Just seeing how this thing works…
Alas, Cymbeline, the most experimental and confusing of all of Shakespeare’s plays – virtually impossible, which is why I love oh so much. Though, often in our table work sessions we have been bringing up a few questions:
1. What is the feminist slant on this work?
2. Why does Imogen take Posthumus back so willingly?
3. How do we construct a new persepctive on and break down the complications surrounding “the tragic lesbian’ in the case of Pisania?
These questions will be addressed in the script edits I will perform this weekend. The last scene – the monster – will be needing some edits around Posthumus’ line “Hang there like fruit, my soul, til the tree die.” Within those few lines surrounding before we are re-introduced to the where-abouts of Cloten we will need to accomplish the following: (a) Posthumus needs to profusely apologize to Imogen’s face and set up a moment where forgiveness by Imogen is meditated upon within her text – as if to say, yes Posthumus I forgive you, but you are in the dog house for a while. (b) We need to make evident that Pisania has been nothing but loyal to Imogen where she recognizes Pisania’s “love” for her in the context of a sister, a soul mate, and trustworthy companion – we are not alieviating the tragic lesbian but we are learning about the intricacies of complicated hetero/homo relations in the period (or no period, almost utopic if you will) and saying that love may abound on multiple levels: spiritual, sexual, familial, unrequited, mutual, religious – thereby Imogen may not become a lesbian, nor has she ever been one (or maybe she is but the bonds in heaven made by marriage in this world are binding and may not be altered – and these truths are evident to Pisania). This is not to say we are making Pisania “just get over it” as the lesbian, but adapt her love by way of higher powers – though this is very complicated as well for the question surrounding this is the current political flare of “gay marriage” and how it has become a more religious argument than a political one. As you can tell this letter (b) is quite complicated and we are still sifting through myriad complications inherent as I refuse to let it sllide under the rug – it must be called attention to as it is a topic very important to me and I hope to the rest of the cast as it paves the way for definitions of not just love, but the liminal area between the binary of public love and private love. (c) Cymbeline must either recognize Posthumus as a potential heir to the throne or still be mad, but as we have moved into the forgiveness section of the play it seems that the best interest of the show would be to see Cymbeline’s forgiveness and acceptance of class struggles her daughter faces, and she herself faces in the “face” of war. At that point in the play Cymbeline does not know that her sons are alive and they may take over the throne. Once this happens, everything is allieviated in that Posthumus is no longer anywhere near the throne, but three prongs away. Perhaps if Posthumus is a bad human the play that would come after this is Richard III where Posthumus mast kill his way to the top – but this is not the case, so the present “case” stands. But what does it mean to? and how do we? set up an acceptance or slight on the part of Cymbeline in reference to Posthumus? Is it textual or presentational? WHAT IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED AND HOW DOES THIS BRING CYMBELINE FULL CIRCLE? I don’t know yet. But these are things to think about.
That is all I will write for the first blog, as most of you can see we are dealing with issues very present which is perhaps, why, Shakespeare’s plays and the themes inherent in them have stood the test of time. It is barrel of apples, and directors love to bob for them. Here we have many apples (and yet I tire of this emtaphore already). What are we dealing with? Feminism? Sexuality? Class Struggle? THe politics of marriage? THe politics of war? The lines between private and public struggle? International relations both in the public and private spheres? Women in power? The Politics of Travel? War tactic? Cross-gender representation? Experience vs. Truth? Captivity? Murder? Rape/Assault? Fashion even! Mother/daughter relations? Entailment? Language barriers? The politics of trust? Epistimology? Sex? I’m sure there are more, but these immediately come to mind.
Let us blog. It wil be fun, and this will serve as a wonderful forum where our table work will not end when we leave the table but continue as the process progresses. As we may not have time in every rehearsal to think these issues through fully – what with logistical problems and all. So please, post your thoughts – what is your investment in this work and what political themes are on the table for you?
