Looking to the Past

In Act IV of the The Tempest, Prospero decided to put on a masque to celebrate Miranda and Ferdinand's new union and to honor and bless them with fertility and happiness through the goddesses he has Ariel conjure. This masque involves Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, and Juno, the goddess of marriage. Especially in reference to everything we have learned and discussed in class, it is interesting that, at this time period when religion was such a big influence on peoples' lives and could result in their death, goddesses would be invoked in order to leave blessings on people, even if it was just for entertainment. It seems like a risky thing to do, but it also just seems out of place in this play. Similar to the appearance of Helen in Doctor Faustus, where this mythical figure of beauty is conjured in a similar way for entertainment, and then later on to give Faustus some comfort in his last days. Like in Doctor Faustus, this play already involves magical elements that definitely do not go along with what is believed in the Christian religion, but The Tempest also includes conjured goddesses giving marriage blessings to Miranda and Ferdinand for entertainment. I can't help but wonder at what point did using references to ancient gods and goddesses stop being blasphemous and start being accepted in forms of entertainment or works of literature?

A.) religion B.) magic C.)both

Prospero gives his blessing to Ferdinand but not without making a deal with Ferdinand. He makes Ferdinand promise to keep Miranda's virginity intact until the wedding. I always felt and saw this as a pretty stern christian belief/rule. However, we see a man who has strayed away from the church and entangled his life with spirits pushing this rule on another person. I believe this coincides with the class theme that religion and witchcraft aren't all that different. However, i think we assume most of the time that when we say religion we often think of Christianity. But in the text Prospero references Hymen. No this isn't referencing Miranda's hymen, he did that by saying her "virgin-knot". When he says Hymen he is referencing to Hymen the greek goddess of marriage. Which seems odd considering the time period . The way he says it makes it seem as if he truly believes in it too. I thought this was interesting because what if when we say magic and religion are similar, we don't just mean Christianity. What if magic was designed as a mixture of samples from other religions and beliefs and by doing this it creates more of separation between Christianity and other religions. It's meant almost to throw shade at other religions, thereby creating a stronger Christian following because other religions are similar to "magic and mysticism".  What if the idea of magic is really just a Christian marketing campaign gone bad. Which makes sense based on what we learned in class. We talked about how magic likely came about because things like infant mortality were happening and people needed someone to point at. So the idea of magic and mysticism was created by the church to help unite the people against a common enemy ("magic" more like other religions).

Spirits and Fairies

In the wedding between Ferdinand and Miranda, Prospero calls Ariel to summons spirits. Three spirits appear; Iris, Juno, and Ceres. These beings end up blessing the happy couple. This immediately made me think of the three fairies in Sleeping Beauty. They also gave gifts to Aurora, like beauty, musical talent, and for true loves kiss to break Maleficent's curse. 

Prospero the Puppet Master

"Dance Puppets, Dance!"

Prospero Talking to the Audience??

After reading the summary for the epilogue of scene 5, I realized that Prospero was talking directly to the audience. My question is why? Why does he talk to the audience and ask them to applaud him after the play is over, why not just go ahead and end the play there?

Merlin is a mad man

This song talks about being crazy. In the text Merlin goes a little coo coo for cocoa puffs and runs into the woods to live like a secluded wild animal.

So Margery Kempe and Merlin seem to be very similar

Okay, so recently we just read about Margery Kempe. I noticed quite a few similarities between her and Merlin. Somethings that one might not realize at first. First of all, Margery also went a little crazy, but it was after having her first child getting very sick and then having the tragic run in with the priest during confession and obviously her visions. During her time of insanity, she had to be chained to the bed and isolated. As I was reading this Vita Merlini, I noticed that Merlin too also seemed to go crazy after his experience in the war and also had to be restrained and coerced. Both of them seems to lose it after a traumatic event too. Merlin with the war and Margery with the traumatic birth.
The weird thing is that for Merlin, when he hears this music in the forest, he is instantly better kind of like when Jesus comes to Margery. Although the two things that come to these two people are different, it seems to give them that same feeling of ease and sanity.
Another thing that I noticed that was similar about these two was the fact that Merlin isolates himself in the forest and leaves his wife behind telling her to go ahead and find someone else to marry. In Margery's case, she doesn't leave her husband but she does stop sleeping with him and living with him and devotes herself to traveling for God.
Lastly, they are both given sorts of visions throughout their whole lives that can deeply disturb them. Merlin sees how people are going to die. While it might not explicitly say that this could have disturbed him from time to time I think we can assume it would disturb someone. And in Margery's case, she was seeing these visions of Jesus and his life and death, which at times could be a lot for her to handle hence all the crying.
Both of these people were not considered witches or wizards, but they both seemed to have powers beyond the realm of normal. I think this is an interesting thing during this time that some people would have been seen as witches and burnt at the stake for these same acts but these two are not.

How Much Does Merlin Really Know?

Since Merlin is a prophet, did he know that the queen was going to ask him how the boy dies while changing the boy's appearance 3 different times? Is that why Merlin spilt the boy's death into three prophecies and not tell him all at once?

That's Why They Call Me a Prophet

Before Merlin leaves to go to the woods he tries one last time to warn the boy of his threefold death that shall occur.

Merlin: (to young boy) Psssttt… come here.

Boy: What do you require of me now? The queen already made me cut my hair, change my clothes and dress up as a woman.

Merlin: I’m off to my life of wonderful solitude in the woods, but first I must tell you I was not kidding before, you must avoid high rocks, trees, and the river in your future for it shall lead to your death.

Boy: There’s no way you are correct about my death. King Rhydderech and the queen already proved you to be a fool.

Merlin: Fine, do not believe me, but I have seen your fate.

Boy: under his breath Fool

*Many years later*

Boy (now man): I think I will go hunting today… horse slips on rock and he begins to fall

Uh oh…

Merlin:

Queen of Peace

This song reminded me a lot of the conflict between Merlin and everyone who wanted him to stay in the castle and receive all of their gifts when all he really wants is to live in the woods, far away from their society. The lines in the chorus especially seem to relate to what Merlin is feeling and how he is just so overcome by his visions and everyone trying to make him stay is only driving him away more.

Chatting with Jesus and rally

Margery was going insane trying to throw herself out a window, and biting at her own wrists. Then John hired keepers to lock her up, Margery was chained up in that room for eight months. And boom, Jesus shows up chats her up and a miracle happens she is no longer insane. Then John believes that she is not crazy any more, and she gets to leave the room. Then she decides to get big into clothes and brewing, which is where I got a little confused with her journey. I felt that if a miracle happens to you by chatting with Jesus that suddenly makes you not insane, you don't decide to change up your look or start brewing beer. Unless for some reason Jesus decided to tell you to change up your look and start a brewing company, I highly doubt that but I have never had a vision. But anyways she did this while having a crazy amount of kids and surviving which is like a miracle in itself. I would think you would devote the rest of your life or give some time to the church or doing some religious stuff. But it took both of her businesses failing and Jesus himself to come down and tell her to devote herself to service. I just think that it shouldn't take Jesus telling you straight up go to church and devote some of your time to it, especially since he gave you multiple miracles already. Also you'd think that if you became tight with Jesus and God, which you are able to talk to already, by devoting your time to the church that more miracles would come your way. 

Jesus is Our Mother?

"And thus in our making God almighty is our kindly father, and god all wisdom is our kindly mother, with the love and the goodness of the Holy Ghost, which is all on God, one Lord. And in the knitting and in the oneing he is our very true spouse and we his loved wife and his fair maiden, with which wife he was never displeased. For he sayeth: "I love thee and thou lovest me, and our love shall never part in two." (NAEL page 378)

The two types of relationships Julian describes here are very interesting and I found it surprising that she wasn't condemned for saying that Jesus is a mother to all of us, who suffered for us in the same ways our mothers suffer for us. I also thought it was interesting how this Father and Mother relationship, with all of creation as their children, parallels what we think of as a familial relationship.

The Strength of Women

"Julian never hesitate to speak of Jesus Christ as "our mother." [...] In speaking of Christ as "our mother" Julian was merely likening the work of Christ to that of a mother. He gives birth to those who are "born again." Like a mother, he suffers for them before, during and after "delivery." He must patiently nourish, safeguard and instruct those who are born of him" (Julian of Norwich pg 3).

I find it interesting that both Julian of Norwich and Saint Hildegard of Bingen both regard important figures as women. Love is portrayed as a woman in Hildegard's song and Julian likens Jesus Chirst to a mother figure.

Why Live as an Anchoress?

After her series of visions, Julian decided to spend the rest of her life devoted to God, praying, and contemplating her visions. She also counseled many using her spiritual insight and book. It seems to me that she could have actively pursued spiritual life without living isolated in a small cell. What motivated her, and others, to live as an anchoress rather than out in the world as a member of society who shared God’s love?  

A Lack of Grand Magic

An overarching theme of this play is Doctor Faustus’s inability to take full advantage of the opportunity at hand. Faustus has sacrificed his soul to the devil in order to have full use of his own personal demon and his magic, yet he does not seem to choose particularly exciting ways to utilize this. This is highlighted in act four, scene five when Faustus sells a “horse” to a horse-courser, only for it to turn into straw when it encounters water. When the horse-courser returns in a fury and demands his money back, Faustus is ever amused, faking pain and screaming, “Stop him, stop him, stop him! – Ha, ha, ha! Faustus hath his leg again and the horse-courser a bundle of hay for his forty dollars” (4.3.47-49). Although it may not be ethical or wise to sell one’s soul to the devil, it does come with the benefit of having any deed you desire to come to fruition, and Faustus either has overlooked his power or simply does not understand it’s magnitude.

While Faustus never takes full advantage of Mephostophilis in acts three and four, the acts do start out bigger and gradually decline. For example, in the beginning of act four, when visiting the emperor, Mephostophilis creates spirits to resemble Alexander the Great, his enemy Darius and his paramour. Alexander conquers Darius and then embraces his lover: a scene that impresses Faustus’s host. However, in act four, scene seven Faustus is simply sending Mephostophilis to fetch ripe grapes for the Duchess of Vanholt. These actions are two examples that showcase the downward spiral Faustus’s magic and requests seem to be on.