Act 5 Fallout

After finishing King Lear, I can honestly say I've never been happier reading literature than when Goneril and Regan die. They have got to be two of the most annoying characters (besides any character played by Nicolas Cage) that I've ever witnessed, and all I can say is I'm glad that they ended up biting the dust. From the start of the story, it was frustrating seeing them manipulate their father while conspiring to take over the kingdom, and my annoyance only grew when I saw them portrayed as old, unattractive hags in the movie. I found it ironic that the two ended up dying over Edmund, especially considering that their original intent was strictly gaining land. As is the case with many downfalls, emotions often get in the way, and this was true in this case...As for Cordelia, it was pretty obvious that she wasn't making it out of this one alive. After all King Lear is a tragedy, and there was just no way she could have survived considering she was the most  honorable character in the play. The one character that surprised me in the end was Kent. As honorable and trustworthy as he had been towards Lear, I would have thought that he would have ended up dead as well, but it was interesting to see him come out alive. Overall, I thought the ending was fairly predictable with a few exceptions, but all in all I enjoyed the finale.

King Lear: Bad to Worse

After getting into act four, one recurring theme that seems to stand out to me is how the story is moving closer and closer to being a true tragedy. For most of the "good" characters in the story, things are dramatically going from bad to worse, and the reader can only assume its a matter of time before Lear's kingdom is torn completely to shreds. For Lear, this was seen a little earlier on in his arguing with Goneril and Regan about how many knights he can have while at their castles. Instead of reaching an agreement however, he was instead banished and forced to wander around in the storm with his fool. As for Gloucester, situation takes an incredible turn for the worse when he is convicted of assisting King Lear. As punishment, he is blinded by an enraged Cornwall, then banished. While Kent suffers no physical damage in this section of reading, you could say that his feelings of despair only grow when he sees Lear start to lose it mentally and his companion Gloucester without his eyesight. For Edmund, it seemed that he thought his troubles had reached their height when he saw how bad Lear was doing after being betrayed by his daughters. His problems only escalade though when he sees his blinded father being led by a servant. Gloucester sums up this theme well when he says,"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport." He is showing that a state of total disorder is almost at hand, and there is little anyone can do now to stop Goneril and Regan. Through these events (and the ones to come) it is clear that this story is quickly shaping up to be a prime example of a tragedy. 

The Unrewarded Courage Seen in Kent

After finishing most of act two of King Lear, there have been several situations so far that have led me to automatically take sides regarding the conflict of the story. While at first I saw myself sympathizing with Edmund for being the rejected son who his father makes fun of, my views towards his character have drastically changed after seeing his actions against his brother. While Gloucester had made fun of Edmund (apparently a number of times), the text provides no evidence of Edgar treating his brother poorly. For Edmund to lead his father into banishing his own son for no reason seems to be more cruel towards Edgar than Gloucester, and for this, it is clear that Shakespeare intends Edmund to be one of the major villains in the entire story.
On the other side of the spectrum, I would have to say that I have been most impressed with the character qualities shown by Kent. From the beginning of the story, it appears that Kent is one of the finer men that Lear has as a friend, and his actions thus far have only confirmed this. After standing up for Cordelia in Act 1, Kent is banished unfairly by King Lear. Instead of being angry towards his king however, Kent puts himself at an even greater risk by dressing up as a peasant in order to remain a servant of Lear. While anyone else would have wanted nothing to do with Lear, he stood up for his friend and refused to abandon his loyalty towards the king. His loyalty is even further tested when he picks a fight with Oswald who had previously disrespected Lear. Because of this, he puts not only his identity at risk, but his life. As a result he is placed in the stocks as punishment, all for someone who had betrayed him. Through these examples from the text, it is clear in my mind that Kent has undoubtedly shown the most courage and integrity of all the characters thus far.

Comparing/Contrasting Sunjata to Gilgamesh and Rama

After finishing the epic of Sunjata, there were several things that stood out to me that seemed to closely resemble both The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Ramayana. First, Sunjata (just like Gilgamesh and Rama) goes on an epic journey after being exiled from his home. As seen in the first two epics we looked at, it is clear that this journey is not so important except other than to show how great and mighty Sunjata is. Like in the Ramayana, Sunjata's father is king over his people, and through an unfair ruling in determining who will take the throne, Sunjata and Rama both are forced to wait to fulfill their duties as kings. While Sunjata appears to be slightly more in control and well-behaved than Gilgamesh, he falls short of Rama's near-pefect personality. We are often seeing him become angry at others, and his decision making is sometimes questionable (i.e. cutting strips off his own calf in order to feed his companion). After observing his behavior, I would say that Sunjata's character as an epic hero falls right in between Rama and Gilgamesh. Some major differences also stood out between Sunjata and Gilgamesh. First, while Gilgamesh starts out as ruler over his people, Sunjata is forced to complete several tests before he is made king. Also, unlike Gilgamesh, Sunjata is born a cripple and only gets stronger as time passes. As for Gilgamesh, he starts out strong and later becomes weakened when his companion, Enkidu, is killed. One last difference that stood out to me was how little the "gods" were involved with the plot compared to The Epic of Gilgamesh. While the story was filled with demons and superstitions, it seemed as if supreme deities played a very insignificant role in the story throughout.

The Tale of Ginji: Chapter 4

While finishing chapter four, there were several things that stood out to me regarding Ginji's characteristics. First of all, I think it is interesting how Ginji appears to be nearly a polar opposite compared to the men  discussing women in the first couple chapters. While these characters held that all women have certain flaws that make them undesirable, Ginji obviously thinks differently, as it seems that he is making the most of every opportunity he has to get with girls (and as seen in last week's reading, a young boy). So what is the reason for Ginji's rather rushed actions when it comes to pursuing others romantically? From what we have read so far, it would seem that he has uncontrollable passions that he very rarely says "no" to. The best example of this occurs with the governor's wife and her little brother, but it is also seen in chapter four with the "daughter of the farmer." Unlike in the case with the governor's family however, it just so happened that this lustful affair ended with some much heavier consequences. As a result of his immature actions, the young girl ends up dying in her sleep, provoking extreme sadness in both Ukon and Ginji. Above this, what really bothered me about the situation was Ginji's response to her death. Instead of showing regret for his actions, he tries to act noble and honorable, saying that he must look upon her beautiful face again. The fact of the matter is that SHE IS DEAD. It is Ginji's fault; there is nothing he can do to change that, and because of him a young girl's life has been cut short. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure there is nothing honorable about that.

The Dove's Necklace

After reading all the Courtly Love poems, I think that my personal favorite would be The Dove's Necklace by Ibn Hazm. The first thing that stood out to me was the fact that even though this poem was written almost a thousand years ago, it still has many applications and examples that can be seen in today's culture. At one point, the speaker talks about how lovers often take "extreme delight" at the sound of their love's name being spoken. Another example comes when Hazm describes how someone will "love his beloved's kith and kin and the intimate ones of his household, to such an extent that they are nearer and dearer to him than his own folk, himself, and all his familiar friends." This, like several other examples that Hazm provides, is extremely accurate in the way I have seen relationships take place in my lifetime. Just recently one of my good friends started dating a girl he met last year, and since they first took interest in each other, it seems as if he has spent more time hanging out with her family than his own. I guess the reason this poem came  as such a surprise to me is due to the fact that my mental picture of romance in the 10th and 11th century was entirely different from what we see today. I thought that marriages back then were based more on social status that actual feelings for the other person, but obviously I was wrong in thinking this. It really is interesting to think of how consistent and persistent love is as it has been passed along through hundreds of years of culture and tradition. For these reasons and my ability to relate to its examples, The Dove's Necklace was undoubtedly my favorite.

The Book of Margery Kempe

After reading the section from The Book of Margery Kempe, I must say that I found myself siding with her husband. In the beginning when Margery becomes "possessed" by devils and her own wickedness, her husband never leaves her side. While he could have become embarrassed and ashamed of his wife, he remained faithful to her, even when no one else would. From this situation, it is obvious that he can be characterized as an extremely patient and composed individual. He could have completely freaked out at the situation (like most people would do), but instead he refused to give up on Margery. Even when she is locked up due to her violent behavior, he is one waiting with the keys when she gets over her hysteria. Another example of his patience and understanding comes when Margery decides to start her own enterprises through ale and grain production. Instead of ridiculing her for her attempts, he remains supportive and lets her do her own thing. It is not until Margery decides that she no longer wants to sleep or eat with him that he decides that enough is enough. He finally stands up for what he feels like is an unfair situation, and for awhile gets Margery to at least eat with him on Fridays. Even this shows his patience, as most men of his day would not even consider ceasing to sleep with their wives. All this to say, I find Margery's husband the one who readers should sympathize with, and while I respect where she is coming from, I believe that Margery takes her beliefs a little too far.