Thursday, June 25, 2020
Virginia Woolf and William Shakespeare - Literature Essay Samples
Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"A Room of Oneââ¬â¢s Ownâ⬠offers a major piece of literary analysis with an eye towards the ever evolving role of the female author. During Woolfââ¬â¢s discussion of past and present writers, she repeatedly refers to the work of William Shakespeare, specifically his play Antony and Cleopatra, as a model for an ââ¬Å"idealâ⬠writing style that authors should revere. In her essay, Woolf is clear in her contention that Shakespeare possessed a rare form of authorial style that few could match, on multiple occasions referring to Shakespeareââ¬â¢s writing as ââ¬Å"incandescentâ⬠and ââ¬Å"free of impediment.â⬠His writing was truly successful, Woolf claims, because of his ability to express true creative genius without allowing his personal beliefs, prejudices or agenda to interfere with the integrity of his work, and thus permitting an ultimate interpretation that stems directly from the reader. By viewing specific passages fr om Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Antony and Cleopatra, readers can witness his use of deliberately indistinct word choice in character description as well as the utilization of metaphor that serve to exemplify this incandescent and ââ¬Å"unimpededâ⬠style that Woolf holds in such a high regard throughout the course of her own writing.To begin to analyze Shakespeareââ¬â¢s unique writing style, readers must first identify Woolfââ¬â¢s advocacy of it as well as how she goes about describing it in ââ¬Å"A Room of Oneââ¬â¢s Own.â⬠For example, while describing to readers the ââ¬Å"idealâ⬠circumstances under which successful literature is produced, Woolf employs Shakespeare as a prime example. She states: . . . The mind of an artist, in order to achieve the prodigious effort of freeing whole and entire the work that is in him, must be incandescent, like Shakespeareââ¬â¢s mind. . . The reason perhaps why we know so little of Shakespeare . . . is that his grudges and a ntipathies are hidden from us. We are not help up by some ââ¬Å"revelationâ⬠which reminds us of the writer, All desire to protest, to preach, to proclaim injury, to pay off a score, to make the world a witness of some hardship or grievance was fired out of him and consumed. Therefore his poetry flows from him free unimpeded. If ever a human being got his work expressed completely, it was Shakespeare. If ever a mind was incandescent, unimpeded, I thought . . . it was Shakespeareââ¬â¢s mindâ⬠(Woolf, 56). These lines directly serve as the foundation for Woolfââ¬â¢s opinion of Shakespeare as an author; however, they also open a broader door to readers, as Woolf fails to reveal how Shakespeareââ¬â¢s writing is construed as ââ¬Å"incandescentâ⬠or ââ¬Å"without impedimentâ⬠ââ¬âit is left to the reader to delve into the specifics of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s plays in order to seek evidence of these terms that Woolf so often refers to. To find examples of th is writing style, readers can simply look to specific descriptive passages embedded within the text of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s Antony and Cleopatra. One major method Shakespeare utilizes in his verse is his purposeful ambiguous characterization of key players within the play. In other words, Shakespeare deliberately uses terms that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Woolf praises Shakespeareââ¬â¢s ability to show no prejudices in his writing; thus, his character descriptions are highly laced with careful wordplay so as to not promote one specific view or characterization over another. This aspect of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s writing works to allow his own views or preferences to remain latent in his writing. For example, by utilizing specific wordplay to depict his characters as constantly changing in Antony and Cleopatra, they, as a result, cannot be defined one dimensionally; and shift as with readersââ¬â¢ views from scene to scene. Through this androgynous-type of character d escription, Shakespeare ensures that readers can use a multitude of lenses to view his characters through, rather than one single dimension. Particularly noticeable in Antony and Cleopatra, the resulting opinion on how certain characters should be defined is ultimately left to the readerââ¬â¢s own literary devices and interpretations, as Shakespeareââ¬â¢s language makes it increasingly difficult to gauge how he feels about the characters as an author ââ¬â the signifier, according to Woolf, of a successful writer. For example, in Act I sc. i, Cleopatra, a character who demonstrates her particular ability to morph into new personalities throughout the play, makes a comment to Antony on the topic of becoming his future queen, stating, ââ¬Å"But sir, forgive me, / Since my becomings kill me when they do not / Eye well to youâ⬠(Shakespeare I.i.52-53). Though this line can be read as a simple commentary on Cleopatraââ¬â¢s ability to suit Antony as a new queen after the death of his former wife, the word ââ¬Å"becomingsâ⬠produces multiple meanings, additionally referring to Cleopatraââ¬â¢s own fluid transformations within the play, her constantly shifting moods and the many versions of herself she presents to readers. Though it can be easy to view Cleopatra as a manipulative seductress in one scene, it is just as easy to view her as star struck lover for in the next, accenting her uncanny ability to constantly shift and transform, and additionally proving the ability of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s language to do so. It is for this reason Shakespeareââ¬â¢s language becomes so importantââ¬âit assists in promoting his characters in a variety of manners, rather than through a single accepted definition, even if the language appears a single way on the surface. Another example of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s deliberately ambiguous wordplay occurs in Act II, during Enobarbusââ¬â¢s description of Cleopatraââ¬â¢s personality. Enobarbus states, à ¢â¬Å"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale / Her infinite variety. Other women cloy / The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry / Where most she satisfies. For vilest things / Become themselves in her, that the holy priests / Bless her when she is riggishâ⬠(Shakespeare II.iii.276-281). The phrase ââ¬Å"infinite varietyâ⬠in this passage also warrants further interpretation. Through the insertion of this phrase, Shakespeare assures readers that there is more to Cleopatra than a singular definition. The word ââ¬Å"varieties,â⬠for example, does not carry with it one accepted connotation and can instead be interpreted at readersââ¬â¢ discretion. Shakespeareââ¬â¢s continued focus on the shifting ââ¬Å"varietiesâ⬠of his characters from scene to scene allows readers to make their own determination as to how these characters should be characterized. It is for this reason that Woolf describes Shakespeare as being without prejudice, or writing about impe diment. Readers do not get a sense of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s personal viewpoint through his characters, and by adding words that attest to their mutability and fluidity, the play is able to take on whatever form a reader interprets, rather than one single viewpoint or specific sympathies that Shakespeare wanted to push across: her personality exists and is shaped through the eyes of the reader.In addition, Shakespeare also uses this wordplay to describe Antonyââ¬â¢s ever-changing personality and actions as well. In Antonyââ¬â¢s final lines of the play he states, ââ¬Å"Here I am Antony, / Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knaveâ⬠(Shakespeare V.xv.13-14). Again, Shakespeareââ¬â¢s decision to use the phrase ââ¬Å"hold this shapeâ⬠assists to define Antony as, so to speak, indefinable. Throughout the play this pattern holds true for both Antony and Cleopatra: neither could hold a definite ââ¬Å"shape,â⬠allowing readersââ¬â¢ viewpoints and analyses to l ikewise change shape from scene to scene. This ambiguity creates a broader definition of his characters, leaving them a product of their always changing and unpredictable actions and how readers interpret them, rather than how the author does. By allowing Antony and Cleopatra to have such a variety of representations, Shakespeare artfully puts their final characterization into readersââ¬â¢ hands, not his own. By the end of the play, it is up to the reader to determine whether Antony dies as a war hero or love stricken fool, or Cleopatra as political tactician or overzealous actress. Shakespeare does not allow any personal gospel or grudge to ââ¬Å"shapeâ⬠his characters, proving his ability to check his prejudices and sympathies at the door. His characters speak for themselves, rather than Shakespeare speaking for or through them.In combination with Shakespeareââ¬â¢s tactfully presented wordplay to allow for the shifting of his characters, his use of metaphor to assist in their description also demonstrates Woolfââ¬â¢s portrayal of his writing as purely ââ¬Å"incandescent.â⬠Shakespeare utilizes the form of metaphor as a both a descriptive tool that allows for a reader-based interpretation of specific characters or scenes, in addition to offering a more unique form of writing compared to a free verse description of the same event or character.The fact that Shakespeare casts his characters in such different lights throughout the play is bolstered by his use of metaphor to describe and assist in this very phenomenon, thus, giving his writing its creative or ââ¬Ëincandescentâ⬠quality. Shakespeare uses the form of metaphor as a unique perspective that allows readers to form their own interpretation of a character, based off of an individual and personal interpretation or a metaphor. For example, Antonyââ¬â¢s lines in Act V serve not simply to describe Cleopatra as his character intends to, but can also be applied in a broader sen se to the thematic shifting of charactersââ¬â¢ actions and emotions from scene to scene as well. Antony, through a statement about clouds, also works to describe the heart of the playââ¬â¢s major characters, stating:Sometime we see a cloud thatââ¬â¢s dragonish, / A vapor sometime like a bear or lion, / a towered citadel, a pendant rock / A forked mountain, or blue promontory / With trees uponââ¬â¢t that nod unto the world / And mock our eyes with air. Thou hast seen these / signs. / They are black vesperââ¬â¢s pageants. [ â⬠¦ ] That which is now a horse, / even with a thought / The rack dislimns and makes it indistinct / As water is in water. / (Shakespeare IV.xiv 3-14)It is through metaphorical description such as this that allows Shakespeare to permeate boundaries. Allowing readers to understand that they may see a ââ¬Å"dragonishâ⬠Cleopatra in one scene and a ââ¬Å"lionessâ⬠in the next, attest to her characterââ¬â¢s flexibility from scene to sc ene. This use of metaphor to describe the variability of his characters is key in Shakespeareââ¬â¢s profound ability to not limit the lenses through which readers can view his characters; thus presenting his writingââ¬â¢s unique form, or what Woolf calls ââ¬Å"incandescence,â⬠as a result. Like clouds, some readers may see Antony as a ââ¬Å"citadel,â⬠while others may interpret his personality and actions as a ââ¬Å"forked mountain.â⬠It is Shakespeareââ¬â¢s use of metaphor that assures readers that both descriptions are correct, though, and that there is no single lens to use, but rather a variety of acceptable ones. The use of metaphor as a device which relies on reader interpretation highlights the fact that Shakespeareââ¬â¢s writing allows readers to see their own creation of character, not a latent sympathy or agenda of the author. Another example of this occurs with Cleopatraââ¬â¢s similar short metaphorical statement at the end of the play as she refers to herself as ââ¬Å"fire and air,â⬠(Shakespeare V.ii.344) before she breathes her last. Operating on the same level as Antonyââ¬â¢s clouds, it is up to the reader to apply the metaphor in a way that suits their personal analyses. Readers can offer various interpretations as to what constitutes ââ¬Å"fireâ⬠and likewise ââ¬Å"air,â⬠again serving as an example to Shakespeareââ¬â¢s own writingââ¬âthe definition and interpretation stems from the readerââ¬â¢s view, not the authorââ¬â¢s. Cleopatraââ¬â¢s words and actions could be interpreted in a variety of manners, and Shakespeare ensures that readers have the option to do such, leaving the description of ââ¬Å"fire and air,â⬠in readersââ¬â¢ hands; as it is hard to define exactly what Shakespeare himself meant by the metaphor. Through Shakespeareââ¬â¢s utilization of metaphor and carefully chosen word choice, readers are left with varying interpretations of his play and chara cters even after the play concludes. Was Antonyââ¬â¢s suicide honorable? Was Cleopatra simply an actress? Shakespeareââ¬â¢s writing style proves to have the same mutability as his characters, as readers can turn to metaphor and single words to highlight multiple meanings in a characterââ¬â¢s personality or actions, thus showing Shakespeareââ¬â¢s ability to allow his readers to have the final judgment, not his own authorial personal views or prejudices. The mere fact that the play leaves readers with questions and shifting views rather than a single interpretation is a testament to Shakespeareââ¬â¢s brillianceââ¬âor as Woolf puts it: his incandescence and capability to rise above impediment. Shakespeareââ¬â¢s ability to write without prejudiceââ¬âallowing his words to hold power over his personââ¬âleave his writing with a successful complexity. Left in the hands of his readers, Shakespeare proves that his work is pure, powerful and ultimately shaped by its very readers, which according to Woolf, is how the ideal author ought to operate.
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