:

The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all

human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense. I have met with two instances lately, one I will not mention; the other is Charlotte's marriage. "My dear Lizzy, do not give way to such feelings as these. They will ruin your happiness. "

"You shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle

and integrity, nor endeavour to persuade yourself or me, that selfishness is prudence,

and insensibility of danger security for happiness."

Caring for a friend's happiness:

"You persist, then, in supposing his sisters influence him?"

"Yes, in conjunction with his friend."

"I cannot believe it. Why should they try to influence him? They can only wish his

happiness; and if he is attached to me, no other woman can secure it."

"Your first position is false. They may wish many things besides his happiness; they

may wish his increase of wealth and consequence; they may wish him to marry a girl

who has all the importance of money, great connections, and pride."

Long lost happiness:

Her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and

beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her. Respect, esteem, and confidence had vanished for ever; and all his views of domestic happiness were overthrown.

True happiness:

"Jane, I congratulate you. You will be a very happy woman."

"You are a good girl;" he replied, "and I have great pleasure in thinking you will be

so happily settled. I have not a doubt of your doing very well together. Your tempers

are by no means unlike. You are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be

resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will

always exceed your income."

Maybe compare Mr. Bennett's "happiness" with his daughters. Or compare the views of happiness of each of the characters.

Possible Essay Topic

Whenever I have to write an essay, I get a little stressed. What am I going to write about? It has to be perfect. Then I tell myself I have to chill. Enjoy the book. The ideas will come naturally. Luckily, this has never failed. I started to write down quotations I found insightful. Then I realized almost all of them talked about the same thing: happiness.

All the characters in the book want to be happy. This makes me respect Pride and Prejudice a little more. It isn't just a chick novel after all.

Two types of happiness. In this blog I will focus on happiness due to love.

"Mr. Collins, to be sure, was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. But still he would be her husband. Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want."

Charlotte: "I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state."

Although the couple believes they will be happy, other people, such as Elizabeth don't. Although she disagrees with her friend, she feels the necessity to act happy about the subject:

"Elizabeth, feeling it incumbent on her to relieve him from so unpleasant a situation, now put herself forward to confirm his account, by mentioning her prior knowledge of it from Charlotte herself; and endeavoured to put a stop to the exclamations of her mother and sisters by the earnestness of her congratulations to Sir William, in which she was readily joined by Jane, and by making a variety of remarks on the happiness that might be expected from the match, the excellent character of Mr. Collins, and the convenient distance of Hunsford from London. "

Mr Collins believes Charlotte will make him happy:

"Charlotte to name an early day for making him the happiest of men."

For Bingley and Jane:

"Even Elizabeth began to fear—not that Bingley was indifferent—but that his sisters would be successful in keeping him away. Unwilling as she was to admit an idea so destructive of Jane's happiness..."

Mr. Bennett remarks Jane is in love. "Next to being married, a girl likes to be

crossed a little in love now and then."

Ms. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy

Darcy for Elizabeth:

"If his own vanity, however, did not mislead him, he was the cause, his pride and caprice were the cause, of all that Jane had suffered, and still continued to suffer. He had ruined for a while every hope of happiness for the most

affectionate, generous heart in the world; and no one could say how lasting an evil he might have inflicted."

There are many more insights on happiness in the novel. These are just a few I happened to have noted on a piece of paper. Very possible essay topic indeed.

Boyfriend? For What?

For you desperate women with failed relationships.

I met Bob when I was nineteen. He was two years older than me. We started to go out, and three months later we became official. We dated for five years. When I had finished college, I started to hint it was time for us to get married. "I want to get to know you first," he'd say. "How lucky am I," I would think. "I'm with a guy who thinks carefully before taking such decisions." Finally, after three years, he proposed. We got married the following year. Seven years later, here I am. Divorced. In bed with a tissue box next to me and a stack of books on my lap. Jane Austen has been my therapist through all this. She gave me the best advice anyone could ever give a young girl. Too bad it's too late for me. I deeply hope no woman has to repeat my story, so I am willing to share the advice with you.

Skip the boyfriend part. Go straight for the husband.

Look at me. I spent nine years getting to know a guy who left me seven years into the marriage. For goodness sake, we spent more time getting to know each other than actually being husband and wife!

But look at Jane and Elizabeth! They've known Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy for less than two years and they're engaged. I have no doubt they will be happy. They will grow old together and be like Mr and Mrs. Bennett who have been married for twenty three years. I used to criticize this rush for marriage. But ironic as it may seem, it works.

Get to know the man, and you'll end up like me. Marry him like they do in fairy tales, and prepare yourself for a happily ever after.

Flowers

There once was a man who decided to grow flowers. He bought five seeds. To make them grow bigger and more colorful, he added chemicals to the soil. As he was doing so, the man got distracted and forgot to pour chemicals where the last seed was. The first four flowers quickly bloomed. They were big and their petals had radiant colors. The last flower took longer to flourish. It was smaller than the rest and not as colorful. Within a five days, the first four flowers were dead. When the man went to see the last flower, he saw it had bloomed even more than before. Although it never acquired such vivid colors as the rest, without a doubt it was the most beautiful flower of all. "Seeming vs. being."

How About We Get To Know Each Other First

Case 1 Mr. and Mrs. Bennett:

-Married for twenty three years: "Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character."

-Five daughters, the youngest "not being sixteen."

- Could be considered a successful marriage but, as Miss Elizabeth Bennett pondered: "Her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her. Respect, esteem, and confidence had vanished for ever; and all his views of domestic happiness were overthrown."

Case 2 Mr. and Mrs. Collins:

- Mr. Collins asks for Elizabeth's hand in marriage.

- "Within three days", he's already engaged with Charlotte. Her explanation? "I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state."

- Marry now or never. Oh, the power of low self esteem.

Case 3 Mr. Bingley and Ms. Jane:

- From the very first ball in which they danced, they were expected to marry.

-Both Charlotte and Darcy feel Jane doesn't have the same strong feelings as Bingley. Elizabeth comes to her defense and says her sister is shy and has trouble expressing her feelings.

- They are separated in the winter. We see no "I don't care how crazy this is, let's look for my long lost love" behavior from either side.

- Mr. Bennett comes back. They get engaged.

Case 4 Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth:

-Ms. Elizabeth describes him as "the last man she would marry."

-Out of nowhere, Mr. Darcy, not only declares his love for her, but also asks for her hand in marriage.

-Ms. Elizabeth rejects him, but they later meet again and spend time together. They actually get to know each other.

- Elizabeth realized she loves Mr. Darcy and they get engaged.

Case 5 Mr. Whickham and Ms. Bennett:

- ABSOLUTELY PURE NONSENSE

Nothing more needs to be said.

Case 1: Blame it on Mr. Bennett's young soul.

Case 2: Blame it on Mr. Collins' hurt pride and Charlotte's low self esteem.

Case 3: Blame it on Mr. Bingles single and wealthy position and Jane's beauty.

Case 4: Blame it on Elizabeth's intelligence.

Case 5: Blame it on Mr. Wickham's money problem and Lydia's stupidity.

Love is what you let yourself believe in. If you get married with the first man that winks at you, and you truly believe he's the man of your dreams, so be it. But just because you're happy now, it doesn't mean you'll be happy in forty years. Yes, you can get a divorce but that's just a synonym for failing. So how about you actually meet the person you're going to spend the rest of your time with? There's a slight chance that the marriage doesn't work and your "soul mate" turns out to be the biggest mistake of your life but hey, what's life without risks? Just make sure the risks you take, are actually worth taking.

Animal Version

I couldn't agree more Paredes. If Mrs. Bennett was an animal, she would totally be a hen. I can't remember the other character you described, but I decided to do the same and pick an animal for every character we've met so far.

The Three Lettered Word

Music, dance, words- all vast fields for interpretation. Flexible, maneable, they are willing to serve humans as paths between their deepest emotions and the outside world. Art, we call them. One of the few discoveries humans should be proud of.

Pride and Prejudice, the movie doesn't kill me. It's sort of expected. There is, however, one scene which is absolutely amazing- I dare to say better than the chapter itself. Somewhere around chapters eighteen and nineteen, Mr. Bingley throws a ball. There's a variety of emotions all over the place. Jane and Mr. Bingley, as always, are ecstatic. One of the Bennett girls is sad because her father interrupted her piano playing. Mrs. Bennett doesn't stop bragging about her daughter's soon to be matrimony. Mr. Darcy looks pissed off and Elizabeth seems confused. The book doesn't focus on the character's emotions very much, but in the film, these are portrayed through the music in the background. We see Jane and Mr. Bingley dance to the jolly music, and although Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bingley are also dancing, they do it stiffly. It's inevitable to compare the two dancing couples. Excited Mrs. Bennett walks from the ball room to some sort of common room, and as she does, the music goes from merry to melancholic. We see Mr. Collins plucking petals from a flower, Ms. Bennett crying for her interrupted performance, and Elizabeth pondering behind a dark wall.

Other characters surrounding the ones priorly mentioned seem to mirror them. In the ball room, everyone except Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bingley are enjoying themselves. As we move along, people in the common room look gloomy. We see some crying, a few being rejected and others being lonely. This part in the movie is greatly interpreted. It's able to transform a story from words, to dance and music.

Link to the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPkimDfbCF0&feature=related

A Reason To Read Pride And Prejudice

After two hundred thousand years of human existence, love stories have become very predictable. We've heard them all before. The faked pregnancy to keep a marriage from falling apart, the impossible love between the rich girl and the poor man, the young couple separated by their parents. Even the close-to-original stories, where a girl finds herself in Italy looking for the long lost love of an old lady are fairly predictable.

We can all anticipate what will happen in Pride and Prejudice. There's nothing exciting about a wealthy man looking for a wife while his "unworthy and proud" friend falls in love with the man's potential wife's sister. If the story's so predictable, then what makes this novel such a favorite?

Words.

It is much agreeable to read "gone with such celerity", than to read "gone with such quickness." "Gallantry" is much more magical than "courageous," "laconic" is more picturesque than "brief". Why confine ourselves to the specific list of adjectives we were given in third grade? Austen may not bring suspense to the table, but she does bring the most tasteful of desserts: the enchanting world of words.

Women Must

We are gathered here today to discuss and evaluate Miss Elizabeth Bennett's capacity of being an accomplished woman. Before we proceed on such a delicate subject, let's define what an accomplished woman is and does. Mr. Bingley, what do you have to say about the subject?

All young ladies are impressively accomplished. Their patience is admirable. "They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this." (p. 28)

Painting tables, covering screens, or netting purses is a task any regular woman can do. Such a lady has no extraordinary thing to speak on her behalf. An accomplished woman, besides doing the tasks mentioned before, must greatly surpass what is expected from her. "A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved." (p.29)

If I may add Miss Bingley, "to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading." (p.29)

You're not describing an accomplished woman Mr. Darcy, you're describing an impossible one!

Miss Bennett, you doubt the capacities of your own kind. What a woman!

Mr. Darcy, I beg you not talk of my daughter in such a way. My daughter Lizzy, I feel confident to say, has more "quickness" than her other sisters. All of them are rather "silly", but Liz has something about her that makes her different.

I agree with you, Mr. Bennett. Miss Elizabeth certainly has something that makes her different. That something lies in her capacity to knock on a door with her "hair so untidy", and her "petticoat six inches deep in mud." I dare to say no other women in the country would make such a "blowsy" appearance.

There are women of women, Miss Bingley. Every young lady carries with her the capacity of being an accomplished woman. This is all a very personal manner. And I believe we should intrude no more.

I ask you, Mr. Bennett, allow me to conclude. I find Elizabeth's actions to "show an affection for her sister that is very pleasing." (p.26) This loyal demonstration towards her sibling starts making of her an accomplished woman. Besides this fact, and I'm sure Mr. Darcy will agree with me, Ms. Bennett possesses a wonderful quality. Her deep fond of books, talks greatly on her behalf.

Your comment is very well appreciated Mr. Bingley. But as I said, let us leave the subject alone.

Hamlet: The Dream

Shakespeare went to sleep one night, and had a dream. In his dream a man named Claudius had killed his brother and married his wife in order to become king. Claudius’ nephew was to revenge his father's death. Shakespeare woke up gasping for air. He was sweaty and anxious. That night, he couldn't go back to sleep.
The next day, William decided to go to his good friend Freud, a well known psychologist to ask him how he would interpret his dream.

"To interpret your dream,” said Freud, you must "furnish me with the unconscious thoughts which lie behind the dream-content" of yours. Otherwise, my "interpretation is seriously restricted." Shakespeare, decided to head home.

William’s dreams got weirder as the nights went by. In one dream, as he looked at his reflection on a window, he realized all his hair was gone. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed, and started walking fast, avoiding strangers that walked by. He started having recurring dreams of his father, who had died months prior. And a few dreams were about his dead son, Hamnet.

Shakespeare started dreaming the same things over and over. He either dreamt of Claudius, his father, or his son. Sometimes, parts of one dream would merge with another. He would dream that Claudius’ nephew was his own son. But whenever the dead king (in Shakespeare’s dream, his own father) was mentioned, William switched places with his son, and found himself in the nephew’s body.

Waking up in the middle of the night, after having an exhausting dream, became routine for Shakespeare. He knew he had to do something about it. He started to write all his dreams down. After a month, he gathered all his writings and made a play out of them. It took him two years to write this play, which he called “Hamlet.”

Writing “Hamlet” was no easy task. It was hard to include creative features in this anthology of dreams. This is why, some consider this tragic masterpiece, “an artistic failure.” Another problem William had with the dream, was making it all make sense. Hamlet, the character, faced some feelings he couldn't understand, just as Shakespeare’s head was full of dreams which didn’t make sense. Since Shakespeare didn’t understand his own dream, interpreting the play is no easy task.

As soon as Shakespeare finished with the play, he went back to Freud. “In here lie all my unconscious thoughts,” Shakespeare said. “Now, interpret my dreams. Tell me what I have to do in order to have normal nights again.” Freud took his time reading "Hamlet." He read it at least three times. Keeping in mind his theories of dreams, childhood sexual desires and such, Freud reached the following conclusion:

“Hamlet is able to do anything but take vengeance upon the man who did away with his father and has taken his father's place with his mother- the man who shows him in realization the repressed desires of his own childhood. The loathing which should have driven him to revenge is thus replaced by self-reproach, by conscientious scruples, which tell him that he himself is no better than the murderer whom he is required to punish.”

He was amazed that his friend William would have come up with such a complicated phychological issue to represent his own dilemmas. The recent death of Shakespeare’s father would explain the revival or many childish feelings towards this parental figure. (Idea of Georg Brandes.) Amazingly enough, Freud didn’t have to tell Shakespeare anything in order for the dreams to stop. After writing "Hamlet", the troublesome dreams faded away and Shakespeare’s nights went back to normality.

"Words, Words, Words"

Vicarious:
-experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person :
I could glean vicarious pleasure from the struggles of my imaginary film friends.
- acting or done for another :
a vicarious atonement.
- Physiology of or pertaining to the performance by one organ of the functions normally discharged by another.
aberrations

Superfluous:
-unnecessary, esp. through being more than enough :
the purchaser should avoid asking for superfluous information.

Baffle:
-totally bewilder or perplex :
an unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone
-restrain or regulate (a fluid, a sound, etc.) :
to baffle the noise further, I pad the gunwales.

Ruse
-an action intended to deceive someone; a trick :
Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house.

Feigned:
-pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury) :
she feigned nervousness.
-archaic invent (a story or excuse).

Levity:
-humor or frivolity, esp. the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect :
as an attempt to introduce a note of levity, the words were a disastrous flop.

Buffoonery
-behavior that is ridiculous but amusing.


Chemise:
-a dress hanging straight from the shoulders and giving the figure a uniform shape, popular in the 1920s.
-a woman's loose-fitting undergarment or nightdress, typically of silk or satin with a lace trim.
- a priest's alb or surplice.
- historical a smock.

Scanty:
-small or insufficient in quantity or amount :
scanty wages.
(of clothing) revealing; skimpy :
the women looked cold in their scanty gowns.

Piquant:
- pleasantly stimulating or exciting to the mind.

Forlorn
- pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely :
forlorn figures at bus stops.
- (of an aim or endeavor) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled; hopeless :
a forlorn attempt to escape.

Enmity:
-the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something :
enmity between Protestants and Catholics | family feuds and enmities.


FAILED ATTEMPT TO UPLOADING PICTURES.
It was working perfectly fine last year. If anyone has any idea of what could've happened, please let me know.

CR

I was home alone, as usual with nothing much to do. Who would have guessed that such a big castle could be so boring. Thank God I'm a twenty-first century version of Hamlet. I don't know how my predecessors lived without the internet. Anyways, I was browsing at some pages and had the crazy idea of googling myself up. The first thing that appeared was this webpage called "To be, or not to be." I was kind of mad at fist because no one asked for my permission. I don't think that's even legal. But, I was in no mood of calling a lawyer so I clicked on this page to see what it was all about.

It turns out this webpage was designed for me. I wish they had created it sooner though. It would've been of so much help. It brought back old memories and with the memories came old fears and dilemmas. It was a questionnaire. Each question had two options. Below the questions, were the letters CR. If you clicked on it, what appear to be my inner feelings showed up in a box at the left of the screen. I don't recall telling anyone how I felt so I don't know where they got this information. But I have to say, it was pretty accurate.

I started getting really into this questionnaire. It was tough to answer. Come on Hamlet, I'd say to myself. Think. Do something. You have to get this right. Come on, click on some answer. No pressure, no pressure. Breathe. That's it. This is just a game you found online. It's no big deal. Let's see, question number one...


1. Regarding the king:
A) Kill him and seek revenge
B) "Hold my tongue" and take no action

2. If you chose B to question one, skip this question. If you chose A, choose one of the following:
A) Kill the king while he prays
B) Kill him some other time

I spent more than five minutes in this question so I decided to click on the CR. It read:
Although Hamlet realized that killing his uncle was a cruel thing to do, he tried to keep his soul as clean as possible.
"O heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom.
Let me be cruel, not unnatural;
I will speak daggers to her, but use none." (400- 404)
The nature of his heart, was to be good. Avenging his father's death was something he had to do. But that's as far as he wanted to go. Hamlet seemed to be scared of how ambitious he would get. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to contain these spiteful feelings. Hamlet struggled with his ambition and his morality.

This dilemma is portrayed throughout Act three. We see an example of Hamlet's inability to decide as his first opportunity to kill the king approaches:

"Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying.
And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven.
And so am I revenged. That would be scanned." (76-78)

Although he seems determined to slain his uncle, he hesitates and comes up with the following:

"A villain kills my father, and, for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven." (79-81)

If Hamlet killed Claudius while he prayed, his soul would be at peace and he would go to heaven. Hamlet, instead of taking revenge, would be doing Claudius a favor. Although Hamlet's analysis makes sense, we get the impression that Hamlet uses this as an excuse to postpone the killing of his uncle.

Hmm. Very interesting. I do have to admit that for a good hearted person like me, committing such atrocious act wasn't easy. My mind was clear and I knew it was better to wait.
"He took father grossly, full of bread,
With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May." (82-83)

My father died with sins in his heart. I was not going to let Claudius walk into heaven empty handed. I would wait until
He was "drunk asleep, or in his rage,
Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed,
At game a-swearing, or about some act
That has no relish of salvation in ’t—"
Yes. I will wait. My answer is B.

Flexible Hamlet

We've just started reading Hamlet. But from the clips we've seen and the scenes we've read, it's safe to say that numerous versions of the play can exist, and they can all keep Hamlet's essence. There are some differences in Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version of Hamlet and Gregory Doran's 2010 version (the most evident would have to be the security camera). In one, Hamlet wears a black turtleneck suite. In the other, he wears a pair of jeans and an orange t-shirt. Both Hamlets are in luxurious castles and represent the rich boy of the time. Although they differ in looks, they both transmit Hamlet's rage toward his uncle, his mother, and the situation overall.

Appreciating Shakespeare From Jail

When you're acting, you have to find a way to let yourself go, so there is space for a new character to take over your mind and body. You have to become someone else. Talk like someone else, think, feel, act like someone else. But in order to do this, you have to create a connector between the character and the actor. Some characters are harder to interpret than others. This all depends on how strongly you can relate to the character you have to impersonate. It's easier to interpret a character if you’ve been them already, because you can directly relate to the situation they're facing. This is the case of the prisoners at the Missouri East Correctional Institution. For them, there's very little difference between Hamlet and real life.
It's very interesting to see what Hamlet means to the prisoners. In some way, the play is like therapy to them. As one of them said, Hamlet keeps them sane. It makes them realize they aren't stupid, th but uneducated and most importantly, it makes them face their past.

These man are playing roles they've played all their life. They truly mean the lines they say. They've been through what Hamlet's has been through, done what Claudius has done. They are murderers playing the roles of murderers. Can there be a better interpretation?

A relationship has been created between the prisoners and Hamlet. They help each other out. The men bring Hamlet to life and in return, Hamlet provides the opportunity to express themselves. Through Shakespeare's words, they are able to get across their most deepest emotions.

Krapp Will Always Be Krapp

It isn't until the very end of the play that Krapp mentions he's listening to old tapes of himself. But before he does, there are many details (clues, we'll call them), which lead us to believe the man we are looking at, and the man inside the tape are the same person.

Clue #1:
The bananas.
The voice in the tape recorder says: "Have just eaten I regret to say three bananas and only with difficulty restrained a fourth. Fatal things for a man with my condition." Prior to this, we saw the old man do the same, therefore we assume that the man we hear through the tape recorder is the same man who listens to it. But, how can it be? Both voices are so different from one another. The man in the tape seems to be young, with an almost eloquent voice, while the other man's voice is "cracked," with a "distinctive intonation." Although the voice has changed, the habits haven't. Apart from this compulsive need of eating bananas, we encounter a second similarity.

Clue #2:
Both seem to have the habit of recording and listening to tapes. These recordings function as a diary.
Tape Krapp says:
"Just been listening to an old year, passages at random."
Later, Old Krapp records:
"Just been listening to that stupid bastard I took myself for thirty years ago, hard to beleive I was ever as bad as that."
Both consume themselves in these tapes, which are after all, the past.
Old Krapp seems to be mad at his young self. He seems to have hard feelings towards the past. Towards the way he used to think and act. Towards the way he used to love.

Clue #3:
The light above the table. It's something that stands out through all that loneliness and darkness. "The new light above my table is a great improvement." Says the tape, and Krapp looks above, where he finds the light. "With all this darkness around me I feel less alone. (Pause.) In a way. (Pause.) I love to get up and move about in it, then back here to . . . (hesitates) . . . me. (pause.) Krapp." Even this young version of Krapp was lonely. He goes into the light, but then goes back to himself. Krapp. He says his name with despise, with repugnance. not to mention Krapp is oddly similar to crap, thus making us see him in such a manner.

Although both are the same person, they have slight differences (the voice was mentioned already) which can be attributed to the experiences Krapp had in different moments of his life.

Difference #1:
The tape speaks: "Shall I sing when I am her age, if I ever am? No. (Pause.) Did I sing as a boy? No. (Pause.) Did I ever sing? No." Singing, in this context, seems to be an act of happiness. We've agreed that both tape Krapp and old Krapp are gloomy, therefore what tape Krapp says makes sense- he doesn't sing. But in the play, old Krapp does sing. Twice. His song isn't joyful,
"Now the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh-igh."
but it still is a song.

Difference #2:
There are moments where Krapp looks up words in the dictionary he hears in the tape. If it was he who made the recordings and said those words, why is he looking them up?

Difference # 3:
There comes a point where the man in the tape speaks poetically, in such a beautiful manner.

"Past midnight. Never knew such silence. The earth might be uninhabited."

Although the old man seems touched by words he said years ago, and uneasy with how everything turned out, he was another side to him with which he struggles. A determined side, one that tries to convince himself that he wouldn't relive those years, "when there was a chance of happiness."


This whole situation: a man listening to his young self speak, captures the transformation of the human being as he experiences new things. The differences between the tape and Krapp mentioned above emphasize a change in the character. Both obsessively ate bananas, recorded tapes, and felt lonely. But the voice in the tape, so clean and clear, used complex words, and phrased his ideas in such a way, that we were lead to believe he was a smart man. We imagine something very different to what we see: a creaky voiced, filthy man. We can refer to the voice in the tape and the man listening to it as two separate characters, but they are after all, the same person. The same Krapp at different times.

Second Time Around

In one of my blogs I discussed the importance of reading novels more than once. The same thing applies to plays. To everything really. First time I watched "Krapp's Last Tape", I focused on the character's behavior only. But it is quite apparent that when something keeps reappearing, be it a particular word in a text, and image in a movie, or a line in a play, it's because it has a specific, important role in the piece. The "box three, spool five... spoool!", appeared constantly. To grasp its entire meaning, I went back to the beginning.

The "box three, spool five" refers to the tape Krapp listens to in the play. He seems to pay special attention to this particular box and spool. Krapp takes a paper from the box and reads. It seems to be a describing the contents of the tape. "Memorable equinox?" The man says, as if trying to remember what it referred to. "Farewell to... love." He must turn the page to read the word "love" ( McWhinnie places emphasis in "love" by having Magee turn the page), and when he does, silence. The look in his face, the expression of his eyes as he recalls this memory, so melancholic. Here we have, standing before us, an old, uneasy, weary, lonely man. Lonely. Around him, nothing. An empty room. No pictures, no furniture, no rugs. Only a table, a tape recorder, a microphone, some boxes and a lamp above. "Farewell to love", farewell to happiness. Greetings, loneliness.

This box and spool are important because they contain the key to Krapp's past and the explanation to the lonely life we watch him live. Every time Krapp mentions the word "spool", his face lightens up. Krapp's life consists on listening to old recordings. They are all he has, and all he ever does (besides eating bananas).

"What's a year now? The sour cud and the iron stool. (Pause.) Revelled in the word spool. (With relish.) Spooool! Happiest moment of the past half million."

"Box three, spool five... spoool!" If we looked the word up in Krapp's dictionary, it would read: my happiness, my companion, my whole life.

The Comedian's Tale

Today, when coming back from work I saw,
The longest Transmilenio line of all.
From far I saw a man with funny clothes.
"It's not a dude!" I thought as I got close.

Excuse me miss, or sir...I wish to ask,
I promise I will do this very fast.
How come so joyous, when in such a line?
Are you a he or she? If you don't mind.
"Of course I don't! And now I'll start to tell.
So let's begin, now listen to my tale.
I came into the world not being a male,
And that is what I call the biggest fail.
For I should have been born as masculine
As all the other strong, aggressive men.
But I will not complain of this mistake,
And this sweet life I never will forsake.
Oh lucky me! Because of this I can
Laugh at them all; at women and at men.
And thanks to this I have a stable job,
By far the best comedian of all.
I am a miss by night, a sir by day.
For making fun of both I do get paid.
But never has it been a simple LIFE,
One day I was discovered my WIFE.

We were together for three years until
She ran into her high school love named Bill.
I wasn't jealous, I believed in her.
"Don't worry, please." Precisely were her words.
But stupid Bill, obsessed with her was he.
The idiot, moron started stalking me.
And this is how he knew about my work.
He didn't wait and to my wife he told:
"J.D, a secret does your husband keep.
You shall be strong. Oh please, come take a seat.
I saw him at a woman's bar dressed up
As one of them, made jokes and would not stop.
But that's not all, for then he left and switched
From bar to bar, and with this guy you're hitched!
Before I knew, he was a man again,
Inside a bar, and looked like fellow men."

My wife did weep, and mad as hell was she.
Before I knew, divorced were her and me.
"I had no clue that this was going on,
I knew it! I'd be better as a nun.
I leave you Sam, go live your double LIFE.
But now forget you ever had a WIFE."

And so she left, but I kept moving on.
Oh look the Transmilenio line is gone!
I leave you now, but hope you will appear
Some day again. Bye, nice to meet you dear!"

And went his way this nice comedian.
I hope I get to see that face again.

What Makes A Classic A Classic

When we read novels, are we giving them the importance they deserve, or are they just one more book on the list?

Novels that are considered classics, books that win prizes don't earn these titles just because. What's so great about these books? Why are they revered by generation after generation?

What makes a classic a classic?

I'm not really qualified to respond such a question, but I do think classic novels have one essential characteristic about them which makes them so great.

It's funny, you know the common phrase, "I read you like a book" ... I actually believe it works backwards: we read books like people. Although each novel counts with many characters inside her, it can be considered to have a personality of her own.

You start reading a novel; you start getting to know her. Of course, the first impression is very important. You keep reading, knowing details, start either getting involved or disappointed. At the end of the book, you usually make a judgement. "I liked this ending" or, "the worst book I've ever read". When reading a classic, the final comment is usually one of un-satisfaction. A short pause and then questions start racing. "Wait a second, was this the end? Is this all? What about... Let me go back." You never get a sense of completing the novel, at least not the first time you read it.

Classic novels are like interesting people. You never quite get to know them fully. No matter how many times you read a classic, you will always find something new. A symbol you hadn't seen before, a reason why the story developed as it did. The more you read the novel, the more you get to know it. But there will always a space to read it one more time; a chance to find something new. That's what keeps classic novels in the reading lists throughout the years. That feeling of uncertainty, of knowing you can still discover more. After all, the key to human's interest is the unknown.

The Road: The Movie

I was at the dentist the other day, trying to read but got distracted with I don't remember what. "The movie looks amazing doesn't it?" The dentist realized I didn't know what she was talking about so she glanced at the book and then back at me. Oh, The Road... Wow, there's a movie?
Naturally, fist thing I do when I get home? Go on youtube and watch the trailer.

(Just in case you haven't: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY )

Turns out I'm a little outdated. The movie's almost a year old. Anyways, I kept reading and then I started to wonder how the movie would show some of the things described in the book. From the trailer, it looks like the movie does a good job in impersonating the man, and portraying him as a hopeful and perseverant human being. But how did they characterize things like the man washing the brains out of his son's hair or them finding all those people screaming for help?

They probably kept it PG... I think that's what I don't like about books turned into movies.
There's a certain liberty when you read a book, the author provides you with a certain details but lets you connect the dots between all the descriptions given. In a movie, you are constrained to the images. The only reality is the one they show you. This not only limits the watchers, it also limits the directors and movie makers. Sometimes some characterizations are only allowed in the minds of people. Making images out of them may be offensive to some. I think some details should be brought to life by imagination only.

I'm still dying to see the movie though.

I know we don't do this very often, if you've watched the movie please comment. Did you think it did a good job in capturing the essence of the book? (Don't give away the ending!)

Interview

Q: What was your childhood like?
A: I spent my early years running away. Just me and my dad. There was always that empty feeling in my stomach, I knew that at any moment we'd have to leave everything behind and run as fast as possible. I guess I had some things in common with other kids. I was afraid of the dark and was scared to be alone. I didn't understand what we were running away from. All I knew was that we were going south, so we could be warm.

Q: Any worries?
A: Yes. A lot actually. As I said, we were always running. My dad was more worried though. He hardly slept at all. We never what the day would bring. Our lives depended on our luck. "If they [we] got wet there'd be no fires to dry by. If they [we] got wet, they [we] would probably die." p15

Q: How was your relationship with your dad?
A: We depended on each other. He was everything to me; I was everything to him. I knew he was trying to take care of me and he didn't really have a choice. The situation we were in was very complicated so I tried to be the best kid possible.


Q: Your childhood wasn't what we would call typical. You never mentioned other kids, parks, pets, candy... Do you think having such a different childhood from so many other people make you different?
A: What other people?

Juxtaposing Couplets

"And eek I preye Jesu shorte hir lyves,
That wol nat be governed by hir WYVES."
(The Wife of Bath, Lines 405-406)

"Allas myn hertes quene, allas my WYF,
Myn hertes lady, endere of my life!"
(The Knight's Tale, Lines 1917-1918)

"An housebond shal nat been inquisitif
Of Goddes privitee, nor his WYF."
(The Miller's Tale, Lines 55-56)

"Adam our fader, and this WYF also,
For Paradys to labour and to wo."
(The Pardoner's Tale, Lines 177-178)

A Pardoner's Truth

I have some bad news for all of you strongly driven, firm believers out there. That man you trust all your intimate secrets to, never freed you from your misdoings. Quote he:

403 "For myn entente is nat but for to wynne,
For my intention is only to make a profit,
404 And nothyng for correccioun of synne.
And not at all for correction of sin."

Want to know the truth? I'm glad the pardoner's a hypocrite. Honestly... It's not like you can kill a person, then ask for forgiveness and be freed from your sins. You did something wrong? Live with it. SUCK IT UP. It was your decision in the first place.


That was a little harsh. Let me rephrase. I understand people make mistakes and all but you can't look for the easy way out. Going to some random person so he can forgive your mistakes doesn't change absolutely anything (except the fact that you leave with less money than before). The only person who really has to forgive you is yourself. Don't fool yourselves.

So, no. I don't feel bad for you at all. I'm glad someone is taking advantage of your stupidity.

You know who else I don't feel bad for?

Those three men. The ones in the Pardoner's story. You look for death, you find it. They literally looked for death, and guess what.

The man warned them:


760 ""Now, sires," quod he, "if that yow be so leef
"Now, sirs," said he, "if you are so eager
761 To fynde Deeth, turne up this croked wey,
To find Death, turn up this crooked way,
762 For in that grove I lafte hym, by my fey,
For in that grove I left him, by my faith,
763 Under a tree, and there he wole abyde;
Under a tree, and there he will wait;
764 Noght for youre boost he wole him no thyng hyde.
He will not in any way hide himself because of your boast."

Stupid men. At least they made an amusing story.

But the twist to the Pardoner's tale isn't the story he tells us. It's the double moral within the story. It's like when your parents tell you not to lie, and then you catch them doing the same. You know lying is wrong, but why listen to them if they do it too? Your parents end up losing credibility just like the Pardoner did. Really fun story, but why learn from it if it was told by a hypocrite?

A Raven Called Nevermore

Something's bothering me. Normally writing is easy. Words flow, one after the other forming ideas. Today, this weekend, something doesn't feel right. There's a reason why I'm not able to write. I have no ideas. Actually, there is one idea...

I have a raven above my chamber door. He's that force that doesn't let me write.

Okay, this is getting better. My mind seems to be functioning properly now. Three seconds ago I thought the Raven symbolized the obvious: death, maybe the narrator's. But not necessarily. I mean, yes. the narrator describes him as a prophet of evil, asks him to "leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoke." Its inevitable to make a connection to death. but i feel it's a vague idea. It's not so much about what the raven represents, but how he makes the narrator feel; about the power he has over him. I think that there lies the symbolism.

"But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour."

The narrator is able to sense sincerity in the raven, he firmly believes him.

The environment grows tenser and tenser. "The air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer". The narrator feels surrounded by all these exasperating feelings cause by the raven. We sense fear in him, irritation, denial.

“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Nevermore. Nevermore. Nevermore. Every time the word is said, the narrator loses power. The black bird becomes big, the narrator small. There's nothing he can do; nothing he can control:

"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door."

FOR SALE

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DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BLOG ENTRY "FOR SALE"

1. Old, rich and obedient men make the best of husbands.

197 "The thre were goode men, and riche, and olde;
The three were good men, and rich, and old;
198 Unnethe myghte they the statut holde
Hardly might they the statute hold (pay the debt)
199 In which that they were bounden unto me.
In which they were bound unto me."

2. Why please them if they don't please you?

211 But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond,
But since I had them wholly in my hand,
212 And sith they hadde me yeven al hir lond,
And since they had me given all their land,
213 What sholde I taken keep hem for to plese,
Why should I take care to please them,
214 But it were for my profit and myn ese?
Unless it were for my profit and my pleasure?

3. Different men like different things.

257 "Thou seyst som folk desiren us for richesse,
Thou sayest some folk desire us for riches,
258 Somme for oure shap, and somme for oure fairnesse,
Some for our shape, and some for our fairness,
259 And som for she kan outher synge or daunce,
And one because she can either sing or dance,
260 And som for gentillesse and daliaunce;
And some because of noble descent and flirtatious talk;
261 Som for hir handes and hir armes smale;
Some because of their hands and their slender arms;
262 Thus goth al to the devel, by thy tale.
Thus goes all to the devil, according to you.
263 Thou seyst men may nat kepe a castel wal,
Thou sayest men may not defend a castle wall,
264 It may so longe assailled been overal.
It may so long be assailed on all sides."

4. If you are ugly, you are at great risk.


271 "And seyst it is an hard thyng for to welde
And thou sayest it is a hard thing to control
272 A thyng that no man wole, his thankes, helde.
A thing that no man will, willingly, hold."


If you wish to purchase this book, remember the author is in a pilgrimage for an unknown amount of time, so contact her editor and get "The Love Plane" at an unbelievable low price.

A Woman's Perspective

FOR SALE!

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http://mysymph.blogspot.com/2010/09/do-not-read-this-if-you-havent-read.html

Not Too Far From Reality

We read the Miller's tale and laugh. With a combination of the following aspects, the story can go from conventional to ludicrous.

First aspect: A man so foolish to believe he must be like Noah, and save Nicholas, his wife and himself from a flood that's approximating:

3538 ""Hastou nat herd," quod Nicholas, "also
"Hast thou not heard," said Nicholas, "also
3539 The sorwe of Noe with his felaweshipe,
The sorrow of Noah with his fellowship,
3540 Er that he myghte gete his wyf to shipe?
Before he could get his wife onto the ship?
3541 Hym hadde be levere, I dar wel undertake,
He would rather, I dare well guarantee,
3542 At thilke tyme, than alle his wetheres blake
At that time, than have all his black sheep
3543 That she hadde had a ship hirself allone.
That she had had a ship for herself alone.
3544 And therfore, woostou what is best to doone?
And therefore, knowest thou what is best to do?
3545 This asketh haste, and of an hastif thyng
This needs haste, and of a hasty thing
3546 Men may nat preche or maken tariyng.
Men may not preach nor make tarrying"

Second aspect:

Absolon's description in the story:

3337 "But sooth to seyn, he was somdeel squaymous
But to say the truth, he was somewhat squeamish
3338 Of fartyng, and of speche daungerous.
About farting, and fastidious in his speech."

Followed by his actions and their outcomes.

3805 " "Spek, sweete bryd, I noot nat where thou art."
"Speak, sweet bird, I know not where thou art."
3806 This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart
This Nicholas immediately let fly a fart
3807 As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,
As great as if it had been a thunder-bolt,
3808 That with the strook he was almoost yblent;
So that with the stroke he was almost blinded;
3809 And he was redy with his iren hoot,
And he was ready with his hot iron,
3810 And Nicholas amydde the ers he smoot.
And he smote Nicholas in the middle of the ass."

The author links Absolon's description with Nicholas' action. This detail makes the story humorous and ridiculous. It reminds me of poetic justice; in a certain way, Absolon gets what he deserves.

Third aspect:

How the vulgar word usage in this story matches the Miller's personality, and at the same time, contrasts with the Knight's tale.

3167 "What sholde I moore seyn, but this Millere
What more should I say, but this Miller
3168 He nolde his wordes for no man forbere,
He would not refrain from speaking for any man,
3169 But tolde his cherles tale in his manere.
But told his churl's tale in his manner.
3170 M'athynketh that I shal reherce it heere.
I regret that I must repeat it here."

Joining these three, we are able to make fun of the Miller's tale. We characterize the Miller as vulgar, the carpenter as stupid, and the story in general as ridiculous. While we do this, we are making fun human race overall. We laugh at John because he is fooled by Nicholas but not so long ago we were threatened by swine flu, a pandemic which was going to kill us all. So many people went crazy. Countries bought millions of vaccines which ended up either causing terrible side effects or expiring.

So basically, we're still playing the silly game.

Want to get rich?
Make a disease look awfully lethal and then make countries buy enormous amounts of vaccines.

Want to get the carpenters wife?
Make him believe you can foresee a flood, convince him to build and stay inside a tub while you sleep with his wife.

Not too different, are they?

A Migration Of Culture

I first hear of "goods that cross the waters".
Precise descriptions, detailed objects.
I hear of silks of different colors,
Of patterns, of masks, of cast iron pots.
I hear of precious rocks, of tin, and led, and salt,
From gunpowder to flowers,
To exotic fruits of every color.
In the boats come spices, nuts, threads and needles,
Furniture, big animals, small animals,
"Cage birds that sing, birds that talk, birds the color of ash,
The color of sunrise."
Descriptions, details, objects.

With all this comes the rum,
And with the rum comes history,
The history of slaves, of their invention.
A migration of goods that cross the water.
A migration of culture, of new words, of a new language.

"On the boats come the blood that cross the waters"
A mixture of people, of races, of customs.
A melting pot where origins are forgotten.
Mexican parents raising American children.
"When the rain comes again, you will remember,
A certain origin, a canopy of molecules and mist.
You will forget to want yourself a different shade, a different shape."

"On the boats come the blood, the blood, the blood."
The goods are the blood, the words are the blood, the people are the blood.
The blood is culture.
A migration of blood.
A migration of culture.

"Palanca" With The Gods

The farmer prays for rain, while the tourist prays for sun. The germans wanted Paul to be wrong, while the spanish were praying for a psychic octopus. More than six billion people in the world. Those who believe in God(s) (which I'm guessing is a huge number) all asking for different things.

Being a God has to be an arduous task. Overwhelming amounts of requests, sacrifices. Pleads, curses, wishes, cries. Who shall we please? What prayer shall we answer?

Thank GOD we can't even apply for the job. What we do have to worry about though, is making the Almighty listen to us.

It's actually very simple.

If an english teacher wants a book from, oh, lets say Argentina, and knows he wont be visiting any time soon, all he has to do is the following: take full advantage of the benefits of being a teacher and ask his Argentine student if it's not of any inconvenience to maybe stop by a bookstore and buy the book. The student will not refuse to this request (the teacher is of course, aware of this). And there you have it. All the teacher needs to do in order to get the book, is know who to ask.

Gods, like humans have rankings. Some are obviously more important than others. When human's prayers collide and contradict each other, the God of Gods decides which human he will please. He does this by looking back at who prayed to who. The secret lies in what God you plead to. Praying to relatives of the Almighty will definitely have its benefits.

Let's use the story of Palmoun, Arcite and Emelye as an example.

Palmoun prays to Venus:

"Have pitee of my bittre teeris smerte,
Have pity on my bitter, smarting tears,
And taak myn humble preyere at thyn herte.
And take my humble prayer to thy heart."

(2225-2226)

He continuous saying...


Thanne rekke I noght, whan I have lost my lyf,
Then I care not, when I have lost my life,
Though that Arcita wynne hire to his wyf.
Though Arcite win her to be his wife.
This is th'effect and ende of my preyere:
This is the substance and goal of my prayer:
Yif me my love, thow blisful lady deere."
Give me my love, thou blessed dear lady."

(2257-2260)

And to this, Venus responds:

"But atte laste the statue of Venus shook,
But at the last the statue of Venus shook,
And made a signe, wherby that he took
And made a sign, whereby he understood
That his preyere accepted was that day.
That his prayer was accepted that day."

(2265-2267)

Not bad, Palmoun. Lets continue.

Emelye decides to pray to Dyane.

"Chaste goddesse, wel wostow that I
Chaste goddess, well knowest thou that I
Desire to ben a mayden al my lyf
Desire to be a maiden all my life,
Ne nevere wol I be no love ne wyf.
Nor never will I be no lover nor wife."

(2304-2306)

To this she adds:

"And if so be thou wolt nat do me grace,
And if it so be thou wilt not do me grace,
Or if my destynee be shapen so
Or if my destiny is shaped so
That I shal nedes have oon of hem two,
That I must by necessity have one of them two,
Sende me hym that moost desireth me.
Send me him who most desires me."

(2322-2325)

Too bad for Emelye, her prayer will not be answered.

"Thou shalt ben wedded unto oon of tho
Thou shalt be wedded unto one of those
That han for thee so muchel care and wo,
Who have for thee so much care and woe,
But unto which of hem I may nat telle.
But unto which of them I may not tell.
Farwel, for I ne may no lenger dwelle.
Farwell, for I can stay no longer ."

(2152-2354)

Lastly, Arcite pleads to Mars.

"And do that I tomorwe have victorie.
And bring it about so that I have victory tomorrow.
Myn be the travaille, and thyn be the glorie!
Mine be the labor, and thine be the glory!
Thy sovereyn temple wol I moost honouren
I will most honor thy most excellent temple
Of any place, and alwey moost labour
Over any place, and always most labor"

(2405-2408)

Lucky him...


The statue of Mars bigan his hauberk rynge,
The statue of Mars began to ring its coat of mail,
And with that soun he herde a murmurynge
And with that sound he heard a murmuring
Ful lowe and dym, and seyde thus, "Victorie!"
Very low and faint, that said thus, "Victory!"
For which he yaf to Mars honour and glorie.
For which he (Arcite) gave to Mars honor and glory.

(2431-2434)

So the competition is between Palmoun and Arcite. Two completely opposite wishes. It's up to Saturn to decide.

"Now weep namoore; I shal doon diligence
Now weep no more; I shall do my diligence
That Palamon, that is thyn owene knyght,
So that Palamon, who is thine own knight,
Shal have his lady, as thou hast him hight.
Shall have his lady, as thou hast promised him."

(2470-2472)

Congratulations Palmoun!

In this case we see how Venus, being Saturn's daughter, had advantage over Dyane and Mars. Palmoun did well praying to the Goddess of love.

There you have it humans.

Next time you wish for something, you know what to do.

Thou See Therefore Thou Love

Oh how familiar dost this seem,
A love growth from what eyes may see.
This tale thus tell us of two knights,
Called were these men Palamoun and Arcite.
Both shared some similarities:
Cousins, prisoners and most importantly,
From only, and just only sight,
They fell in love with all their might
Of beautiful, young Emelye,
Whom Palamoun saw first and quod he:

"This prison caused me nat for to crye,
But I was hurt right now thurghout myn ye
Into myn herte, that wol my bane be.
The fairnesse of that lady that I see
Yond in the gardyn romen to and fro
Is cause of al my criyng and my wo." (1095-1100)

So I beseech thou to recall,
A similar tale, of this thou shall.
'Tis Romeo, a dear fere of his,
For he too loved another miss.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

(Romeo and Juliet Scene V.)

Oh fellows, as described above,
These men shall see, therefore shall love.
How can it be that love come from thine eye?
Not a word been spoken yet thou love just fine.