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Of the five major Shakespearean tragedies-Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo
and Juliet, King Lear, and Othello-King Lear is perhaps the most
challenging. Issues of rulership, family and blood, are overlaid
with bastardy, loyalty, lust, and deceit. Add to this the
apparently gratuitous on-stage blinding of Gloucester, the deaths
of Cordelia, Lear, Gloucester, and Kent, and one might be inclined
to agree with Samuel Johnson that "The good suffer more than the
evil, that love and suffering, in this play, are almost
interchangeable terms and the driving force of the action is
derived from the power of the evil to inflict mental agony upon the
good" (quoted in Kermode, 505). However, one would be mistaken to
accept wholeheartedly the happy endings of the eighteenth and
nineteenth century revisionists. While the pleasant ending would
certainly ease the sensibilities of the audience, it would omit the
Aristotlean concepts of hamartia and the purgation of fear and pity
attendant upon actually witnessing Shakespeare's King Lear, the
necessary catharsis, a possible scapegoat for our own emotions. Of
course, the ending is to some extent unpleasant and even shocking;
however, one can argue that the ending is organic to the play; the
ending IS, to a great extent, the play.
The Merchant of Venice is problematic. Not only does it present the
disparate and unrelated stories of the caskets and the trial for a
pound of flesh, but it challenges contemporary audiences to
evaluate the treatment of Jews and what constitutes justice. The
character of Shylock, although presented as an object of ridicule
and even comedy to Shakespeare's patrons, might even be considered
tragic to one sensitive to injustice. In fact the implied
definition of justice is challenging: what justice is represented
by a forced conversion from one belief to another? The definition
of friendship between Antonio and Bassanio is itself quite
satisfying; Bassanio at one point says he would sacrifice his wife
for the friendship (IV.i.292-97) which naturally Portia bridles at.
The character of Portia, herself, is also challenging. While
intelligent, rich, and beautiful, she behaves questionably when she
deliberately entraps Bassanio-her affianced lover-into ostensibly
betraying her by giving away her ring and then apparently treating
the whole incident as a joke. Surely Bassanio is entitled to a
modicum of resentment if not anger. Additionally, she entices
Nerissa to do the same with Gratiano. While this scene (V.ii) would
evoke great laughter from an audience who is in on the joke, to a
modern-thinking person, it smacks of sexism: ridicule the male at
his expense and make fun of him for his resentment. Of course, the
groundlings would pay no attention to such an offense. It seems
clear that The Merchant of Venice today demands re-interpretation
and re-definition.
Of the five major Shakespearean tragedies-Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo
and Juliet, King Lear, and Othello-Macbeth is in some ways the most
accessible. For one it is the shortest. For another the witches
continue to attract audiences just as they did during Elizabethan
times. In addition he cinematographic approach of the last
act-cutting easily from scene to scene-works as well as it did in
Shakespeare's time. Thus, the play is a natural to introduce
students to the Shakespeare canon. Probably it doesn't rival Romeo
and Juliet in popularity with students or Julius Caesar with
teachers, but nevertheless it is a finished, representative work of
the best of William Shakespeare. In addition the main
theme-ambition-one which is relevant to Americans today, can be
witnessed again and again, especially during our quadrennial
presidential elections. "I have no spur to prick the sides of my
intent," Macbeth muses; there are those seeking to attract the
public eye for whom this statement applies equally well. I cannot
say I enjoyed reading Macbeth the first time. It was an assignment
and, as do many students, I disliked having to read the play.
However, over the years of teaching the play and re-reading it-by
choice-I have come to regard the play with respect and
simultaneously admiration for the playwright. The play communicates
its own special numen. Macbeth is the most tightly unified of the
Shakespearean tragedies, and it is filled with major
themes-ambition, definition of character, allegiance to one's state
and king- and some which may be regarded as minor-sleep, drink, and
humor. None of them could be sacrificed as together they make a
unity of approach meant to satisfy the general audience and the
groundlings. As one who has a foot in both camps, I believe the
play is a masterpiece.
It is probably natural that a reader feel sympathy for Desdemona;
falsely accused, she suffers some of the most offensive
name-calling in all of Shakespeare. But it is also appropriate to
sympathize with Othello. He becomes malleable in the hands of Iago
who molds him to his own vindictive purpose, never disclosing his
reasons. Additionally, one should admire Emilia who is truly heroic
in her denial of the accusations against Desdemona, her resistance
to her husband's subjugation of her, and in her triumphant
realization of justice and punishment for wrongdoing.
Like many writers, I suppose I have an idealized picture of the
past, of my youth, when everything was green and golden and all the
calves sang to my huntsman's horn. All the potential was ours, all
that mattered was the immediate present, and the future belonged to
some non-threatening, never-to-be-achieved time when we might--God
forfend--actually get older. So here it is--my paean to my
youth--long gone--but never--oh dear Lord above protect us in our
innocence and naivete--never to be forgotten.
Alexandria Hodgeman represents a composite of many people I have
known, Catholic and non-Catholic, senior citizens and middle-aged.
Her search for definition--for the meaning of her life--I intend as
the type of search anyone ought to be pursuing, especially someone
who is eighty-nine years old. Her wisdom is the concomitant of her
advanced years. However, I doubt that she would permit me or anyone
else to call her old. Despite the challenges of advanced years, she
still thinks like a young person, remaining optimistic while
searching for answers.
Alexandria's life has been lived in service to others, despite
her lack of total awareness of this. She would modestly protest
against anyone offering her thanks or recognition, deserved though
they are. Although certainly not a model, Alexandria is intended as
a positive example of what one person can do, what one person can
accomplish for others while simultaneously serving her God.
To a contemporary feminist, The Taming of the Shrew is surely
anathema. A strong woman is shown to be easily manipulated and ends
up subjugated by a somewhat insensitive and boorish man. Yet,
despite the real objections, the play has been popular for
centuries in itself, in adaptations (Tamed and How, or The Push),
and a wildly popular musical (Kiss Me, Kate). Thus, one may be
forced to concede that there is an element here that transcends the
knockabout, slapstick humor. Something here, as in most of
Shakespeare, transcends the literal, causing audiences to continue
to enjoy the basic premise and the argumentum ad absurdum. In a
sense the contretemps between Petruchio and Katherine predicts the
antagonistic love-making of Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About
Nothing. Finally, despite their sexist natures, both plays are
intellectually and emotionally satisfying.
Much Ado About Nothing is a delightful play which pits two
intelligent, thinking people against each other, both of whom
protest against love (and each other), but who finally come to
embrace the other both literally and emotionally. The contretemps
between Beatrice and Benedick is emotionally and intellectually
satisfying, partially because the audience is included on the joke
but also because it is rewarding to see two strong, independent
personalities realize they are incomplete. The sub-plot of Hero's
accusation and final denouement is less satisfying as the
accusation is patently unfair. However, as Shakespeare reminded us
another time, all's well that ends well.
Among teenagers Romeo and Juliet appears to be the most popular of
the Shakespeare tragedies. Perhaps this is because of the age of
the protagonists. I suspect it is something far deeper than that,
however. The depth of passion evinced by both Romeo and Juliet is
familiar to most adolescents, and their isolation from the world of
adults is also recognized by contemporary teens. Capulet's ranting
when dealing with Juliet's nascent independence is no doubt
familiar to today's sons and daughters. Thus, it seems Shakespeare
continues to speak a universal language; this, I believe, accounts
for the continued popularity of the work.
The impetus for The Meditation of My Heart came fifty years ago
when I was awarded a scholarship to Creighton Preparatory School in
Omaha, Nebraska which I attended for just over a week. For it was
with some dismay that I discovered the life of the contemplative
was not for me. Although Sister Mary Teracita had tried to
communicate to me that a call to serve was not to be taken lightly,
that it demanded rigor both intellectually and spiritually, I
really didn't know what a call meant. However, my time as an altar
boy and lay reader has served me over these intervening years so
that today, perhaps, I do appreciate more fully the demands of a
life of service in the interest of religion. While such a life is
extremely personal, the contemplative also lives a life on public
display, an apparent contradiction one is forced to accept. I
admire anyone who can do this successfully.
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