Author Archives: Tully Moyer

Seeing and hearing

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I was interested in the way that Giovanni does not fully trust Annabella until he hears her talking to Soranzo. In this scene, Giovanni says from above, “Why now I see that she loves me” (3.2.54). Of course, Annabella has already told Giovanni of her love for him, but he did not fully trust her until he heard her speak to Soranzo. It is interesting that he did not trust her at first, as he does not give much of an indication of that before this point. It is also interesting that if there were a lack of trust, it is this conversation that convinces him that her love is true. What makes her initial words untrustworthy to Giovanni? Why is this conversation so convincing for him?

Man v. World

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I was very interested in Donne’s description of the size of the man compared to the size of the world in “Meditation 4.” Interestingly, he claims that the “pieces of man” when stretched out are much greater than the world. The complexity, he argues, of humans is so great. Why then would the sum of all humans be so much less significant than the complexity of one individual human? It would seem that when added together, the complexities and interactions between humans would be greater than those of any one individual. To Donne, when the world is seen as a collection of humans, something about the greatness of the individual is lost. What is that something? Why is the world so small compared to the individual?

Connection between “The Funeral” and “The Canonization”

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I was interested in the forms of the two poems and the various ways in which they were connected. Formally, they are very similar. “The Funeral” is shorter than “The Canonization,” but their stanzas are set up very similarly as far as length and indentations. They also both seem to be very stern warnings towards others. They have a strong opinion on something, and they are each very direct in getting that point across. Do you think that the form of these poems contributes in any way to the version of a message they are trying to send? This seems to be especially true because none of the other Donne works we have read follow this exact form.

Separation of matrimony and spouse

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I was surprised, in all of the readings, how separate the ideas of “matrimony” and the “spouse” were. This is perhaps most clear in Katherine Philips’s “A Married State.” She writes, “Thus you are freed from all the cares that do Attend on matrimony and a husband too” (Line 11). Both the marriage and the spouse each carry different challenges, and all of the authors are very clear to make this distinction. This is reinforced by all of the different purposes of marriage that are listed in “The Book of Common Prayer.” Marriage is not simply for the purpose of being with the one you love, and this is probably what leads to this great separation.

Quote on greatness

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I did not know that this quote about greatness was written by Shakespeare: “Some are born great, others achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” There are many famous Shakespeare quotes that are still used today, but we are generally aware that these quotes were written by Shakespeare when we use them. Why is this one not so widely known to be written by him? One possible reason for this is that this quote sounds like it comes from more modern language.  Of course, I could just be behind on this. Is it widely known to be a Shakespeare quote?

Chastity and flowers – Response

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Hi Rachel,

With regard to your point about flowers and chastity– I definitely understand your point about flowers being sexual in nature, but I have also seen flowers used to represent virginity. With this representation, the connection between chastity and flowers makes much more sense. One term I think of is to “deflower,” meaning to take one’s virginity. I do not know the exact origins of this term or how long it has been around, but from a brief web search, it does not seem to be a modern term so could have been relevant around this time period.

Una’s support for the Redcross Knight

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I thought Una’s encouragement for the Knight during the fight with Error was very interesting. As he is getting beat, she yells, “Now now Sir knight, she what ye bee, Add faith unto your force, and be not faint (1.1.19.164-165)”. Because of her strong warnings against his entering the den, it would be easy for her to have made certain that he knew she was right. She does come close to saying this, but in a more encouraging way. It comes across more as, “You said you could handle it, and I know you can. Now prove it.” This shows the strong unwavering support she has for the Knight during this episode.

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From the first ten sonnets of Shakespeare, it is clear that he is in favor of procreation and believes it to be a disservice to oneself and the world not to do so. However, he moves around on the purpose in doing so. This seems to suggest that there would be many reasons for strongly believing one should procreate. These reasons are generally compatible, but I did find one contradiction. Sonnet 3 encourages procreation for the purpose of self service. Sonnet 3 states that one’s image dies when a person dies, if that person has not procreated. This same sonnet states the beauty of seeing one’s self in the body of a child is an exciting one. These ideas all seem to be in self service. On the other hand, almost every other sonnet states alternative purposes, such as giving the world what it is owed (sonnet 1) or perpetuating beauty. Sonnet 6 even specifically states, “Be not self-willed.” Are the feelings encouraged in sonnet 3 contradictory to the other sonnets of the first 10? Can these reasons for procreation exist in harmony? These thoughts all remind me of the section of the Vendler reading that discusses reading sonnets individually versus as a whole. Reading these sonnets all together give a very different picture of Shakespeare’s beliefs than reading one individually.