October 2018 – ENG 2850

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King Lear: Blog #1

King Lear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqL2DDXYoG0&list=LLXvWVHNOoXpWR_iQFdHLOrQ&index=22&t=0s

The video I chose shows a artistic project that is produced by the Goat Theatre on King Lear. It uses music as a way of telling a story. The video uses a combination of gestures, music, and words to bring forth the message of Shakespeare’s King Lear. It utilizes a variety of artistic elements such as sounds, color, clothing, and facial expressions to highlight the themes in the story. The video shows all of the characters wearing black articles of clothing. There is not a bright color in sight. I believe the producer is trying to convey the dark nature of the plot by using minimal colors in his/her work. It represents the theme of blindness and darkness in King Lear himself. He was blinded by his greed and arrogance that he did not see his daughters did not truly love him. He did not see how they “loved” him for his wealth.

I believe the digital user found the drama and suspense most appealing about King Lear. There is suspenseful and haunting music that plays in the background that sets the tone for the story. The drums that are being played as well as the chant like voices in the background represent the craziness and madness that Lear goes through throughout the play. The loud drumming sound also gives off a powerful sense since the characters are loyalty. The facial expressions the actors make give us a visualization of the emotions the characters go through. It allows the viewers to feel the emotions the characters in the play feel. The video brings Shakespeare’s play to life with the powerful dancing and loud, booming voices of the characters. The producer also uses minimal props and decorations to have the audience focus on the characters themselves and the emotion they are giving off. He/she finds the nature of King Lear most appealing. It was interesting to see how a piece of literature can be translated into something as artistic as a song.

Don Quixote- Blog #2

Don Quixote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLd4A4dZHbM

Don Quixote falls in “love” with a maiden named Dulcinea. He gives her the name Dulcinea because it sounds somewhat like a princess. The name has a soft and gentle sound as opposed to her actual name, Aldonza Lorenzo. They have never met and she may not even be real but Don Quixote insists that she is the reason he is fighting. He created her in his mind and describes her as a beautiful damsel who lives far away in a castle. He makes many comparisons of her features. He says, “for her hairs are gold, her forehead Elysian fields, her eyebrows rainbows, her eyes suns, her cheeks roses, her lips coral, her teeth pearls, her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory, her fairness snow, and what modesty conceals from sight such, I think and imagine, as rational reflection can only extol, not compare.” She is described as the ideal and perfect woman but in reality, she is actually a young woman who has manly features with a loud voice. She has the qualities that would be good for manual labor which is the exact opposite of how Don Quixote describes her. In the video I chose, the video producer decides to make a comparison between Dulcinea to Disney princesses. It was an interesting depiction of the characters, especially since the characters are very much like the story of Cinderella. Don Quixote is Prince Charming who only sees the beautiful princess who is elegant, beautiful, and wears fancy clothing. However, in reality, the princess (Dulcinea) is actually the opposite. The viewers can see similarities in all the disney characters and their plot. The story of Don Quixote is like a fairy tale movie. He is fighting for a princess, like a prince, and goes on a long, adventurous journey to try to get to her. However, unlike the fairy tales, they do not end up together. I believe the video is an accurate representation of his life because he made Dulcinea feel like a real character when she was just in his imagination. She is like the characters in fairy tales that don’t exist. His description of her perfectly aligns with Disney princesses. She is described as beautiful, virtuous, and overall perfect.