The only man oblivious to her beauty is Mr. Boldwood, who does not
look at her once, as Liddy remarks on the way home. When Bathsheba and
Liddy are at home on Sunday, Bathsheba is about to send a valentine to
a young boy when Liddy suggests that she send it to Boldwood instead.
On a whim, Bathsheba agrees, setting in motion one of the novel's
tragedies. The valentine contains a meaningless ditty, "Roses are red,
Violets are blue..." but Bathsheba impulsively stamps it with a seal
that reads, "Marry Me." The narrator reflects that Bathsheba knows
nothing of love.
Unfortunately, the letter has a profound effect on Boldwood. It is the
one ornate object in a puritanically plain home, and he places it on
the mantlepiece, disturbed and excited. Then he receives a second
letter; in his excitement he opens it hurriedly, only then noticing
that it is addressed to Gabriel. He delivers it to Gabriel the next
morning and Gabriel shares its contents with Boldwood: It is a letter
from Fanny identifying herself as the girl Gabriel met in the forest
and returning the shilling he had given her. The letter also announces
her engagement to Sergeant Troy. As he leaves, Boldwood asks Gabriel
to identify the handwriting on the valentine, and he tells Boldwood
that it is Bathsheba's
The most important event in this section is the sending of the
valentine and the unintentional effect it has on Boldwood. This one
act will haunt both Bathsheba and Boldwood until the end of the novel.
Hardy uses this set of circumstances to analyze one of his favorite
concerns: how a person's life is determined by minor, seemingly
insignificant events. Sometimes these events are questions of luck or
forces beyond human control. Here, however, Hardy examines human
agency: Bathsheba sends the valentine in jest, without thinking, but
her act results in extraordinary consequences.
Only one day after Gabriel's departure, the farm workers announce that
another disaster has occurred--the sheep have eaten young clover, and
their stomachs are expanding fatally.
The Wife of Bath is portrayed as a strong-willed, alpha female. The Wife of Bath upholds the misogynistic ideas of Chaucer's time because she is a controlling, manipulative, know-it-all woman. Her personality and behavior both reflect the negative attributes that women were shamed for during that time. She is opinionated, dominate, and diabolical; all qualities that were not accepted easily in a woman. She defied the norm of that time.
What would happen if there were modern courts during biblical times? If there were modern courts then a jury would have been tasked with deciding who was guilty in the rape and murder case involving King David and Bathsheba. The jury would need to read the text that describes the events very deeply and in a detailed manner before they came to a conclusion. In the case of the Bathsheba incident they would need to read 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Samuel 12. The jury would find Bathsheba innocent of any wrong doing because she was under the control of the powerful king David, she had no choice but to act as she did, and she did not initiate any of the violence that occurred. David was guilty of rape and murder because he was in control the entire time.
In works of literature and television, most artists have a tendency to employ a minor character that not only serves in the plot’s general progression, but also to create one or more memorable situations in the story that regains the observer’s attention. In John Steinbeck’s famous novella Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is a minor character; she serves a purpose to the plot by creating a constant raucous amongst the ranch workers, but eventually leads to her spilling herself wide open about her utter misery within her nuptial arrangement to Curley, which is news to the reader. On Seth MacFarlene’s Family Guy, after a dramatic speech made by Brian to Chris and Peter, a character known as “greased-uped deaf guy” may run through the Griffin’s
A Midsummer Night's Dream was an amazing story. THe movie was incredible to watch. All of the actors in the play was adequate. The text educated us in various of ways. There isn't a better or more enjoyable movie than A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In the tale that Geoffrey Chaucer had wrote, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, a man was described as a Knight. This Knight wasn’t like any normal Knight, he messed up and raped a girl. This is a big mistake, giving a lot of Knights a bad name, and having those that look up to them start to be disappointed in them. Usually the punishment that is given to those that rape, or in general any other crime, is death or time in the slammer, however, the Queen says no because he is a good looking guy. Instead of death, he had find out what women most desire from men. He is given a year and a day to find out, and on the last day, when he nearly had given up all hope, he sees an old woman in a field who makes a deal with him. The old lady gives the Knight a choice: to have an old, but faithful, wife, or to have a drop-dead gorgeous woman, but to have her never to be faithful, before she tells him what the Queen wants to know. The old lady and Knight get married and she wants him to sleep with her, like husbands are supposed to do with their wives. They argue and she gives him the two choices again; to have an ugly wife, but she is faithful. The other choice is to have a drop-dead gorgeous wife, but is never faithful. With this, he learns a lesson, and sufficient punishment.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare decides to have a few of the characters act out the story of Pyramus and Thisbe for four other personages. What is curious is that, rather than simply having them quickly act out the short skit, Shakespeare has the characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream who are watching comment on the playlet as it is being presented by Bottom and his friends, in turn affecting the way it is demonstrated by influencing the ‘characters’. Shakespeare has the audience (Theseus, Demetrius, Hippolyta, and Lysander) bring attention to and complement the moon, wall, and lion, despite the fact that Pyramus and Thisbe are supposed to be the main focus and play the most important roles. Additionally, he has both the comments and the acting de-romanticize Pyramus and Thisbe, who are known for their tragic yet romantic story of love and death. These elements make a mockery of the so-called ‘romantic’ tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, in a way de-romanticizing it by
In the 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, which included a progressive view of women's concerns in "The Wife of Bath." During a time when women were still considered chattel existing almost exclusively to produce heirs, Chaucer takes a stand on issues affecting women that were not commonly given consideration. Writing in the first person, Chaucer is able to describe life from the viewpoint of a woman. Through this style, Chaucer addresses subject matter that would have been too candid for a female writer during his time period. By writing "The Wife of Bath" in a satirical way, Chaucer points out issues facing women regarding double standards, the validity of female desire, and the economic necessity of women to marry well while keeping the text humorous with some common female stereotypes regarding deception that have persisted into present day culture.
In life it is important that each person thinks rationally in every decision they make, but it is equally important that everyone follows their heart, too. For some people, thinking rationally while following their heart is not an easy task, and it often causes more tragedy than good. Thomas Hardy, a famous British author, repeatedly wrote novels depicting the cross between logical thinking and following one’s heart. For example, his first novel, Far from the Madding Crowd, involves a love circle during a period when women were trying to prove their independence. Bathsheba, the main character, manages a farm on her own and strives to continuously prove her dominance in a male dominant world. She finds herself distracted and stressed due to the fact that three men wish to marry her. Bathsheba significantly wishes to keep her independence, so she turns down the first two men. However, Troy, an untrustworthy womanizer, steals her heart for a moment until she again thinks realistic enough to not fall under his love traps. Far from the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy, depicts the cross between thinking both rationally and irrationally once love is present in one’s life, which is common in all of Hardy’s books through the character development, central themes involving love, and gender confusion.
The average person doesn’t meet someone, profess their love for them, and ask her hand in marriage all in one night… but Romeo does. In Shakespeare’s calamity of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is the idiot that does all of this. I blame Romeo for the death of these star-crossed lovers, along with the other four characters. If it wasn’t for his impetuous nature, none of this would have happened. Romeo’s relationship with Juliet could be more thought out and more planned. Although the play ended with his death included, without him Juliet and others would have kept their lives.
The world-renowned Canterbury Tales by the great Geoffrey Chaucer aims to magnify the controversial social injustices of gender roles in the medieval time period that consequently flow into today’s current modern society. One of the greatest social standing issues addressed throughout the poem includes the institution of marriage, and the particular viewpoint held by the character named the Wife of Bath. The Wife of Bath is notably shamed by her potential suitors and moralist peers, for her devious actions of taking advantage of her former husbands throughout her lengthy five marriages. However, Chaucer actually invites the audience to give a closer look at the overall flawed instuition of marriage
The Relationship Between Bathsheba and Bolwood in Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Boldwood is stated to need Bathsheba, his ‘life is a burden’ without her, and is incredibly desperate to get her. This can be seen by the numerous proposals Boldwood makes as if it seems he cannot take no for an answer. This can be seen when having been proposed to Bathsheba replies ‘I do not feel – what would justify me to – in accepting your offer’, showing Boldwood’s awkwardness is spreading to Bathsheba, this quote shows Bathsheba trying to say no, however ‘giving back dignity for dignity’ however Boldwood will not take it and out pour his emotions in the ‘opening of the sluices’.
In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chaucer opens describing twenty-nine people who are going on a pilgrimage. Each person has a dissimilar personality that we can recognize from the way people behave today. He creates The Wife of Bath to stand out more compared to the other characters that are involved in these stories. In Chaucer’s “General Prologue,” the Wife of Bath was described as a woman who was intentionally described in an obvious way to provoke a shocking response. The Wife carries a lot of experience with things; she is a worldly person and has experience in the ways of the world in a sense of love and sex. Her clothes, physical features and references to her past are intentionally discussed by Chaucer causing the reader to wonder how well she is such a flamboyant and extravagant character. She shows off her clothes with evident pride, her face is wreathed in heavy cloth, her stockings are a fine scarlet color, and the leather in her shoed is soft and fresh. Her clothing symbolizes to the reader that she is not fearful or shy, and also shows off her expertise as a weaver.
Hardy originated from a working class family. The son of a master mason, Hardy was slightly above that of his agricultural peers. Hardy’s examination of transition between classes is usually similar to that of D.H. Lawrence, that if you step outside your circle you will die. The ambitious lives of the characters within Hardy’s novels like Jude and Tess usually end fatally; as they attempt to break away from the constraints of their class, thus, depicting Hardy’s view upon the transition between classes. Hardy valued lower class morals and traditions, it is apparent through reading Tess that her struggles are evidently permeated through the social sufferings of the working class. A central theme running throughout Hardy’s novels is the decline of old families. It is said Hardy himself traced the Dorset Hardy’s lineage and found once they were of great i...
Clarke, R. (n.d.). The Poetry of Thomas Hardy. rlwclarke. Retrieved February 1, 2014, from http://www.rlwclarke.net/Courses/LITS2002/2008-2009/12AHardy'sPoetry.pdf