Monday, September 19, 2011

The Winter's Tale Act Four

S1: Time tells of the passing of years.

S2: Camillo desires to go home to Sicilia and expresses this desire to the king.
      1) He wishes to comfort the king.
      2) He wishes to die in Sicilia--It's home.
~ The king and Camillo talk of the princes absence and of a plan to disguise themselves to discover the truth.

S3: Clown on the way to buy spices runs into Autolycus who picks his pockets.

S4: There are festivities. The king reveals himself as have discovered Florizel and Perdita's affair the king curses      the Shepard to hang and Perdita's beauty to be removed.
~ With Camillo Florizel and Perdita conspire to flee to Sicilia.
~ Autolycus learns of the whole plan as well as the Shepherds plan to reveal Perdita's secrets to the king.  ~Hoping for some gain Autolycus decides to scam the Sheperd and Clown to Florizel and let him deal with what  they want to do.

Even here undone!
I was not much afeard; for once or twice 
I was about to speak and tell him plainly, 
The selfsame sun that shines upon his court 
Hides not his visage from our cottage but 
Looks on alike. Will't please you, sir, be gone?
I told you what would come of this: beseech you, 
Of your own state take care: this dream of mine,— 
Being now awake, I'll queen it no inch farther, 
But milk my ewes and weep.

Here again we have the conceit of dreams!  This longing desire for that which is not.  I love the line 'i'll queen it no inch farther'.  Here she has stated that she will give up this dream and give into the truth, the light of day, but in the same line mixes her fate with queen.  She still longs to see her future as queen her reality mixed with this dream.  In one line of words one feel the tumult of her soul as she strives to do what she believes to be right in the riot of what feels right.  What makes this work Shakespeare is the moment of great turmoil was not written --
Perdita. Life sucks. I'll be a milk maid and you a king.

From Shakespeare's words, prose, and poetry we get part in their dream and they in ours.

1 comment:

  1. i like how you built off of my post to go into another act and how living in another reality is still affecting people. Dreams can determine destiny for better or for worse. Perdita's dream, I'm sure will actually be for the better.

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