Someone gave me a copy of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel Rebecca many years ago, but I only just got around to reading it last week. I finished it yesterday and boy, is it ever an intense read!
The heroine is an unnamed woman in her early twenties who is working as a lady's companion for an overbearing woman when she meets the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter. They marry after knowing each other only two weeks, but their marriage gets off to a very rough start to say the least. Even before they get started, the second Mrs. de Winter finds herself in the shadow of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who was reported to have died the previous year in a boating accident. Making things worse is the fact that the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, has turned the whole of Manderley into a shrine to Rebecca. The young bride becomes determined to find out who her late predecessor was and what secrets were kept from the public. The tension comes to a head at the annual ball and on the beach.
Rebecca can be described as a ghost story without the paranormal. There may not be anything supernatural going on, but the lingering presence of the dead Rebecca qualifies Manderley as a haunted house. This adds a level of surrealism to the story, with memories of Rebecca popping out of every nook and cranny. The morning room and her bedroom have been kept the way she left them. Mrs. Danvers not shuts up about Rebecca. People make comments to the bride about how she is not like Rebecca, leading the shy and naive woman to think that she is being judged and can never live up to their expectations. The very memory of Rebecca interferes with the bride's relationship with Maxim, causing the new Mrs. de Winter thinks her husband does not love her at all.
I don't really have a quibble with the book, but it's not for the faint of heart. The climactic scenes at the ball and the beach and are very shocking to say the least, and the suspense can be too much at times, especially if you're a sensitive type. But I would still say give it a read. In fact, I would highly recommend Rebecca to anyone who loves romance and suspense.
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Writing Short Stories
How do you write a good detective story? In particular, how do you handle a detective short story? They're not going to be as long and complex as a full novel, so it's best to keep it simple.
You have to get the the solution in around ten to twelve pages. This means no long and complicated backstories. It also means that you have to set up the mystery fairly quickly, even if the murder happens halfway. And the number of clues is reduced.
You have to get the the solution in around ten to twelve pages. This means no long and complicated backstories. It also means that you have to set up the mystery fairly quickly, even if the murder happens halfway. And the number of clues is reduced.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Uses Of Poetry In Novels
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
“Who says that I am dead knows nought at all.
I am that is,Two mice within Redwall.
The Warrior sleaps twixt Hall and Cavern Hole
I am that is, Take on my mighty role...
Look for the sword In moonlight streaming forth
At night, when days first hour Reflects the north
From o'er the threshold Seek and you will see;
I am that is, My sword shall wield for me.” The Dwarves sing this piece while explaining to the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins where they came from. This group is led by Thorin Oakenshield, grandson of the King Under the Mountain. This poem is a means of exposition, telling in ten short verses what the kingdom of Erebor was and how it was destroyed by Smaug the Dragon. The Dwarves want to reclaim their home and golden treasure from him. Bilbo is then taken with them on a long journey eastward to help the Dwarves on their mission. So now we see how that serves the story. Stories have an interesting way in incorporating poetry into the narrative. Go find out for yourself. Do you want poetry in a novel that's just for fun? Look at Lewis Carrol's various works. Do you like seeing how poetry can show just how much someone has between the ears? Find a copy of Edmond Ronstad's play Cyrano de Bergerac. You'll be amazed and just how much poetry can serve a story."Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away ere break of day To seek the pale enchanted gold. The dwarves of yore made mighty spells, While hammers fell like ringing bells In places deep, where dark things sleep, In hollow halls beneath the fells. For ancient king and elvish lord There many a gleaming golden hoard They shaped and wrought, and light they caught To hide in gems on hilt of sword. On silver necklaces they strung The flowering stars, on crowns they hung The dragon-fire, in twisted wire They meshed the light of moon and sun. Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away, ere break of day, To claim our long-forgotten gold. Goblets they carved there for themselves And harps of gold; where no man delves There lay they long, and many a song Was sung unheard by men or elves. The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread; The trees like torches blazed with light. The bells were ringing in the dale And men they looked up with faces pale; The dragon’s ire more fierce than fire Laid low their towers and houses frail. The mountain smoked beneath the moon; The dwarves they heard the tramp of doom. They fled their hall to dying fall Beneath his feet, beneath the moon. Far over the misty mountains grim To dungeons deep and caverns dim We must away, ere break of day, To win our harps and gold from him"
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
THE GREAT DIVORCE: Number Three On My List Of Best Allegories Ever!
Ah, The Great Divorce; one of my favorite C.S. Lewis novels! I have been reading it for the umpteenth time for the past week or so. This story is one surreal adventure involving a bus that goes between Heaven and Hell. The title is a reference to William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Lewis is writing of their divorce, which makes sense as sin cannot exist in Heaven. This novel shares a lot in common with Dante's La Divina Commedia, in particular the presence of a guide (in this case George MacDonald), how sin and salvation are represented allegorically, and a surreal setting. It shares a lot with John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (spoiler alert: in this case, it all being a dream).
The story opens with the narrator standing in line at a bus stop at dusk in a miserable grey town where it is always raining. The town goes on for miles on end and doesn't seem to stop. The narrator gets on the bus and is taken to a spectacularly gorgeous natural landscape, but finds that he can't even so much as bend the grass. In fact, it goes right through him and causes a lot of pain; he's a Ghost! As is everyone who got off the bus. There are radiant Solid People (most often called Shining Ones in the novel) coming to convert these souls, and one of them leads the narrator as he helps him understand the respective natures of Heaven and Hell.
One thing stands out is how so many of the Ghosts will not accept Joy because it means giving up their quirks, such as saying mean things to their loved ones or lording superiority over other people. There is one character who always considered himself to be a good man and can't understand why a convicted murderer is in Heaven whereas he is not. Another man used other people's pity as means to blackmail them in life and won't let go of that power in Heaven. And a possessive mother will quite cheerfully drag her son to Hell to her if it means she will keep him. They would much rather cling to their sins than accept God. There's a lot of insight as to how sin works and how grace works, and how ultimately there are only two types of people in the world: those who submit to God and those who don't.
And there is also quite a lot of talk about how hard Heaven is to those who are not saved. The Ghosts are insubstantial and just walking on the grass feels painful. But they can become solid by accepting God's grace and letting it change them. This is a very interesting concept.
Read it.
The story opens with the narrator standing in line at a bus stop at dusk in a miserable grey town where it is always raining. The town goes on for miles on end and doesn't seem to stop. The narrator gets on the bus and is taken to a spectacularly gorgeous natural landscape, but finds that he can't even so much as bend the grass. In fact, it goes right through him and causes a lot of pain; he's a Ghost! As is everyone who got off the bus. There are radiant Solid People (most often called Shining Ones in the novel) coming to convert these souls, and one of them leads the narrator as he helps him understand the respective natures of Heaven and Hell.
One thing stands out is how so many of the Ghosts will not accept Joy because it means giving up their quirks, such as saying mean things to their loved ones or lording superiority over other people. There is one character who always considered himself to be a good man and can't understand why a convicted murderer is in Heaven whereas he is not. Another man used other people's pity as means to blackmail them in life and won't let go of that power in Heaven. And a possessive mother will quite cheerfully drag her son to Hell to her if it means she will keep him. They would much rather cling to their sins than accept God. There's a lot of insight as to how sin works and how grace works, and how ultimately there are only two types of people in the world: those who submit to God and those who don't.
And there is also quite a lot of talk about how hard Heaven is to those who are not saved. The Ghosts are insubstantial and just walking on the grass feels painful. But they can become solid by accepting God's grace and letting it change them. This is a very interesting concept.
Read it.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Two Worst Film Sues
One's the Captain of the Guard of Mirkwood, who last time I checked should have gotten drunk on the job. The other claims to be the daughter of Luke Skywalker, when Skywalker had no daughter!
One of them is wiser than the men, which shouldn't be a problem, but given the context it is. She can wield a bow and arrow better than my former L.O. (which makes me irritated), and has a tacky romance with a dwarf. The other masters the Force without any training whatsoever, while Skywalker took five years to master it. Given how hard it is to learn the ways of the Force, being able to do everything without trouble when one has never used it before is just wrong.
I have seen one, but have no plans to see the other. One should have been eaten by the Mirkwood spiders, the other should have fallen into the Sarlacc. They shall remain nameless for the sake of my sanity.
There, I'm through ranting.
One of them is wiser than the men, which shouldn't be a problem, but given the context it is. She can wield a bow and arrow better than my former L.O. (which makes me irritated), and has a tacky romance with a dwarf. The other masters the Force without any training whatsoever, while Skywalker took five years to master it. Given how hard it is to learn the ways of the Force, being able to do everything without trouble when one has never used it before is just wrong.
I have seen one, but have no plans to see the other. One should have been eaten by the Mirkwood spiders, the other should have fallen into the Sarlacc. They shall remain nameless for the sake of my sanity.
There, I'm through ranting.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
OTELLO: A Towering Verdi-Shakespearean Tragedy
The Metropolitan Opera in New York did its second Live in HD transmission of the season. This time, it's another Guiseppe Verdi classic, Otello. The second of Verdi's forays into Shakespeare, the opera tells the story of the tragic Moor Othello and his wife Desdemona, two unfortunate souls brought down by the evil Iago.
In the story, Otello has recently promoted Michael Cassio to the rank of captain. Iago, who has fought alongside the general in many battles, feels that he deserves the rank and plots his revenge. He tricks Cassio into getting drunk and starting a fight, which causes Cassio to forfeit his rank. Iago then manipulates events from there, tricking Otello into believing that Desdemona is committing adultery with Cassio. Of course it's completely fabricated out of whole cloth, but Otello swallows it, and poor Desdemona by no fault of her own ends up on the receiving end of her husband's insane jealousy. Otello murders his wife in her bed, but then the faithful maidservant Emilia reveals Iago's treachery. Filled with remorse, Otello stabs himself and dies attempting a final kiss.
I am still reeling somewhat after seeing this performance, even though it's been a few days. This production utilizes trickery of perspective and how it affects a person's life. The backdrop is a very dark iron grey while these semi-transparent acrylic walls are moved around to show various locations. There were also a lot of light effects. For example, at the end of Act 3, Otello is resolved to kill his wife and the jealousy and anger provoked by Iago torment him. As he convulses in agony, the interchangeable walls box him in and the lights turn Hell-fire red. The screen that the Met uses in some productions at the beginning of each act portrayed a turbulent sea, as though there is an infernal storm brewing.
Speaking of storms, if you listen to the Act 1 opening scene, there is a storm raging after a battle at sea. The music makes it sound like the very foundations of the universe are being rent asunder. At the climax of the storm, the sound of the woodwinds and trumpets begin to sound like horses neighing, as though the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse themselves were on the scene. The populace prays for mercy on their vessel. The music eases as the ship enters the harbor safely.
I saw Aleksandrs Antonenko last season as the unfortunate Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen (see the November 2014 post for more info). I'd make a joke about specializing in guys who are brought down by jealousy, but I don't think it's accurate. He did an amazing job with the role. In fact, I'd say he rivals Placido Domingo when it comes to this role. I will admit, however, that I shut my eyes quite a bit when I saw this; I just couldn't bear to watch Otello get manipulated by Iago like that.
Sonya Yoncheva debuted at the Met in the role of Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme. She claims that Desdemona is not necessarily a victim, but a strong woman who ends up in a very awful situation. I think she was best when she was defending herself against the false accusations of adultery. I'm not too sure about her vocal abilities, but her acting abilities could outdo the great Maria Callas.
And then there's Željko Lučić as Iago. I've seen portrayals of Iago before, but this one was particularly demonic. Oh my word, I have seen Lučić as the embittered Rigoletto, I have heard him as the conscience-tormented Macbeth, and quite a few others that I can't name off the top of my head right now. But I have never seen him as the semi-satanic Iago. His portrayal was such that I still get the creeps just thinking about it a few days later. Lučić may have a perpetually gruff look on his face, but Iago looks so normal and can go from seeming kind and helpful one moment to being terrifying the next. Also, it has been implied both in the play and in the opera that Iago was abusive to Emilia, his wife; in this performance, he was outright abusive, hitting Emilia when she wouldn't give him the handkerchief (which he uses plants in Cassio's house).
An amazing performance was done by all. I would like to close with James 3: 7-8.
"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."
With only a few small insinuations, Iago ruins Othello and Desdemona, hurts Cassio, and upsets the whole balance of power in the area which affects the lives of hundreds of people. The tongue is truly a fire.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
The Giant And The Dragon
The people of a certain village were suffering under the iron rule of a giant. He would come and steal their food; the grain from the field, the livestock, the vegetables in the gardens, leaving the people with little to eat. The giant kidnapped the young maidens as slaves and killed anyone who tried to rescue them. And he would casually wreck the houses in his search for gain.
Finally the people could stand it no longer. They knew the giant had a rival--a fierce red dragon who lived in the mountains. And they knew that both the giant and the dragon hated each other. So the people sought the dragon and called on him to help. He agreed to help, and so he returned with the people to the village. The dragon fought the giant until the giant was defeated and sent away. The people hailed the dragon as their savior. But within a very short time the dragon burned the people's crops, demanded that maidens be sacrificed to him at full moon, and all in all proved to be far worse than the giant had ever been.
Moral: The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.
Finally the people could stand it no longer. They knew the giant had a rival--a fierce red dragon who lived in the mountains. And they knew that both the giant and the dragon hated each other. So the people sought the dragon and called on him to help. He agreed to help, and so he returned with the people to the village. The dragon fought the giant until the giant was defeated and sent away. The people hailed the dragon as their savior. But within a very short time the dragon burned the people's crops, demanded that maidens be sacrificed to him at full moon, and all in all proved to be far worse than the giant had ever been.
Moral: The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Jewelry As Abstract Storytelling
I recently came across this website that advertises bracelets inspired by opera. And while some of them show only one aspect of the story, some of the others tell the whole story altogether just using beads. What it all adds up to is basically a form of abstract art and storytelling.
How does it work? Well at first glance, this bracelet telling the story of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin doesn't look like much. And it is a little hard figuring it out without a guide. Here is how this kind of storytelling works.
Notice how the beads are used to represent a character, emotion, or action. Here, a green bead stands for jealousy. Charms stand in for a specific event or feeling. Dark colors usually indicate something is seriously wrong.
Now let's take a look at this bracelet representing the deranged Lucia in Donizetti's tragic horror story Lucia di Lammermoor. This one is simpler because it describes just one aspect of the story. Here, clear, pearly white, and blood-red beads indicate Lucia's blood-stained wedding dress (or nightgown depending on the production). There is a Celtic knot charm for the Scottish setting, and a heart charm for Lucia's love for Edgardo. The dagger charm shows the knife with Lucia murders her new husband Arturo, after she has been abused into marrying him in order to save her family's failing fortunes.
So now you see how this works. And you can use a bracelet to tell stories from plays, novels, and maybe even films. For example, how would someone use a bracelet to tell the story of Casablanca? Would they use red hearts for the love between the two main characters? A fez charm for the Moroccan setting? A dark blue bead for Rick's despair after Ilsa leaves him a Dear John letter with no explanation? Granted there's only so far you can go with this form of storytelling, but it's a very interesting concept, and would love to attempt it myself.
How does it work? Well at first glance, this bracelet telling the story of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin doesn't look like much. And it is a little hard figuring it out without a guide. Here is how this kind of storytelling works.
So now you see how this works. And you can use a bracelet to tell stories from plays, novels, and maybe even films. For example, how would someone use a bracelet to tell the story of Casablanca? Would they use red hearts for the love between the two main characters? A fez charm for the Moroccan setting? A dark blue bead for Rick's despair after Ilsa leaves him a Dear John letter with no explanation? Granted there's only so far you can go with this form of storytelling, but it's a very interesting concept, and would love to attempt it myself.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Jabberwocky: It's A Satire, Not An Antagonist!
I hate it when people try to adapt Lewis Carrol's masterpiece Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and keep crossing it over with his other masterpiece Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. This often leads to some of the lamest, most overdone, phony-baloney plot-devices ever found in the history of satirical literature. Such stupidities include, but are not limited to, making the Queen of Hearts a tyrant when she's merely grouchy, mixing her up with the Red Queen (who was of a much more amiable nature), making Alice come back when she's a young woman and finds that Wonderland is in grave danger, the list just keeps going.
Perhaps the worst plot device of them all is making the Jabberwock a threat/antagonist in the story. The monster only appears in a nonsensical poem Alice reads and is only mentioned again when she talks to Humpty Dumpty about what words of the poem even mean.
Before I go any further on this, let's look at the poem itself for a moment.
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Perhaps the worst plot device of them all is making the Jabberwock a threat/antagonist in the story. The monster only appears in a nonsensical poem Alice reads and is only mentioned again when she talks to Humpty Dumpty about what words of the poem even mean.
Before I go any further on this, let's look at the poem itself for a moment.
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock my son,
The jaws that bite; the claws that catch.
Beware the Jubjub Bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch."
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought.
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came wiffling through the tulgy wood
And burbled as it came.
One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead and with its head,
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabous day! Caloo Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
This poem is a satire of the heroic epic. It has the bold hero going and slaying the monster. But the monster has a name that sounds more like a parrot squawk than anything else. And the young man is little more than a teenager. He also comes galumphing back instead of a heroic march. And the monster is burbling rather than roaring. That sounds more like a comic creature than a terrible one (although truth be told, it did scare me as a child). I could go on about the meaning of the words in the poem, but that would take too long.
So let's take a look at the titular creature next.
Look at that thing! Its neck could not possibly support its head at all. And do you really think its claws could catch anything? And its teeth look more like those of an herbivore. That tail looks very weak as well; it's just dragging on the ground. All in all the Jabberwock looks like a very disjointed and out-of-order creature that can't really survive.
So why do people insist on making it a villain? The so-called Jabberwock in the America Magee's Alice video game looks like rancor-dragon cyborg on steroids. And the one in Tim Burton's latest badfic looks like the result of what happens when Smaug has a drunk night out with a pterosaur. And both of them make it a threat. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK! Plus, it never even made an appearance outside of the poem.
Also, making it the chief henchbeast of the Queen of Hearts is one of the worst plot devices ever conceived. It not only is a terrible cliche, but replaces the Beamish Boy with Alice, and thus takes away all the humor from the poem. The two Alice novels are satirical novels that poke fun at the society of the day. They are not dark fantasy epics.
If there's any group that successfully pulled off making a good adaptaion of Lewis Carrol's work, it was the Muppets.
This version does the story right, namely that it adapts the story without sacrificing any of the original satire, (or more precisely, the Muppets used their own version of satire, but it was satire nonetheless). And as you can see, they kept the monster looking looking very much ridiculous.
So take the hint, Tim Burton and company! Lewis Carrol's works are meant to be hilarious and not fantasy epics. Please be so kind as to note that the poem Jabberwocky happens to be a parody of such epics. And with that in mind, LEAVE IT THE KRIFF ALONE!
So let's take a look at the titular creature next.
So why do people insist on making it a villain? The so-called Jabberwock in the America Magee's Alice video game looks like rancor-dragon cyborg on steroids. And the one in Tim Burton's latest badfic looks like the result of what happens when Smaug has a drunk night out with a pterosaur. And both of them make it a threat. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK! Plus, it never even made an appearance outside of the poem.
Also, making it the chief henchbeast of the Queen of Hearts is one of the worst plot devices ever conceived. It not only is a terrible cliche, but replaces the Beamish Boy with Alice, and thus takes away all the humor from the poem. The two Alice novels are satirical novels that poke fun at the society of the day. They are not dark fantasy epics.
If there's any group that successfully pulled off making a good adaptaion of Lewis Carrol's work, it was the Muppets.
So take the hint, Tim Burton and company! Lewis Carrol's works are meant to be hilarious and not fantasy epics. Please be so kind as to note that the poem Jabberwocky happens to be a parody of such epics. And with that in mind, LEAVE IT THE KRIFF ALONE!
Monday, November 25, 2013
LEGO LORD OF THE RINGS
Yes, Lord of the Rings finally got its LEGO debut last year. I used to be a serious die-hard fan of the film trilogy before I was introduced to the vocal abilities of folks like Juan Diego Florez and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. All right, I was an Orlando Bloom fangirl, now I'm a Juan Diego Florez fangirl. Anyways, I'm getting off track here.
This game is awesome on so many levels (please forgive the pun; I did not intend it). For one thing, it goes beyond just having the usual launch-pad hub level. As with LEGO Batman: DC Superheros, LEGO LOTR has a much larger explorable hub-level. And that's an understatement. You don't launch from home base and explore the city; you go from one end of Middle-Earth to another in this game. What's really awesome is that the game manages to keep the story epic while at the same time throwing in the goofiness that LEGO is famous for.
In order to keep the game co-op friendly, some scenes actually have you fighting alongside other characters when it didn't happen in either the book or the movie. Example: In the scene where Samwise fights the evil spider Shelob, the Orc captain Shagrat is fighting as well, and can actually wield Sting and the Phial of Galadriel!
Instead of gold bricks, you have Mithril bricks, which can be used to make various items, ranging from the logical (Mithril sword) to the interesting (Mithril hairbrush) to the downright funny (Mithril disco phial that plays a dance mix and has colored lights!). The mini-kits are statues of various places, creature, or objects in Middle-Earth. Oh, and did I mention that there is actually a treasure list of things you can get during gameplay? Many of them are items in these various side-quests. Someone in Middle-Earth needs or wants something, and you either forge it or find it during the game.
The characters are unlocked in the usual manner, but some require a fair bit of tussling before you can unlock them. I think one of the hardest to unlock is the Witch King because you have to go to Minas Morgul and fight him in a tight corner.
The only problem I have with the game is the fact that you can't access the interior of Moria in the hub level, but that might be due the Watcher pulling down the door in it's rage. There are also issues with trying to reach items in some of the levels.
If you want epic and funny at the same time, this game is for you.
This game is awesome on so many levels (please forgive the pun; I did not intend it). For one thing, it goes beyond just having the usual launch-pad hub level. As with LEGO Batman: DC Superheros, LEGO LOTR has a much larger explorable hub-level. And that's an understatement. You don't launch from home base and explore the city; you go from one end of Middle-Earth to another in this game. What's really awesome is that the game manages to keep the story epic while at the same time throwing in the goofiness that LEGO is famous for.
In order to keep the game co-op friendly, some scenes actually have you fighting alongside other characters when it didn't happen in either the book or the movie. Example: In the scene where Samwise fights the evil spider Shelob, the Orc captain Shagrat is fighting as well, and can actually wield Sting and the Phial of Galadriel!
Instead of gold bricks, you have Mithril bricks, which can be used to make various items, ranging from the logical (Mithril sword) to the interesting (Mithril hairbrush) to the downright funny (Mithril disco phial that plays a dance mix and has colored lights!). The mini-kits are statues of various places, creature, or objects in Middle-Earth. Oh, and did I mention that there is actually a treasure list of things you can get during gameplay? Many of them are items in these various side-quests. Someone in Middle-Earth needs or wants something, and you either forge it or find it during the game.
The characters are unlocked in the usual manner, but some require a fair bit of tussling before you can unlock them. I think one of the hardest to unlock is the Witch King because you have to go to Minas Morgul and fight him in a tight corner.
The only problem I have with the game is the fact that you can't access the interior of Moria in the hub level, but that might be due the Watcher pulling down the door in it's rage. There are also issues with trying to reach items in some of the levels.
If you want epic and funny at the same time, this game is for you.
Friday, July 19, 2013
RAN: KING LEAR in Japan
Ah, King Lear. One of the best tragedies ever written by William Shakespeare. This timeless tale of a king who misjudges his children's love for him has been performed and adapted over and over again. This one, Ran (Japanese for rebellion) by filmaker Akiro Kurosawa, resets the story in Feudal Japan. Instead of a king, Lear is a daimyo. The three daughter are replaced with three sons, and the character of the bastard Edmund is also gender-flipped in the role of the scheming and vengeful woman Lady Kaede.
The plot is as follows: The aging warlord Hidetora Ichimonji decides to hand over the reigns to his threes sons Taro (Goneril), Jiro (Regan), and Saburo (Cordelia). As in the original play, Taro and Jiro flatter their father, whereas Saburo refuses to and disagrees with his father's plan. For that he banished along with Lord Tango (Earl of Kent) when the latter defends him. After that, Taro and Jiro wage war upon each other, sending Hidetora into madness, and the kingdom into destruction.
What was really striking was Lady Kaede, Jiro, and Kurogane. While Hidetora didn't quite cover himself with glory when he killed Kaede's family in a previous war, it is clear that she only cares about herself. It is unclear as to whether Lady Sue is related to her or not, but Kaede is willing to use and kill innocent people for her own gain. Jiro, like Regan, proves spineless and just goes along with what anyone says, whether it be Taro or Kaede. Kurogane (who you could say might represent Goneril's husband the Duke of Albany), may be no stranger to killings and assassination, outright refuses to just kill someone on a whim, and when he finds out that someone acting on Kaede's orders had murdered someone in cold blood, he's furious.
The only bad part of this film is the director's belief in pessimism. Not that it makes the movie any bad, but Kurosawa could have turned the pessimism down a few notches.
This movie is a must see for anyone who likes Shakespeare adaptations of any sort.
The plot is as follows: The aging warlord Hidetora Ichimonji decides to hand over the reigns to his threes sons Taro (Goneril), Jiro (Regan), and Saburo (Cordelia). As in the original play, Taro and Jiro flatter their father, whereas Saburo refuses to and disagrees with his father's plan. For that he banished along with Lord Tango (Earl of Kent) when the latter defends him. After that, Taro and Jiro wage war upon each other, sending Hidetora into madness, and the kingdom into destruction.
What was really striking was Lady Kaede, Jiro, and Kurogane. While Hidetora didn't quite cover himself with glory when he killed Kaede's family in a previous war, it is clear that she only cares about herself. It is unclear as to whether Lady Sue is related to her or not, but Kaede is willing to use and kill innocent people for her own gain. Jiro, like Regan, proves spineless and just goes along with what anyone says, whether it be Taro or Kaede. Kurogane (who you could say might represent Goneril's husband the Duke of Albany), may be no stranger to killings and assassination, outright refuses to just kill someone on a whim, and when he finds out that someone acting on Kaede's orders had murdered someone in cold blood, he's furious.
The only bad part of this film is the director's belief in pessimism. Not that it makes the movie any bad, but Kurosawa could have turned the pessimism down a few notches.
This movie is a must see for anyone who likes Shakespeare adaptations of any sort.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
MADAME BOVARY: What Happens When The Ideal And The Real Collide
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS! IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO KNOW THE ENDING YET, DO NOT PROCEED FURTHER!
Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's famous novel about a young woman who believes that life is like a romance novel and lands herself in so much trouble because of it. When the novel first cam out, Flaubert was put on trial for offending public morality. I guess it became a classic simply because of the juxtaposition of the heroine's romantic expectations and the reality of how the things actually work out. And she pays quite a hefty price in the end--literally.
The story takes place in Normandy in Northern France. Emma is the daughter of a well-off farmer who spend her time reading romantic novels. She is courted by and then marries Charles Bovary, a kindly-but-stupid country doctor based in what is now known as Tôtes. Considering married provincial life dull, boring, and beyond lame, Emma soon grows tired of her husband's company. After they attend a ball hosted by a Marquis, Emma's yearning for the romantic and luxurious life really begins to take off. She starts becoming morose and irritable, leading Charles to believe she needs a change of scenery. They move to the town of Yonville, which Emma also finds dull. Some time later she gives birth to a daughter, Berthe, and decides that motherhood is also boring.
Emma later meets a young student named Léon, who shares her love for "the finer things in life". They start courting in secret until Léon has to leave for Paris to go into legal studies. Then Rodolphe, a rakish landowner lays his eyes on Emma and decides to woo her himself, and Emma throws herself into the affair, body and soul. Meanwhile she starts buying a lot of expensive clothes, jewelry, and whatnot on credit.
After four years of illicit love, Emma asks Rodolphe to elope with her. But Rodolphe is worries about Emma's increasing recklessness and willingness to compromise herself. He writes her a self-excusing letter, ending their relationship. Emma is devastated and falls gravely ill and turns briefly to religion. When she is nearly recovered, Charles takes her to the opera where she again encounters Léon. The two start their affair in earnest this time, with Emma lying to her husband regarding her whereabouts. The affair is passionate, but Léon soon becomes bored with the matter and Emma becomes ambivalent about him. Meanwhile, Emma continues to be a spendthrift.
When the time comes to collect the payment, Emma has racked up 8,000 francs worth of debt. Panicked at the news, she tries asking for money from various people, including Rodolphe and Léon, only to be turned down. In despair, she swallows arsenic hoping it would a quick death; even the romance of suicide fails her and she dies in appalling agony. Poor Charles, being as stupid as he was, never even suspected that Emma was unfaithful to him until some time after she's dead when he finds her letters to Rodolphe and Léon. He becomes reclusive and dies, leaving little Berthe in the care of elderly relatives, and eventually being sent to work in a cotton mill.
The main theme focuses on Emma's selfishness and refusal to accept reality. She stopped maturing mentally and emotionally as a teenager at the convent. She has not cultivated discernment, so she doesn't even bother to think about whether Charles is a good match or not before she gets married. She has inbibed so much from the novels she reads that she doesn't think to see life any other way. In fact, she would rather live in a book than in the real world. The problem is simply that fact that it's impossible to live in a book where everything is all written out and people get what they want or have coming. And Emma refuses to see this.
She longs for the illusion, the emotion, the luxurious. To her, happiness and love come in a bejeweled case lined with silk. An ideal location is a luxurious boudoir on a soft feather bed with satin sheets, or a moonlit balcony on a summer night. An ideal mate is an aristocrat with money practically growing in his backyard. None of these ideas match her provincial surroundings, nor does it resemble anything she would likely have. And Emma refuses to accept this.
Emma's desire for the rich and romantic is further fueled when she and Charles attend the Marquis's ball. She sees all the splendor that she dreams of; the music, the clothes, the jewels, handsome rich men, everything she wants is there. But it is unavailable to her, and she stills tries to attain it. She does it by taking advantage of Charles's low IQ and lack of jealousy by lying to him. She spends his money like a proud baroness, and tries to postpone her debts, only to find that her spendthrift ways have put her and those around her in jeopardy.
Her two adulterous affairs revolve around her trying to find the romantic ideal man she yearns for. She first tries and affair with Léon, a young student. He to likes romantic tales of love and passion just as much she does. But he soon has to leave. Emma then falls in love the wealthy Rodolphe, who seems to have everything she longs for. Their love lasts for four years. But he's not as into her as she is into him. Rodolphe sees her as just another in a long line of mistresses; Emma sees him as the perfect ideal lover she has always dreamed of. Although he is a Casanova, Rodolphe knows that Emma is married and has a little daughter. He ends the relationship because he is afraid he will ruin her. This devastates Emma who wants to get out of her reality and escape into fantasy. There is also the fact that Emma thinks she's found a duke, count, or some other nobleman. Rodolph is a country landowner, not that high up the social ladder.
Emma's romantic ideas are repeatedly smashed throughout the story, and her refusal to be content with what she's got culminate in her committing suicide. Hoping to die a romantic death, she swallows arsenic and expects the end to take come quickly. Unfortunately, arsenic does not kill that quickly, and Emma suffers from horrible illness before finally succumbing. In short, all the romantic ideas that Emma had fail her even in death.
Madame Bovary is a must-read not only because of such a well-constructed ideal-collides-with-the-real storyline, but also because of Gustave Flaubert's style of writing. His is a prime example of purple prose done right. Why do I say that? Because Flaubert knew how to make it work. He understood how to use it to convey emotion or describe a scene. Most importantly, he knew when to use it. And knowing when to use purple prose is very important when writing a good dramatic story.
Get this book at your library, or buy your own copy. Either way, you'll enjoy it.
Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's famous novel about a young woman who believes that life is like a romance novel and lands herself in so much trouble because of it. When the novel first cam out, Flaubert was put on trial for offending public morality. I guess it became a classic simply because of the juxtaposition of the heroine's romantic expectations and the reality of how the things actually work out. And she pays quite a hefty price in the end--literally.
The story takes place in Normandy in Northern France. Emma is the daughter of a well-off farmer who spend her time reading romantic novels. She is courted by and then marries Charles Bovary, a kindly-but-stupid country doctor based in what is now known as Tôtes. Considering married provincial life dull, boring, and beyond lame, Emma soon grows tired of her husband's company. After they attend a ball hosted by a Marquis, Emma's yearning for the romantic and luxurious life really begins to take off. She starts becoming morose and irritable, leading Charles to believe she needs a change of scenery. They move to the town of Yonville, which Emma also finds dull. Some time later she gives birth to a daughter, Berthe, and decides that motherhood is also boring.
Emma later meets a young student named Léon, who shares her love for "the finer things in life". They start courting in secret until Léon has to leave for Paris to go into legal studies. Then Rodolphe, a rakish landowner lays his eyes on Emma and decides to woo her himself, and Emma throws herself into the affair, body and soul. Meanwhile she starts buying a lot of expensive clothes, jewelry, and whatnot on credit.
After four years of illicit love, Emma asks Rodolphe to elope with her. But Rodolphe is worries about Emma's increasing recklessness and willingness to compromise herself. He writes her a self-excusing letter, ending their relationship. Emma is devastated and falls gravely ill and turns briefly to religion. When she is nearly recovered, Charles takes her to the opera where she again encounters Léon. The two start their affair in earnest this time, with Emma lying to her husband regarding her whereabouts. The affair is passionate, but Léon soon becomes bored with the matter and Emma becomes ambivalent about him. Meanwhile, Emma continues to be a spendthrift.
When the time comes to collect the payment, Emma has racked up 8,000 francs worth of debt. Panicked at the news, she tries asking for money from various people, including Rodolphe and Léon, only to be turned down. In despair, she swallows arsenic hoping it would a quick death; even the romance of suicide fails her and she dies in appalling agony. Poor Charles, being as stupid as he was, never even suspected that Emma was unfaithful to him until some time after she's dead when he finds her letters to Rodolphe and Léon. He becomes reclusive and dies, leaving little Berthe in the care of elderly relatives, and eventually being sent to work in a cotton mill.
The main theme focuses on Emma's selfishness and refusal to accept reality. She stopped maturing mentally and emotionally as a teenager at the convent. She has not cultivated discernment, so she doesn't even bother to think about whether Charles is a good match or not before she gets married. She has inbibed so much from the novels she reads that she doesn't think to see life any other way. In fact, she would rather live in a book than in the real world. The problem is simply that fact that it's impossible to live in a book where everything is all written out and people get what they want or have coming. And Emma refuses to see this.
She longs for the illusion, the emotion, the luxurious. To her, happiness and love come in a bejeweled case lined with silk. An ideal location is a luxurious boudoir on a soft feather bed with satin sheets, or a moonlit balcony on a summer night. An ideal mate is an aristocrat with money practically growing in his backyard. None of these ideas match her provincial surroundings, nor does it resemble anything she would likely have. And Emma refuses to accept this.
Emma's desire for the rich and romantic is further fueled when she and Charles attend the Marquis's ball. She sees all the splendor that she dreams of; the music, the clothes, the jewels, handsome rich men, everything she wants is there. But it is unavailable to her, and she stills tries to attain it. She does it by taking advantage of Charles's low IQ and lack of jealousy by lying to him. She spends his money like a proud baroness, and tries to postpone her debts, only to find that her spendthrift ways have put her and those around her in jeopardy.
Her two adulterous affairs revolve around her trying to find the romantic ideal man she yearns for. She first tries and affair with Léon, a young student. He to likes romantic tales of love and passion just as much she does. But he soon has to leave. Emma then falls in love the wealthy Rodolphe, who seems to have everything she longs for. Their love lasts for four years. But he's not as into her as she is into him. Rodolphe sees her as just another in a long line of mistresses; Emma sees him as the perfect ideal lover she has always dreamed of. Although he is a Casanova, Rodolphe knows that Emma is married and has a little daughter. He ends the relationship because he is afraid he will ruin her. This devastates Emma who wants to get out of her reality and escape into fantasy. There is also the fact that Emma thinks she's found a duke, count, or some other nobleman. Rodolph is a country landowner, not that high up the social ladder.
Emma's romantic ideas are repeatedly smashed throughout the story, and her refusal to be content with what she's got culminate in her committing suicide. Hoping to die a romantic death, she swallows arsenic and expects the end to take come quickly. Unfortunately, arsenic does not kill that quickly, and Emma suffers from horrible illness before finally succumbing. In short, all the romantic ideas that Emma had fail her even in death.
Madame Bovary is a must-read not only because of such a well-constructed ideal-collides-with-the-real storyline, but also because of Gustave Flaubert's style of writing. His is a prime example of purple prose done right. Why do I say that? Because Flaubert knew how to make it work. He understood how to use it to convey emotion or describe a scene. Most importantly, he knew when to use it. And knowing when to use purple prose is very important when writing a good dramatic story.
Get this book at your library, or buy your own copy. Either way, you'll enjoy it.
Friday, January 4, 2013
The Joke Wasn't Funny The First Time
Legolas. Thranduilion. Is. Not. A. Girly. Elf.
I don't care if his hair looks hardly out of place after a battle. Nor do I care how feminine he looks. He is not girly.
I really don't like all these jokes about Legolas using shampoo (it does not exist in Arda). I have also heard jokes about him cross-dressing (which I never found funny). And these jokes about him being vain and talking about how he's the prettiest? To Utumno with that kind of joking! It was not funny the first time and frankly, they are not funny now. Why can't people just stop making these dumb jokes about Legolas being effeminate? They're not funny.
I don't care if his hair looks hardly out of place after a battle. Nor do I care how feminine he looks. He is not girly.
I really don't like all these jokes about Legolas using shampoo (it does not exist in Arda). I have also heard jokes about him cross-dressing (which I never found funny). And these jokes about him being vain and talking about how he's the prettiest? To Utumno with that kind of joking! It was not funny the first time and frankly, they are not funny now. Why can't people just stop making these dumb jokes about Legolas being effeminate? They're not funny.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
"Harry Potter" Minor Characters
I hate Viktor Krum.
Seriously, I hate Viktor Krum. At seventeen, he's already the seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team (and the best seeker in the world to boot), and is clearly a favorite with young girls. He has no flaws at all (he only commits evil under the Imperius Curse), and it's him, the urplest character in the entire Harry Potter series who gets to be Hermione Granger's first date.
Krum can get kissed by a Dementor. He may be a minor character in Potterverse, but he's urple and he's too good to be a believable person.
Some of the other minor characters are way more interesting. Cedric Diggory for example, is one such character. He is brave, and honest. He is also very talented. He does have his flaws though. He is a very believable character and very sympathetic too. In fact, his death at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort's servant in Goblet of Fire is considered one of the saddest moments in the entire series.
Dobby is a very well done minor character too. When we first meet him, he is an obnoxious and annoying little twirp who's doing his wicked masters bidding. When we see him again later, however, he is loyal and bold to the point where he sacrifices himself to save Harry. His death atthe hands of Bellatirx Lestrange in Deathly Hallows is also considered to be one of the saddest moments of the series.
And how about Fred and George Weasley? The most enjoyable pranksters in the world. They never hesitate to give someone, especially one of the less amiable characters, a hard time. They made the sadistic Dolores Umbridge a rough year before leaving Hogwarts. They both love their family and are willing to risk their lives to help Harry. Unfortunately, George loses his ear in a skirmish with the Death Eaters and Fred dies at the battle of Hogwarts. But they're still fun.
That is not to say that my favorite Potterverse minor characters are ones who die or suffer tragic injuries. Another one, Neville Longbottom starts out as a normal pushed-around kid, but then gets a larger role Order of the Phoenix and a bigger, more awesome part in Deathly Hallows. Peeves doesn't appear in the movies, but he's incredibly funny (he's a poltergeist).
So the minor characters in Harry Potter are mostly very well drawn or otherwise just plain enjoyable characters. But Krum? Let a lithofold get him. Or better yet, a basilisk. Just something to get rid of that urple wizard.
Seriously, I hate Viktor Krum. At seventeen, he's already the seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team (and the best seeker in the world to boot), and is clearly a favorite with young girls. He has no flaws at all (he only commits evil under the Imperius Curse), and it's him, the urplest character in the entire Harry Potter series who gets to be Hermione Granger's first date.
Krum can get kissed by a Dementor. He may be a minor character in Potterverse, but he's urple and he's too good to be a believable person.
Some of the other minor characters are way more interesting. Cedric Diggory for example, is one such character. He is brave, and honest. He is also very talented. He does have his flaws though. He is a very believable character and very sympathetic too. In fact, his death at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort's servant in Goblet of Fire is considered one of the saddest moments in the entire series.
Dobby is a very well done minor character too. When we first meet him, he is an obnoxious and annoying little twirp who's doing his wicked masters bidding. When we see him again later, however, he is loyal and bold to the point where he sacrifices himself to save Harry. His death atthe hands of Bellatirx Lestrange in Deathly Hallows is also considered to be one of the saddest moments of the series.
And how about Fred and George Weasley? The most enjoyable pranksters in the world. They never hesitate to give someone, especially one of the less amiable characters, a hard time. They made the sadistic Dolores Umbridge a rough year before leaving Hogwarts. They both love their family and are willing to risk their lives to help Harry. Unfortunately, George loses his ear in a skirmish with the Death Eaters and Fred dies at the battle of Hogwarts. But they're still fun.
That is not to say that my favorite Potterverse minor characters are ones who die or suffer tragic injuries. Another one, Neville Longbottom starts out as a normal pushed-around kid, but then gets a larger role Order of the Phoenix and a bigger, more awesome part in Deathly Hallows. Peeves doesn't appear in the movies, but he's incredibly funny (he's a poltergeist).
So the minor characters in Harry Potter are mostly very well drawn or otherwise just plain enjoyable characters. But Krum? Let a lithofold get him. Or better yet, a basilisk. Just something to get rid of that urple wizard.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
"The Count Of Monte Cristo": Book vs. Film(s)
I first got a taste of this Alexandre Dumas classic when I was watching the Children's-Introduction-To-Classical-Literature show known as Wishbone. The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing story of betrayal and revenge.
Basic gist of the story: At nineteen, French sailor Edmond Dantés has everything. He's going to marry a beautiful girl named Mercédès (a Catalan), and he's been promoted to captain. However, two men, Danglars and Fernand Mondego (another Catalan), are jealous of Edmond and they betray him. Edmond is sent to a horrible island prison where he stays for fourteen years. Eventually he escapes and sails to the island of Monte Cristo. There, he uncovers an enormous treasure vault. He claims the treasure and sails back to France and becomes the Count of Monte Cristo. Now he wants only one thing: Revenge. And he gets it in an amazing and subtle way.
I have seen two film version; one from '02, and the other was from the Nineties, in French, starred French acting sensation known as Gérard Depardieu. The first one kept the basic gist but made the story very different. The French version was more faithful to the story, but had a few unexplained characters. Both films ruined the ending. The original ending is where Edmond goes off to make a new start with his ward, Haydée. Both movies had Edmond being reunited with Mercédès (which didn't happen). After being long married to Edmond's rival, as much as she still loved Edmond, Mercédès still would not marry him because being married to someone for a long time dies leave a mark on people. Even though her husband is dead by the end of the story, she still won't go with Edmond. That would cause scandal. So, I found the endings of both movies incredibly disappointing. I was expecting the films to be somewhat different, but not so different as to muck up the ending.
Oh, and one film left Haydée completely out while the other only had her so that she could testify against Edmond's rival. She did the same in the book, but she a somewhat larger role. And she fell in love with Edmond and stayed with him. Haydée is my favorite character in the story and that is the other reason why I don't like her role being either cut or reduced.
My advice, skip the movies and read the book. It's a good book, although it is a little long.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Heresy vs. False Prophecy
I recently learned that there is a colossal difference between heretics and false prophets. Heresy means that the doctrine is different (witness the Albigensians and Agnostics). False Prophecy is where someone claims to be speaking God's word but is really lying (witness the Prosperity Gospel).
Heresy is where the doctrine is completely different from the what Gospel says. This is where you get all the creepy and annoying cults. And these people blur the truth by saying such things as "It doesn't matter what you do; you'll go to Heaven anyway". The Albigensians claimed that only the spiritual world was created by God and that the physical world was made the devil. This is heresy. God made both the spiritual and physical worlds.
Dante placed the heretics in the sixth circle where they are trapped in flaming tombs. The idea here is that the heretics deny the Resurrection. No surprise.
False Prophecy includes such lies as the Prosperity Gospel. People who teach this claim that God only wants you to be happy. Bullshark. Jesus specifically said that following him entails suffering and persecution. It's hard for me personally to accept persecution as part of the deal, but I know it's there and should expect even though it pushes my berserk buttons. But those who preach prosperity gloss it over and portray the Christian life as pleasant from beginning to end.
Dante placed false prophets in Circle Eight, Bolgia Four with diviners, soothsayers, fortune-tellers, and other frauds who tries to see the future via forbidden means. Their heads are turned backwards on their bodies and are compelled to walk/run backwards and keep bumping into each other.
Watch out for these folks. As Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." And this particular lot do not produce good fruit; they produce poisonous fruit. And they will destroy you if you listen to them.
Heresy is where the doctrine is completely different from the what Gospel says. This is where you get all the creepy and annoying cults. And these people blur the truth by saying such things as "It doesn't matter what you do; you'll go to Heaven anyway". The Albigensians claimed that only the spiritual world was created by God and that the physical world was made the devil. This is heresy. God made both the spiritual and physical worlds.
Dante placed the heretics in the sixth circle where they are trapped in flaming tombs. The idea here is that the heretics deny the Resurrection. No surprise.
False Prophecy includes such lies as the Prosperity Gospel. People who teach this claim that God only wants you to be happy. Bullshark. Jesus specifically said that following him entails suffering and persecution. It's hard for me personally to accept persecution as part of the deal, but I know it's there and should expect even though it pushes my berserk buttons. But those who preach prosperity gloss it over and portray the Christian life as pleasant from beginning to end.
Dante placed false prophets in Circle Eight, Bolgia Four with diviners, soothsayers, fortune-tellers, and other frauds who tries to see the future via forbidden means. Their heads are turned backwards on their bodies and are compelled to walk/run backwards and keep bumping into each other.
Watch out for these folks. As Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." And this particular lot do not produce good fruit; they produce poisonous fruit. And they will destroy you if you listen to them.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tchaikovsky and Dante
I think that when most people think about the composer known as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, they think of pretty ballet tunes and stories of magic and love.
What many people don't realize is that he wrote some dark pieces as well as perky ones. In fact, he took Canto V from the Inferno part of Dante's The Divine Comdey and made it into a symphonic poem. This piece is simply called Francesca da Rimini after the adulterous woman whose tortured soul appears along with that of her brother-in-law Paolo in the canto.
This story takes place in the second circle of Hell. Dante and the shade of Virgil descend from the first circle (known as Limbo), and enter the second circle. They encounter Minos, the judge of the damned. This monster resembles a man, but has a long tail with which he delivers his verdict. The lost soul comes before him and confesses all of its sins. Then Minos wraps his tail around himself x number of times to say how far the soul should descend. Once judged, the damned soul is hurtled downward to whichever level has been decided. Minos rages at Dante (who is still alive at the time of his visionary journey through hell), but Virgil rebukes the monster. Minos then allows them passage.
The two poets then arrive at a precipice. The world around them is dark and hideous. Before them whirl the souls of the lustful; those who had let their appetites sway their reason. As they were inconstant and led by raging passions life, so in death they are blown about for eternity by winds of a monstrous storm. Among them are Semiramis(1) Dido(2), Cleopatra(3), Helen of Troy(4), and Achilles(5). Dante notices two souls being blown together and asks to speak with them. Virgil approves and Dante calls the two souls over. They come and reveal that they are Francesca and Paolo. She had been given in marriage to one Giovanni Malatesta, but fell in love with Paolo, his younger and handsome brother. The two committed adultery and were later murdered by Giovanni. When Dante hears their tragic tale of sinful love, he faints for pity.
NOTICE: Francesca and Paolo are together in Hell not because they still love each other. Not a chance. What Dante really means by putting them together in Hell is that they add to one another's agony. When Francesca says "There is no greater sorrow than to remember a time a of great joy in a time of great pain", she really means "To remember that time is to remember that we sinned greatly". They must whirl through eternity looking at each other's bodies and remembering their sins thinking "For that, alas, I went damned" (I decided to quote John Ciardi directly at that point).
Tchaikovsky does a wonderful job portraying the story the instrumental music. In fact, his was used as the script for Sergei Rachmaninoff's opera about the same story. Listen to the music very closely. The strings in particular portray the infernal hurricane. The annotations in the video can do a better job of explaining than I can.
_________________________________________________________________________________
(1) The Assyrian queen was notorious for having many lovers
(2) The legendary queen of Carthage swore a vow of faithfulness to the ashes of her husband Sicheaus. However, she fell in love with Aeneas when he landed at Carthage. When he left, Dido slew herself on a funeral pyre that she built.
(3) Despite being an intelligent and very able ruler (she was well-versed in nine languages), she used sex appeal as part of her political strategy.
(4) The legendary queen of Sparta and wife of Menelaus fell in love with Paris who then carried her off. Their adulterous love was what started the Trojan War that lasted ten years.
(5) The mythical hero of the Greeks developed a passionate love for Polyxena, one of King Priam's daughters. He actually joined the other side so that he could marry her, but en route to the wedding he shot in the heel by Paris, and his heel was the only weak spot on his body.
What many people don't realize is that he wrote some dark pieces as well as perky ones. In fact, he took Canto V from the Inferno part of Dante's The Divine Comdey and made it into a symphonic poem. This piece is simply called Francesca da Rimini after the adulterous woman whose tortured soul appears along with that of her brother-in-law Paolo in the canto.
This story takes place in the second circle of Hell. Dante and the shade of Virgil descend from the first circle (known as Limbo), and enter the second circle. They encounter Minos, the judge of the damned. This monster resembles a man, but has a long tail with which he delivers his verdict. The lost soul comes before him and confesses all of its sins. Then Minos wraps his tail around himself x number of times to say how far the soul should descend. Once judged, the damned soul is hurtled downward to whichever level has been decided. Minos rages at Dante (who is still alive at the time of his visionary journey through hell), but Virgil rebukes the monster. Minos then allows them passage.
The two poets then arrive at a precipice. The world around them is dark and hideous. Before them whirl the souls of the lustful; those who had let their appetites sway their reason. As they were inconstant and led by raging passions life, so in death they are blown about for eternity by winds of a monstrous storm. Among them are Semiramis(1) Dido(2), Cleopatra(3), Helen of Troy(4), and Achilles(5). Dante notices two souls being blown together and asks to speak with them. Virgil approves and Dante calls the two souls over. They come and reveal that they are Francesca and Paolo. She had been given in marriage to one Giovanni Malatesta, but fell in love with Paolo, his younger and handsome brother. The two committed adultery and were later murdered by Giovanni. When Dante hears their tragic tale of sinful love, he faints for pity.
NOTICE: Francesca and Paolo are together in Hell not because they still love each other. Not a chance. What Dante really means by putting them together in Hell is that they add to one another's agony. When Francesca says "There is no greater sorrow than to remember a time a of great joy in a time of great pain", she really means "To remember that time is to remember that we sinned greatly". They must whirl through eternity looking at each other's bodies and remembering their sins thinking "For that, alas, I went damned" (I decided to quote John Ciardi directly at that point).
Tchaikovsky does a wonderful job portraying the story the instrumental music. In fact, his was used as the script for Sergei Rachmaninoff's opera about the same story. Listen to the music very closely. The strings in particular portray the infernal hurricane. The annotations in the video can do a better job of explaining than I can.
_________________________________________________________________________________
(1) The Assyrian queen was notorious for having many lovers
(2) The legendary queen of Carthage swore a vow of faithfulness to the ashes of her husband Sicheaus. However, she fell in love with Aeneas when he landed at Carthage. When he left, Dido slew herself on a funeral pyre that she built.
(3) Despite being an intelligent and very able ruler (she was well-versed in nine languages), she used sex appeal as part of her political strategy.
(4) The legendary queen of Sparta and wife of Menelaus fell in love with Paris who then carried her off. Their adulterous love was what started the Trojan War that lasted ten years.
(5) The mythical hero of the Greeks developed a passionate love for Polyxena, one of King Priam's daughters. He actually joined the other side so that he could marry her, but en route to the wedding he shot in the heel by Paris, and his heel was the only weak spot on his body.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Dante's "The Divine Comedy": Awesome Poem, Trashy Video Game
I've been rereading Dante's epic poem The Divine Comedy (so called because the story has a happy ending). It is the story of the poet's journey through Hell (The Inferno), Purgatory (The Purgatorio), and Paradise (The Paradiso).
The Inferno is perhaps the most famous of the three books of The Divine Comedy. He begins the story by telling about he found himself in a dark wood. He is assailed by three beast that represent the the divisions of Hell, albeit in reverse order: a leopard of malice, a lion of violence, and a she-wolf of incontinence. He is rescued by the shade of the poet Virgil, who tells him that a saintly woman called Beatrice has asked him to come to Dante's aid. Then Virgil leads Dante through Hell. At the Gates of Hell, they encounter the miserable shades of those who "lived without infamy and without praise"; in other words, people who lived only for themselves. They were unfaithful to both God and his enemies. Therefore, Heaven will not take them and nor will Hell.
In Dante's mind, Hell is the enormous impact crater left by Lucifer/Satan when he was cast out of Heaven. It was believed at the time that Hell was located underneath Jerusalem. There are nine circles, each one decreasing in size the further down it goes. They are as follows:
Circle 1: Virtuous Pagans and the Unbaptized.
Circle 2: The Lustful.
Circle 3: The Gluttonous.
Circle 4: The Avaricious and The Prodigal.
Circle 5: The Wrathful and The Sullen.
Circle 6: The Heretics.
Circle 7: The Violent (divided into three rings: 1,Violence to Others, 2, Violence to Self, and 3, Blasphemers).
Circle 8: The Fraudulent (Divided into ten sections: 1, Panderers and Seducers, 2, Flatterers, 3, Simoniacs, 4, Sorcerers,Diviners, and False Prophets, 5, Barrators, 6, Hypocrites,7, Thieves, 8, Evil Counselors, 9, Sowers of Discord, and 10, Falsifiers of varying sorts).
Circle 9: Traitors. In Dante's time, treachery was considered the worst possible sin.
At the very bottom of Hell is Satan the Devil. He is imprisoned there for eternity for committing the ultimate sin: Treachery against God. Dante and Virgil climb down Satan's back and escape to the other side of the world. From there, they move on to Purgatory.
It's just an epic poem about one man's learning to recognize sin for what it is. However, some dingbat had to make a video game out the story and completely trash it. In the game version, Dante is a crusader who commits some serious crimes while at war. Beatrice is Dante's lover. Her soul has been kidnapped by the Devil and taken into Hell, where the Devil slowly begin to turn her into a succubus. Dante must go and rescue her, and to do that, he must fight and destroy the demons that inhabit every level. He rescues souls along the way.
See the problem? There are several. First off, Beatrice, who died in 1290 at the early age of twenty-four, was already in Heaven, and evil cannot enter there. Second, only a few demons serve as guards in Hell and most of them are characters from classical Greco-Roman mythology (i.e. Cerberus, Minotaur, etc.). The demons are also simply there to torment the souls of the damned. They assail Dante, but Virgil helps him. Thirdly, in the poem, Satan is trapped forever in ice. Not matter how hard he struggles, the ice makes it impossible for him to escape. Fourth off,, it was Beatrice who sent Virgil to rescue Dante because she saw him lost in the dark woods. She saw him being assailed by the three beasts and wanted to help him. And finally, the damned cannot leave Hell. It is their prison forever. Oh, and Dante was a scholar, never a soldier. And he was in love with Beatrice, but she didn't really know him; so it was pretty one-sided.
I haven't played the video game. However, I have read the premise and seen stills from the game. And you know what, it's trash. And you don't even need to play the game to notice that.
The Inferno is perhaps the most famous of the three books of The Divine Comedy. He begins the story by telling about he found himself in a dark wood. He is assailed by three beast that represent the the divisions of Hell, albeit in reverse order: a leopard of malice, a lion of violence, and a she-wolf of incontinence. He is rescued by the shade of the poet Virgil, who tells him that a saintly woman called Beatrice has asked him to come to Dante's aid. Then Virgil leads Dante through Hell. At the Gates of Hell, they encounter the miserable shades of those who "lived without infamy and without praise"; in other words, people who lived only for themselves. They were unfaithful to both God and his enemies. Therefore, Heaven will not take them and nor will Hell.
In Dante's mind, Hell is the enormous impact crater left by Lucifer/Satan when he was cast out of Heaven. It was believed at the time that Hell was located underneath Jerusalem. There are nine circles, each one decreasing in size the further down it goes. They are as follows:
Circle 1: Virtuous Pagans and the Unbaptized.
Circle 2: The Lustful.
Circle 3: The Gluttonous.
Circle 4: The Avaricious and The Prodigal.
Circle 5: The Wrathful and The Sullen.
Circle 6: The Heretics.
Circle 7: The Violent (divided into three rings: 1,Violence to Others, 2, Violence to Self, and 3, Blasphemers).
Circle 8: The Fraudulent (Divided into ten sections: 1, Panderers and Seducers, 2, Flatterers, 3, Simoniacs, 4, Sorcerers,Diviners, and False Prophets, 5, Barrators, 6, Hypocrites,7, Thieves, 8, Evil Counselors, 9, Sowers of Discord, and 10, Falsifiers of varying sorts).
Circle 9: Traitors. In Dante's time, treachery was considered the worst possible sin.
At the very bottom of Hell is Satan the Devil. He is imprisoned there for eternity for committing the ultimate sin: Treachery against God. Dante and Virgil climb down Satan's back and escape to the other side of the world. From there, they move on to Purgatory.
It's just an epic poem about one man's learning to recognize sin for what it is. However, some dingbat had to make a video game out the story and completely trash it. In the game version, Dante is a crusader who commits some serious crimes while at war. Beatrice is Dante's lover. Her soul has been kidnapped by the Devil and taken into Hell, where the Devil slowly begin to turn her into a succubus. Dante must go and rescue her, and to do that, he must fight and destroy the demons that inhabit every level. He rescues souls along the way.
See the problem? There are several. First off, Beatrice, who died in 1290 at the early age of twenty-four, was already in Heaven, and evil cannot enter there. Second, only a few demons serve as guards in Hell and most of them are characters from classical Greco-Roman mythology (i.e. Cerberus, Minotaur, etc.). The demons are also simply there to torment the souls of the damned. They assail Dante, but Virgil helps him. Thirdly, in the poem, Satan is trapped forever in ice. Not matter how hard he struggles, the ice makes it impossible for him to escape. Fourth off,, it was Beatrice who sent Virgil to rescue Dante because she saw him lost in the dark woods. She saw him being assailed by the three beasts and wanted to help him. And finally, the damned cannot leave Hell. It is their prison forever. Oh, and Dante was a scholar, never a soldier. And he was in love with Beatrice, but she didn't really know him; so it was pretty one-sided.
I haven't played the video game. However, I have read the premise and seen stills from the game. And you know what, it's trash. And you don't even need to play the game to notice that.
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