After reading the bloody chamber, I thought...
This is a great website. http://www.gradesaver.com/the-bloody-chamber/study-guide/major-themes/
Friday, 7 September 2012
Pope vs Bishop
Protestants believed that the Church as an institution
could not grant salvation- only through a direct personal relationship with
God (achieved by reading the Bible) could the believer be granted such. Many
scholars argue that this emphasis on a personal, individual connection with God
spawned the modern emphasis on individualism in those cultures affected by
Protestantism. On the other hand, some Protestants also believed that after the
Fall of Adam in Eden, human nature was totally corrupted as far as human
spiritual capabilities were concerned. (Early Protestantism's emphasis on human
depravity distinguishes it sharply from Renaissance Humanism.) Humans therefore
are incapable of contributing to their salvation, for instance through good
deeds- it could only be achieved through faith in God's grace. Overall, there
is a good deal of ambivalence regarding many of the Protestant positions, and
in fact the disagreement among the many Christian sects may be precisely what
distinguishes Renaissance from Medieval religion.
What is the audience supposed to think of Faustus?
DO NOT CRITICISE THE SPELLING. MY KEYBOARD IS WONKY.
The chorus creates a non-judgmentally basis for the audience as throughout the opening, it says "to patient judgements" and insinuates that there may be an unexpected ending, and to hold off on making judgements until that pouint. Towards the end of the opening, the chorus removes the inevitability of Faustus' judgement, which makes the audience wonder about Faustus and believe rthat he has an air of mystery about him. The chorus also makes the audience reserve judgement by not telling them the ending of the play- something that would usually be done in an opening. This creates suspense and furthers the audiences uncertainty around Faustus.
Secondly, the audience is supposed to believe that Faustus has sinned "falling to a devilish exercise" but mustn't be judged because there is a possibility that the reason for that sin "glutted now with learnings golden gifts" is not his fault. This makes them sympathise with Faustus, but also makes them doubt him, as during the time that this play was written, religion and sinning was a serious matter. However, Marlowe suggests that the sinning was not due to Faustus' negligence, but rather due to the Gods in heaven "heavens conspir'd his overthrow" which throws the audience as before Marlowe, no one really questioned the authority and goodness of the heavens. This all adds up to make the audience concerned for Faustus, but also wary of him.
Cleverly, the chorus says "Now is he born" which creates an automatic bond between the audience and Faustus, as when an audience can imagine knowing a character since he or she were born, they are more likely to empathise with them. Telling the detaikls of Faustus' personal life, "In Germany, within a town called Rhodes" helps create a companionship between the audience and Faustus, which makes the audience innately assume that whatever Faustus has done should not be worth exiling him for. Also, having the details of his social class spoken about "his parents, base of stock", helps the audience to relate to Faustus, as the majority of the audience would have been in the lower class. This, undoubtedly makes the audiences' opinion of Faustus grow higher, as they are connected further.
Another reason for having high thoughts of Faustus is that the chorus tell them that he is an educated man, in the subject that they would all have praised him for- Theology. The script reads "profits in divinity" whivh insists that Faustus worked hard during school, and so is admirable to the audience. He also is told to be "grac'd with a doctors name" which was quite an accomplishment at that time, and that he was so brilliantly intelligent that he even got a "scholarism grac'd". This makes the audience respect him and understand that he is a knowledgeable man, surely unworthy of committing such a great sin. As well as that, the fact that he has a doctorate in theology suggests to the audience that he is a superb believer in the heavens and so would do well not to disturb them.
HOWEVER, the audience may doubt Faustus because he is noted to have a connection with hell, as further down the opening, it says "Nothing so sweet as magic to him" which, at the time, was an unthinkable thing. It meant that he was into witchcraft and other unrespectable things, so in that case the audience were best to be wary of him.
The chorus creates a non-judgmentally basis for the audience as throughout the opening, it says "to patient judgements" and insinuates that there may be an unexpected ending, and to hold off on making judgements until that pouint. Towards the end of the opening, the chorus removes the inevitability of Faustus' judgement, which makes the audience wonder about Faustus and believe rthat he has an air of mystery about him. The chorus also makes the audience reserve judgement by not telling them the ending of the play- something that would usually be done in an opening. This creates suspense and furthers the audiences uncertainty around Faustus.
Secondly, the audience is supposed to believe that Faustus has sinned "falling to a devilish exercise" but mustn't be judged because there is a possibility that the reason for that sin "glutted now with learnings golden gifts" is not his fault. This makes them sympathise with Faustus, but also makes them doubt him, as during the time that this play was written, religion and sinning was a serious matter. However, Marlowe suggests that the sinning was not due to Faustus' negligence, but rather due to the Gods in heaven "heavens conspir'd his overthrow" which throws the audience as before Marlowe, no one really questioned the authority and goodness of the heavens. This all adds up to make the audience concerned for Faustus, but also wary of him.
Cleverly, the chorus says "Now is he born" which creates an automatic bond between the audience and Faustus, as when an audience can imagine knowing a character since he or she were born, they are more likely to empathise with them. Telling the detaikls of Faustus' personal life, "In Germany, within a town called Rhodes" helps create a companionship between the audience and Faustus, which makes the audience innately assume that whatever Faustus has done should not be worth exiling him for. Also, having the details of his social class spoken about "his parents, base of stock", helps the audience to relate to Faustus, as the majority of the audience would have been in the lower class. This, undoubtedly makes the audiences' opinion of Faustus grow higher, as they are connected further.
Another reason for having high thoughts of Faustus is that the chorus tell them that he is an educated man, in the subject that they would all have praised him for- Theology. The script reads "profits in divinity" whivh insists that Faustus worked hard during school, and so is admirable to the audience. He also is told to be "grac'd with a doctors name" which was quite an accomplishment at that time, and that he was so brilliantly intelligent that he even got a "scholarism grac'd". This makes the audience respect him and understand that he is a knowledgeable man, surely unworthy of committing such a great sin. As well as that, the fact that he has a doctorate in theology suggests to the audience that he is a superb believer in the heavens and so would do well not to disturb them.
HOWEVER, the audience may doubt Faustus because he is noted to have a connection with hell, as further down the opening, it says "Nothing so sweet as magic to him" which, at the time, was an unthinkable thing. It meant that he was into witchcraft and other unrespectable things, so in that case the audience were best to be wary of him.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Song meaning. What do YOU think?
(What? Who me? What?)
Feet, don't fail me now
Take me to the finish line
Oh, my heart it breaks
Every step that I take,
But I'm hoping at the gates,
They'll tell me that you're mine
Walking through the city streets,
Is it by mistake or design?
I feel so alone on the Friday nights
Can you make it feel like home,
If I tell you you're mine?
It's like I told you, honey
Don't make me sad,
Don't make me cry
Sometimes love is not enough,
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep making me laugh,
Let's go get high-
The road is long,
We carry on,
Try to have fun in the meantime
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, choose your last words
This is the last time
'Cause you and I,
We were born to die
Lost but now I am found,
I can see but once I was blind
I was so confused as a little child
Tryin' to take what I could get,
Scared that I couldn't find
All the answers, honey
Don't make me sad,
Don't make me cry
Sometimes love is not enough,
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep making me laugh,
Let's go get high-
The road is long,
We carry on,
Try to have fun in the meantime
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, choose your last words
This is the last time
'Cause you and I,
We were born to die
We were born to die,
We were born to die
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, don't make me sad,
Don't make me cry
Sometimes love is not enough,
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep making me laugh,
Let's go get high-
The road is long,
We carry on,
Try to have fun in the meantime
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, choose your last words
This is the last time
'Cause you and I,
We were born to die,
We were born to die
I've tried to work out what these lyrics mean. In the music video, it ends with Lana dying in her boyfriends arms, but I think they were both trying to die. From my own knowledge I know that she had drink and drug problems, so maybe this has some contribution to the meaning of the song. I do think there is something to the religious references in the song, but I think they are meant to be a product of her turning to her faith when contemplating this doomed relationship. I think, like others, that "born to die," is meant to mean that their relationship was doomed from the beginning. I think she has realized what she wanted from a relationship, and it's not this guy (hence the "lost but now I am found" verse). But it is hard for her to accept it, perhaps because of all the fun times they've had, and so the whole song is coming from a very contemplative standpoint.
In the chorus, I think she's asking him not to talk seriously with her about their relationship because it's too depressing (don't make me sad, don't make me cry). She wants it to stay simple, she doesn't want to think about the fact that it probably won't work out (keep making me laugh, let's go get high). I think the "love is not enough" line suggests what she's realized, that no matter how strongly they feel about each other it just won't work out.
This is just an idea of mine but I'm curious of what ideas you have too :)
Feet, don't fail me now
Take me to the finish line
Oh, my heart it breaks
Every step that I take,
But I'm hoping at the gates,
They'll tell me that you're mine
Walking through the city streets,
Is it by mistake or design?
I feel so alone on the Friday nights
Can you make it feel like home,
If I tell you you're mine?
It's like I told you, honey
Don't make me sad,
Don't make me cry
Sometimes love is not enough,
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep making me laugh,
Let's go get high-
The road is long,
We carry on,
Try to have fun in the meantime
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, choose your last words
This is the last time
'Cause you and I,
We were born to die
Lost but now I am found,
I can see but once I was blind
I was so confused as a little child
Tryin' to take what I could get,
Scared that I couldn't find
All the answers, honey
Don't make me sad,
Don't make me cry
Sometimes love is not enough,
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep making me laugh,
Let's go get high-
The road is long,
We carry on,
Try to have fun in the meantime
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, choose your last words
This is the last time
'Cause you and I,
We were born to die
We were born to die,
We were born to die
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, don't make me sad,
Don't make me cry
Sometimes love is not enough,
And the road gets tough, I don't know why
Keep making me laugh,
Let's go get high-
The road is long,
We carry on,
Try to have fun in the meantime
Come and take a walk on the wild side,
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
You like your girls insane
So, choose your last words
This is the last time
'Cause you and I,
We were born to die,
We were born to die
I've tried to work out what these lyrics mean. In the music video, it ends with Lana dying in her boyfriends arms, but I think they were both trying to die. From my own knowledge I know that she had drink and drug problems, so maybe this has some contribution to the meaning of the song. I do think there is something to the religious references in the song, but I think they are meant to be a product of her turning to her faith when contemplating this doomed relationship. I think, like others, that "born to die," is meant to mean that their relationship was doomed from the beginning. I think she has realized what she wanted from a relationship, and it's not this guy (hence the "lost but now I am found" verse). But it is hard for her to accept it, perhaps because of all the fun times they've had, and so the whole song is coming from a very contemplative standpoint.
In the chorus, I think she's asking him not to talk seriously with her about their relationship because it's too depressing (don't make me sad, don't make me cry). She wants it to stay simple, she doesn't want to think about the fact that it probably won't work out (keep making me laugh, let's go get high). I think the "love is not enough" line suggests what she's realized, that no matter how strongly they feel about each other it just won't work out.
This is just an idea of mine but I'm curious of what ideas you have too :)
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