plays + books: the holy grails

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: why? is shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew? so good? until act 5?

let’s unpack this.

I’ve always loved Taming of the Shrew, simply because of Kate. I think she is firey, passionate, proud, and not content with just sitting around waiting for a man. same, sis! I think she is one of few characters that shakespeare wrote for women of any real substance. that is, until she goes back on EVERYTHING she says in act 5, and the audience watches Kate as she is essentially brainwashed, and the characters on stage are like, wow! looks like petruchio tamed the shrew! *drop curtain*

acts 1-4 for Kate are stunning. when petruchio blindly agrees to marry Kate (for her father’s money) - he doesn’t really understand how...it may be difficult...to uh..., non-consensuallyforcesomeoneintomarryinghim? ah, but women didn’t have rights back then! ((that’s why acts 1-4 are wonderful! we finally shine a light on gender stereotypes and social hierarchy, deception in marriage, and all sorts of delicious themes that, in the 1500’s were swept under the rug!))

my favorite speech of kate’s is the one where she begins with ‘no shame but mine. i must, forsooth, be forced to give my hand, opposed against mine heart’

translation: i won’t just bring him shame, i bring myself shame if i go through with this, with giving away myself against my own will.

and, of course, there’s Act 2 Scene 2 when petruchio actually meets Kate, and she schools him left right and center about how she will not be reduced to his standards of her, because she is above the patriarchy

until she isn’t? in act 5?

I don’t want to spoil the ending (in case you haven’t read it) but, it’s, just, it almost seems like act 5 was written by a different playwright!

(hi. I originally posted this on my AP Literature tumblr, but it was so applicable that I decided to post it here too. and I made some edits. enjoy)

So, I watched Rebel Without a Cause a week or so ago, and I definitely have some stuff to say. (Unpopular opinion, I liked the movie! PLEASE DON’T THROW THINGS!!) 

I believe this movie hits many relevant arguments, but the overarching theme or topic of the movie that got me thinking the most was the quote right before the chickie fight, when Buzz tells Jim he actually does like him, and Jim’s like, “yo, why are we doing this then?” and Buzz says “hey, you gotta do something, right?” 

When humans become teens for the first time, it is also the first time we face real, adult problems and must confront them. What this quote, or this theme of the movie is saying plays right to the title. A “rebel without a cause” is someone who isn’t satisfied with society, but doesn’t have a specific aim to fight for, so they just “do something.” and if that something is drive a stolen car off of a cliff, so be it. Teens don’t value destruction, they value change - they just don’t know how to go about the process. Teenagers value action without thinking about consequences, so when conflict arises, they retreat to the “I’m just a kid” line. 

This differs from characters who live in fear, such as the adults in the movie, who clearly value minding consequences than anything else. Both Jim’s mother and father were fearful in their own ways, because they valued the “what if” scenario. Mom was mortified of Jim acting out, constantly demanding they move city to city. Dad was fearful of Jim in a different way, clearly caring about his well being, but at the same time, would not stand up to his wife for him. (& I would just like to say: I feel like the dad was a super complex character, there’s a lot of Aristotelian ‘thought’ wrapped up in him, even if he was billed as a secondary character. but overall, I’d argue that he valued consequences much higher than change.) 

anyways:

This 1956 teenage classic portrayed young adults very different than I’m used to. Don’t get me wrong, I love a golden age film. It was just interesting to analyze how different teens were portrayed back then, in comparison to how they are today. I just saw the film Booksmart, and the difference of the teen leads in that 2019 film were ridiculous. I feel as if teens today react very internal when conflict arises, we are constantly keeping baggage behind closed doors, where teens in these movies are VERY brash and bold, and jump the gun…or drive off of a cliff…or try to shoot someone until they get shot down, and James Dean comes screaming “I GOT THE BULLETS!!” and everything is awkward…but anyways. I think this movie is to show both adults and teens, but mostly adults, that the other generation’s problems they face are very real and very valid, even if our values are different. also i found a gif of James Dean saying I GOT THE BULLETS, so there you go.

hi, 

this isn’t about theatre, but it’s still important. 

i just finished rereading The Catcher in the Rye - truly my favorite book of all time ever. the best narrator voice I’ve ever seen. I read this book as assigned reading in the 10th grade and I, along with probably my whole class, saw myself in the very relatable life and language of Holden Caulfield. my favorite part of the entire book is when Holden is in the taxi cab, and asks the driver, you know what, I’ll just find the quote.

"Hey, listen," I said. "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?" I realized it was only one chance in a million.

He turned around and looked at me like I was a madman. "What're ya tryna do, bud?" he said. "Kid me?"

"No—I was just interested, that's all."

Holden doesn’t care about the ducks, really. Well, he may just be interested, but he’s also extremely self aware, and very worried about his own fate/mortality. growing up is scary. where do the ducks go when the pond freezes over = where does Holden go when time passes too quickly, and now he has to leave his adolescence behind him? 

hi,

I’ve been wanting to create a side blog/catch-all brain dump space for things I am reading/studying in school. I’m an acting major at a music conservatory, living that BFA life