Grumio as Comic Relief

Shakespeare has been noted in all of his works for including characters that provide comic relief. In the Taming to the Shrew, Grumio is the character that serves this purpose. He is the constant source of berating by his lord Petruchio and often seems the most dim-witted out of all the characters in the play. In the film version of the play that was shown in class, the actor that portrayed Grumio had a Hackney accent and was dressed in worn-out clothing. This further indicates Grumio’s lowly status in the play and his role as the comic relief.

In addition, the lines that Shakespeare writes for Grumio are in plain English and few in number throughout the play. For instance, when Grumio is told by Petruchio to knock on a door, Grumio’s stupidity serves as a foil to Petruchio and is somewhat comical. As the book states, “Grumio: Knock, sir? Whom should I knock? Is there any man rebused to your worship?...My master grows quarrelsome. I should knock your first, and then I know after who comes the worst (Act. I, Sc. II). In this scene, all that is asked of Grumio is that he knock on Hortensio’s door. However, he makes a fool out of himself by not doing as he told and questioning his master’s request. Thus, Shakespeare uses Grumio as a comic relief in the play and as a foil to Petruchio.

Poem Parody

I have devoured
the burrito
That was on
the table

And which
You should have
Kept
with you

Sorry bro,
hit the spot
So warm
and so good

When I was writing this poem, I was just trying to keep the same sarcastic tone that William Carlos William's poem "This is Just to Stay" had. I wrote about something everyone can relate to when something that they look forward to is taken away or tarnished by a friend of their's. I also wanted to mock the supposed reader of the note/poem because I wanted to show that I was just playing with their emotions.

Setting the Stage

In Act II, Scene I, Shakespeare does a very good job of introducing a troubling situation where Bianca has been tied up by Katherine. The wording of the scene shows Bianca’s confusion and desperation to get away from Katherine. Likewise, the wording for when Baptista arrives further shows the overwhelming confusion of the scene. As the story states: “ ‘Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself, to make a bondmaid and a slave of me…unbind my hands…Why, how now, dame, whence grows this insolence?…Why dost thou wrong her that did ne’er wrong thee? When did she cross thee with a bitter word?(Act II, Scene I, Lines 1-27). The wording in this scene demonstrates to the reader the sheer confusion of the whole situation. Both Bianca and Baptista are seeking reasonable explanations for Bianca’s behavior while trying to be compassionate at the same time.

The Shakespeare does a good job in this specific scene of a creating a image of a confused Bianca and an even more confused Baptista. When I first read this scene in the play, I imagined a crazed and wide-eyed Katherine tying a helpless looking Bianca to a chair. Furthermore, I imagined Baptista to be both confused and disappointed by his oldest daughters actions.

Poetic Form

A sonnet is a poetic form that is usually restricted to 14 lines. In addition, a sonnet is mostly written in iambic pentameter, where the lines follow a pattern of ABAB CDCD. Sonnets are commonly found in many of Shakespeare’s works, hence giving way to a Shakespearian Sonnet. In these sonnets, the structure of the poem is arranged in three quatrains, or four-line stanzas, and end with a couplet, or a two lines that rhyme.

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 is a classic example of a typical Shakespearian Sonnet. Shakespeare in this sonnet chooses to focus on the theme of old age. He thus writes in the first quatrain about the coming of the fall season and how the trees loose their leaves and the cold sets in. Shakespeare continues the theme aging throughout the sonnet by making references to a ‘sunset,” “ashes,” and a “deathbed.” Likewise, he ends the poem with a couplet that says that his love will only continue as long as he is alive. What makes the form and structure important in this poem is the fact that it is written in only 14 lines. Furthermore, the bulk of the material and allusions to an impending death are compacted into three quatrains. So much about life is said in so few words. In addition, just as life comes to an unexpected end, the poem ends in a couplet that shows reassurance about life. Thus, Shakespeare aptly uses the structure and form of a sonnet to truly express his intended theme of aging in Sonnet 73.

Original and Revised Paragraphs

In Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’s short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” Garcia-Marquez incorporates supernatural elements into an otherwise normal setting. The story begins with a supposed angel falling into a couple’s chicken coop and being stuck because of the weight of the mud on his wings. The story progresses to include other supernatural elements such as a young woman being turned into a tarantula or “a leper who’s sores sprouted sunflowers.” Garcia-Marquez writes in a fantastical tone and puts both the supernatural world and natural world into one. Although there is a tone familiar tone of a family being visited by an angel, he is old, clumsy, and speaks in a language that is foreign to the family. The angel also becomes an attraction to the townspeople, helping the family indirectly through the fees that they charge for the townspeople to see him. Thus, Garcia-Marquez incorporates supernatural elements in an normal setting.

In Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’s short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” Garcia-Marquez incorporates supernatural elements into an otherwise normal setting. This style of writing is known as magic realism, where magical elements are meshed with everyday settings. The story begins with a supposed angel falling into a couple’s chicken coop and being stuck because of the weight of the mud on his wings. The story progresses to include other supernatural elements such as a young woman being turned into a tarantula or “a leper who’s sores sprouted sunflowers.” Although there is a tone familiar tone of a family being visited by an angel, he is old, clumsy, and speaks in a language that is foreign to the family. The angel also becomes an attraction to the townspeople, helping the family indirectly through the fees that they charge for the townspeople to see him. Garcia-Marquez writes in a fantastical tone and puts both the supernatural world and natural world into one. By mixing the supernatural world with the natural world, Garcia-Marquez shows the original intent of the angel. He had likely come to help the struggling family with the sick-child and their crab infestation. However, he indirectly helps them by attracting the townspeople, who in turn pay the family to see him. Thus, Garcia-Marquez incorporates supernatural elements in an normal setting.

After I read the first paragraph, I realized that I need to add that Garcia-Marquez was writing under the magic realism genre. In addition, I thought it was necessary to explain why Garcia-Marquez chose to have the angel indirectly help the family instead of the performing the traditional miracle.

Thesis

In the story of Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne implies that the title character succumbs to evil and temptation through the use of imagery and setting. In addition, the man that Goodman Brown meets in the forest represents the devil himself.

Eveline's Epiphany

The epiphany that takes place for the title character in “Eveline” is the realization that she cannot move forward with her life and the fact that she will not be able to find true happiness. When Eveline Hill is at the docks and is about to start a new and promising life in a distant country, she realizes her duty to her family. She fully understands why she has to stay in Dublin even though in the long run she will not benefit from the stay. This becomes apparent as she thinks to herself as she moves through crowd on the docks and hears an organ player: “Down far in the avenue she could hear the organ playing. She knew the air. Strange that it should come that very night to remind her of the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could” (39-40). Eveline’s promise to her mother in her mind obligates her to stay in a distressing situation and forfeit her chance of ever being truly happy. Thus, Eveline’s epiphany is seen literally when she remembers her promise to her mother.

Joyce also uses symbols through the short story to illustrate Eveline’s static situation. In For instance, her mother’s absence is a sign of a permanent void in her life. Since she is the only woman left in the household, she is expected to take on many of the roles and responsibilities that belonged to her mother. She even goes so far as to promise her mother that she will keep that family together after her mother’s death. Furthermore, the reader becomes aware that Eveline has a tendency to live in the past when the story begins with her recalling all of childhood friends and neighbors. In addition to her mother’s death and her reminiscing, the two most prominent men in her life, her father and her lover Frank, are in disagreement. Her father represents a static life in Dublin that will be full of sacrifice and possibly abuse. In contrast, Frank represents new opportunities and true love in a new country. Thus, Eveline’s epiphany is seen symbolically.