An analysis of a passage of verse or prose written between 1590-1700, explaining the meaning and quality they would aim to bring out in speaking the passage aloud. "To Anthea who may command him anything"- Robert Herrick
Drama coursework; A, An analysis of a passage of verse or prose written between 1590-1700, explaining the meaning and quality they would aim to bring out in speaking the passage aloud.
"To Anthea who may command him anything"- Robert Herrick
The way we speak poetry must reflect the emotion of the poet, when writing it. To do this the reader must draw on their personal emotions, thought and feelings.
Herrick has written this to be a sincere declaration of love from himself to Anthea, speaking of how he would do anything for her. Herrick is very earnest in his pleas to her, and so we can determine that this is not an humorous poem .Therefore when spoken the speaker must use this emotion and knowledge to portray the poem in the correct mood.
This poem contains 6 verses, with 4 lines of poetry in each verse. The poem is iambic and so the stress falls on each second word.
The first verse, as with all poems should make the most impression on the audience. Therefore it should be spoken with emphasis, clearly and should start the poem in the way that the speaker means to go on. The first line of this particular poem would need to be spoken powerfully, by lowering the speakers voice, as it talks of him asking her if he should live of not. This is also the most important line of the poem as it starts it, and is the line that will if any entrap the audience so that they listen to the poem. It should be spoken clearly and slowly. The third and fourth lines of the first verse are about the poet, bidding him love and he would love her. This should be spoken in a imploring manner, showing the poets earnest devotion to Anthea.
The second verse is talking about the heart, and how no heart could be found in the world that is as kind or free as his. When speaking poetry punctuation has to be taken into account. In the second verse, at the end of the second line there is no punctuation at this point the voice must be kept high and must flow onto speaking the next line, this is called an enjambment and can be described as being a suspensive pause, due to the pause a large breath needs to be taken at the beginning of the line, this allows the speaker to continue along the verse in a fluid style.
In this verse the words "soft" and "sound", stand out these should have some emphasis by slightly raising the voice, but also should embody the meaning of the word, for example soft should be spoken softly.
In the third verse he is asking for her command again, "bid that heart stay". This I would speak in a factual manner, by keeping the same tone and expression throughout the line thus putting across the fact that Anthea seems to be able to almost control the poet. The second line slower and more softly because of the word languish. ...
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In this verse the words "soft" and "sound", stand out these should have some emphasis by slightly raising the voice, but also should embody the meaning of the word, for example soft should be spoken softly.
In the third verse he is asking for her command again, "bid that heart stay". This I would speak in a factual manner, by keeping the same tone and expression throughout the line thus putting across the fact that Anthea seems to be able to almost control the poet. The second line slower and more softly because of the word languish. This verse has quite a lot of punctuation and so does not flow easily, and has a staccato feel to it. The semi-colon breaks the verse into two and separates the two opposites of the verse, the first him asking her to bid him honour her and the second part bidding his heart to languish.
The fourth verse is quite sad and sentimental, he is saying he will cry if that's what she wants, and even if he has no eyes his heart would weep for her instead. This is a verse of devotion for the poet and it shows that he would do anything for her. The emphasise in this verse is on the weep and heart. The first part is once again stating his devotion, however in the second he seems more sentimental, and so this part should be spoken with a deep emotion and a certain softness in the voice.
Verse five is the most serious and effecting verse. He speaks of death and despair and asks her if she would like him to die for her. This verse I would speak in a low, slow voice, as this is probably the most important middle verse, it deserves the most attention and so I would hope that this would make the listener, listen fully to what is being said. The line "under that cypress tree" seems to have been written as a private line between the poet and Anthea, the word that would need specific emphasis as it is addressing a particular tree. Death is a strong theme in this verse and so in the last line when death itself is mentioned, as an actual presence, the speaker should put over the importance and significance of this terrifying figure, by lowering and increasing the volume and pitch of the voice.
The final verse, as in all poems sums up the poem, in this one he is telling her that she has command over his entire being, he loves her so much. This should be spoken slowly, clearly and with the utmost passion the speaker can muster. The final verse in a poem is the verse that the listener will remember best, and so should reflect the speakers ability to make the words memorable, The list at the beginning of the verse should be spoken with each item spoken in a different way from the previous one. This can be done by altering pitch, volume or emphasis. The final lines emphasis should be on " live and die" these are the two most important words as according to Herrick he is giving to this women in this verse her most important decision of the poem whether he should live or die.
Herrick's, "To Anthea who may command him anything" is a powerful poem that needs a great understanding of poetry and feelings in order to speak it effectively.
B.) An appreciation of the writing of one poet , showing how knowledge of the period and culture has helped understanding and enjoyment of the work.
T.S.Eliot--19th/ 20th century "Aunt Helen" and "A game of chess"
T.S.Eliot is one of the most famous poets of his time, born in 1888 in St. Louis in Missouri, he moved to England having graduating from Harvard. His work reflects his development as a Christian writer. T.S.Eliot died in 1965.
Eliot has painted a detailed picture of his aunt, he describes her as being unmarried a "maiden". At the point in history of Eliots writing this would have been significant, as women with husbands were seen to have something wrong with them. However she was also lucky in a way were, she had no husband she had money and so was luckier than many at the time. When she was alive she had four servants a parrot, a dog and a "Dresden clock" these also suggest wealth. There is an air of quiet respect at the time of her death, "the shutters were drawn" however Eliot hints at a change in the household with the line " the footman sat upon the dining table holding the second housemaid on his knees-- who had always been so careful while her mistress lived. This could also mirror the outside world which at the time would have been in the midst of war. Her death could also symbolise the end of an era a strict regime coming to an end, and the start of a newer more equal society. Men returned from the war to find women demanding the vote and doing their jobs. The poem captures the changing face of Britain in the C20th.
"A game of chess" another of Eliots work similarly has distinct characters, the upper class women who is surrounded by wealth and beauty yet she finds little comport in these things. The first few lines of the poem are a parody of a speech in Shakespeare's "Anthony and Cleopatra". Is it too her husband that she says, "why do you never speak?" or perhaps a lover either way the response is surely a reference to the horror and decimation caused by war. A stark contrast to the first half is the second, where a lower class women with no teeth and looking much older than her thirty one years is being told that she will be left by her husband if she does not smarten up. Her husbands been in the army, and wants a bit of fun, she is trying to prevent having any more children as she now has five and nearly died with the last one. The conversation takes place in a pub where the barman constantly through out their conversation is calling time. In contrast to the upper class women this one is not bored, she doesn't appear to have time to be she is however fighting for survival in her lower class world. This poem goes to show just how different the world can be.
In conclusion my gradual building of knowledge about the period has helped me to unknowingly and now knowingly enjoy and understand the works of one of the great poets.
C; An appreciation of the writing of one dramatist from a different period to that in A and B, showing how knowledge of period and culture has helped understanding and enjoyment of the piece.
Richard Sheridan- 18th century The Rival's and The School for Scandal.
Sheridan the Irish playwright was born in 1751, his father was a manger of the Theatre Royal in that town, his mother wrote fiction and was known to be a women of great beauty. In 1758 he came to London with his family, where he became friends with the famous novelist and statesman Dr Johnson. Sheridan's first literary writing named "Jupiter", only got critical disclaim. 1775 his gradual but eventual successful play "The Rivals" was written, and in 1777 possibly Sheridan's most successful play "The School for Scandal" had its first performance.
Sheridan died in 1816 at the age of 64.
I find that by understanding about that period of time I can enjoy and understand both plays better.
In The Rivals the military men are portrayed as would have been typical of the time. Captain Jack Absolute embodies the traditional military man of the C18th. In that period of time the military wouldn't have been embroiled in a war, and so would have been mainly constructed for public safety of mind and for show. The play shows the different classes of the time, with Sir lucius O'Trigger portraying the upper class, and the various servants and maids for example Lucy showing the lower classes.
The setting is Bath and the play shows how at the time it was popular to have a home in the country at weekends at a home in a main town during the week. Much as the upper class do in modern day.
The tangled love affair between Lydia Languish and jack Absolute is the centre of the play, many C18th novels or plays were written to have star-crossed lovers as their centre piece. This was most likely to be because of the need to escape from reality in some way, now a days we have television or cinema, in those days reading was one of the only forms of home entertainment.
This we can see from the constant gossip that the school for scandal revolves around, the women in the play have nothing else to do bar play cards and gossip about their neighbours.
This play marks the decline of family money, Sir Surface begins to sell off his belongings to pay off debts. This started to happen quite a lot in the C18th when family money having been lost through gambling or other such activities, was no longer available and the families had to start selling off their vast estates in order to pay off debts.
Understanding the time period that Sheridan wrote in has enabled me to understand better his plays.
Katy Kirk Grade 7
