The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 22.0221 Tuesday, 6 September 2011
[1] From: Anna Kamaralli <
Date: September 5, 2011 8:29:22 PM EDT
Subject: Re: Q: Mothers
[2] From: David Richman <
Date: September 5, 2011 9:05:26 PM EDT
Subject: Re: Q: Mothers
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Anna Kamaralli <
Date: September 5, 2011 8:29:22 PM EDT
Subject: Re: Q: Mothers
Titania speaks of the death in childbirth of the mother of her little human page, in these incredibly beautiful and moving lines:
Set your heart at rest:
The fairy land buys not the child of me.
His mother was a votaress of my order:
And, in the spiced Indian air, by night,
Full often hath she gossip'd by my side,
And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands,
Marking the embarked traders on the flood,
When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive
And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind;
Which she, with pretty and with swimming gait
Following,--her womb then rich with my young squire,--
Would imitate, and sail upon the land,
To fetch me trifles, and return again,
As from a voyage, rich with merchandise.
But she, being mortal, of that boy did die;
And for her sake do I rear up her boy,
And for her sake I will not part with him.
Best regards,
Anna Kamaralli
[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: David Richman <
Date: September 5, 2011 9:05:26 PM EDT
Subject: Re: Q: Mothers
Perhaps Beatrice’s mother dies in childbirth. Beatrice has no parents: her uncle is her guardian and has the disposing of her in marriage. I find quite poignant the following lines—suggestive of death in childbirth. The scene between Beatrice and Don Pedro is, to my mind, one of those magical scenes in which laughter and pain so thoroughly interpenetrate each other that you can hardly tell where the one leaves off and the other begins.
{Prince}. Your silence most offends me, and to be mer-ry,
best becomes you, for out of question, you were born
in a merry howre.
{Beatr}. No sure my Lord, my Mother cried, but then
there was a starre daunst, and vnder that was I borne: co-sins
God giue you ioy.
David Richman
_______________________________________________________________
SHAKSPER: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook,
The SHAKSPER Web Site <http://shaksper.net>
DONATION: Consider making a donation to support SHAKSPER: shaksper.net.
DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the opinions expressed on it are the sole property of the poster, and the editor assumes no responsibility for them.