Video game Shakespeare: Fall 2018 Final Paper Idea

Want to get your KHC XL 101 final paper published in an academic journal?  

Borrowers and Lenders Special Issue CFP: Shakespeare and Gaming 

 

In what game designer Eric Zimmerman calls our 'ludic century', the proliferation of games of all sorts makes them a schema for (re)understanding the modes and habits of cultural production. Indeed, the practices of Shakespearean appropriation are frequently products of playful engagements, whereby the appropriator traverses the text, building virtual or imaginary worlds that interact with the received Shakespearean corpus, its margins, and its outliers in creative ways. Moreover, just as play may be likened to appropriation, aspects of Shakespeare games and game development might reflect and/or challenge traditional modes of humanistic inquiry, and adaptive play has the capacity to influence critical reading practices. Using games to foreground the notion of interactivity at the heart of appropriation, this special issue of Borrowers and Lenders invites multimedia projects, including original creative-critical games, and theoretically-oriented essays of between 5,000 and 9,000 words to explore how games and games studies impact the study and circulation of Shakespeare, offering new models of reading through appropriative acts. Topics might include:

●      Educational and pedagogical games 

●      Role-playing games and character studies 

●      Failure, fail-states, and glitches as concepts applicable to and beyond gaming

●      Gaming and performance studies/performativity

●      Game-making as scholarship and criticism

●      Shakespeare and Shakespeareana in interactive and electronic literature

●      Shakespeare board and video games

●      Shakespearean quotations, allusions, and motifs in non-Shakespearean games or games culture more broadly

●      Theories of play and interactivity

●      Transmedia approaches to Shakespeare

●      Virtual and immersive Shakespeare experiences

 

Because Borrowers and Lenders is an online, open-access journal, we encourage essays that include embedded media and games hosted on free platforms such as itch.io. Please submit a 250-word abstract to LGeddes@adelphi.edu by August 15th, 2018.  Selected essays will be due February 1st, 2019 for publication in early 2020. Borrowers and Lenders is a peer-reviewed journal, and submissions will be reviewed by the volume’s guest editors and anonymous readers in Shakespeare and game studies.  For more information, please visit: http://www.borrowers.uga.edu/about.

On Othello: Context, Subtext, Intertext

For a review of the text: It was written about 1603-4. The plot takes place in Cyprus, Venice, and the leading character Othello is based upon Un Capitano Moro from Cinthio's "Hecatommithi," a collection of short stories with the outline of a tragedy. The plot in Othello closely follows Cinthio's plotline.

Context: During the time Othello was published, Venice was flourishing. People viewed it as a place of luxury and wealth; many even called it the pleasure capital of Europe (in terms of sexual tolerance). Socially, Venetians were generally hospitable to foreign people, but class distinctions were rigid and primarily determined by honor and reputation. Women were subordinate to men (wives to husbands/fathers), although many women did embrace informality of sexual relationships and took up roles as courtesans. Venice amassed its wealth from trade with to Ottomans and North African peoples; we can trace Othello's lineage here by his title "the Moor." In 1570, however, the Turks took Cyprus from the Venetians, uprooting their glorious society and marking the decline of Venice itself.

Subtexts: Cultural tensions were high during this period due to colonization and expansion. The Venetians were faced with the new Turkish presence as North African people were faced with the Venetian presence. Consequently, remarks about racism and assimilation come up often in the text, demonstrating the hesitation to blend cultures. Additionally, how things are versus how things seem repeatedly arises, warning that people should not believe the first thing they see or make assumptions based on what things seem. Examples of misunderstandings include Othello's magical seduction of Desdemona, Iago's honest, Cassio's reputation, and Desdemona's adultery.

Intertexts: Shakespeare's other works such as Richard III, Titus Andronicus, and The Merchant of Venice are useful intertexts. In the first two plays, Richard of Gloucester and Aaron are characters whom Iago was modeled on; therefore, understanding their characters deepens our understanding of Iago. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare emphasizes the Venetian people's fascination with foreign people and glorifies Venice in its portrayal. Lastly, the Bible behaves as an intertext. Desdemona radiates Christian virtues (love, patience) but seems to be influenced by the devil when she "commits adultery." Further, Othello's magical powers of seduction are supposedly satanic in nature. Altogether, Othello is likened to Adam, Desdemona is likened to Eve, and Iago signifies the evil serpent who leads them astray.

"Is Hamlet Germany?" On the Political Reception of Hamlet

Here is the link to our Google Slide presentation:

https://docs.google.com/a/bu.edu/presentation/d/1gd3s1z5xpu4zA7cXup4eF7AaKZE4RQ6NBuYpbs8pMJI/edit?usp=sharing

On Shakespeare Unauthorized

When I am frantically writing an essay at three in the morning, I sometimes stop to ask myself why I am so incapable of writing coherent sentences. I have moments where I question whether or not I am literate because all I see around me are talented, articulate individuals. Every student at some point has felt the need to be better, the inadequacy that comes with peer editing and the process of learning. I, however, did not expect Shakespeare to have encountered the same problems. Over the years, he has been romanticized and idolized to the point of becoming superhuman. Imagine my surprise when I visited the Shakespeare Unauthorized exhibit at the BPL and realized that he was as flawed as any college freshman. 

Walking through the exhibit, I was equally stunned and gratified to learn that the first draft of Hamlet's soliloquy was, honestly, sophomoric. Multiple folios made clear the fact that the Bard was not a perfect genius, and if anything he was a very imperfect man with a remarkable talent. His propensity to steal plots, his multiple editions of his plays are evidence that the process of writing never becomes any easier. Perhaps by modern standards it is unacceptable to plagiarize storylines, but judging Renaissance individuals by 21st-century mores is absurd. I am reminded of a famous quote by T.S. Eliot, "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different." To me, Shakespeare seems a blend of a mature poet and a good one. We can look back  on his early work with rose-tinted glasses all we want, but at the end of the day he remains the same person, and the breadth of his work is a testament to the man he was, not the false idol he has become. 

The Whirligig of Time

Before visiting the exhibit, I was certainly aware of the many theories that Shakespeare himself was not the author of those plays. I gave those theories about as much consideration as I gave to the "proof" that the moon landing was faked or that the Earth is flat. Shakespeare Unauthorized both affirmed and shook my confidence in the authenticity of the bard's plays. Firstly, the multiple editions of Hamlet took me by surprise, but upon closer inspection I dismissed the first edition as a poor attempt to copy Shakespeare. If it was truly his work, how could it be so different from what we have now? The exhibit then seemed to confirm my thoughts on his authorship by debunking the many conspiracy theories. However, just as I was beginning to feel at ease again, I reached the portion of the exhibit dedicated to Macbeth, one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. To discover that many scholars believe that the version of the play that we have differs greatly from what Shakespeare originally wrote was a shock, and it was this shock that caused me to open my mind a bit more. Looking about the exhibit and seeing the times that other authors altered the plays, the examples of poor penmanship changing crucial lines, and the many editions of a play that might be published, I realized that Shakespeare's plays were not as set in stone as I thought.

I will not throw in my lot with those who credit Shakespeare's plays to some other author, I still find that to be an absurd notion. However, I think that perhaps time has been very favorable to Shakespeare. He has had the benefit of centuries of other authors tinkering with his plays, something few other writers have had. I believe it is possible that many, if not all of his plays that we have today are not entirely how he wrote them, and that this may be true even for the iconic scenes. Hamlet varies drastically between editions, and while Shakespeare is certainly the one responsible for the play, it may be possible that he is not responsible for as those variations as we would like to believe.

CSI: A Tempest by Amie Cesaire

CSI: A Tempest by Aime Cesaire (1969)

Translated by Richard Miller (1992)

Zoe Roth, Julia Rowley

Context:

    Aime Cesaire

-Poet and politician from Martinique, a French colony

-Other works: Discourse on Colonialism

    -Established a provocative direct link between colonialism and fascism

-Mayor of Fort-de-France, ran under the Communist party

-Later resigned because he felt communism made racism a subordinate issue to class struggle

Productions

-In french; 1969 Hammamet, Tunisia and 1970 Paris.

    -1992 Pennont in Martinique kept Eshu on stage the whole time.

Beliefs

    -Negritude: “The first diasporic ‘black pride’ movement”(pg vii)

-Surrealism: ideals or practice of producing fantastic imagery or effects in art by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations.

- Marxism: Wanted to get rid of social and economic classes and materialism.

History

    -1946, Martinique joined France under their Overseas department instead of gaining independence.

    -1960’s Civil Rights movement in America. (Some compare Malcolm X to Caliban and Martin Luther King Jr. to Ariel)

Subtext:

Eshu

-New character, Master of ceremonies and black devil-god.

        -From Yoruba Nigerian/Latin American mythology

        -Harsher and chaotic unlike other spirits

    Shango

        -Yoruba deity of thunder, chaotic nature theme

Language

        -Caliban changes his name because it loses meaning when Prospero says it.

        -“Uhuru” means freedom in Swahili

        -”Cannibal” or “Hannibal” (pg 20)

        -Fowl language, especially Eshu, and the drunks

        -’Ghetto’ and how Prospero vs Caliban see the caves

Nature

        -Caliban cares for the earth, calls Prospero Anti-Nature

        -Prospero sees the land as riches to use, as do the royals

        -Relates to colonization and just using resources

    Prospero directs

        -The tempest is personified as a character with a part in the “play”

-Prospero enters with megaphone, “It’s only a play” (pg 12)

        -Puts on the wedding show then it gets crashed by Eshu

        -Eshu is the real director, “Master of Ceremonies”

    Songs

        -Translator includes own ideas for tunes

        -Direct translations in the back of the book

        -Caliban chants instead of sings

    Race

        -Explicitly says Ariel is mulatto while Caliban and Eshu are black

        - The 3 characters who are slaves and ‘lesser’ (excludes Miranda)

        -”Your ‘white’ magic!” Caliban to Prospero (pg 60)       

Christianity

-Often used as another example of the lack of civilization displayed by Caliban, an exorcism is suggested

-Introduces another dimension of responsibility and forgiveness: the difference between attrition and contrition is discussed (pg 35)

Intertext:

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949)

-“Once you’ve squeezed the juice from the orange, you toss the rind away” Caliban to Prospero (pg 19)

-”You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away — a man is not a piece of fruit!” Lowman to his boss after being fired.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (1967)/ Waiting for Godot (1952)

-Trinculo and Stephano are both useless, especially drunk

-Go back and forth but don’t do anything helpful

-”I can’t take anymore… I’m going to sit down!” Trinculo to Stephano (pg 54)

-”Estragon sits down on the mound. Vladimir paces agitatedly to and fro, halting from time to time to gaze into distance off.” Waiting for Godot

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)

    -Racism and slavery (pg 26)

Hannibal the Cannibal, novel series (1981)

    Came after A Tempest. Probably just rhymes and historical Hannibal.

    -Hannibal from Carthage, on the most renowned military generals in history.

“Vox populi, vox Dei” (pg 44)

    “The voice of the people, the voice of God”

    -Common phrase about political wisdom

The Odyssey

    References to Ulysses, Cyclops, and Nausicaa

    -Uses the Latin translation of the language

    -Adds a different dimension to the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda

    -Cesaire was inspired by Epic Heroes

Works Cited

    Césaire, Aimé. A tempest: based on Shakespeare's The tempest, adaptation for a Black theatre. Trans. Richard Miller. New York: TCG Translations, 2002. Print.

Cesaire’s’ Une Tempete at The Gate (pdf)

Green, Victoria. "A Tempest Themes of African Mythology and Referencing Civil Rights Activist." Theater 271. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Iiwinc. "History of Martinique." Martinique History. Caribya, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Classism in Shakespeare's England

On my visit to the Shakespeare Unauthorized exhibit at the Boston Public Library, there was one particular segment that caught my attention and surprised me. Despite the fact that, for most students today, Shakespeare is seen as one of the greatest, if not, the greatest playwright in history, the exhibit showed that his reputation was not always this way.

In his day, someone with his humble background, coming from a provincial family and no university education, would be seen by his peers as automatically intellectually inferior to the more learned aristocracy. Even the brilliance of Shakespeare was dimmed by his low-class upbringing, showing how important class was at this point in history. The exhibit showed an example of this portrayal of Shakespeare with a copy of The History of the Worthies of England, a series of biographies of notable Englishmen which included the first ever biography of Shakespeare. In it, the author, James Fuller, humanizes Shakespeare not only by mentioning his poor roots but also by depicting him as a frequenter of ale houses and a person who was "unrefined" by English social standards of the time. This is a very interesting and, ultimately, sad part of the history of Shakespeare, as it reflects the terrible classism that affected every facet of English life and even managed to make the most brilliant playwright of his generation look undignified.