College of St Marys of the Springs - Yearbook (Columbus, OH)

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ww g papa um: Lkwlc Q tuning a LNWI6 Q :WC P new Njlf . Braided Eight and Shade NE of the glories of Shakespeare's art lies in his ability to blend the tragic and the comic element in his plays. With exquisite N' f W ' nicety he weaves together the droll and the sublime, the ludi- crous and the solemn, the ridiculous and the serious. With him comedy and tragedy are not things incompatible, but are per- fusive and permeating ingredients of his make-up. He shows , us this, when, instead of separating the two, he simply places them in different relations and positions. What was back- ground becomes foregroundg what was under-current becomes if -I -X7 7 upper-current. He makes each more perfect by blending it with the other. In his tragedies he relaxes our minds and re- leases us from the intense strain of the tragic action, by conjur- ing up some unexpected fun and mirth which we enjoy all the more because it is a surprise. In the same way, in his comedies, he draws our minds to the serious things of life by some delicate touch of pathos. Our poet is with tears and laughter for all time, and he has so success- fully mixed the two that we would not be content with the one without the other. Of a truth we like best those tragedies which have a vein of humor running through them, and those comedies in which there is a serious thread. As You Like It, Twelfth Night excepted, may truly be called Shakespeare's gayest comedy: yet from the very outset, there is sufficient matter to create a tragedy. The Duke is deprived of his lawful right, his dukedomg Rosalind and Celia are banished from the court, and many good men, who remain true to the unfortunate duke are exiled. But do they complain about the ways of Providence? Instead they wear cheerful countenances and hopefully look on the bright side of life. Touchstone, the fool, is a great factor in aiding Rosalind and Celia to keep their spirits above the sinking point. But despite the good nature of these dwellers in the Forest Arden, there is one character who casts a feeling of gloom and depression wherever he chances to be. Jaques, the melancholy philosopher rails against all goodness and virtue in the world, and indeed, he believes the world to be as bad as he paints it. Virtue buf- feted, oppressed, and wronged is his special delight and forms the most salient point in his gloomy meditations. Still beneath all his melancholy, we cannot help but discern his clevemess. He is quite skillful in his art, but his ingenuity catches at the lowest phase of everything. In his one speech beginning All the world's a stage, we see, fully portrayed, his morbid character. His speech is the wonderful working out of a brilliant idea, but melancholy, as to its outcome. He sees nothing lovely in the helpless babe: his melancholy mind makes everything out disa- greeable- the whining school-boy, the sentimental lover, the soldier quick to quarrel, and so on until he reaches the climax by saying, ' ' ' ' v l ' . Last scene of all, l That ends this, strange, eventful history, ' Is second childishness and mere oblivion, , Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 6

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ww Q ww . ww e ww . ww . ww 3 ww 1 wuz i ww are subdued by him. It seems that nothing within this sphere of ideality can resist him. Cal- iban's plans against his master are frustratedg he is helpless without the consent of Pros- pero- , l-low fine my master isl I am afraid he will chastise me. It is unmistakably evident that these sprites are powerful only in their service to Prospero. What lessons, what moral teachings do we glean from these fairy worlds? Are their marvelous happenings only to amuse and entertain? Most assuredly, Shakespeare has intro- duced the ethical element into the fairy tales of his dramas. Now, in A Midsummer Night's Dream the moral lesson is not enforced, nor is it distinctly clear. We must inter- pret its teachings ourselves-we must seize these shadowy forms and shapes, and force from them their lessons. It is a land of dreams, a world upside down, but, nevertheless, it is in itself, real and wondrously beautiful. These same dainty little creatures so fine and delicate. who love all things neat and sweet and beautiful, punish the lazy and slattern, and aid the in- dustrious. That bewitching little rascal, Puck, chuckles over the consequences of his errors. l-low he enjoys the weaknesses of humanity! My lord, what fools these mortals bel Certainly, this drama is an intrigue of capricious love. The mirror is held up to nature, but the one strong ethical lesson is not forced upon us, as it plainly is in the play contrasted. ln The Tempest there is an evident design for good. Ariel is the sole cause of right- ing the wrong done to Prospero. After having avened the WYODS done his master- thus ao' complishing poetic iustiee in the drama, his ministration does not cease: for he not only in- Hicts punishment. but brings true repentance upon the wrongdoers-uhearts' sorrow and a clear life ensuing. Having been a Minister of Fate. he is an Angel of Relfloollon-Ariel is Destiny in as much as his powers incense the seas and shores, yea, all creatures to requite the Quiltv act. committed against Prospero and his daughter, the fair. innocent Miranda. Clearly does this reveal the truth that when a wrong is done in our old world. the whole of nature is aroused to avenge it-to erase it. Such experience is S0 C0mm0nlv and oft-times re- peated that we are convinced that nature. herSelf. feels keenly the dreadfulness of wronsz- and seeks to I-,lot if our, The laws gf the Real World have permitted and concealed the in- iustiee. but Providence. Ariel. causes order and iustice to .be brought forth. The guiltv soul of the wanderer is brought back to a consciousness of l1lS evil. The guilt like poison be.-'zins to bite the spirits of the penitentsf' Forgwenoss follows- Such is the forcible lessen taught us bv the poet through his fairy folk. I , Truly are we convinced that the contrast in the lW0 Cfeellons 15 marked. is vital: vet from their composite studv. it is strongly revealed that the activities of nature and men take place by the instrumentalitv of the supernatural Hgeneles- n There must be 3 Producing cause. whether it be God, angel. fairy or demon-a Power suponor to 'laluro and moo- We efe aided to understand a little better, life. that study that vexee the Wlsesl and to fealile the noth- ingness and emptiness and vanity of its outward Pegeanlfy- And. like the baseless fabric of th1S VISIOH. The cloud-eapp'd towers, the Rorfleetle Palaeee, The solemn temples, the great globe llSelf, Yea, all which it inherit. shall dis90lVe- And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are Such Stoll . . A5 dreams are made Of: and our little life IS rounded with a sleep. MILDRED Joan, 'I 3. 5

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:src we We We e We I We . we We we le How terrible Jaques makes it to grow oldl Truly, with him, the world is no more than a stage, and his fellow-creatures are merely players. What a strange world it would be if everyone thought as Jaques. Yet he has his place and purpose in the drama just as shadows have theirs in a picture. As Jaques is the only character throughout the comedy As You Like it who causes us to feel down-hearted and depressed, so in the tragedy Hamlet, the Prince himself is the principal character who enlivens and freslrens our minds. There are, it is true, minor char- acters who furnish us with cause for laughter, but it is almost entirely in their relations with Hamlet, through whom a vein of humor runs, even in the sorest trials, adding depth and mel- lowness to his most passionate strains of eloquence. He makes a fool of old Polonius, who unconsciously to himself becomes intensely amusing. The elder man believes Hamlet to be mad and treats him accordingly. Hamlet tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that Polonius is but a great baby and when he puts in his appearance, Hamlet turns his every speech so that the old chamberlain is made to appear ridiculous. Another scene illustrative of this dual power in Shakespeare is the grave-diggers' scene. Here are men who are engaged in performing the 'most gruesome task who yet joke and laugh. At first they talk of things of great moment in the world, their speeches being the more ridiculous because of their attempted adherence to formal rules of logic: but soon they come down to congenial jest and banter, and finally end in trying to satisfy the gross appetite. One says to his companion, Go, get thee to Yanghaug fetch me a stoup of liquor. Waiting for his companion's return, he digs and sings a youthful ditty of love. While he is singing Hamlet appears and between them there ensues a lively struggle of wit. The man who has fooled and puzzled the whole court by his strange quibbles, is now beat at his own game. If we had not this light side-play, the action of the tragedy would oppress us. The poet, feeling this, surprised us by introducing it at a time when we least expected it. -So it is with his best tragedies. If there were no humor to relieve the intense strain of heavy action, his tragedies would seem to lack something. Because the humor is unexpected, it forces us to laugh merrily and unrestrainedly. Again in Lear, a great tragedy like Hamlet. we find the most perfect example of Shakespeare's art in blending the light and the serious element. How many heavy burdens have been lightengd, and weary hearts refreshed by the fool and his merry banter. He may seem to babble to no purpose. vet if we look cl0Sely, we shall see that his words always do some good. Throughout dark and pathetic scenes we follow him as we would follow. with our eye. a beautiful golden thread woven in some dark material. True, he is but a fool. and his part is to keep before us the original idea. but he plays l1lS Dart so well, and even though his heart is breaking. he iests and iolces in such a bright manner' that we needs must l0VC the pathetic little fellow. What would the old king do Wlfheut the merry b0Y who calls him mme1e'g Indeed- I- mfs me Wmgd seem strange without his fool to cheer him. But it is in the tempest Scene that We find the best mixture of the comic and tragic ele- ment- what a fitting atmosphere for Such a scene! All external nature in war, and internal nature in battle The king, once so haughty and strong is now but a weak and senseless old man. Here in the Stormlbeaten hovelu wirh the madness of Lear. the feigned madness of Ed- gar, and the Witty Words of the fggl, we feel ourselves strangely out of place. We cannot keen from bursting into laughter when Edgar. 1105108 as POOY Tom. SHYS- Bless thy five wits: Tom's a-cold, 0, dg de, do de, do de--Bless thee from whirl-winds, star- blasting and taking! Do poor Tom some charity, whom the foul fiend vexes. There could I have him now, and there, and there again, and there, and away goes the blanket-clad 7