Great Works I: Remixing Memory

For staters, a few scenes were altered in the storyline and some of the lines were removed. For example, Desdemona and Othello did not have any sex scenes in the play. They never had the chance to seal their marriage with all the events from the war with the Turks to the drama between everyone occurring. A few lines were removed but that may be due to the fact that, since it is a movie, those lines may not be needed because we can see the character’s facial expressions and actions. We can decipher what they feel or how they are processing the information around them. My favorite aspect of the movie is seeing the actor playing Iago. The actor did a great job playing such a sinister role. His single dialogues are where we are reminded of his true face. He blends in well with the rest of the characters and he hides his intentions well as he acts as a guide to Othello throughout his trauma. He even preforms a little ritual with Othello, proclaiming his loyalty to his as a “blood brother”, where they draw blood from their palms and shake on it. He also provides Desdemona comfort when she goes to Iago for help on settling her fears on what Othello accuses her of and calls her.

Passage:
Iago: Lines 69-75

“Call up her father,” “Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight,” “Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,” “And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,” “Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,” “Yet throw such changes of vexation on’t,” “As it may lose some color.”
This passage by Iago shows his true colors as a character. He is sneaky and intends to cause havoc for the family already by calling upon the father to inform him of his daughters doings. He is a servant to Othello but he shows no respect for him. His attitude towards the Moor are extremely negative. He is already developing his ideas on what to do to destroy Desdemona’s relationship with her father by destroying his pride in her and eventually he moves onto her relationship with Othello. He does not have any problem in involving himself in family affairs. This behavior continues throughout the play, the reader sees him constantly manipulating others to get the right outcome for himself. The reader should also be able to tell that he is going to be very dramatic about his plans of malice. He is aiming to hurt others with no remorse.

The Mihrab Tile is one of my favorite pieces from the collection. It is from the Ilkhanid period in Iran from 1206 to 1353, dated A.H. 722/A.D. 1322-23. It is stonepaste and painted under transparent glaze. This is a religious piece and the inscription translates to “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, and keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds; this is a reminder to the mindful.” It is supposed to face Mecca, which all prayers must be directed towards. The reason it is my favorite is because I find the colors, white and blue, very ascetically pleasing and just imagining the walls covered in these patterns adds more value to this tile.

One important fact I learned from this trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is that Muslims do not use literal figures in religious pieces. If you just see patterns and inscriptions, it most likely was found in a religious setting. One interesting thing was how they adapted the game of chess to their culture. They enjoyed chess and I believed played around religious settings, therefore, they had to adjust the shapes of the pieces. The pieces were very abstract but clear enough to distinguish what piece is what. Items that weren’t made for the mosque included animals and humans.

So far, I can make two connections between The Arabian Nights and the pieces in the Islamic collection. One is the constant repetition. I am used to their being repetition in stories but I feel like this book exceeds what I am used to. Everything from how each time a story starts and ends, the sisters and the King repeat the same thing. And also, you can see a lot of repetition in their art, since they mainly use patterns. The other connection I made was their reference to God or more so, the importance of religion in their everyday lives. A lot of these pieces had inscriptions devoted to God and in the book, they constantly make oaths to God and swear by him.

All the different translations were very interesting to read and I was hoping I would discover some sort of pattern amongst them. I am not sure what kind of pattern I was looking for but all these different translations made it seem like it was a puzzle to be solved. However, after reading all the variations, I did sum up three key differences. One thing I noticed about the poems is that some are more vague while others are more descriptive. For example, in Amy Lowell’s version, “Ch’ang Kan” she translates one of the lines as “Seeing them, my heart is bitter with grief, they wound the heart of the Unworthy One.” So much is going on here. The reading feels the wife’s pain and it is emphasized by her devaluing her since she is without him. On the other hand, if one takes note of the same thought translated by Ezra Pound (“The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter”) he states “They hurt me.” Okay. It is rather direct.
Another difference I took note of was how some translations of the poem were almost romanticized whereas others were simply recited. Again, I feel like Amy Lowell’s translation romanticized the poem by how it just flowed nicely. “Ch’ang-an Memories” by Wai-Lim Yip is the one that one would just simple recite, which could be due to it’s format. The last difference is how some translations are a lot more dramatic than others. For example, W.J.B. Fletcher states in “That Parting at Ch’ang Kan”, “Yet ah! the modest shyness that I felt!” and because of the way he worded it and the punctuation adds a flare to his version of the poem. One can compare that to Wai-Lim Yip’s version, as he states, “I seldom laughed, being bashful.” Both are descriptive but one is more dramatic than the other.
My favorite translation of “The Song of Ch’ang Kan” is by Amy Lowell. I like that she is very descriptive and I can feel the wife’s sorrow. And also, she romanticizes the story. As one reads along, they can feel the smooth rhythm.

http://library.artstor.org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8DNQZjU4ODA5Jy80fTJrKngqVXQteF95fQ%3D%3D&userId=hD1AfDwu&zoomparams=

Rama Goes to Forest

This painting depicts Rama saying his farewells as he is getting ready to leave his homeland to go to the forest due to Queen Kaikeyi’s wish. He is the one shown kneeled down, facing his father. His father has his eyes closed in despair due to his sons exile. Rama’s younger brother, Lakshmana, is behind him with his hands folded by his chest the way Rama’s are but he is standing. Lakshmana seems to be smaller in size, even though he is standing, compared to Rama. That could be due to age and the fact that Rama was the one who was meant to be King so he does hold greater importance. Their father is greater in size than both boys. The men around him, that are dressed in blue, are probably men of his council since they are of the same size as him. One of them could be Vasishtha, his spiritual mentor. However, the ones in green are the same size but they don’t seem to hold the same amount of value as the ones in green. One  of them is holding an umbrella, which could possibly mean they are close servants of the King. Also, they are not touching the King whereas the men in green are. The men in white around the King and his house are mot likely townsmen. They too are shown in different sizes so I am assuming that the townsmen of greater size is of higher class. The men on the floor seem to be the smallest in size and could be untouchables or slaves (definitely the lowest class in society). They both are covering their faces which demonstrates distress. A lot of the men seem to have at least one hand out, which could be a sign of respect for the family.

As I was reading the story, I pictured chaos around the family and kingdom. Lakshmana is furious when he hears of Rama’s exile and he says “Rama shall be crowned, and whoever comes in the war will be annihilated. Let the whole world come, I’ll destroy everyone who opposes, and pile up their carcasses sky high. I’ll seize the crown and will not rest till I place it on Rama’s head. This I’ll achieve this very day, this very day.” (pg 51) I can feel his anger through his words but he seems to be calm in the painting and accepting of Rama’s fate. He does not have much choice. Also, by the way Rama’s exile was spread and taken around the kingdom seemed to be more dramatic than shown in the painting. On page 50, we are given an idea of how dramatic this was, “What a moment ago had been a world of festivities had become one of mourning.” Also, I don’t see the anger the people feel towards Kaikeyi and her actions that is shown in the book. People of the kingdom would say “Kaikeyo-the red-lipped prostitute. We never suspected that our King was so lost in infatuation (…) The world has suddenly gone mad!” (pg. 50) Also, the crowd was described as suffocating on page 54. On the contrast, the painting shows more of an accepting but mourning environment.