HLHnotes

Amber Clark
Notes: 19 Sept. 2002

On Thursday, Sept. 19, we convened in a lecture hall to view the film “RAN.” And I am so very glad we did! I do not feel the need to provide a play-by-play summary of the movie, but rather, a discussion of the movie itself. Wow. The first comment that I simply must make, regardless of its irrelevance to class discussion, is that this is a fantastic movie, and for those of us (embarrassingly, I must include myself) who did not pay a great deal of attention to the film, I implore you to obtain a copy and watch it again. Few movies are of such quality that they may be watched again and again and again over the course of one’s lifetime and never lose their value – “RAN” is one of these. I apologize -- I was really impressed, and can’t help but share that with anyone who will listen (and having been given free reign with this note-page, I would not be in character to allow the opportunity to pass). I assume many of us believed ourselves to be fairly adept in the interpretation and analysis of the story of Lear. I had, anyway. However, as I watched this movie, I became increasingly aware of what miniscule understanding I actually possessed, especially of Shakespeare’s version (of course, I wonder whether anyone ever fully understands the writings of Shakespeare…). The very first thing I noticed, (outside of the remarkable imagery, which I’ll discuss in a moment), and I could very easily be way out in left field on this one, was the screenplay. Of course, the spoken language is not our own, but the English subtitles, though not in Elizabethan tongue, truly captured the eloquence of Shakespeare. Again, I may be wrong, but from reading these lines, as presented here, I found a greater appreciation for the play we recently read. So many great lines, I hesitate to even begin providing samples, as I will undoubtedly have trouble limiting myself. “You speak nonsense, I’ll speak truth,” says the Fool to the King. And when the Fool dresses his King in a self-constructed hat of straw, and claims, “Your plumes! Don’t you look regal!” – my goodness, I must ask you, Dr. Nordquist, about the translation – how did it come about that the English be so, perfect?* I am impressed. I loved the scene in which the stone fox’s head was presented to the Lady Kaede. It was simple and blatant and fitting. Also, as the King wanders, and finds himself in the very castle he, himself destroyed, and one by one, comes to terms with his wrongdoings, I thought of the Christmas Carol, for some reason. I know it’s not at all the same story, but I suppose the in-your-face reality that the King experiences, is one from which we all could benefit. This is why the humanities are so important, and why it is so devastating that they have been all but abandoned for the sake of technology – through these characters and their stories we may learn about ourselves, and how we should approach our own lives. Sorry, little sentimental there! More profound was the scene in which the King jumped from the cliff, upon being told to do so by his Fool. Obviously, the Fool had no intentions of actually having his King jump from a cliff, but when he did, I saw the King (literally) hit rock bottom. He proceeded to run, with his Fool chasing behind – running from reality. Oh, I could go on and on – the clouds, the battle, the death of Saburo, and then the King, the “senile old Fool.” I would just love to sit and discuss this for hours. Perhaps I was not the best person to be taking notes on this particular day, but I’m so glad I was, as it forced me to pay close attention. I need to stop, as I’d be surprised if anyone has read this far, but I’d like to finish by saying – I love you Shakespeare, with all my heart, but I must give credit where credit is due, and Kurosawa most certainly merits praise. Wow.

* Larry van Kampen provides an overview of Kurosawa's career in his 1999 obituary of the Japanese director. Kurosawa's English translator, Audie Elizabeth Bock, is an east-Asian scholar-- and in 1999 became the first member of the Green Party to be elected to the California state legislature. Bock was subsequently re-elected as a Democrat.

PREVIEW: 19 September 2002 (Thursday)
POSTSCRIPT: 17 September 2002 (Tuesday)
- Class notes from Matt for Sep. 17:

(Keep an eye on the ASSIGNMENTS page so that you'll know ahead of time when you'll be responsible for keeping notes. See the Postscript to Sep. 5, below, for guidelines on note-taking.)
- As our notes on Ran indicate, Kurosawa draws on some of the conventions of Noh drama in his film. If you're unfamiliar with this Japanese performance art, check out this page on Background to Noh-Kyogen. I'm guessing that you already have some understanding of Buddhism (another distinctive element in Kurosawa's adaptation of the Lear story): if not, check out this Beginners' Guide to Buddhism.
- As for Nahum tate's extremely popular version of King Lear (with the happy "Hollywood" ending), consider T. S. Eliot's words in the poem "Burnt Norton": "Go, go, go said the bird: human kind/cannot bear very much reality."
- Project #1 is due by 6 p.m. this Wednesday; papers will be graded and returned in about one week. Guidelines for Project #2 will be posted next week.
- On Thursday, we'll meet in our regular classroom for a few minutes before heading down the hall to view the last part of Ran. Make sure that you've read the online pages assigned for Thursday's class (see ASSIGNMENTS) as well as the handout on Ran distributed in Tuesday's class.

POSTSCRIPT: 12 September 2002 (Thursday)
- Refresher: this one-minute synopsis of Oedipus Rex --also known as Oedipus the King and Oedipus Tyrannus--(with purely optional complete text here and study guide there), a concise Introduction to Greek Tragedy, and Dr. Larry Brown's discussion of "Aristotle on Greek Tragedy" (which includes commentary on the tragic hero and the concepts of catharsis and hamartia).
- Selected comments on themes and characters in King Lear will soon be posted to the CLASS PRODUCTIONS page.
- Class notes from Juan:

Notes for September 12, 2002

Juan Pablo Aragon

Terms:
Hamartia – tragic flaw; weakness; bad judgment
Anagnorisis – moment of recognition

Oedipus Rex: Prophecy of the King… the son kills the father & marries his mother. Then she hangs herself, and he kills himself. Oedipus's adoptive parents were also royalty

Tragic Hero – responsible/victim. Good guy; took responsibility, but he also killed his father.Is father responsible for sending his son off?

Tragic Hero is Royalty--person of high stature and political influence. "Mighty fall fro mighty high."

Lear- Tragedy. To what extent fill the req. of tragedy?
Is Lear responsible?
Not the stars, but ourselves.

Wheel of Fortune: Concept of standing on the top & falling quickly (water wheel)
Great Chain of Being
Medieval view: above god and angels?
Notion of hierarchy
Who dominates?
Lear: Refuses the love of Cordelia and fractures family, kingdom, and world..
During the storm, nature is protesting. Disharmony in the spheres

The fool did not have any effect on Lear.
Different Comments on Lear Handout (in-class activity)

Lear over reacted, but his reaction at the beginning is the essence of the story

France – political view is different and he was an odd character

Albany – always a shadow and watching from a distance; marry Cordelia?

Lear becomes a better man.

Lear had to break down and disorganize, to realize how big it was what he had.

Cordelia loves her father, and he has a misconception about what love is.

How was Cordelia raised so that her attitude is so different from that of Gonoril and Regan

Albany was never a villain, but what is his real personality?

The two allied sisters were not to strong and their passion for Edmund was affecting their decisions

Deceptions: daughters, Edgar, and Edmund

The fool tries to warn everybody about what is going to happen and nobody listens.

Cordelia is too nice.

POSTSCRIPT: 10 September 2002 (Tuesday)
- What to do if you miss a class when handouts have been distributed? Check out the section on Attendance & Participation in the SYLLABUS. What to do if you miss a class when graded quizzes have been returned? Check in the box marked "English 2100H" outside my office.

SOPHIA'S NOTES FROM 10th of SEPTEMBER

> Notes from Tuesday's Class
>
> � Class opened with a quiz on King Lear and the consensus is that last
> week's quiz was easier than Tuesday's quiz. The quiz sparked some
> interesting thoughts by the parallels produced between the characters.
> � The first thought is, What is the true nature of love? and Are their
> different types of Love?
> o This question comes from the speeches of the three daughters, only two of
> which were on the quiz, but it makes you wonder why could not the two eldest
> sisters have loved their father the way they proposed to love him.
> � I believe that they could have loved their father with their all, because
> the love you have for members of your family and the love you share with your
> significant other is very different.
> � There are things that a person will feel for their spouse that they just
> don't feel for members of their family.
> � The second thought comes from questions 3, 8,and 9. Should people be
> held responsible for their own actions? Is everything left up to fate? Do
> the stars, the heavens, or the gods have anything to do with what happens to
> people on a daily basis?
> o In any time period you will find examples of people who will blame
> everything on their bad luck, which tends to come from a number of places.
> The fact is that what or who is responsible for human actions has yet to be
> concrete.
> o The fact that in the time period that this was set there was no such
> thing as psychology and emphasis on questions such as those above may have
> placed people in serious trouble.
> � My final thought comes from question 4 and is not so much a question as a
> statement of fact. While reading King Lear there are a lot of things to
> watch out for.
> o The presence of the words "you" and "thou" is very important to the
> context of the play.
> � As mentioned in class the word "you" is used when someone is being
> addressed formally and the word "thou" is used when someone is being
> addressed informally. If you overlooked these things before you may want to
> look back through the play as different characters use these words as the
> play develops.
> o In this play the word "nothing" is significant in a way that is normally
> not thought of and that is definitely something that you should look out for.
>
> � The play on the phrase "nothing can come of nothing" means more than you
> see at first sight and is also developed and reiterated as the play progresses.
> o The significance of The Fool and Cordelia is also something to watch out
> for.
> � These two characters are so much alike in the way they assess situations,
> and the way that they are treated until they can almost be thought of as one
> and the same person.
> � It was also mentioned by several people that you never catch the two of
> them on the stage at the same time and that what they say and do becomes more
> important as the ones who were thought to be important at the beginning fall
> out of favor.
> � Next class period we will be discussing themes found in Lear and relating
> them to themes we have found elsewhere throughout the semester.
>
> See you all next class period.

PREVIEW: 10 September 2002 (Tuesday)
A few things to look for and a few things to keep in mind as you re-read The Tragedy of King Lear for today's class:
- The Introduction to our Oxford World's Classics edition of Lear has some useful background information, including, on pages 20-24, a discussion of the Christian tragicomedy King Leir, one of the sources for Shakespeare's play (PURELY OPTIONAL: King Leir is online at www.unibas.ch/shine/kingleir.html); on pages 43-46, a look at some of the ways Shakespeare weaves the Gloucester story into Lear's tale; on pages 49-57, a consideration of the play's language (more on this topic below); and on pages 62-69, a discussion of Nahum Tate's popular adaptation of Lear in 1681 (PURELY OPTIONAL: Tate's version--the one with the happy ending--is online at newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/tatelear.html).
- If you're unfamiliar with the way that Elizabethan plays were staged, I encourage you to read this short article on the Globe Theatre. (Though the original Globe burned down in 1613, a replica has recently been built near the original site on the south bank of the River Thames .)
- Although King Lear is set in ancient, pre-Christian Britain, its resemblance (in part) to morality plays is unmistakable: read this short article, "Adam, Eve, and Lear: King Lear as a Morality Play," online at www.craigmont.org/morality.html . Two other concepts from this era that might sharpen our understanding of King Lear include the wheel of fortune ("The medieval concept of fortune was personified as Dame Fortune, a blindfolded woman who turned a wheel at whim; men were stationed at various places on the wheel--the top of the wheel represented the best fortune, being under the wheel the worst fortune. However, the wheel could turn suddenly and the man on top could suddenly be under the wheel, without warning.") and the Great Chain of Being.
- I'm presuming that you're familiar with the basic characteristics of tragedy. If not, check out this short, simple article--"Aristotle and Shakespeare?"--at www.craigmont.org/aristotl.html.
- Today we'll be taking a closer look at the language and the rhetoric of Shakespeare's play. (Ignore the references to Romeo and Juliet, and check out this simple yet sensible article on "The Language of Shakespeare" at english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/romeo_juliet/language.html .) Think about the implications of the words that are frequently repeated in King Lear (see the list in footnote #3 on page 52 of the Introduction). Consider the numerous references to animals, vision, and disease (see the short article on "Imagery in King Lear" at www.craigmont.org/imagerylr.html.) Have a look at the rhetoric of Lear and of Gloucester: in what ways does the language of each character change during the course of the play? Identify what you consider to be the key speeches in the play (speeches that not only serve to define the character of the speaker [ethos] but also help to convey and/or explore one or more of the play's themes), and be prepared to analyze at least two of these speeches in class. Don't be shy about employing a few rhetorical terms: just remember that being able to name a device isn't nearly as important as being able to discuss its particular purposes and effects in context.
- Finally, a few study questions--and an online quiz (with answers here).

POSTSCRIPT: 5 September 2002 (Thursday)
--Bretlan has kindly volunteered to prepare notes on today's class (those notes will be posted next week), but don't feel left out: everyone will have a shot at providing notes (delivered to me via e-mail) before the end of term. It will be up to you to decide just how you want to handle the task: you may choose to provide a fairly conventional set of notes, highlighting key points raised in class discusssions, or you may instead focus your notes on one or two topics of particular interest, expanding on your own thoughts or on those of others. Keep in mind that exploratory questions can be at least as valuable as sage observations. And you might also keep in mind that one purpose of these notes is to provide a guide as you work on your projects and (eventually) study for the comprehensive final exam.
--Alongside your notes, I'll continue to provide some of my own. On occasion, this space allows me to provide you with lecture material without actually boring you with that material in class--thereby freeing up class time for discussion.
--SPREZZATURA--an Italian word you'll be dropping lightly into your conversation this weekend. A brief discussion of the concept appears at a student's site; Professor Lehman offers an explanation of the term as it applies to musical performance ; and Professor Hooker provides a brief discussion of sprezzatura in the context of Renaissance literature (final three paragraphs on that page).
--Over the weekend, I'll be posting here a preview of next Tuesday's class, offering a few things to look for as you re-read The Tragedy of King Lear.
--Dr. Jamison and I are currently road testing a few bulletin boards, and one should be up and running on this site by the middle of next week. The board will provide a forum for you to exchange ideas on class readings and projects.

PREVIEW: 5 September 2002 (Thursday)
--We'll begin class with a quick content quiz on King Lear, say a few words about Shakespeare's rhetoric, and then get down to the business of staging this play.
--PURELY OPTIONAL: Anyone with a special interest in Shakespeare's rhetoric might want to check out an excellent (and quite accessible) new study by Russ McDonald titled Shakespeare and the Arts of Language (Oxford University Press, 2001).

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NOTES ARCHIVES
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English 2100H is taught by Dr. Richard Nordquist.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
University Hall 297D
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia 31419
912-921-5991
e-mail: nordquist@mail.com

All portions of these materials are copyright � 2002 Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please contact us at Armstrong Atlantic State University Web Team

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NOTES ARCHIVES
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