Reaching Lifelong Goals as a Nontraditional Student

The second play that we studied this term in ENG203 Late Shakespeare was Othello.  My research into the topic of racism in Elizabethan England yielded a treasure of sources.   As a Non Traditional Student, I always place a high standard for my papers in this class.   The requirement was for a short 2 page essay about the play.   As per all of my other papers submitted, this one received another A+.   This has become somewhat of a series on this blog, so I decided to continue by posting my paper here.   I’m open to any critical comments from my readers.

The Racism of Othello – Historical Perspectives

When we look at the racial overtones of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice, one must recognize the historical context of Elizabethan England.  To truly evaluate the treatment of Othello as a “Moor”, his position in Venetian society, and his marriage to Desdemona, the play must be judged on the societal norms and current events that William Shakespeare had to draw from.

The English encounter with Africans began from about the mid-sixteenth century. Native West Africans had probably first appeared in London in 1554.  Certainly, as Martin Orkin points out in an article for The Shakespeare Quarterly, “by 1601 there were enough black men in London to prompt Elizabeth to express her discontent ‘at the great number of ‘Negars and blackamoors’ which are crept into the realm since the troubles between her highness and the King of Spain’ (Orkin).    Elizabethan adventurers John Hawkins, John Lok, and Martin Frobisher were among the first raiding African coastal villages, kidnapping inhabitants and bringing them back to England in the mid-1550s. Although initially a small population, these involuntary exiles were the forerunners of much larger numbers, who would eventually be enslaved in the Caribbean and the American colonies.   Blacks were a very visible minority in Shakespeare’s London.  Only recently have historians documented the proof of Africans in 17^th century London.  Initially brought in as slaves or as “human curiosities,” some blacks soon assimilated themselves into Elizabethan life as laborers and domestic servants.   Author James Shultz noted; “We now have documented proof of the residences of black people, which must be reckoned into the colors of Shakespeare’s world, in a very literal sense. Shakespeare knew people of color. He walked through their neighborhoods every day” (Shultz).  This author goes on to propose that the “dark lady” of the Sonnets was a black prostitute that William Shakespeare formed a relationship with.   Although an almost plausible solution to the issue, too many other pieces to this puzzle do not fit.

Shakespeare most certainly had contact with Africans living in London, but was this interaction tempered by the prevailing prejudices of his English countrymen? English ethnocentrism fastened upon differences in color, religion, and style of life. Orkin has assembled material that shows that Englishmen saw Sub Saharan Africans as barbarous.  He includes an excerpt from Richard Eden’s account of John Lok’s voyages, published first in 1554-55 and reprinted in 1589.  “An account of the inhabitants of ‘coast of Guinea and the middye partes of Africa’…were in olde tyme called Etheiopes and Nigrite wich we nowe caule moores, morren or Negroes.  A people of beastly lyvynge, without a god, lawe, religion or common welth, and so scorched and vexed with the heate of the sonne, that in many places they curse it when it ryseth” (Orkin).  In the OED the meaning of the word “black” includes, before the sixteenth century and were subject to the prejudices of the day.   Othello, being a General and of higher status than other blacks in both Venetian and English societies is Shakespeare’s way of breaking down these stereotypes.

The racial slurs and insults by Iago, as he says “…an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” (O.I.1.88-89). Roderigo also makes racist comments referring to Othello as “the thick lips”(O.I.1.66).  There is racist sentiment within the play, but it is to a large degree it is confined to Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio.   The character of Othello does not lower himself to respond to these insults.   This highlighting of the injury of words by the “white” characters only strengthens Othello against the stereotypes of the day.  Looking at the character of Othello through the color prejudices of early 17^th century England further shows how Shakespeare was very progressive for his time period.

Research yields volumes of works about racism in Othello.  Evaluating the theme of racism by 20^th century thinking is valid only when the comparisons are tempered with an understanding of Elizabethan and Jacobean social norms.  Only then can one really see the true brilliance of Shakespeare’s portrayal of the Tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice.

Works Cited

Orkin, Martin.” Othello and the “plain face” Of Racism” Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Summer, 1987), pp. 166-188. 5 May 2010.web

Shultz, James. “Shakespeare’s Colors: Race And Culture In Elizabethan England“. Old Dominion University’s Quest. January 2002, Volume 5 Issue 1.8 May 2010.web.

Bartels, Emily C. “Making more of the Moor: Aaron, Othello, and Renaissance Refashioning of Race”. Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 41, No. 4 (Winter, 1990), pp. 433-454. 8 May 2010.web

Bartels, Emily C. “Othello and Africa: Postcolonialism Reconsidered”. The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 54, No. 1 (Jan., 1997), pp. 45-64. 8 May 2010.web

Neill, Michael. “Mulattos,” “Blacks,” and “Indian Moors”: Othello and Early Modern Constructions of Human Difference”. Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Winter, 1998), pp. 361-374. 9 May 2010.web

As a Non Traditional Student, I place high goals for myself in classes.   I just received my latest ENG 203 Shakespeare research paper back from my instructor.   It was again an A+ grade, a goal that I have reached on all of my papers for this instructor!   I try to challenge his vast knowledge of Shakespeare in all of my work by finding new references and twists on my topics…kind of a badge of courage for me!   On this paper I took on the idea that Shakespeare’s plays are full of wonderful topical references to current events in Elizabethan England.   Through Peter Jensen’s (my prof.) lectures, he opens up all sorts of new research avenues for me with explanations of these topical references (most seem to be “one-liners”, meant to entertain the Groundlings and Penny Stinkards!)  One new annotation that I found for the play Twelfth Night involved a possible new topical meaning to one of Malvolio’s lines.   Mr. Jensen’s comments on my paper opens up a new line of research for me on this one reference.   It seems that the author that I cited may have his Monarchs mixed up!    I’ll have to do some more delightful research on this reference to verify the dating of the events and their use as a “one-liner” joke by Shakespeare.   I’ll keep you all posted on what I find out.   I now submit for your enjoyment, my research paper on Shakespeare’s One Liners:

Shakespeare’s “One-Liners” – Unappreciated by Modern Audiences?

There are many levels of appreciation for the plays of William Shakespeare.   They should always be enjoyed for their literary artfulness at face value.  Theatrical productions are sensory experiences of the Bard’s works through costume, acting, and stage business.  The study of his plays for their historically topical references to Elizabethan England takes Shakespeare to a new level of understanding.   How many of these topical “one-liners” go totally unappreciated by the average theater patron?  Throughout my study of William Shakespeare this year, I have learned of several historical nuggets woven into each script.

Just by taking some of the topical references out of Twelfth Night offers hours of delightful research.  Sir Toby Belch’s line in Act I, scene 3, is a topical one-liner; “Wherefore have these gifts a curtain before ‘em?  Are they to take dust, like Mistress Mall’s Picture?” (12thN, I.3.102-103).   This is a reference to Mary Fitton, where Mall, like Moll, is a nickname for Mary.  Roger Warren’s notes in his edition of Twelfth Night single out this reference with “…various Malls have been suggested for this allusion (if it is one).  The likeliest is Mary Fitton, one of Elizabeth I’s maids of honor, disgraced for bearing the Earl of Pembroke’s child in 1601″ (Warren).  Here is a prime example of a reference that would go totally unnoticed as it passes by in lively dialogue.

Perhaps the most target-rich environment for historical research is the character of Malvolio.  Shakespearean scholars have expended gallons of ink trying to get a handle on Malvolio’s quirky nature.   The gulling of the steward in Act II, scene 5 is a treasure trove of topical Elizabethan references and comic one-liners to research.  The yellow stockings proved to be a belly laugh for the groundlings in the audience.  In a critical essay, Loreen Giese discusses a number of historical ties to their relevance, she states; “The wearing of yellow stockings had particular resonance, as two well-known usages suggest. The wearing of yellow stockings may be most commonly associated with two contexts: the children at Christ’s Hospital, which opened in 21 November 1552 and was officially founded on 26 June 1553, and the dramatic figure Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the first performance of which was 6 January 1601/2. Indeed, evidence of this sartorial practice from other literary and legal texts supplements and refines our understanding of their meaning by indicating the sexual symbolism of wearing yellow stockings in early modern London. Specifically, this evidence indicates that some early modern Londoners understood the wearing of yellow stockings to signal illicit sexuality and marital betrayal”(Giese).

Further, she also notes that the color of yellow was not only disfavored by Olivia, but also “Queen Elizabeth I (whose own personal colors were white and black) abhorred yellow. For six years yellow had been the color of danger in her Court–being flaunted by the faction of the Duke of Norfolk until his attainder

and execution in 1572. And the flag of her arch-enemy, Spain, was yellow”(Giese).   The Yellow stockings become a significant plot component in Twelfth Night, and stand alone comically to today’s audience, but to Shakespeare’s contemporaries, their meanings took on a larger context.

“There is example for’t: the Lady of the Strachy married the yeoman of the wardrobe”, Malvolio (12thN.II.5.34-35).  Here, with an explanation during lecture in class, I set out on a new journey of research into a topical reference which would sail over the heads of a modern audience.   William Strachy (or Strachey -1572-1621) is best referenced for his connection to The Tempest from a letter about the shipwreck of the colonial ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609.  Digging for some “Elizabethan scandal” about him was unproductive, but again, Shakespearean studies often yield many interpretations of topical references within Will’s plays.

My research led me to a scholarly work posted online which was available as a book excerpt.   One other possible annotation of this seemingly obscure historical one-liner is proposed by David Frydrychowski.  The abstract for the paper immediately got my attention; “a new solution for the textual cruces of Malvolio’s “Lady of the Strachy,” (TN 2.5.35) a longstanding puzzle of Shakespearean textual annotation. Following George Stevens suggestion that the word might be read as “Starchy,” the author suggests that the reference was to Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset, and a politically significant contemporary Of Shakespeare, whose household was linked in the popular mind with a certain fashion of yellow starch”( Frydrychowski).

If there is indeed a misspelling in the text of this line, this proposed explanation is but one more plausible topical reference to Elizabethan current events that would entertain and educate Shakespeare’s audience at the Globe Theater in 1601/2.   Again, to a modern day audience watching Twelfth Night on stage in the 21^st century, the line makes a whizzing sound as it shoots over their heads.

Frydrychowski states; “the reference was an interpolation which alluded to a matter which had shaken the Crown itself and consumed the popular imagination of the capital – the death of Thomas Overbury and the subsequent popular vilification of Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset and Robert Carr, arriviste courtier”(Frydrychowski).  Which annotation to this reference is correct?  Like many of the obscure historical references in Shakespeare’s works, there can be numerous references, all depending on the Historian’s interpretation and frame of reference.

There is a lifetime of historical research that can be obtained through just the study of Shakespeare’s one-liners.  This small sample is just the tip of the ice berg in only one of the Bard’s masterpieces.   Shakespearean scholars will continue to find new historical nuggets in the cannon, building on the new research into the Elizabethan era today.   How does this affect the audiences of today?  Most patrons of the dramatic arts are not in theaters for a history lesson, they are there to see the plays of William Shakespeare for the enjoyment of the production and entertainment.   Just as they have for the past four hundred years.

Works cited

Warren, Roger Ed. Shakespeare, William, Twelfth night, or What you Will. Ed. Warren, Roger, Stanley Wells .Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.17 April 2010.web

Giese, Loreen. Malvolio’s Yellow Stockings: Coding Illicit Sexuality in Early Modern London. AccessMyLibrary.com. 2006. Promoting Library Advocacy Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England.17 April 2010.web

Frydrychowski, David. “Some old story”: A new conjecture on Malvolio’s “Lady of the
Strachy”.  2010. PL Ballaney Book Online.com. 17 April 2010. Web

You never know where being a non traditional student is going to take you.   I am taking ENG 202 “Middle Shakespeare” as a baccalaureate core class for my BA in History.   Little did I know these last two terms would be a History Major’s favorite journey into Elizabethan England.   I am investigating more of the history of the streets of London than the real plays we are studying.   Each new play we focus on, opens up a new avenue of historical research that I seem to be diverted into…I know, it’s a guy thing -  Ohhh, shiny object!!! I’ll go this way!!    This Nontraditional student journey is just getting better each term in college.   I can turn any class I’m taking into a historical investigation.    My Biology teacher had Darwin’s Origin of the Species book in class for a lecture yesterday.   I found myself pouring over the references in the index finding historical tidbits about all kinds of things.   Made a bunch of notes and now I find myself digging around in all kinds of new side-tracks.    But, I digress,  did the Bard have a STD?   I think he may have gotten chlamydia from the dark lady.   There is some good circumstantial evidence in the Sonnets as well as Shakespeare’s other plays.    Of course, I decided to write a research paper on this topic!!    Who says Non Traditional Students are boring!!   Today, I received my paper back with a resounding A+ grade.    (Actually I’m on a run of all A+ on papers for this instructor!!)   I am reprinting it for your approval here in this blog posting.   Note that the format has changed to make it work on a WordPress blog.   I hope you enjoy the paper. (continue reading…)

My “fun” class this Winter term is ENG 202 “Middle Shakespeare”.   It is not officially a history class, but my instructor, Peter Jensen is one of the most interesting I have had.   His lectures are peppered with historical tidbits that get my History Geek juices flowing.   I have researched more about Elizabethan England over the past few months than my specialized topic of WWI Aviation.   Each term, Peter assigns 4 research papers based on the plays we are focusing on.   This term we are looking at Shakespeare’s middle career works, Henry IV part 1, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet.   A special study is the Sonnets.  (there is a whole blog post coming about my instructor’s theories about renaissance code imbedded in the Shakespeare Sonnets…fun stuff!).   For my first paper this term, I began looking at how the Bard would stage battle scenes in his history plays.   I stumbled across some very interesting information about what sources (historical “chronicles”) Shakespeare used in writing his history plays.   It is very difficult to write a Shakespeare paper for this teacher, you can’t tell him anything he doe not already know!!    HOWEVER!! I got him on this one.   I found a Journal Article in the Shakespeare Quarterly about a historical chronicle that Shakepeare probably used for this play.   I found a reference that my teacher had not yet heard about!!!   Major victory for the History Geek!   I guess he owes me TWO beers now (Last term’s Shakespeare In Love Historical Inaccuracies Paper found one that he had missed).   I wanted to share my A+ research paper about Shakespeare’s Histories and Henry IV. Part I.    The paper is titled:  SHREWSBURY: The Battle on the Grass Vs. The Battle on the Boards.

William Shakespeare’s interpretation of history is closer to real events than one might expect in a stage production.   Shakespeare’s histories are small vignettes of famous characters in the rich chronicles of England’s monarchies.    He relates the actual history to his audience with both accuracy and dramatic license.  The constraints of the “boards” can be challenging when trying to depict an epic battle scene such as Shrewsbury.

The actual battle was a major event  in the Wars of the Roses during the early 15^th century.   During  the Battle of Shrewsbury in July 1403, King Henry IV led an army of about 20,000 to a river plain near the strategic town of Shrewsbury.   Sir Henry “Hotspur”  Percy, leader of the rebellion forces was outnumbered, leading a force of possibly 15,000.   The archers he had gathered in Cheshire were superior to those of the King.   This was the first great battle where longbow faced longbow, and many of the casualties, believed to be about 3,000 on each side, came from the arrow-storms in the early part of the battle.  Henry IV faced more rebellions through his reign, so Shrewsbury was far from decisive. But it did show the future Henry V the power of the English longbow, an arm he deployed to devastating effect in France at Agincourt  in 1415(Britain).

Of course, the logistics of staging an epic battle scene are challenging to a playwright.   Shakespeare takes the real history of the battle and presents  it to his audience within the scope of the characters’ experiences on the battle field.   This gives the overall feeling of a huge dynamic conflagration and yet still furthers the plot of the play.   Shakespeare brings the two sides of the battle together on stage as Prince Hal and Hotspur confront each other in Act 5 scene 4.  While not historically correct, this hand to hand combat scene personalizes the entire Battle of Shrewsbury and its importance to England’s monarchy.  Hotspur himself was killed, not by Hal’s sword, but by an arrow through the mouth when he opened the visor of his helmet to get some fresh air.

Shakespeare gives us  accurate insights into history with Falstaff’s account of recruiting soldiers through the use of the “King’s Press” (Act 4, Scene 2).   The Elizabethan audiences would have been able to relate to this speech directly  or even personally.   Falstaff gives a historically accurate account of how armies were formed during the medieval period.   The King of  England’s professional, free standing army was still 200 years in the future.   The use of press gangs was in use  for Royal Navy recruits well into the 18^th century, even though the life of a British Sailor was far superior to the poverty that they came from.     As a historian, Shakespeare got quite a few details of the period correct.    Where did Shakespeare get his information about English history?

As I learned through my research of Richard III, Shakespeare relied on Sir Thomas Moore’s Chronicles for a background of the history of that period.   I am convinced that for the history of Henry IV, there are two main chronicles that Shakespeare most likely had for reference.   There is substantial evidence that the historian Rafael Holinshed’s The Chronicles of  England, Scotland  and Ireland published in 1587 (Holinshed) could have been of great influence.   Being the consummate history geek that I am, I spent a couple of hours of research time reading the actual 1587 volume available online from the Furness Collection.   Although difficult to read in the Elizabethan English, I was able to find real details of Holinshed’s account of Henry IV and his negotiations surrounding the battle of Shrewsbury.   Based on this Chronicle, I am convinced that not only did Shakespeare get much of the history correct; he probably got it from this chronicle.

There is  also evidence that Shakespeare used John Hardyng’s Chronicle for information to develop Hotspur’s character.   In a journal article for Shakespeare Quarterly, Gilian West proposes: “It is hard to believe that  Shakespeare did not read this autobiographical declaration linking John Hardyng to the household of Sir Henry Percy, for, in writing I Henry IV, he seems to have studied with keen interest Hardyng’s brief account of Percy’s rebellion”(West).   The author presents a compelling argument listing some of Shakespeare’s lines for Hotspur that directly relate to Hardyng’s Chronicle.  She goes on to state: “More important, the play’s interpretation of the rebellion seems strongly influenced by the favorably biased narrative of Hotspur’s loyal retainer.” (West)   I agree with the interpretation that this Chronicle would be a secondary source that Shakespeare probably used to bring Sir Henry Percy to life on stage.

I have found through my historical study of both Richard III and I Henry IV that Shakespeare expertly weaves actual historical facts into beautiful stories that entertained the Elizabethan audiences on his stage.   Being able to portray an epic battle scene such as Shrewsbury with character- driven vignettes is truly one of Shakespeare’s greatest strengths as a dramatist.   Shakespeare’s Histories are turning out to be more than just great plays; they are new portals for my ongoing journey as a History Major.

Information Britain.com. “The 21st of July 1403 Ad, Battle of Shrewsbury, Famous Dates in History”. 2007. 23 Jan 2010. web.

Holinshed, Rafael. Holinshed’s Chronicles (1587). The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland. Ed. Schoenberg Center for Electronic text and Image. London, 1587.

West, Gilian. “Hardyng’s “Chronicle” And Shakespeare’s Hotspur.” Shakespeare Quarterly Vol. 41, No. 3 (Autumn, 1990) (1990): 348-51.

History, history, history.   It seems that I have tended to point all of my latest assigned papers toward my love of all things historical.   Being a Non Traditional Student majoring in History, it just seems natural to me.   I will be spending the better part of this weekend writing a paper for my ENG 201 Shakespeare – early works class.   I posted about this a while back in Groundlings and Penny Stinkards discussing an off hand comment made by my Professor about some bones they found in the Tower of London.   Little did I know at the time, but that history tidbit he gave me sent me on a wonderful Historical research journey.   This has been happening to me a lot lately, I’ve been going off on these research voyages related to all of my classes except for Math (wonder why that is???).    Learning about all things historical has been a part of my make up since I was a child.   Now that I’m a Non Traditional Student, this little “quirk” in my make up has taken on a whole new meaning to me.   While researching this paper on Richard III and the skeletons of the “two princes” I surfed into a wonderful website and a new “history friend” on the internet: Tudor Stuff,  Tudor History From the Heart of England.    This blog is written by  Andrew Walsh and Victoria Taylor.   I found great information there,  not directly related to my subject of this paper, but a window into the period of time I am focusing on.   As usual, I was playing around with their links FROM this blog and found a Facebook Page for history geeks like myself about Tudor times in England.   And guess what I found on this Facebook Group, a post about my exact topic of this paper, Richard III and the Two Princes in the Tower.    I have been off on these little history voyages more and more since I have committed to my History Major.    Another area of research I have undertaken with this paper has been modern Forensic Archeology and what we could learn today if the Princes’ remains could be studied.    It opened up a whole new area for me to learn about.    No, I don’t plan to change my Major in mid stream, I have “lifelong goals to reach”.    I guess the main point of this post is, no matter what your personal goals are as a Non Traditional Student, it is important to remain focused on the “prize” down the road.   But, if your journey down that road has  a Tudor Rose growing by it’s side give yourself permission to stop and give it a sniff or two.