Tammy’s Reviews > The Meaning of Shakespeare, Volume 1 > Status Update

AYLI V Touchstone is wit without love. Rosalind is wit with love (which makes me wonder if Jaques is without wit and without love). Rosalind may wear men’s clothes and acting like a man but she cannot change her nature. Goddard thinks she is the woman as a sweetheart that women (with sense) would like to be and that men (with sense) would like to have. She is Shakespeare’s Sun in contrast to his Saturn in Hamlet.

Goddard makes a good point about how loathesome Touchstone is. He wants to marry Audrey under shaky circumstances so that he can get what he wants and dump her. At first, Jaques steps in to give her away and then changes his mind. Although he is a cynic, even he is not able to stoop so low.

AYLI IV I keep seeing a lot of parallels between Emma and this play. In a way, Mr. Elton is like Touchstone in his snobbery and pride. Touchstone proves to be witty with words but he’s shallow. Audrey is like Harriet Smith--the plain, unpoetical girl who is dazzled by someone from court courting her. William and Robert Martin are alike except that the former does not get the girl.

AYLI III Now Goddard focuses on Jaques. I read and watched the play and I found him so annoying. At first, I thought it was the actor but it’s not. Jaques is supposed to be annoying. Goddard wonders if Shakespeare is reflecting on his own cynical views as a young man and asks “what if”? He thinks the famous seven stages of man is not all that and the arrival of Adam is suppsed to be the foil to Jaques’ foolishness.

AYLI II Based on what Goddard says I’m wondering if Shakespeare pulls a bait-and-switch. The play starts off with lots of words from a cynic and a fool--Jaques and Touchstone. Over the course of the play, Jaques becomes annoying and there is no increase of status for him. Touchstone turns out to be full of words but hollow. Rosalind eclipses both and seems to be the true Touchstone of the play.

AYLI I On the surface this pastoral romance is a contrast between court life and country life and 4/5 of the play is set in the latter. Goddard thinks that it’s not just the escape from the deceit and cutthroat tactics of court life and nature that causes the magic to happen. It’s the science of relations--people from different walks of life learning about each other. Rosalind is key to understanding.

R&J VIII Excellent thoughts on the actual happy ending!

R&J VII The source of fear is the devil. Fear of dishonor drives Romeo to kill Tybalt. Fear of plague prevents the message from being delivered to him. Fear of poverty drives the apothecary to sell the poison which was illegal. Fear of his contribution to the tragedy makes Laurence stumble. Fear of getting caught makes him abandon Juliet. Goddard is so observant!!!

R&J VII Why Shakespeare is a genius? Pestilence is the straw that ends the lives of Romeo and Juliet indirectly. Pairing lines about being a pilot during Romeo’s balcony scene and before drinking the poison. Pairing lines about haste by Father Laurence. His lack of haste prevents him from stopping Romeo. Then Juliet is betrayed a fourth time--Friar Laurence tries to do good but he leaves her at a critical moment.

R&J VI Last night, Steve and I were watching Mystery Science Theater 3K Hamlet. I realized that Hamlet has the funeral flipped to wedding, the reverse of R&J. Goddard mentions it here. Juliet is the sun, the stronger, more noble of the two. Romeo wavered; she never did. She was resolute in her decision to stay true to her holy vow of marriage. Also, the idea of nature (her parents) and nurture (Nurse) is questioned.