Parallels Of Faustus and Prosperos Use Of Magic

During my reading I noticed that just like Faustus, Prospero used his magic to just mess with the lives of others. Neither man used their magic to the fullest of their abilities. Faustus used his magic as we all know to purely mess with others. Like when he ate all that guys hay and what not. But Prospero is kind of doing the same thing here. He came to this island and enslaved the only other person (Caliban) on the island.. A person that was trying to help him survive and learn everything about the island and what it had to offer.. He constantly tortures Caliban for cursing and not doing his chores fast enough, when in all honesty Prospero could probably do all of these chores with a whoosh of his cloak. In Act 2 Scene 2 Caliban is verbalizing his anger for Prospero while collecting wood. When Caliban sees Trinculo he is so afraid that he cowers under his cloak believing Trinculo to be one of Prosperos spirits come to "torment" him. Both men could be using their magic to better others lives or their own, but instead use their magic to be obnoxiously cruel to others for their own personal gain.

Prospero's Values

At some point in the reading, I came to the realization that Prospero is one of, if not the first fictional characters that we've learned about that actually has some sort of support system: Family. This being said, I think because Prospero has family it changes what he values and how he uses his "magic". Family is such an important value to hold, it means that a persons not alone, they have someone to rely on and relate to. I think family can completely change your objective, you have someone looking up to you and even relying on you too. Prospero having better values than some of the the main characters we have read about before makes him a little more relatable and realistic to me. He doesn't seem like some far out, power maniac, he seems like a person.

A 2-year-old lawyer....? Nah that's not weird or anything

Okay, so why did they just blow over the fact that Merlin was only 18-months-old when he started to defend his mother in court? That's just not a normal thing that happens and people are only a little bit surprised. Also they really just let a two-year-old be his own mothers lawyer, cool.

A creature indeed

book 1.6- Margery's reaction to Pieta

"What aileth thee woman? Why farest thus with thyself? We knew him as well as thou."

This quote resonated with me the most after the readings. To me, it sounds ALMOST like a hint of jealousy. Not jealous that she has visions, but jealous of her relationship with God that she claims. It's fair to say that most people in this time were fearful of standing out, everyone is on edge, just one moment away from saying the wrong thing that will get you accused of a heinous crime. People were afraid, and to ease their minds, they had to weed out people that were different from them.

 I think Margery is in some ways, lucky. If it were anyone else having these visions, they would likely be accused of heresy. However, because of her status and continual acceptance of the Church's word, she was able to just slip by. The other church-goers can see the bigger picture of this. They see that Margery is (annoyingly) different. They want to know, why her? What makes her think she is so special that not only she gets to see visions from God but that she isn't persecuted for having these. Her having these visions almost gives her a sense of authority and right. She has been "chosen" as the one or one of the few to see these visions. So when she cries out in the church, what makes her experience different from everyone else.

As they said  "we know hm as well as thou", there were men and women that dedicated their lives to learning the life of God and they don't all see these Godly visions. So does her seeing visions suddenly make her more knowledgable or higher in some way? Through the eyes of everyone else, she shouldn't have the privilege of seeing God when she only knows him as well as everyone else.

The tears must keep flowing...

How did the Christian faith impact Margery?

After Margery turned her back to God “forsaken her Christendom, her faith and deny her God…”(384) why do you think she decided to go back to the Christian faith? How do you think this decision impacted her later in life.

“daughter, why hast thou forsaken me, and I forsook never thee?”(385)

Some opportunities were missed today ladies and gents

End of Scene 4 Act 7
When all of the people Faustus tricked/wronged are confronting him:

Mephostophlilis (Meph): Yo Faustus let’s have some fun with these guys? How about instead of growing hay we just make it come out of his mouth when he talks, haha yeah then he can’t complain about the hay you took well..ate...Or anything for that matter.
Faustus: nah, I’ll just make him dumb.
Meph: okay okay but hear me out, what if we make it so everyone that Dick sees looks/sounds like an Ape...?? Get it?? Because i turned him into and ape, classic.
Faustus:....um nah, I’ll just make him dumb too.
Meph: DUDE! Come ON! Okay, what about just TURNING this horse dude into an actual horse? That would be GOLD!
Faustus: Nope [charms horse dude to be dumb]
Meph: Seriously you do all this messed up junk and NOW you just want to ignore them? Just gimme the last guys (Robin) soul or even the soul of the hostess and I’ll be cool.
Faustus: [stares at Meph.. right into his eyes as he charms both the hostess and Robin to be dumb]
[END SCENE]

can't keep my hands to myself

Before summoning Alexander the Great, Faustus warns the emperor to not touch him since they're immaterial spirits. After being summoned, Alexander the Great kills some dude and salutes the emperor. The Emperor was so amazed by the summoning, he attempts to touch Alexander even though Faustus told him not to and that it could cause him great harm. Sorta like Nemo when he didn't realize the dangers of touching the butt.

Faustus` dream/ what could have happened

*Faustus in a dream*

Faustus: Mephistopheles, you cannot convince me. Hell is beneath me and I shall overcome it.

Mephistopheles: Faustus you're a fool. I live my hell everyday. Let me show you.

Faust. : Show me what you must but it won't change me.

*Mephistopheles opens a doorway to a future where Faustus will be the devil's servant*

*Faustus is surrounded by a burning world, a dark haze sits over the land as far as he can see, Lucifer sits high atop a pile of dead mortal bodies that he sees as his throne*

Faustus: I'm unfazed by this Mephistopheles, did you think this would bring me pity for my future?

*Mephistopheles is silent, bowed on one knee facing towards the throne. Suddenly Faustus is thrown to the ground, a rush of pain convulses over his entire body* 

Lucifer: You damned fool. Who do you dare think you are facing your boss on both feet? Do you, Faustus think a thing through your mind, or has the fire burned a hole through your skull.

*Faustus feels a slow drip of blood slide down his cheeks and into his hands. He reaches up to feel his head and slides his fingers over an empty space where his ears used to sit*

Lucifer: Now that gives you an excuse you haven't got a brain now have you? Now go on. Mephistopheles, make sure he gets a grand tour why don't you? 

*Mephistopheles nods and raises Faustus to his feet"

Faustus` thoughts race. He wants to speak but nothing comes out. He wants to turn around, but he has no control over his legs, let alone the rest of his body. 

Mephistopheles: I know what you're thinking, "why can't I control myself?" well, get used to it. Satan uses you as he wants. Your mind may be your own, but your soul and body belong to him forever.  You can say what he wants you to, nothing more. You'll get used to it right?

Faustus panics in his mind, but on his face he shows no emotion.

Mephistopheles: After a few thousand years it feels normal *laughs* Its what you always wanted!

Faustus tries to stay calm but mentally, he's unsettled. He pictures himself living in Hell for his years to come and he's overcome with grief and agony.

*Faustus wakes up in a panic*

witches are snitches

"After this her confession, she was committed to prison, where shee continued a season, where immediately shee accused these persons following to bee notorious witches, and caused them forthwith to be apprehended, one after another, viz. Agnes Sampson, Agnes Tompson, Doctor Fian..."(320) 48.

The Reasons for Torture

This past weekend’s chapter in Witchcraft in Europe had some of the most interesting documents. Yet, what stood out to me the most was not in a document itself but in the preface of document 48 “The Prosecutions in Scotland”. It is here that Kors and Peters point out that in Scotland, there is the “denunciation of one alleged witch extracted under torture from another accused witch” (318). This is further seen in the reading as it does not talk about trying to get names of other witches from those that were accused. Instead, every event of torture is coupled with interrogations on how they were set into a contract with a devil and how or what magic they have performed in their lives. This idea of not being able to use accusations that precipitate from torturing was shocking as it is against what I had always thought of. My viewpoint of witch trials was that those interrogating the witches were looking for the other witches in the community. They did not care why or how they got into witchcraft as they were already thought to be guilty. To them, they saw witches as knowing each other and the easiest way to find others without them causing harm to the innocent. Perhaps this was an idea unique to Scotland but still interesting as it leads me to the question of if you can question others accused by a "witch" if there was no torture inflicted upon him/her.

SandWITCHES

In the Jean Bodin passage the twelfth crime of witches is killing with poisons or spells that is distinct from other than violence. I feel that it could be confusing with people getting sick for many other reasons, even though I know that hygiene was not as bad as I originally thought before this class, people still get sick at pretty frequent rates from the food they consume. Many cooks and bakers should be at fault here for food bourne illnesses getting people sick and thinking that an enemy of them is a witch that poisons them because they were around them when they felt sick or died from the food. But also, I am surprised to not hear any stories of bakers getting accused of being a witch for killing some people, since they got sick over the food they consumed from their place of business and though that they did it on purpose. Now thinking about it bakers might've been able to kill people easily since there was no way of knowing they did it.

DO NOT get on a SINGLE persons bad side in the 16th century...

So during my reading over this beautiful weekend the part that stuck with me the most was the fact that anyone could just SAY you were a witch and that would be enough probable cause to have a full on investigation on your whole life. God FORBID if you had a couple pet lizards or some leftover chicken bones from dinner because now the "evidence" is stacking up against you. This was really unsettling because on page 295 it says,

"It is sufficient, therefore, to have strong presumptions to impose corporal punishment in such a revolting case, and up to but not including death. That is to say, beatings, amputations, brandings, life imprisonments, fines, confiscations, and other such penalties except banishment, unless the witch is confined to a particular place."

So this literally says YOU COULD LOSE A LIMB OR BE BRANDED LIKE FOREVER by someone having a "strong presumption" that you were a witch. But don't you worry they won't kill you, just some light maiming. I feel a little disturbed knowing if Agatha's husband dies after her neighbor tells him to go to hell that there might be a branding or even an amputation in the near future.

                                  

Remember the babies...

But Why?

"Morgan the goddess/ Therefore is her name;/ No one, however haughty/ Or proud she cannot tame." (2452-2455)

From the beginning of the book, the motive of the Green Knight had been a mystery, but these four lines give it away. It is not his plan to get his head cut off. Instead, it is Morgan le Fay's as a way to bring down the court of King Arthur, her half-brother. Through this quest she had put Gawain through she successfully took the king and his court down a few pegs and showed them they were not entirely what they had believed themselves to be.

Millennials Need To Learn From Sir Gawain .-.

"'... But I shall look at it often as a sign of my failing,/ And when I ride in triumph, recall with remorse/ The corruption and frailty of perverse flesh,/ How quick it is to pick up blotches of sin./ And so when pride in my knightly valour stirs me,/ A glance at this girdle will humble my heart.'" (IV 2433-2438).

This quote seems to bring the whole journey together. It is honorable that Sir Gawain is willing to literally wear his sin. He is able to take ownership of his failures and turn it into something that will help him and future knights stay true to all of their values. I respect Sir Gawain for owning up to his wrong-doings and taking the consequences as they come.