Summary
The scene opens at the home of Antipholus E., where his wife Adriana (I love that name) is upset that her husband is not home, and her sister Luciana is trying to console her. Luciana’s take on the situation is that Adriana needs to understand that a man’s domain is outside the home, in the large world, where his sphere is broad and his concerns are many. This is in accordance with the example of nature, and Adriana should content herself to serve her husband so he can fulfill his ordained station. Adriana says her sister, unmarried, has no standing to make such and assertion.
Dromio E. enters, and explains that he delivered Adriana’s message to her husband (who was not her husband), and was beaten for his troubles. Adriana orders Dromio E. back to her husband to fetch him home. He refuses, as he doesn’t want to endure another whoopin’ at the hand of Antipholus. Adriana is angered, and administers the whoopin’ he had hoped to avoid. He exercises the only defense available to him – he puts distance between himself and her.
Adriana admits to Luciana that she is insecure in her marriage, fearing that her looks have faded and thus driven her husband to the company of other women.
Commentary
This scene is full. It is philosophical, comical, and touching. Adriana feels detached from her husband, as she is ignorant of his activities. Dromio E.’s report only heightens her pain. Who can blame her for thinking that perhaps her husband has drifted into unfaithfulness? And while Luciana’s argument is commendable, she is indeed speaking from ignorance; she can not know what Adriana is going through. Still, her speech is lovely, and if a man knew that his wife felt that way about him, then he would be moved to greater affection for her, unless he be heartless. There is nothing wrong with what Luciana says – although I can easily imagine latter-day feminazis savaging her.
Ignorance is the most prominent element of this play. Adriana is ignorant of her husband's activities; Luciana is ignorant of Adriana's situation; everyone is ignorant that two sets of twins are in the same location; and everyone is ignorant of Egeon's presence.
Some of my favorite lines in this scene:
“Why, headstrong liberty is lashed with woe.” (2.1.15)
“Ere I learn love, I’ll practice to obey.” (2.1.29)
“Patience unmoved! No marvel, though she pause;
They can be meek that have no other cause.
A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry.
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more we should ourselves complain.” (2.1.32-37)
I also like Adriana’s speeches in 86-100 and 102-114. This poor woman is suffering. Finally, I appreciate how Shakespeare has Adriana and Luciana speak to each other in rhymes. To me, it’s a beautiful mark of their sisterhood.
This scene is a skillfully contrived set-up for the next. It's as though the action could not have run any other course. Such inevitability is one of the marks of superb writing, and is a hallmark of Shakespeare's genius. Be proud of him, my kin, and be proud of yourselves, for you are of the same root and stock as Shakespeare.
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Good writeup, you see things I did not.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading again last night I felt so sorry for these poor people, and can especially empathize with Dromio E because I'm in a similar position at work -- many of my project managers have no idea what they are doing and often take it out on us their inferiors. Woe, poor Dromio.
Is seems that adversi-TY is supposed to rhyme with cry. (I had a sheet of notes about a few of the rhymes but misplaced them.) Were most y's pronounced like a long i (eye) back then?
Is the West drowning in di-ver-si-tie?
Yes, I am of the same stock as Shakespeare, and I am glad of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm behind in my reading, Winston. Can't seem to focus on it as a play online. Had to travel to the local chain bookstore and buy a paper copy. Hence, I will attempt to catch up...
ReplyDeleteLaurel
Miss Laurel,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about reading online. It just doesn't seem right reading Shakespeare from a screen.
Don't you worry about "keeping up." I don't want this little project to become an "obligation." Let's keep it easy and enjoyable.
Rusty,
Good question about the rhyming y's and long i's. I'll look into it. Until then, shall we call you "Rustie" with a long i sound at the end?
You, as a White man, have every reason to be proud of our notable representatives and their accomplishments. I remember how Negros used to wear those ridiculous t-shirts emblazoned with "I am a descendant of African kings and princesses," or some other such idiocy. How can someone of an allegedly "royal" bloodline be proud of presenting their genealogical bona fides upon a silk screened t-shirt? True royalty does not announce itself via garish printing on a dirty t-shirt. But we White people display our noble birthrights and our excellent heritage with skin that hearkens back to Thales, Homer, Pythagoras, Shakespeare, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Michelangelo, Gregor Mendel, Wright. . .a practically endless list of people who have given the world the best thoughts and things. We don't have to contrive or invent our racial history or accomplishments. That's why White-haters and self-loathing Whites constantly attack our great artists and thinkers. That's why we frequently hear and read lies like, "Shakespeare was a racist," "Socrates got his wisdom from the library at Alexandria, which was built by and stocked with the works of black Egyptians," "an African-American invented the light bulb," and so on. Non-Whites will say anything - no matter how obviously a lie it is - to try to either diminish or co-opt the accomplishments of our people. They know we are great, and they want a piece of that greatness. And they’ll settle for a false history if it’ll allow them to utter the lie, “My people are great.” But our Holy Scriptures say, “My people perish for lack of a vision,” meaning that a nation that has no vision of the future, has no future. Part of having a vision of the future is having a true knowledge of the past. A faulty knowledge of the past can produce only a faulty future. This is precisely what we see in Africans in America. They claim Africa is the birthplace of civilization, thereby implying that they are the genealogical heirs of the parents of civilization. It makes them think they're smart and capable. But we see nothing of civilization, intelligence, or capability in neither Negro Africa, nor anywhere else where the Negro is in charge. The “noble” past to which they lay claim - which we know is completely synthetic – simply does not square with the present. And there’s no reason to think that it will change for the better in the future, because error compounds itself the farther it is carried on.
But we know our past greatness, and we see vestiges of it today, despite the ravages of political correctness. It’s up to us to revive that knowledge of our past, rekindle it in ourselves, and carry it on into the future. I hope that reading Shakespeare, as we are doing here, will encourage our people to return to and explore the gifts and abilities that we carry in our DNA – the same DNA that produced Thales, Homer, Pythagoras, Shakespeare, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Michelangelo, Gregor Mendel, Wright, etc.
Thank you, Winston.
ReplyDeleteGruesse,
Rusteye