Madison's Commonplace Blog

 Something I have realized lately is that grief makes for really good poetry. Having someone to love is good, and we may want to occasionally express our feelings poetically, but it is when that love is taken away that we suddenly find ourselves needing an outlet for this love that does not know where to go. Perhaps this is why Hamlet has so many soliloquies throughout the play; his anguish over losing his father consumes him, and he has a real need to express it. One line from Hamlet that I found particularly poetic was, "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" ( Hamlet , 1.2.164). Hamlet serves as yet another demonstration of impossible love in Shakespeare's works. Although he is filled with love for his father, Hamlet is unable to do anything with this love,  because his father is dead, and so his heart breaks, like a dam that is destroyed by an overflow of water. This expression of having to hold his tongue stings as a stunning reminder of grief to those who h...

While Twelfth Night  is full of humor, lying, and confusion, it is also full of friendship, and I like to imagine that Olivia and Viola went on to become very good friends. On one such occasion, Olivia remarks on the goodness of Viola's friendship: "A friend like thee might bear my soul to hell" (Twelfth Night, 3.4.226). This statement of trust made me smile when I read it, because it made me think of the people in my life who are so loyal and good. Often, I don't show enough appreciation for these people. When I reflect on life's ups and downs, I see that what makes life not only bearable, but even wonderful, are the people that surround me with love, laughter, and joy. When school, work, health issues, and social struggles threaten to put me down, they are never able to do so for long because of the people  in my life that reach out and lift me up. This phrase by Olivia made me remember the importance of expressing my admiration for others. People need to know t...

At a moment when he believes he has been betrayed, Antonio makes a profound statement: "In nature there's no blemish but the unkind; None can be called deformed but the unkind" (Twelfth Night, 3.4.386-87). I've been thinking about beauty a lot lately. Last night, me and my roommates watched the movie Wonder, and I was reminded how much I love the message of that story. Even though the other children are somewhat scared of August's face when they first see him, those that give him a chance and actually talk to him find that August Pullman is a funny, nice person, completely normal and the same as everyone else on the inside. By the end of the story, Jack Will, Summer, nor any of the other kids who got to know Auggie would call him "deformed," because they have gotten to see who he really is. I frequently become way too concerned with how I look. I get annoyed at my nose for being unattractive or my hips for being too wide, and I fall into this trap of thi...

Under the guise of a man, Viola has a very interesting conversation with Orsino about love. Orsino believes that women cannot love to the same extent that men can, but Viola disagrees, claiming that as men, they prove "much in our vows but little in our love" (Twelfth Night, 2.4.130). I think this phrase can actually be applied to many of us, male and female; too often we are fair-weather friends, or we love only in word and not in deed. Lately I've been realizing just how much people need  friends and family. It isn't just nice  to have somebody to spend weekend nights with, or nice  to have people to come home to, it's absolutely necessary. For that reason, it is absolutely necessary to be a true friend. Saying that you are a friend and actually being one are two different things, and it is essential to be the latter rather than the former. Making someone believe you are their friend, and then not caring enough to truly commit to loving that person and being the...

So many of Shakespeare's wonderful expressions center around love, and I think that's because love is something that every poet, writer, and regular human being is trying to understand. One such phrase that I came across was when Viola was describing her love for Orsino, though under the guise that she was describing a friend's love. Says Viola, "She sat like Patience on a monument/smiling at grief/Was not this love indeed?" (Twelfth Night, 2.4.127). Some might argue that no, this isn't love. Smiling at grief? Being happy despite experiencing unrequited love? That's not real love. But I stand by Shakespeare on this and say that yes, this is in fact real love. Viola's words describe the fact that yes, she is grieving at the fact that her love is unreturned, but  she is happy that she even gets the chance to love. Perhaps Shakespeare is trying to teach us that real love does not require anything in return. Real love gives everything it's got, and if ...

As Viola is describing Orsino's love to Olivia, she says something that I found very profound: "Make me a willow cabin at your gate" (Twelfth Night, 1.5.271). Viola goes on, describing how Orsino will do anything for Olivia, but the part that captivated me most about her speech was this first line. I often hear the phrase "guarded heart," and I think that to some extent, everybody has a guarded heart. We do not allow people to see everything that is in our hearts, especially upon first meeting others. It takes time for us to open up and allow people to see who we really are, what we treasure, what makes us tick, what makes us human; what is in our hearts. And here, Viola is telling Olivia that Orsino would like Olivia to make him a willow cabin at her gate. Of course, there are many possible interpretations of this phrase, but I like to think about it as the gate to one's heart, because I think that's an excellent way to describe love. Love is allowing s...

As I was reading sonnet 116, I really enjoyed the phrase, "love is not love/which alters when it alteration finds." I am confident that I have so much to learn about love, but this  I know to be true. Real love is unconditional. Real love remains constant, even when everything around it is changing. I think that Desdemona exemplifies this well, as she continues to assert her love for Othello even as the world around them comes tumbling down and Othello renounces every bit of love he ever proclaimed for her. I think it's also important to recognize that this definition of love doesn't just apply to romantic love. In my relationships with my roommates, parents, siblings, leaders, and friends, I would do well to remember that even amid disagreements or challenges, my love for these people remains. If my love is conditional upon good circumstances or perfect everyday life, or even being loved back, then it is not true love. Real love does not ask for anything in return. R...

After reading only one scene about Sebastian and Antonio in Twelfth Night , I was able to get the sense that these are good, loyal people. A large part of that discovery comes from Antoni's final words in act 2, scene 1: "But come what may, I do adore thee so/That danger shall seem sport, and I shall go" (2.1.46-47). I love the sense of loyalty that I get from Antonio's words. If I had barely survived a shipwreck, I do not think that I would immediately decide to go marching off toward somewhere dangerous and filled with enemies. However, as the good and true friend that he is, Antonio decides to follow Sebastian into Orsino's court. I think that often, I am not this excellent of a friend. If my schedule is busy or life feels chaotic, my first inclination is not always to reach out to my friends. I am self-focused, and I do not always echo this refrain, "but come what may." I think this is a great lesson, and I want to be better about following Antonio...

Before doubt creeps in. Before tragedy strikes. Before love is lost. Before any of the wreckage begins in Othello , we get one of the most beautiful lines from Othello about Desdemona: "For she had eyes, and chose me." I think this is what all of us want. We want to be seen , and not for our outward appearance, not for what makes us better or worse than other people, not for our accomplishments, but for what makes them human. We all yearn for somebody who will see us as we are and embrace and love all of it, and that's exactly what Desdemona did for Othello. She heard his tragic backstory, saw the scars on his skin, recognized the years of good and bad in his eyes, and fell in love with it all. I honestly like to picture Othello as somewhat unattractive. Not horribly ugly or repulsive, but also not somebody who would ever be expected to catch the eye of somebody as high-ranking as Desdemona. And yet, she looked past what she saw on the outside, and she chose him for what ...

There are many instances when I am grateful to be reading the Folger editions of Shakespeare's plays, such as when I have no idea what a word or phrase means, and the side notes kindly help me understand what in the world I just read. I am particularly grateful for these side notes when they help me understand a beautiful phrase which I wouldn't have appreciated otherwise. When I came across Othello's declaration (speaking of Desdemona) that, "And when I love thee not, chaos is come again," (3.3.101-02) I somewhat understood it the first time. I understood this to mean that Othello's life would be chaotic and wrong if Desdemona was not in it. However, reading the side note was what made me truly fall in love with this phrase. The side note explains that "in classical mythology, only love prevents the universe from falling back into primordial chaos." With this new understanding, I realized the depth of what Othello is saying here; his expression of l...

 This line comes from dialogue between Emilia and Desdemona in Othello . They are discussing Othello's recent and unexpected anger towards Desdemona, but even as the two discuss the idea of how Desdemona might have been better off if she had never seen Othello, Desdemona expresses that she still loves Othello: "My love doth so approve him/That even in his stubbornness, his cheeks, his frowns... have grace and favor in them" (4.3.20-22). Even though Othello has hurt Desdemona for something that she is not even guilty for, Desdemona cannot forget her love for him, because she truly loves him. I think this shows a critical difference between Othello and Desdemona; Othello, believing Desdemona to be unfaithful only because of rumor, acts brashly and rudely towards Desdemona. Desdemona, on the other hand, has a substantial, tangible reason to be angry and upset towards Othello, and yet the love she has for him doesn't simply diminish as a result of his anger. I think this ...

One of my favorite parts of Much Ado About Nothing was when Beatrice was tricked into believing that Benedick loved her. Immediately after hearing Ursula and Hero discuss Benedick's affections for her, Beatrice decides she must leave behind her former contempt and maiden, pride, because such things are not as glorious as the possibility of love. My favorite line (in act 3, scene 2) is line 117: "And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee." This is a softer side of Beatrice, a side that, up until this point, we have not been able to see. This decision to requite Benedick's love may seem sudden and impulsive, like an infatuation that will quickly disappear. However, I think that Beatrice's love is actually much more than this. Perhaps the harsh words and quick tongue that Beatrice displays throughout Much Ado About Nothing  are actually walls that Beatrice has built up around herself to prevent any further heartache than she has already experienced. We learn from B...

 In act 5, scene 2 of Much Ado about Nothing,  Benedick tells Beatrice, "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably." This quote struck me as odd the first time I read it, and I re-read it a few times to try to understand what Benedick means by this. He says it after having a conversation with Beatrice about loving against one's will, a conversation that is, as usual for Benedick and Beatrice, full of wit. I think this is one of the reasons I love Beatrice and Benedick's relationship as much as I do; they are so different from the classic fairytale story of love at first sight and perfect romance for the entire relationship. I love this because it is so real . No relationship is flawless right from the start, no relationship is free from an argument or difference of opinion. And yet, although managing a relationship is different than the classic fairytale version we hear about in books or see in movies, I think that makes it more rewarding in the end. Sure, Beatrice and...