Module 3

Week 3

 

Welcome to Week 3.

 

Shortly after the plague of 1348, we see Europeans beginning to embrace some of the things we associate with a more humanisticworldview. We see art becoming more focused on real humans, with things like portraits of contemporary people rather than religious figures appearing in painted art, and realistic perspective and depictures appearing in paintings and statues. We see a resurgence of philosophy – a love of wisdom which is essentially a love of the workings of the human mind’s ability to think through reality. We see early development of capitalism and entrepreneurship. And we see a shift in howreality is perceived: by the spirit, by the heart, by the eye, by the mind? Does something have to be seenin order to know it’s real? Can reality be felt?

 

Of course, as these different elements of the evolving modern world view made their way into everyday life, there were also critiques, there was mistrust of these new ways of knowing. One of the brilliant things about Shakespeare was his ability to capture both the shifting worldview and the critiques of it in the same work of literary art. This ability is on display in many of his plays. Hamlet, for example, is torn by his inability to know how to proceed when a ghostly vision tells him his father was murdered. If this is true, he needs to act. But can he rely on the knowledge transmitted by this phantom? How does he know whether it’s an honest ghost telling him the truth so he can seek revenge, or a demon trying to lead him into a fatal act? How does Shakespeare have Hamlet solve this uncertainty? He has Hamlet create an experiment, with Hamlet and his helpers serving as observers. That’s a modern way of seeking truth. A Medieval Hamlet would simply have trusted the ghostly vision. Hamlet is torn because he lives within the tension of Medieval and Modern world views with regard to knowing.

 

Hamlet is just one example. This week, you will analyze a film version of a Shakespeare play, writing about the ways you see Shakespeare depicting this tension between old ways of knowing and modern ways of knowing… where do you see solutions based on heart? on spirit? on the observing eye? subject to experimentation to confirm? Watch a film version then write a blog post analyzing the film from this perspective. You can choose between two options – Hamletor Much Ado About Nothing– but both should use the Kenneth Branagh version of the play. 

 

In case you need help choosing, Hamletis a drama and Much Ado About Nothingis a romantic comedy. Both illustrate the desired tensions in their own ways. As you watch, be ready to pause the film so you can take notes of words, phrases, situations, or other examples that illustrate the tensions you’ll be writing about.

Don't forget, you must use the film version starring Kenneth Branagh so we are all commenting on the same thing.

 

If you have a source for your movie-watching, you can use that. If you need access to a streaming version of the film, please let me know and I can arrange that through the NDNU library. Alternatively, you can ask the librarian directly and copy me on your email so I can approve as needed.

 

Enjoy the film and your own reflections on it!

 

Patti Andrews