Madison's Commonplace Blog

First of all, allow me to say this: scene 5 of A Midsummer's Night Dream  had me laughing out loud. The hilarious performance and the other characters' reactions to it provide for some serious comic relief, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this part of the play. However, Shakespeare blows us away once more by inserting profound remarks into the middle of a humorous scene as Lysander makes this statement: "It is not enough to speak, but to speak true" ( A Midsummer's Night Dream, 5.1.127-28) Recently I've been working on thinking about what I'm going to say before speaking, which may be the reason why this line stuck out to me as much as it did. So much of the time, the things that come out of my mouth are automatic. For example, a friend might be telling me a story and I'll insert an "oh really?" or "oh my goodness!" without really thinking about it, because I know that that's a reaction that friend is looking for. However, what...

As the chaos of  A Midsummer's Night Dream draws to a close, Theseus and Hippolyta reflect on the absurdity of the lovers' story of what happened that night in the woods. Although Theseus is in a state of disbelief and is remarking on the madness that love drives people to, he makes a statement that I found to be extremely relatable: "How easy is a bush supposed a bear!" ( A Midsummer's Night Dream, 5.1.23). My mind first turned to when I was a little kid (and still sometimes as an adult) and my imagination would make monsters out of clothing hanging in my closet or terrifying creatures out of shadows on the wall. Without even trying or wanting to, my mind would transform my safe environment into a fear-filled space that felt anything but secure. Although I can look back on these childhood experiences and recognize the silliness in my believing these imaginations, I realized when I read this line that this is still something I do all. the. time. Particularly in so...

This quotation is one that I had heard before, but I didn't realize it was written by Shakespeare. Amid all of the confusion that occurs during A Midsummer's Night Dream , the conversation (and insults) turns to pointing out Hermia's shortness, and Helena makes the cautionary statement: "And though she be but little, she is fierce" ( A Midsummer's Night Dream , 3.2.342). I find it significant that I had heard this line numerous times without ever having read or seen this play, because that means that enough people have related to this line to popularize it. Hermia takes offense at the references to her short stature, and yet Helena tells us that there is more to Hermia than meets the eye. I think that so many people want to be viewed as fierce and strong, but perhaps people also wanted to be seen as vulnerable. It is hard  to open up and allow others to see who we are on the inside, and yet this is something that all human beings crave. Another meaning that I ...

We may not know the answer to whether or not Gertrude ends up on Hamlet's side, but one thing is for certain: Gertrude speaks some beautiful lines. One such phrase that I noticed as I was reading Hamlet  came at a rather odd time - it is when Gertrude is describing Hamlet's madness to Claudius. "Mad as the sea and wind when both contend/Which is the mightier" is how she describes him ( Hamlet , 4.1.7-8). The first thing that I liked about these words is the way Gertrude gives a whole new perspective on a sea storm. I have never thought about a storm as a battle between the sea and the wind, and yet that is a perfect and poetic way to describe it. The second thing that I noticed upon deeper reflection of this phrase was the fact that we can find beauty in even the hardest, most confusing times. At this point in Hamlet , there is a lot of darkness. Polonius has just died, Ophelia is beginning to tumble into insanity, and Hamlet has never felt more alone. So why does the...

 One of my long-time favorite scriptures is Matthew 10:29-31, which talks about how sparrows are of no worldly significance, and yet God knows where each and every sparrow on earth is. Then it goes on to give the beautiful phrase, "fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." After relying on this scripture for many of my teenage years as a reminder of my self-worth, I was overjoyed when I came across the reference to this scripture in Hamlet.  "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow" ( Hamlet , 5.2.233-34). Reading this in the context of Hamlet  made this scripture even more interesting because of the tragic nature of this story, and particularly the theme of mental illness that runs through the play. As Hamlet's story draws to an end after so many reflections on "to be or not to be," I find it significance that he makes this reference, as if saying, "I may have no idea what is going on in my life, but God doe...

 In reflecting on the life of his sister, Laertes says something that I found interesting: she "stood challenger on mount of all the age/for her perfections" (Hamlet, 4.6.30-31). As is the case with many of the beautiful phrases in Shakespeare's writing, I didn't understand the meaning of this immediately, but the notes in the Folger edition clued me in to the praise that Laertes was offering his sister. "Her worth challenged all age to equal her excellence" is the explanation given, and with that I found myself thinking about heroes. The imagery provoked by Laertes' description of Ophelia rising above everyone else is one that inspires respect and awe for this girl, but I like the reasoning that the footnotes gives behind by Ophelia was able to do so: because of her worth . This was an idea that hadn't struck me before, but the more I think about it the more I think it must be true; heroes have to know their worth. Whether in the movies or a book or...