The course of true love has never been and is not easy. This is illustrated in Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The main characters of the play are all trying to have a happy ending. However, they are all manipulated by Robin Goodfellow, familiarly known as Puck, the loyal servant of Oberon. Some of his actions are intentional while others are accidental. In the end, Puck is amused by the unfolding of events especially because it causes all the characters so much grief. Puck's actions are the reason why the course of true love doesn't run smoothly.
At the beginning of the play, the four lovers are already in turmoil. Lysander and Demetrius are fighting over Hermia while Helena just wants Demetrius to love her. When Puck intervenes, Lysander falls in love with Helena and abandons Hermia. At the same time, he gets Demetrius to fall in love with Helena. This is what he was supposed to do in the first place. At this point, no one loves Hermia and she is furious. She has found true love with Lysander, but he is cruelly taken away from her because of Puck's actions. As a result, Hermia fights with Helena because she wants her love back. This demonstrates the play's theme because Hermia knows that Lysander loves her despite his mean comments and will do anything to have that love returned to her. If true love was easy, Lysander would never have strayed. On the other hand, Helena is also fighting for her true love. When Demetrius finally loves her, she is overjoyed, but Lysander threatens to ruin it for her. So Helena has to fend Lysander off in order to find her happy ending with Demetrius. At the heart of it all, is a delighted Puck. His actions are the cause of the lovers' unhappiness trying to keep their true love.
Similarly, Puck's actions cause trouble for Titania, queen of the faeries. Oberon puts Titania under a spell so that she will fall in love with the first creature she sees when she wakes up. This is Oberon's way of teaching her a lesson. Unbeknownst to Oberon, Puck has changed an Athenian, Bottom, into a donkey. When Titania wakes up, she falls in love with Bottom despite his ugly appearance. When Puck checks in with Oberon, he is very pleased with himself. For Puck, he couldn't have planned it any better. Here Puck's actions have caused the queen of the faeries to fall in love with an ass. Titania's true love is Oberon, but in order to keep her love she is subjected to this cruel joke.
The characters of the play all gain firsthand experience of the rocky course that love is. The actions of Puck clearly support the theme because none of the conflicts that occurred would not have happened without Puck. His actions move the play because anything in life that is worth a lot is never easy to attain.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Mentor Log #1
On Thursday, January 10, I went to my first Filipino Mental Health Initiative meeting. The agenda mainly centered on upcoming events such as Sala (Living Room) Talks hosted at Jefferson High School. They are also hosting a Mental Health First Aid training at Skyline College. Additionally, they are hosting an event called Photovoice. This is a way for people to express their thoughts and opinions on a topic of their choosing through pictures.
Throughout the meeting, I mainly listened to everyone talk because all the planning was done already and they were just updating each other on what was going on. However, I did get to speak a little bit about why I was there and what my project is about. As a result, I got a lot of contact information from many of the people that are a part of FMHI. This is great because they all work at different places associated with mental health. For example, some people are nurses or therapists or just work with other health organizations. It was really nice how everyone was willing to give up more of their time to help me with my project. At first when I came into the meeting, I was a little embarrassed and shy because I was the youngest person there. Yet everyone was so welcoming and open that I was instantly put at ease.
This Thursday, January 17, I will be meeting with my mentor to come up with a plan of events that will ensure that I am getting the most out of this project. So by Thursday, I am hoping to have a set plan of how I am approaching this project in terms of the physical aspect. Also, I will be getting a little guidance from my mentor on my research project.
INDIVIDUAL HOURS TOTAL: 1.5 hours
RUNNING TOTAL: 1.5 hours
Throughout the meeting, I mainly listened to everyone talk because all the planning was done already and they were just updating each other on what was going on. However, I did get to speak a little bit about why I was there and what my project is about. As a result, I got a lot of contact information from many of the people that are a part of FMHI. This is great because they all work at different places associated with mental health. For example, some people are nurses or therapists or just work with other health organizations. It was really nice how everyone was willing to give up more of their time to help me with my project. At first when I came into the meeting, I was a little embarrassed and shy because I was the youngest person there. Yet everyone was so welcoming and open that I was instantly put at ease.
This Thursday, January 17, I will be meeting with my mentor to come up with a plan of events that will ensure that I am getting the most out of this project. So by Thursday, I am hoping to have a set plan of how I am approaching this project in terms of the physical aspect. Also, I will be getting a little guidance from my mentor on my research project.
INDIVIDUAL HOURS TOTAL: 1.5 hours
RUNNING TOTAL: 1.5 hours
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)