Shakespeare Study: Revisiting Some of the Comedies

I was feeling depressed in December, and decided to revisit some of Shakespeare’s comedies. I began with The Merchant Of Venice while self-quarantining after someone at work tested positive for COVID-19. It was especially difficult being apart from my girlfriend those days, and reading Shakespeare helped me get through it. When I’d finished that play, and a book on Shylock, and gotten my test results back (negative), my girlfriend was then sick, and worried that she might have caught the virus, and so our separation continued. During those days I read Much Ado About Nothing. And then I continued from there.

The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare – This time I read the Folger Shakespeare Library edition, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. This volume’s introduction contains some thoughts on the character of Shylock, of course: “Shylock would have been regarded as a villain simply because he was a Jew. Yet Shakespeare was led by his art of language to put onstage a character who gave such powerful expression to the alienation he felt because of the hatred around him that, in many productions of the play and in the opinions of many famous actors, Shylock emerges the hero of The Merchant of Venice. In fashioning in Shylock a character whose function is to frustrate the satisfaction that we are invited to desire for the play’s lovers, Shakespeare has, for many people, brought forth a character who rivals the lovers in the power he exerts over us” (pages xiii – xiv). The introduction also includes some thoughts on Portia and her appeal as a character. The introduction also contains a section on Shakespeare’s sentence structure, and other ways he plays with language. There is also a section of biographical information, including mention of some of the legends that persisted for many years. “One hears in Shakespeare’s plays the voices of London – the struggles for power, the fear of venereal disease, the language of buying and selling. One hears as well the voices of Stratford-upon-Avon – references to the nearby Forest of Arden, to sheep herding, to small-town gossip, to village fairs and markets” (pages xxix – xxx). This edition is based directly on the first quarto printed in 1600, with some minor changes to modernize the text. Notes, rather than being printed at the bottom of each page or at the back, are printed on pages facing the text. A note on the character of Lancelet reads: “Editors almost always change this name to ‘Lancelot,’ but it appears as ‘Lancelet’ or ‘Launcelet’ throughout the First Quarto and the First Folio. Since ‘lancelet’ was a word, meaning ‘lancet’ or ‘small lance’ (a small weapon or man-at-arms), we see no reason to change the name” (p. 46). At the end of the book, there is an essay on the play by Alexander Leggatt, offering a modern perspective. Leggatt writes, “If The Merchant of Venice has always seemed one of Shakespeare’s more problematic and disturbing comedies, this may be because it examines the networks of society more closely than usual, and treats outsiders – one in particular – with a severity that seems to go beyond the comic” (p. 211). Regarding Shylock, Leggatt writes: “Shylock’s boast that he makes his gold and silver breed like ewes and rams would remind his audience of the familiar argument that usury was against the law of God because metal was sterile and could not breed. Not just in his threat to Antonio, but in his day-to-day business, Shylock would appear unnatural” (p. 215).

The Merchant Of Venice was published in August 1992.

Shylock: His Own Story by Bertram Fields – This book is dedicated to Dustin Hoffman, whose performance as Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice led to its writing. The story is told in the first person, at least at the beginning. But soon Shylock switches to third person. Right away we learn that “Shylock” isn’t the man’s actual name. It is Shilach. That means that each time someone utters his name in the play, it’s like a minor insult to him. A nice touch. This book also deals with the anti-Semitism almost immediately, indicating that Venetians were “Jew-haters” (p. 12). This book gives Shylock, or Shilach, a backstory, not just relating the events from the play. In this telling, it is Bassanio who suggests that Antonio borrow from Shylock, and Antonio is reluctant. Regarding the unique way a husband was to be chosen for Portia, Fields writes: “If the message was affirmative, the match was made. If not, the suitor must leave Venice never to wed, a dramatic promise which, of course, was completely unenforceable” (p. 21). I always wondered about that aspect. It’s not like anyone was going to follow the Prince of Morocco around for the rest of his life, reminding him of his vow. It’s really about his word of honor. And in this story, Portia is accused of cheating at the casket game, which doesn’t seem to fit with what we know of the character. But of course it is told from Shylock’s perspective, and he has his own prejudices. The question of Antonio’s affection for Bassanio is answered rather explicitly, with Gratiano saying to Bassanio, “The man’s been trying to get you in bed for years” (p. 25). There are several differences in the characters in this story. For example, in this telling, Shylock is more concerned with his daughter’s absence than with the sum she stole. And he reveals: “I have no intention of killing Antonio or cutting out a pound or even an ounce of his flesh. I want to terrify him, make him plead for his life” (p. 68). Portia might be the most changed, however. She declares that she won’t pay the Jew the money Antonio owes him. And when she appears in court, she is not disguised. Everyone knows her identity. The book then follows Shylock after the fourth act, rather than dealing with the business of the rings. At the end of the book, there is a little joke about Shylock meeting, we presume, Shakespeare. Fields writes, “I met a young Englishman at the tavern…He wanted to hear my story…Who knows, maybe someday he’ll write it” (p. 89). However, the chapter title indicates this takes place in May of 1560, four years before Shakespeare was born. So…? Is Bertram Fields one of those silly people who think someone else wrote Shakespeare’s plays?

Shylock: His Own Story was published in 2015. My copy is a First Edition.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare – It had been a while since I’d read this play, and this time around chose The New Penguin edition, edited by R.A. Foakes. The book’s introduction focuses in part on the reasons for the popularity and appeal of the characters Beatrice and Benedick: “Perhaps it is not so much the quality of their witty exchanges that makes them such powerful and vibrant figures, as the energy and skill with which they parry each other, and so preserve a stance of tough-minded independence” (p. 8). And then: “They are able to flout conventions too because Shakespeare has taken care not to encumber them with close relatives; Benedick has none, and Beatrice is an orphan to whom Leonato, her uncle and guardian allows a freedom he would not permit his daughter Hero to have” (p. 10). Regarding Don John and Claudio, Foakes writes: “Don John’s independence as a villain relieves Claudio of any responsibility for punishing him, for he is everyone’s enemy, and offends society as a whole. The emphasis in the presentation of Claudio is, then, on his sense of honour and conformity to the codes prescribed by convention: he loves Hero as a name rather than as a person, and is perhaps fortunate in the end to find that after all Hero lives up to the chastity implied in her name” (pages 17-18). And regarding the watch, Foakes writes: “In a world where the officers of the law are so inefficient, no serious villainy can be expected to take place, or a better policing would have been established. So Dogberry and Verges are reassuring figures, and their comic ineptitude establishes a perspective in which we know instinctively that Don John cannot succeed in his mischief” (p. 21). There is also some information on the text, and a mention of some of the play’s criticism. All the notes and comments are presented at the end, after the play. Regarding Borachio’s line “I whipt me behind the arras,” the note reads, “Tapestries were hung on the walls of rooms for warmth and decoration, and were often mounted far enough away from the wall to allow a man to hide in the space between” (p. 133). Regarding some of Balthasar’s lines in Act II scene i, the note reads, “In Q and F these lines are assigned to Benedick, but the pairs of dancers talk in turn, and Benedick is paired with Beatrice at line 111, so that there is good reason to think the speeches wrongly assigned here” (pages 134-135). Regarding the interaction between Benedick and Boy at the beginning of Act II scene iii, and specifically Boy’s line “I am here already, sir,” the note reads, “The Boy means, ‘It is as good as done’, but Benedick jokes by taking his words literally” (p. 140). The book also contains some information on the text, and the differences between the Quarto and First Folio versions.

Much Ado About Nothing was first published in 1968. The copy I read was a reprint from 1988.

The Merry Wives Of Windsor by William Shakespeare – I picked up the Stratford Festival Edition of this play, edited by Elliott Hayes and Michal Schonberg. This volume is aligned with the 1982 Stratford Festival production, directed by Robert Beard. It contains a short introduction by Robert Beard, in which he writes: “If Falstaff were truly in love, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page would become totally unsympathetic, cruel, and unattractive. But Falstaff is not in love, these spirited women have a wicked sense of humour, and Windsor is a town with limited diversions. The Wives are quick to see the possibilities of a game, and once the fun begins, they are loath to stop. Having succeeded in one narrow escape, they are immediately plotting a second episode, enlisting Mistress Quickly to lure Falstaff back for more derision; so caught up are they in the joy of the game that they avoid becoming harpies in our eyes” (p. 2). This book contains plenty of photos from the production, as well as costume design sketches. Notes are presented at the bottom of each page, and are far from extensive. After the play is a list of changes and cuts made to the text for this production, and the reasons for those changes. The book concludes with some biographical information on the play’s director, designer and the two editors.

The Merry Wives Of Windsor was published in 1984.

As You Like It by William Shakespeare – For this time around, I chose to read the Oxford School Shakespeare edition, edited by Roma Gill. There is a short piece at the beginning of the book about some of the players in Shakespeare’s company, and about the use of music in the play. There are also descriptions of each of the characters. The description of Jacques includes this note: “He represents the ‘melancholy’ man, a type of person common at the end of the sixteenth century, when it was fashionable to appear sensitive and even neurotic. The melancholy man took a cynical view of the world and society” (p. x). Also in the introductory section there are synopses of each scene, with some critique of the action and characters, along with themes. Regarding Orlando, Gill writes: “He showed moral courage when he defied his brother, and again when he politely refused to change his mind about fighting Charles. The fight has proved his physical strength. We must remember this when Orlando is love-sick in the Forest, because he is danger of appearing weakly romantic” (p. xiv). Regarding Rosalind, Gill writes: “Wit and intelligence were not considered desirable in a lady. As Ganymede, Rosalind is free from social restraint: a theatrical convention of disguise releases her from society’s conventions of behavior” (p. xvii). Later in that section, Gill writes, “The play presents life not as it is, but as we would like it to be” (p. xxiii). Regarding the mix of verse and prose, Gill writes, “In this play it is, broadly speaking, the topic being discussed that decides whether prose or verse should be the medium of discussion: serious matters are spoken of in verse, and prose is used for mundane affairs” (p. xxv). Gill then adds: “Touchstone speaks nothing but prose, and this is appropriate for his practical common sense and the mocking nature of his comedy: the prose expresses these qualities, and underlines them. In the same way, Silvius and Phebe, who speak only verse, are defined by their mode of expression. Jacques speaks both prose and verse. The subjects he talks about often demand the dignity of verse, but the character is himself not poetic, as we see from his comment on Orlando’s blank verse” (p. xxvi). Notes in this edition are presented to the left of the text. Regarding Jacques’ use of the word “stanza” in Act II Scene v, Gill notes, “the modern English is ‘stanza’, but the word was new in England, and Jacques is mocking it” (p. 31). Regarding the name Jacques, Gill notes: “Touchstone pretends to have forgotten the name – or else pretends that he is reluctant to say the word ‘Jacques’; this is pronounced ‘jakes’, which is a word for the lavatory – the English are still shy about asking for this” (p. 59). And regarding Hymen in Act V Scene iv, Gill notes: “When this play is performed, the director must decide whether to have the part of Hymen acted by one of the other characters in the play (under Rosalind’s instructions); the alternative is to allow the god himself to appear, thus suggesting that there is real magic in this happy ending” (p. 95). The book contains a few illustrations, including a depiction of the seven ages of man as described by Jacques. After the play, the book contains sheet music for the song “It Was A Lover And His Lass.” Following that is a section for teachers who use this volume in their classrooms, with subjects and questions for discussion.

As You Like It was originally published in 1977. The revised edition was first published in 1994, and the trade edition in 1996. The copy I read was a reprint from 2000.

A Midsummer-Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare – This edition is all about Arthur Rackham’s fantastic illustrations. In fact, no editor is even listed, and the book contains no introduction or notes on the text. Act and scene divisions are included, but the lines are not numbered. This is an edition simply to be read and enjoyed. It is printed on nice, heavy paper.

A Midsummer-Night’s Dream was originally published in 1908. The copy I read is a reprint published in 1977 by the Viking Press. It was printed and bound in Great Britain by Morrison & Gibb Ltd., London and Edinburgh.

 

 

Measure For Measure by William Shakespeare – Measure For Measure is for me one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing plays, and this time I read the New Cambridge Shakespeare edition, edited by Brian Gibbons. The volume’s introduction contains notes on the role of religion and those pesky Puritans at the time, as well as the influences and sources of the play’s story, including the work of G.B. Giraldi Cinthio and George Whetson. Similarities between Shakespeare’s play and Middleton’s The Phoenix and Marston’s The Malcontent are also detailed in the introduction. Regarding the contrast between the upper and lower social groups in the play, Gibbons writes: “The comic underworld in Measure for Measure is a critical mirror in which we recognise, inverted, the structures and assumptions central to the play’s serious action. But comedy in this play is distorted and strained by the use of the grotesque so that comedy’s jovial, festive, reconciling spirit cannot gain release, its exuberant energies remain disruptive and dark, locked as they are in a struggle for survival, the central action of the play” (p. 26). Part of the introduction deals with language, and the differences in the use of language among the characters. Gibbons points out that Angelo uses sexual terms unconsciously at first, and “Isabella is similarly prone to use, unconsciously, sexually suggestive language” (p. 30), such as “I would to heaven I had your potency.” Regarding the Duke’s disguise, Gibbons writes, “Considering more widely the issue of role-playing, one notes that the Duke is impatient to divest himself of his robes and insignia, and no sooner is he free of them in the first scene than he is seeking out the Friar to don his Friar-disguise, and, with it, the opportunity to revel in the devious plotting that goes with the Friar’s role in Shakespeare, as in Romeo and Juliet or Much Ado” (p. 41). The introduction also offers thoughts on the play’s somewhat difficult ending. Gibbons writes, “Christian doctrine teaches, however, that the highest good is forgiveness for evil, not retribution, and the climax of the play faces Isabella with the choice between asking retribution or forgiveness for Angelo’s crimes” (p. 36). Gibbons also notes: “Isabella acts in response to pressure from outside in her previous appeals; is it therefore certain that in appealing for Angelo’s life she is not once more acting under pressure rather than spontaneously from her heart? Circumstantial evidence could support either view” (p. 47). Also regarding the ending, Gibbons writes: “The Duke seems to have a taste for springing surprises which increases in step with the increasingly risky opportunities presented to him (there is a clear parallel with Angelo here). At the very end of the play it might be plausible to see the Duke, carried away by euphoria at his overwhelming success, overreaching himself by springing one surprise too many in proposing to Isabella” (p. 47). The introduction also provides details of certain productions, focusing on Peter Brook’s 1950 production, and includes photos from different productions of the play. Abundant notes are provided on the text, at the bottom of each page, including definitions of words from the OED. Regarding the word “restraint” at the beginning of Act I Scene 4, Gibbons writes: “The word earlier used of Claudio’s arrest is here used of the discipline of the holy order. Shakespeare indicates the link between brother and sister ironically in this dialogue about rules, restraint, license, strict abstinence” (p. 105). Regarding the line “He hath evermore had the liberty of the prison,” Gibbons notes, “Applying the term ‘liberty’ to Barnardine and prison stresses the thematic function of the prison scenes in the play as an ironic mirror of the whole society of Vienna” (p. 166). At the end of the book is a textual analysis.

Measure For Measure was originally published in 1991. The updated edition was first published in 2006. My copy is a fourth printing, from 2009.

Measure For Measure by William Shakespeare – I decided to read another edition of the play, this time The Signet Classic Shakespeare edition, which was edited by S. Nagarajan. This volume contains prefatory remarks about theatre in Shakespeare’s day, along with some biographical information and notes on the publication of Shakespeare’s works. Then the introduction to the play gets into the works that influenced the plot of Measure For Measure. Regarding the play’s ending, Nagarajan writes: “Presumably she accepts the Duke’s proposal; in Shakespeare’s day, it was perfectly in order for a novice to go back to secular life. Though the play itself is ambiguous on the point, it is attractive to believe that Isabella made the discovery that the ‘prompture of the blood’ could be resolved in the married state also” (p. xxvii). Notes on the text are presented at the bottom of each page. After the play, the book contains notes on the sources, including synopses. Following those notes are several pieces touching on different aspects of Measure For Measure. Regarding the Duke, G. Wilson Knight writes: “The Duke, lord of this play in the exact sense that Prospero is lord of The Tempest, is the prophet of an enlightened ethic. He controls the action from start to finish, he allots, as it were, praise and blame, he is lit at moments with divine suggestion comparable with his almost divine power of foreknowledge, and control, and wisdom” (p. 158). Regarding mercy and justice, Knight writes: “Thus ‘justice’ is a mockery: man, himself a sinner, cannot presume to judge. That is the lesson driven home in Measure for Measure” (p. 160). Regarding the plot, Knight writes, “The scheme is a plot, or trap: a scientific experiment to see if extreme ascetic righteousness can stand the test of power” (p. 164). And regarding Angelo, Knight writes, “Angelo is not a conscious hypocrite: rather a man whose chief faults are self-deception and pride in his own righteousness” (p. 172). The piece on the character of Isabella, written by Marcia Riefer Poulsen, is particularly interesting. Poulsen writes: “But just as Isabella is on the brink of forswearing the company of men, Lucio arrives to pull her back into it. Reluctantly she returns to Vienna, where, gradually, her character dissolves, her spirit erodes, and she becomes an obedient follower of male guidance: an actress in a male-dominated drama” (p. 207). About the troubling character of the Duke, Marcia Riefer Poulsen writes, “His ultimate intention seems to be setting the stage for his final dramatic saving of the day – a day which would not need saving except for his contrivances in the first place” (p. 204). Regarding Claudio, Poulsen writes, “Claudio’s urging Isabella to give up her virginity, understandable as it is from his point of view, compounds her increasing sense of vulnerability and helplessness” (p. 209). And regarding Isabella’s silence at the end of the play, Marcia Riefer Poulsen writes: “With the conclusion of her final speech, Isabella is immediately confronted with a series of overwhelming events: a living Claudio appears, the Duke proposes marriage, and Angelo is pardoned. All of Isabella’s main assumptions – that Angelo was condemned, that the Duke was a committed celibate, that her brother was dead, and that she herself would remain chaste for life – are challenged, if not negated, in the space of five lines. She remains speechless, a baffled actress who has run out of lines. The gradual loss of her personal voice during the course of the play has become, finally, a literal loss of voice” (pages 214-215). This edition – or this printing – is clearly missing some text between page 231 and page 232, and again between page 232 and page 233.

Measure For Measure was published in 1964. This New Revised Edition was published in 1988.