However different a guillotine and the Carmagnole dance/song may seem, they are quite related. A guillotine is an “instrument for inflicting capital punishment by decapitation, introduced into France in 1792” (Britannica). It is a rather old method of execution that consists of a head assembly, wheels (a pulley system), uprights, a blade assembly, a restraining assembly, a brace, a trigger assembly, a base, and a rope that is attached to the blade assembly. However, the most important parts were the blade and mouton which “weighed roughly 88 pounds” (The Interactive World of the Guillotine). Their job was to make a quick and painless beheading. To use this apparatus, a victim must lay down and put their head in the restraining assembly. Hence the name, this device would hold the head in place and keep it from moving at the time of the beheading. The executor would then lift the blade and mouton with a piece of rope that is attached onto a pulley. …show more content…
However, The Carmagnole is no ordinary dance. According to its song, “the queen (Madame Veto), [is] believed to be a traitor, and [so are] the "aristocrats" who support her” (chnm). This takes place during the French Revolution. The a major name in the song was “Madame Veto”, which is actually a nickname for Marie Antoinette who married King Louis XVI of France and rose to power. She became hated by the people of France for allegedly vetoing proposals to increase taxes on the rich. This would benefit the aristocratic people like herself instead of the whole nation. Additionally, this where Marie Antoinette received the name “Madame Veto” in La Carmagnole. When the Revolution was at its high, they began to execute aristocrats. Marie Antoinette was among one of the many aristocrats executed in the guillotine in 1793 (biographyonline.net). Clearly, the guillotine is related to The Carmagnole since Antoinette was executed in
The guillotine was one of the fastest and most painless ways to kill people. Before that though there were a lot more painful and torturous ways to execute people. For example, they used to hang people but they would also torture them, to make their death even more painful. During the Enlightment, people favored human rights and their well being, so they didn’t torture people as bad as before. During the Enlightment, people got more rights so they couldn’t be tortured as much like former executions. The guillotine made execution a lot better. The guillotine was an enlightened way to execute people.
Rosaline CapuletVerona, ItalyDear Madam Capulet:I am writing to inform you that you are hereby charged with the hannus crime of murder, as the cause of many deaths and misery. You are at fault for all that has happened in the fair Verona, Italy, and are now dually charged with the following crimes: Two counts of murder in the first degree, one count of false banishment, and a high amount of counts of disturbing the peace. The reason for this is lengthy and will be described in the following letter. First of all, you were the first love of the young Romeo Montague, my client. Because you refused to marry anyone, let alone my client, you cause him tremendous grief and suffering. You turned my client into the epitome of melancholy and depression.
Allison Bonetti, a dancer in the performance, is quoted, remarking, “I feel dizzy every time we complete the Waltz section, but I don’t feel dirty or scandalous, as I would after, say I maybe danced in a club. I think I speak for many of us when I say that the Waltz feels like a dance my grandmother would do.” In fact, the performance is misleading seeing as it is paired with very formal and controlled dances such as the Pavane and the minuet. In fact, modern historians such as Mark Knowles have compared the Waltz to social hip hop dances of today such as “krumping and grinding” since through the ages social dances have been “manifestations of society’s beliefs, values, attitudes, confusions, and concerns.” If the performance was to correctly convey this notion, it would have beneficial to place the nineteenth century Waltz in the second half of the performance, along with dances like the Quan and the Whip. However, in order to maintain chronological accuracy, the Waltz was placed in the beginning of the performance, overall failing to reveal the true nature of the nineteenth century
One aspect that stood out to me in The Ballad of Guiteau is the music choice. It is a well thought out musical choice to display Guiteau’s lack of psychological well-being. I believe that the combination of the religious funeral like music with the high tempo dancing music helped to display Guiteau’s lack of being able to understand other human beings - having empathy. The religious funeral like music with the high tempo dancing music profoundly helped to display
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is a loosely autobiographical memory play this is enriched with symbolism. The play itself is symbolic and parallels with much of Williams own unhappy family background. The symbolism used by the playwright is used to represent the desire to escape or to distinguish the difference between illusion and reality. Much of the symbolism used is specific to each character, but the most important symbol is Laura’s glass menagerie.
He makes Louis and himself pretend to eat when in the presence of his blind father and spends a lot of money on the decor in his house. After all coming off as rich makes it easier for him to get closer to his victims as people seem to be more trusting with those who are richly dressed. He also owned a box in the French Opera House or the Theatre Orleans. While Lestat claimed it was because he loved Shakespeare but Louis remarked that Lestat seemed to sleep through most the performances and only woke up when it came to seduce a lady and later kill her. Carmilla also used her appearances as a lady to get people to trust her. Her mother, who was able to get Carmilla into the house of the General and Laura's father, had an "air and appearance so distinguished and even imposing and in her manner so engaging, as to impress one, quite apart from the dignity of her equipage, with a conviction that she was a person of consequence" (Le Fanu p.281). It seems that both Lestat and Carmilla have a taste of going after those with money and status. When Carmilla met the General's niece she was at a very aristocratic assembly (Le Fanu p.322). It certainly helped Carmilla that it was a costume ball as it helped her pretend that she and her mother were someone they clearly weren't, the general's old friend. It would make sense why Le Fanu would make Carmilla go after the daughters of rich men. In the late 1800s only a
A guillotine is a decapitation device that quickly chops off it’s victims head in the blink of an eye. According to document F, About 16,000 people were believed to have died at the hands of it. No matter how small or petty a crime was, people would have been executed for it. Even Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, the leaders of France before the Revolution, were decapitated by one, as was the leader of the Reign of Terror, Maximilien Robespierre. Another method to weed out the counter revolutionaries was a network of spies that watched out for anyone who spoke out against the government, “A careless word of criticism spoken against the government could put one in prison or worse” (Document E). The punishment for a crime as small as ththis was more often than not
Ever been to Paris, France in the year 1640? No? Well neither have I, but I have been residing in the United States in modern times. I related more to this version of Cyrano de Bergerac because the settings are familiar. In the original version there is a sword fight at a theater. Well for one, most people nowadays have the mind set that sword fights are for the aristocrats and Romeo and Juliet. Roxanne has fist fights and many events happen in a bar. I?ve seen fist fights and I have been in a bar and grill which is why I can relate to Roxanne. Another modern twist to Roxanne is the occupations of the characters. The fire figh...
In the chapter "Dance under Louis XIV and XV: Some implications for the musician”, Meredith Ellis Little talks about the elegance and power of dance in the French court, the French style of dance, and the efforts toward recreating the French style of dance. Initially, aristocratic dance became a dominant form during the Baroque era. It was forged under King Louis XIV to enhance his prestige and bring glory to France in the form of elaborate ballets and grand ceremonial balls. Ballets were humorous or grotesque lavish theatrical presentations, portraying characters from gladiators and hunters to fairies and rejected lovers; whereas, ceremonial balls required a simpler yet elegant sequence of steps. Secondly, the subliminal attitude towards the
In the short stories and songs that we have gone over, they have all been saying the same age of fifteen. In the song “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift, and the song “100 Years” by Five for Fighting’s their songs have to do with the wisdom gained through the long journey of life. The statement that they are trying to make is that when you are fifteen you are experiencing things for the first time. Such as, your first kiss or your first dance. Throughout these special events in your life you are learning from them and gaining knowledge throughout the event. The songwriters are revealing that when you are fifteen, you are gullible so when someone says “I love you” you are going to believe them. This would result in hearts being broken and allows you
The guillotine was first introduced during the French Revolution by a man named Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin. He is a physician who first was involved with the issues of medicine. On December 1, 1789 he became interested in the idea of capital punishment. He invented the guillotine. It was a contraption used for causing immediate and painless death. It included a falling blade, running between two upright boards of wood and later a basket. Therefore, one may believe that the design of the guillotine helped with executions.
The synopsis of the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet is about a woman named Carmen. She is introduced with a song about the natural of love Habanera. She is surrounded by men, which plead with her to choose a lover, but end up throwing a flower at José who shows no interest in her. José is engaged Micaela, whom his mothers approve of. She brought him a letter from his mother saying she wants him to hurry up and marry Micaela. First, José finally decides to heed to his mother request, then Carmen reveals her affection for him by throwing a flower to him. Carmen has committed a crime, she attacks women with a knife. Jose ties her hands, but later to release her because she sings a song that mesmerized him.
The revolution emphasized the ideals of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” and was characterized by the strong will of the French people who stood up for what they believed in. It was also an extremely bloody time, which saw the rise of the guillotine, a contraption used for public executions and to instill a sense of fear in those opposed to the revolution. The revolution saw the public execution of the King and Queen, Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette as well as thousands of others. The upper class feared for their lives.
Louis Malle’s “Elevator to the Gallows” is a film surrounding the lives of Florence Carala and Julien Tavernier. Florence and Julien plan to murder Florence’s husband, Simon. While Julien is stuck in an elevator, his car is stolen by Louis and Veronique. While Florence is waiting for Julien, she sees his car take off with Veronique. Assuming Julien has taken off with another women, Florence wanders the Paris streets feeling melancholy all night. This sets the film up to be an epic crime drama. Malle splits the film into three segments, one follows the two characters that steal the car, another follows Julien, and the last follows a wandering Florence. Throughout this film, we can see various aspects of the director’s cinematic style, themes, and philosophy – all of which play an important part in the world of art cinema.
...roke, and they caught him shrieking; twice, he went aloft, and the rope broke, and they caught him shrieking; then the rope was merciful, and held him, and his head was soon upon a pike, with grass enough in the mouth for all Sainte Antoine to dance at the sight of ” (173). The revolution inspired the peasants to take it upon themselves to preform random acts of violence towards people who upset them in the slightest.