A potted and hopefully interesting biography of Marly Marly Marlowe (and fingers crossed not TOO informal, although it is fairly informal)

The Christopher Marlowe we are interested in is an English Dramatist, (not to be confused with the American sportcaster 'Chris Marlowe'. He is nowhere near as interesting or culturally/literarily? is that a word? exciting as our Marlowe). As Mr.Francis said to put links to other websites, I shall include a link to the wikipedia biography of Chris Marlowe, just for the curious folk and indeed the folk who should not be doing English Literature if you are more interested in him than our Marlowe. Here's the link nonetheless:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Marlowe

Anyway, back to our main man - Christopher Marlowe was baptised on the 26 February 1564 and died on the 30 May 1593 at the ripe old age of 29. He was an English Dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era, (i.e. a very long time ago and around the same time of our fave man Billy Shakespeare).

Alongside Willy himself, Marlowe was a famous Elizabethan tragedian and his work was actually much more popular than Shakespeare's at the time. The three things  Marlowe was most famously known for were: 1. his blank verse, 2. his overreaching protagonists, and 3. his mysterious death.

Other than the formalities of his age of death and job rahrahrah, Marlowe's biography should really focus on the other aspects of his person and life that makes him so interestingly unique.

Atheism - Marlowe was reputed to be an atheist, which, at that time, made him an 'enemy of God' and really made him a bit of a rebel, a bit of a 'queer'. (Though we'll come to that later.) However, Marlowe was also, supposedly, a government spy, and his atheism may just have been a cover up or something to aid his investigations. Everything we assume as 'true' about Marlowe can always be questioned by the fact that he was a government spy, and thus nothing we assume about him can ever be proven as fact, (apart from his birth, death and main job ofc. although writing the odd play and poem may not have been his only job, cheeky).

Sexuality - Marlowe is sometimes seen today as a homosexual, a bit like Willy Shakespeare, maybe they had a thing? Sorry this biography is getting much too informal now. There are hints of it in his work, "in his looks were all that men desire", and an interesting quote, "All they that love not Tobacco and Boys are fools". However the quote may not be reliable and, due to his untimely death and the suspicious circumstances surrounding it, it may just have been made up/a rumour after he died. More on Marlowe's sexuality: http://www.duke.edu/web/emt/student_projects/steinberger/marlowe.html

His death - There are various accounts of Marlowe's death, which makes it very confusing and indeed very suspicious. Some say he was "stabbed to death by a bawdy serving-man, a rival of his in his lewd love" as "punishment for his atheism". And some say that he was killed in a drunken fight. Or, it may have been connected to the state secret service and his job as a government spy, and there was an argument over 'The Reckoning' bill, in which Marlowe was stabbed above the right eye, killing him instantly. Whatever happened, Marlowe died in suspicious and highly abnormal circumstances, and at such a young age! Such a waste! CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN MORE DETAIL OOOH LALA: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2577206

Aaaaand we will be studying one of his fab creations, 'Faustus'.

P.s. I must apologise that I can't get the pictures I have onto the blog for some reason which is highly disappointing and upsetting. I will try again later, not sure if it's my computer or my technical incompetence?

NOSFERATUUUUUU - gothic ideas/atmospheres

Okay so we all know 'gothic' tings tend to be scaary. In nosferatu, the idea of there being something to be frightened of is set up near the beginning with the ironic 'don't be afraid', in fact, the audience should be afraaaid, they should be veery afraaid.

Much of the landscape throughout the film is subterraneous, (as it was in the two extracts we looked at for homework). This makes the story more tense, especially when Harker is trying to return to his wife, it is difficult and there are many, I quote, 'obstacles' in his way. This makes the atmosphere all the more dramatic, will he get back to her safely? Will he not? It keeps the whole gothic idea of the 'unknown' alive and thus the tension is also kept alive (or dead, muahahaha).

There is also the idea of dramatic irony. There is the idea of secret knowledge at the beginning when Harker is unaware that dracula or 'nosferatu' is evil, but all the townsfolk know. This dramatic irony is also present when people keep dying and the 'medical world', 'townspeople' and basically everyone, is confuzzled as to why this is happening and come to the conclusion that it must be the plague killing everyone. However, we, the clever ol' audience, know it's really dracula biting people, the cheeky monk. Dramatic irony is also used when the people have 'no idea of the terrible cargo' they're carrying, i.e. draccy boi, but the audience know he's there, in his coffin of earth. Which leads onto my next point about the gothic idea of  being connected to nature in some way, by the fact that the coffins have to be 'earth-filled' for dracula to keep his power. There's also the whole 'vampire of the vegetable kingdom' ting which might link vampires to nature? Maybe? But anyway, there is this whole terror of the 'unknown' which seems to be a recurring gothic theme, no-one knows it's draccy murdering everyone and half the time people don't even know he's there, what with the hiding in the cargo bit in the ship n all, he's a sneaky one that drac.

The idea of being 'forbidden to do something' also crops up a few times, and it also links in with the 'corruption of innocence', e.g. when Nina reads 'The Book of Vampires' even when she has promised not to. Another idea is the idea of 'mind control' or just generally magical/psychic things happening. E.g. Nina and her hubby seem to be 'in tune' as she seems to know he is in danger when she sleep walks. There also seems to be some supernatural psychic connection between Renfield and Dracula, Renfield goes 'out of his mind' and is also aware of when his 'master' arrives at the town. This may show Dracula's magical/supernatural powers and how he may use them to control people.

There may also be the idea of being forceably constrained by society, as Harker has to talk and do business with Dracula even though his senses are telling him he's a creepy other-worldly crazy man. Can you blame him? I mean, drac walks like an absolute creep, what with the massive hunched shoulders and starey eyes and all. Odd man.

What makes a setting Gothic?

Well, as we saw today, pretty much anywhere can be turned into a gothic setting by adding a few key features to them. Loneliness is one of these features. When people are alone they are more vulnerable and the whole setting itself becomes disconcerting and abnormal, as we are not used to being completely on our own or reading books about people completely on their own. The vulnerability of the person being on their own may be because they cannot rely on others to help them, e.g. a cry for help. Or, because they may not actually be alone, it may just seem as if they are, making the setting more spoooooky and therefore gothic.

Another feature which can be applied to pretty much any 'normal' setting to make it gothic is the 'presence of the supernatural' this links in to being alone or 'being alone' muahaha. From random openings and closings of doors to 'something' breathing down your neck. A lil bitta 'unknown presence' goes a long way in making a setting more frightening and generally gothical.

And the third idea is the 'corruption of innocence' in some way. Louis' generic 'child with teddy' becoming evil is a standard thing that may creep us out. But why is this? I hear you cry. Well, you wouldn't generally expect an 'innocent' person/thing to be corrupt, so that in itself is disconcerting. This whole 'unexpectedness' makes the setting more gothic as it means we don't know what's going to happen or maybe even what is happening, making the setting more mysterious which is normally a gothic trait.

Gothic settings dundunduuuun

Okaaay soo, 'castles' and 'vaults', in particular, seem to be recurring settings in both extracts. Castles are very big, old places which seem to provide dutifully ominous settings for the dark, mysterious deeds that occur in gothic tales. A Vault can be 'a chamber beneath a church or in a graveyard used for burials' being associated with both churches and graveyards links vaults to the common gothic themes of religion or anti-religion and death/the afterlife, making them suitably eerie settings for gothic tales.

'darkness', 'moonshine', 'wind', 'dismal' are examples of the words used in 'The Castle of Otranto' to describe the atmosphere. They are all words with fairly negative or 'scary' connotations, e.g. you cannot see what, or who, is there in 'darkness' and therefore do not know what is going to happen, causing tension and apprehension. The words 'moonshine' and 'wind' may be suggesting links with the supernatural or pathetic fallacy.

'sun', 'illuminated by torches', 'light', 'gleam', 'thunder', are all words used to describe the atmosphere in'Vathek'. This shows a less stereotypically 'gothic' atmosphere (stereotypical by the modern mind anyway), as the words have slightly less negative connotations, but more mysterious ones, e.g. 'gleam' suggests something ghostly/supernatural may be there, but not necessarily in a malevolent way.

This difference may be due to the different story lines of the texts and the different times they were written. The second text was written twenty years later. The first text is a more 'stereotypical' gothic tale of scary monsters appearing in the setting of darkened 'intricate cloisters', whereas the second text describes the architecture, 'spacious and lofty', in a less frightening, and more non-fictionally accurate (when referring to real-life gothic buildings) report of the 'gothic setting'.

Also, both texts use the word 'subteranneous', could this symbolise that gothic novels are not set in the 'normal' world alongside mere 'normal' people? And are instead underground amongst the dead or the unkown? ...YOU DECIDE.

GERTRUDE TALKS BACK BRUDDAS.

I think this is excellent! I enjoy the fact that Gertrude is witty, (something she doesn't seem to be in Shakespeare's version) and in a way, coming down to Hamlet's level of maturity. She almost pokes fun at him, 'judging from your student slum pigpen at Wittenberg'. My favourite bit has to be, 'I wish you wouldn't call your stepdad the bloat king. He does have a slight weight-problem, and it hurts his feelings'. Absolutely comedy gold. So yes, I very much like this rendition of good ol' Gertrude having her say, it's about time a woman had a chance to fight back in one of these Shakesperian plays! Excellently done.

How is Claudius Presented in Act 1

Different Interpretations

There are different interpretations of Claudius in the different versions of the play we watched. In the David Tennant (2009) version, Claudius’ first speech (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 1-39) on his brother’s death seems over-dramatic and fake, as when he talks of his ‘dear brother’s death’ and says that the memory being ‘green’, he does a seemingly fake cough, as if he is trying to hold back his ‘sorrow’ for his brother’s death. The king walks around as he speaks as if putting on a show for the people around him. This presents Claudius’ supposed sadness at his brother’s death as merely a front. The people he is speaking to frequently nod in agreement with the king, presenting him as having a strong set of followers. People even laugh when Claudius says ‘as ‘twere with defeated joy’ and carry on laughing during the next few lines. This presents Claudius as possibly being genial with his close friends but also not empathic or kind towards Hamlet in the face of his father’s death.

In the King’s next speech (Act 1 ,Scene 2, lines 87-117)  he accuses and mocks Hamlet for being weak, ‘tis unmanly grief’. He doesn’t seem to show any sympathy at all and tells him to ‘think of us as of a father’, he wants, just as he’s apparently managed to replace King Hamlet in his widow’s affections, taking her as his wife, he seems to presume he can very easily to replace Hamlet’s real father in Hamlet’s affections and chides him for apparently not responding to this. He says he has genuine fatherly feelings towards Hamlet. The Kenneth Branagh (1996) version depicts the King in this speech as being unfeeling, denying Hamlet’s grief by seeming arrogant and presumptuous, ‘think of us as of a father’.  The King talks to and looks at Hamlet with pity, shaking his head at him and raising his eyebrows, seeming very condescending. He often says things in quite a high pitch, making the speech seem unserious up until ‘let the world take note, you are the most immediate to the throne’. At this point he presents Hamlet to the audience and projects his voice so he is speaking to everyone. It is as if the matter of who is to be the new king is of more importance than Hamlet’s father’s death.  This presents the King as not really caring about Hamlet and putting more importance on the future of Denmark, including himself as the King.

How do I think Claudius should be presented?

In Claudius’ first speech (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 1-38) he starts off with an excuse for his behaviour, ‘though’ and says ‘it is us befitted to bear our hearts in grief’, showing he is doing the right thing, not necessarily what he wants to do. These lines show early signs that Claudius is an unfeeling character and that he should be watched with caution. Due to this, I feel these lines should be said with fake sadness, over-dramatically, much like the David Tennant version. Claudius soon goes on to say ‘together with remembrance of ourselves’, showing he is selfish and doesn’t really want to mourn the king. He would rather think about his future as the King of Denmark. These lines should be said with more enthusiasm and as if it is more important than the last, with the King turning to the crowd as he says it. The line ‘Our sometime sister, now our Queen’ tells us that Claudius has married his brother’s wife, explaining why he started off with the excuse. These next lines should be said light-heartedly, as if he doesn’t see him taking his brothers place as a big deal.

Claudius then goes on to talk about Denmark and how he has ‘writ to Norway’. Here Claudius should be presented as powerful as his words are powerful and he is getting other people to do things for him, showing he controls his kingdom. From his speech, we can see that the king is a good orator. We know from classical tragedies that villains tend to be good at using words to manipulate people. This should lead us to be suspicious of the king already and perhaps he should have a villain-like presence.

The king becomes increasingly patronising in his next speech to Hamlet (act one, scene two, lines 87-117), ‘you must know your father lost a father’. Here, Claudius should be presented as almost making a mockery out of Hamlet’s sadness, ‘tis unmanly grief’. He could even be literally looking down on Hamlet as he says these lines. ‘Incorrect to heaven’ should be said with emphasis as we know from later on in the play that Hamlet believes strongly in God. Claudius emphasising this point would show him to be even more cruel than we first imagined.

Claudius should be presented as seeing the whole situation of his brother’s death as subordinate to his new situation; becoming king and, ultimately, aiming to act ‘as of a father’ to Hamlet. He seems to think this will cure Hamlet of missing his father and probably help him to go along with Claudius’ plans to rule Denmark.

Hammy ham/Porklet is gerrin all depressed

I must say, Hamlet does seem terribly disheartened in his first soliloquy? soliligllisfdefquy? yeah the second's one probably right. The poor lad is afflicted in some way, calling his flesh 'sallied' and wanting it to 'melt'. He wants his body to melt? Now that doesn't sound like an everyday thing to say. Y'alright? Yeah, not too bad, would quite like my body to melt though. Doesn't sound like generic pleasant chit chat. Hamlet shows his witty/intelligent/downright clevaa side when he does a play on words, 'a dew' sound like adieu, as in, he wants to die. GET IT GET IT. To be honest I didn't get it first time but that's okay because, well, it's just okay. I enjoy how Hamlet makes a dig at Claudius, well he doesn't exactly make a dig but he says 'that the Everlasting had not fixed his canon', this shows that Hamlet luurves God which makes Claudius seem even worse for accusing Hamlet of being ungodly for mourning his father.

Let's be honest now, Hamlet isn't in the cheeriest of moods in this SOLILOQUY? He calls the world 'an unweeded garden' and 'rank', not sure God would be too impressed with him dissing his ultimately amazing creation. Anywaaaay, this shows Hammy doesn't like this world and thinks it's a horrible place, quite sad actually, brings a tear to my eye. Hamlet is torn between loving his mother and being angry with her for marrying his evil kanevil? uncle. He first rants about her.. 'A little month, or e'er those shoes were old' and 'O most wicked speed!' but then concludes that 'break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue' what a lovely lad, holding back his feelings for his ma, aaaaaaaw!

who for art thou claudius?

So, what are my impressions of claudius so far? NOT GOOD. He starts off with an excuse for his behaviour, 'though' which shows he's done something wrong and he goes on to say 'with remembrance of ourselves' which shows he's selfish as he's like 'ohh but let's not forget about ourselves even though my brother's just DIED'. We can tell already he isn't a good character as he talks about 'mirth in funeral', being happy at a funeral? That's just wrong. And he talks about eyes in a very odd way, ' an auspicious and a dropping eye' not only does this make him sound worryingly disfigured, it also symbolises one eye being happy and one eye being sad, which is evidently not a good thing, and your eyes going in opposite directions cannot be comfortable, can it? Claudius manipulates people with his words, with his long speech blabbing on for ages, with the underlying meaning that he actually doesn't care about his brothers death and he just proves he's self-interested by marrying his only recently dead brothers wife, who does that? Claudius is SO patronising it is unreal, 'that father lost his...filial obligation for some term', he's like, 'mate, everyone loses their dad, get over it', which is VERY patronising. But wait, it gets worse, he then starts to tell Hamlet his grief is 'unmanly', saying Hamlet is behaving like a woman for being sad that his father died. He says his mourning is 'incorrect to heaven' and 'a fault to heaven', he's saying Hamlet's grief is against God's will. This is ironic as he has just killed his brother so actually HE has gone against God's will, hypocrite. He then does something beautiful and kind, he says, oh Hamlet don't worry that your father has died, for I WILL BE YOUR NEW FATHER. Yeah, don't think Hamlet's going to like that. So basically Claudius is a hypocritical, patronising, generic villain who I dislike very much.

TRAGIC FLAW,

So a tragic flaw is.. the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall.

Key words etc to do with tragic flaws :
 
Aristotle - classical tragedy must have: plot, character, diction, reasoning, spectacle and lyric poetry.

Catharsis - to do with the idea of experiencing, normally a negative emotion, with the characters. Aristotle believed this worked by the purging of emotions by the audience, and learning from the tragedy for your own life. Brecht said catharsis encouraged you to go out and alter the world. I keep forgetting what catharsis means so to put it another way it's like the emotions we experience with the actors, in fact, that's exactly how i put it before. oh well.

Aristotle's 3 unities Action, time and place.
Action: one intention running all the way through.
Place: You stay in one place.
Time: real life time is same as stage time.

Shakespeare's writings often had lots of little sub-plots, e.g. Othello starts in Venice and then goes to Cyprus, Macbeth is similar. Shakespeare didn't follow Aristotle's 3 unities. Just because e.g. Hamlet doesn't follow it, it doesn't mean it's not a tragedy.

Just to clarify, and mainly to remind myself as I seem to be the only one who forgets these odd words....
 The hubris is a characters tragic flaw, normally excessive pride which leads to their downfall.
And the hamartia is the mistake - the thing that the character does wrong.

Karen Newman came up with the idea that tragedy is created by things 'contrary to nature' or things that go against what it's supposed to be. For example in Othello, Newman would say it is the fact that a white woman had married a black man. In Macbeth it could be that at the beginning someone has gone against the King, this would be seen as 'contrary to nature'.

TRAGEDY or should i say tragic structure

Tragic structure often goes through five stages. 1. Introduction - find out what's going on. 2. A complication - where something goes wrong. 3. A climax - the big 'thing' or event. 4. Understanding. 6. The resolution - the chaos element is restored back to order.

Example: In Othello, the complication is Ijargo in general. The climax is Desdimona's death/murder which has a big build up. The understanding is the realisation by Othello that it was a mistake to kill her. And the resolution is that ijargo is taken off to prison and Othello doesn't go to prison for his wrong.

TRAGEDY when the feelings gone and you can't go on.. etc. etc.

So we learnt about tragedy, (this blog is going to be nowhere near as witty as Louis', I haven't actually read it but i saw that he has a picture of walleee so that's mine put to shame already). Tragedy is the idea of death, normally at the end of the play. It has three main themes. 1. the idea of suffering: this is normally around the central character. 2. the element of chaos: which is the 'breaking down' of something. In a classical tragedy, society itself disintegrates, for example in Hamlet, Denmark no longer has a King or Queen at the end of the story. And thirdly, and most importantly, the idea of death, normally at the end of the play.

Then we did heroes, villains, and victims. The hero tends to be the main protagonist, for example in macbeth it is...macbeth. They tend to have ambitious qualities and be things like 'a good soldier'. The villains in macbeth are the witches. The villain in a story always tend to make us fear them and have some sort of insanity. There are various victims in macbeth, Macduff, Duncan and the Kind (i'm loling at that spelling mistake and therefore i'm not going to correct it) and all of them are innocentttt.      k cheers byee