Henry V Act 1 Scene 2

Mrs. Burke asked us to answer the following questions from Act 1 Scene 2 of Henry V by William Shakespeare.
1.What are the specifics of the Law of Salique?
         The Law of Salique is the law that declares that the French throne cannot be inherited through women, so if the king's daughter has a son, that son may not be king. The French enacted this lawbecause they are trying to take away Henry's right through his great-grandmother.
2. Who sent the tennis balls to Henry?
          The Dauphin of France
3. Why were they sent? What do they mean/represent?
           They were sent to demonstrate his superiority over Henry's childish behavior. Also, he sent them as a symbol of war. He was putting the ball in Henry's court, so that it would be Henry's decision of whether the two countries would go to war or not. Also, going along with the tennis theme, Katherine pointed out that love means zero, so Dauphin starts the score at love-love, but Henry's decision to declare war destroys the "love."
4. What is Henry's decision at the end of this act?
          As I talked about in the previous questio, Henry decides to prepare for war with France because he feels offended by Dauphin's actions and he wants to prove his right to the French thrown.

"Achilles in Vietnam"

For English class, we have had to read several excerpts of "Achilles in Vietnam" by Johnathan Shay. You can probably tell by the title that I found it related to our research about "The Trojan Women." At one point in the book, Shay talks about Achilles dragging Hector around, and I immediately knew what he was talking about because of the research we did about the battle of Troy, as well as the part in the play when Talthybius converses with Hecuba and Andromache about the event. The story that Shay related his veterans' experiences to was that of Achilles and Agamemnon, and I was proud of myself when I kenw the back story about them. I am starting to see theatre everywhere!

Henry V Act 1 Scene 1

On October 25, 2012 Mrs. Burke asked us to answer these questions about Act 1 Scene 1 of Henry V by William Shakespeare.
1. What type of man is Henry now?
         Henry is now much smarter and more responsible. He has basically reformed since his father's death for he used to hang around with no-good commoners, but once his father died he completely changed. He now takes responsibility for the kingdom and has earned the respect of many, including Ely and Canterbury.
2. What is Henry really good at doing?
         Henry is really good at fighting! He is known for his battle prowess, hence his interest invading France, for he believes he could be successful and earn his right to the French crown.
3. What is the "bill" they are talking about?
        The bill that Ely and Canterbury are talking about is one that would give the government the ability to take away much of the church's land and money. This money would then be used to finance the army, the poor, and the king's treasury. Obviously, these church officials don't want that to happen, so they are trying to distract Henry because it is supposed to be presented to him soon.

Fun

IT WOULD BE SOOOO FUN TO HAVE A PLAY IN THIS WEATHER!!!!!!!!

Election

On October 23, 2012 we were talking about the presidential election during theatre class, and several things we discussed certainly related to theatre. First of all, the presidential debates require the candidates to have exceptional presentaiton skills, which actors must have as well. Essentially, politicians are actors. They must be convincing in their character if they want people to believe in them, just as actors must step into the role of their character if people are to enjoy and understand the play.

Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is causing quite a buzz, and now everything makes me think about theatre, so Sandy is no exception. All the chaos and worry about the storm makes me think of how chaotic it would have been for the Trojan Women as they await the outcome of the "storm." Also, all the preparations that government officials have taken makes me think of what Henry V would have done as king. It would be his responsibility to protect his country's people, so he would have to take the same sort of precautions if the storm came to his country. All of the frantic worry about the storm could also relate to the worry of the people of England about what will happen, which could be very interesting to depict in a play.

Explanation

As an explanation for my previous post, the other night I was sitting in my room reading a book for English when I heard a popping noise coming from outside. As I listened more carefully, I heard more noises that sounded like gunshots. The sound was frightening, and made me think of how the sound of fighting would be frightening for the Trojan Women as well. Hearing the gun shots, I thought" They are coming!" to myself, which reminded me of the scene in the Lord of the Rings when the Fellowship has gone into the Mines of Moria, and Gandalf says "They are coming!" It was very dramatic, and would be a perfect scene for "Trojan Women."


 http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1920&bih=901&tbm=isch&tbnid=Dqhkukc5DZQhvM:&imgrefurl=http://munchanka.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html&docid=aYg8eABfDCZYiM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYwLBxMLOtA5-j0fKyErJUGRqdGbgxkRnfhlqK1b8C8HeN66SFG5SoRptEfQEkRKOIRGBUXe_dKasnfOfTc51i64ZuSHS8jmcBeVPsQgnDSWKdoFtvlZPkl8NPEgvE7TDCF7_sAG5hZA/s320/gandalfscared.jpg&w=320&h=270&ei=v2-NUO2jA4nu0gGiyoDQCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=401&vpy=178&dur=46&hovh=206&hovw=244&tx=157&ty=136&sig=113447367776737826098&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=168&start=0&ndsp=44&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:20,i:182

They're coming..

I just heard gunshots outside my window...They are coming for me...

Taliban Event Reminds Me of "Trojan Women"

Theatre in the World:
First, the recent Taliban shooting of the young girl who stood up for herself reminded me of Cassandra in the Trojan Women because she was not afraid to speak her mind and express her anger. She would not take the abuse of the Greek men just because they had won the battle, just as this young girl refused to accept the Taliban's domination of her home. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57532473/pakistani-girl-shot-by-taliban-lands-in-u.k/
It also reminded me of the Greeks killing Astyanax because it was a senseless murder, just as this shooting was a senseless murder attempt.

Dreaming about Theatre?

Last night, I had a dream, which of course I can't remember. All I remember is shouting "NO!" I woke myself up from ym dream when I did this because in my dream I realized that I had accidentally said it aloud, but then I went back to just talking in my head. My mom even told me about in the morning because she heard me and thought something was wrong. It made me think of theatre because sometimes the actors may not have lines they're supposed to say aloud, but something comes out anyway. Also, the Trojan Women probably had nightmares in which they shouted no to their situation as well.

Romney and Trojan Women?

I was perusing my new favorite site, Pinterest, when I came across this meme today. It made me think of the Trojan Women because they weren't given any rights: because their men lost the war, they would now be forced to be slaves to the Greeks.
http://pinterest.com/pin/239253798925163921/

Trojan Women in Harry Potter

I'm currently re-reading the first Harry Potter book because of course, it is AMAZING!!!!! <3 But it made me think of how in the Trojan Women, Talthybius brings Andromache the body of her dead son. It seemed unusual, for them to bring back the body of the boy they murdered, but I think Talthybius felt bad and wanted to show his respect. This reminded me of the part in the 7th Harry Potter book when Dobby dies and Griphook tells Harry that he is an unusual wizard, and Harry asks why. He says: "Because you dug the grave." It shows that Harry wanted to show his respect for Dobby and his sacrifice, just as Talthybius wanted to show his respect for Andromache and her son.

Picture: http://pinterest.com/pin/107945722289471097/

Attack of Birds in Theatre Class

Today in theatre class, I glanced out the window to see a flock of black birds flying towards me, which immediately made me think of "The Fellowship of the Ring" movie, in which Sauroman sends out spies that appear in a swarm of black birds. This is a very ominous scene, so I was thinking how directors could use something swarming or swooping toward the audience to convey something scary.

"Merchant of Venice" in History Textbook

Yesterday, October 14, 2012, I was doing a practice PSAT test in which one of the critical reading questions talked about directing Al Pacino in "The Merchant of Venice." When I think of Al
Pacino, I think of gangsters, so it made me envision an adaptation of "Mercahnt of Venice" where the main characters have that gangster undertone.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1920&bih=901&tbm=isch&tbnid=b1Py22OJ5_sY-M:&imgrefurl=http://theatreexplorer.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html&docid=3QZzeqY1a-VirM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VfvU9J311iKKOL2Zp_6FPJZNMrS6TjXUypkzrIHdig86ycfTAiJQLPyt7wcaKlkv4iREHHnVBa1gLJjiqitKdoXlXfVIMmRnftTvJtB_A7EyxlviYuFVU2LSs8SEjBsKFowuWykLskXw/s1600/the_merchant_of_venice.jpg&w=548&h=411&ei=i7J8UIe8FqnX0QH48oHYDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=289&vpy=430&dur=1396&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=93&ty=114&sig=117803361460173236121&page=1&tbnh=126&tbnw=174&start=0&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:0,i:130

Theatre Class at PSU

Theatre in the Making:
While at Penn State on October 12, 2012 we observed an introduction to acting class. It was AMAZING!!!!! We started off by going to see the theatre where students will be performing "Sweney Todd" in a couple weeks. We got to see the set, which was designed by an undergrad theatre student. We also got to see the impact of lights on the feeling of the performance. The lights could change the texture of the ground, and they showed us the sequence for "City of Fire," and I really got the feel of a fire. After that, we went back to the class where we participated in sevaral activities. First, we did a warm-up where the students circled up and each person had to do and action with a noise and then everyone else in the circle mimiced them, while still putting their own spin on it. I could see how this realtes to acting because an actor will have a script and know what their character acts like, but they also must put their own spin on it. Next, we played a game where everyone sat in a circle and when the person in the middle said something that applied to you, (For example, "Everyone who is wearing black pants") you had to get up and try to find another chair. This exercise tried to teach us that in acting, you have to take risks and do whatever you need to get what you want. For a career in acting, sometimes you have to put it all on the line. Finally, we got to see sevaral students participate in an exercise where one student had to balance a stick somewhere, and the other person observed their feelings. Each time one person said something, the other had to repeat it. This exercise is important for actors because they must be able to read the feelings of other actors and convey that feeling back to each other. This experience inspired me to want to take a theatre class in college!!

"Merchant of Venice" at PSU

Theatre in Performance:
On October 12, 2012 our theatre class took a field trip to Penn State. The first thing we did was watch "Merchant of Venice" by the actors from the London Stage. It was an absolutely fantastic production! Initially, I was feeling a little trepidatious because there was no set, and I am used to seeing elaborate sets for productions. Due to the minimal set, the actors had to pretend that they had problems. There was one particularly funny part when one actor pretended to draw a sword, by making the noise it would make.Also, there were only five actors playing numerous characters. This got really confusing throughout the play because I couldn't remember which character the was at some points. However, it was also hilarious because they would quickly switch hats or scarves and talk to an empty space, pretending that character was there. It's hard to imagine how the actors would be able to memorize all their lines (there were so many!) for their different characters and remember when they are which character. I also noticed an aspect of epic theatre when the characters sang songs to convey a message. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing experience, and I can't wait to see more plays like this!

Neutral Mask Workshop

Theatre in the Making:
On October 3rd, 2012 we did a neutral mask worshop in class where we stood in front of a mirror and did various movements with a blank mask on.
How do the different positions make me feel?
They made my body feel disconnected from my face. I felt like my joints were moving and since my face was a blank slate, I had to rely on my body movements. My body movements had to convey my emotions and some of them felt creepier than others.
How far can I safely extend my movements beyond everyday measures?
I can extend them as far as they go and make them seem longer. For example, when I leaned my head to the side, I stretched out my arm and fingertips to make my arm look longer. I also tried to stick out my opposite leg, but I couldn't exactly balance, so that limited me. I tried to make my arms seem disconnected, so they looked more dramatic.