Shakespeare Workgroup - Essay Example

Shakespeare Workgroup Scene: Bare room with several folding chairs open and placed in a rough circle inthe center. Judith stands facing the door. Enter Banquo, Cassio, Horatio, Northumberland and Buckingham Judith: Good afternoon, gentlemen. Welcome to the Sidekick Support Group. My name is Judith and I will be your moderator for this session. Won’t you please take a seat? (Writer’s note – The name Judith was deliberately selected as the name of Shakespeare’s fictional sister envisioned by the feminist writer Virginia Woolf) Men each find a chair and sit down, expectant. Judith: Perhaps we should start by introducing ourselves. As I’ve said, my name is Judith. I am William Shakespeare’s sister and have brought you all together today to discuss your thoughts regarding your relationships with your leaders. Please, won’t each of you in turn share your name and a little about who you are. Banquo: My name is Banquo and I was a good friend to Macbeth, who became king of Scotland after murdering old King Duncan. Cassio: I am Cassio and I was a lieutenant under the great commander Othello until I was disgraced and Othello went mad. Horatio: Hello, everyone. My name is Horatio. I think I was the only real friend Hamlet ever had. Northumberland: My true name is Henry Percy, but most people simply refer to me as Northumberland. I was once a loyal follower of the crown, but upon seeing Richard II’s mismanagement of the country, I had little choice but to support Henry’s claim to the throne. Buckingham: I am called Buckingham and I was a noble of the royal court and a supporter of placing Richard on the throne over his brother Edward IV. Judith: Thank you, gentlemen. Now that we all have an idea of who each other is, does anyone have any particular concerns regarding their roles that they would like to discuss? Cassio: I do. I would have given all that I am to save Othello’s reputation in the least. I deserved all I got for being drunk and brawling in the streets, destroying my own reputation as well as his. As I told Iago, I would rather sue to be despised than to deceive so good a commander with so slight, so drunken and so indiscreet an officer (II, iii). But I was confounded by that evil rogue just as my noble commander. I live my life in darkness thinking perhaps I could have assisted my good commander in his time of confusion. Banquo: Madness can often strike unawares. It did so with my good friend and compatriot, Macbeth. He was always my good friend until the madness of the witches took him and he became convinced I was designing against him. Cassio: Ah, Banquo, would that I could attribute Othello’s madness to something as external as what afflicted your Macbeth. Alas, I fear a good portion of Othello’s madness stemmed from my own actions, ill-advised as they were by the evil Iago though well-intentioned by myself. Horatio: What do you believe you have done, good Cassio, to have contributed to Othello’s madness? Cassio: I sought out admission to the lovely Desdemona, Othello’s bride, for assistance in regaining his ear and my position. There was naught in our relations to suspect Desdemona and I had anything other than concern for Othello and a desire to serve him, but Iago was able to convince him, through Desdemona’s pleas for my benefit and my presence with her, that she and I had dishonorable intentions. Had I not sought her assistance, Iago would not have had such a ready weapon to use against so noble a man. Buckingham: You do not hold any blame. A man cannot be expected to do anything other than further his station. You acted correctly in seeking any means possible of regaining your status. You cannot be held to account for the misdeeds of another. Horatio: I disagree. I, too, have held some responsibility for the destruction of a good and noble prince. I knew of Hamlet’s father’s appearance and I knew of Hamlet’s plan to feign madness as a means of finding out his plotting uncle. I have often felt I should have done more to prevent the final events of Hamlet’s life because I did naught to help him. Northumberland: There are times in a man’s life when he must know when to take up arms against the laws of the land in order to stand for what is right for the state. This is easier done when backed by compatriots who share similar opinions, but must be undertaken whether or no we can see success. If we do not fight for fear of losing our security, we surely will lose both. Buckingham: Those who do not act to preserve their own welfare are indeed doomed to suffer the pangs of defeat ere long. This does not mean to bow to the direction of what is right and good, but instead to work toward self-preservation. In order to survive and retain one’s station, one must always be aware of who has the greater power and influence and side with that one in such a way as to provide indispensable service. With this done, rewards are sure to follow. Banquo: But do you not, gentlemen, see the stronger issue at hand, that of a noble man remaining true to his calling and his beliefs? I think back to Macbeth and the prophecy offered him by the witches. After they informed him he would one day be king, he grew suspicious of all people. Because they had predicted that future kings would come from my line, Macbeth deemed myself a threat but did not manage to kill my son and thus prevent the prophecy. How can one prevent against the illnesses of the mind or the weaknesses of the body such as these? Buckingham: That is why it is necessary to always be on the watch for what might be best for the self. In supporting Richard, I was simply supporting the most likely candidate for the next throne because he was strongest, most ruthless and had already proved capable of removing whatever obstacles might otherwise stand in his way, even coming down to murdering his own brother or nephew if that became necessary. Northumberland: No, I cannot see that as the way to go. A ruler should not be selected because of his ability to look out for himself and his friends. Richard II had those qualities. He anxiously awaited the death of his uncle, John of Gaunt, so that he might sell off his lands and property to fund an ill-advised war in Ireland. This in spite of the knowledge that he had already depleted the funds of the royal treasury and had no means by which to fund the war otherwise. In doing so, it became clear to us that he would stop at nothing to punish the nobles out of whatever they might own to satisfy his own concerns with little or no thought to the benefit of the state. Horatio: And this is what sorely presses upon my heart. Hamlet was such a man as would consider not just what was best for the state, but also what was best for the populace, a rare trait in a ruler and one he did not share with his vile uncle. Indeed, Hamlet even told me of the plot of his uncle to have him murdered upon the shores of England, once he was safely away from home. I tried to persuade Hamlet not to go to the duel with Laertes, but he would not hear of backing out of a just fight. He was that honorable that he recognized Laertes’ claim against him and went to the duel ready for death. With all that I knew of the proceedings, I should have struggled more to keep the prince safe from Claudius’ plotting. Cassio: That is just how I feel, I should have done more. But I cannot see how I could have. I did not realize Iago’s plans until they were finally revealed in Othello’s bedchamber after the damage had been done. I still do not have clear recollection regarding the fight I had in the street that night, nor can I discern where I might have discerned that my speaking with Desdemona was unduly upsetting my commander. Banquo: Who can truly know what is on the mind of a leader? I had thought my friend still my friend when he ascended to Duncan’s throne. He warmly invited me to the feast to be held in his honor in the evening and had little to fear from myself despite the witches’ prophecy. I admit I had considered that the witches’ words might indeed have some truth to them, particularly when I saw Macbeth dressed in the King’s robes, but I never would consider undertaking murder of my friend as a means of attaining greatness for my sons. I did not know then that Macbeth himself had taken action to assure the prophecy was fulfilled, nor did I know then that he was already plotting against me. Buckingham: This is what I am saying. You cannot know the mind of a ruler and thus, you must follow the path of self-preservation. You must look out to protect your own property and person by aligning yourself with the strongest and more powerful leader, providing him with little reason to suspect you even when you lay foundations for your own future protection should they begin to turn. Northumberland: I do not agree with Buckingham. A ruler concerned with his country is not anxious to leave it or to dishonor it. He does not find it necessary to plot against his noblemen until he has been plotted against himself. Bolingbroke would have honored his exile had his father remained alive and Richard II had not deemed it necessary to wrongfully appropriate his inheritance as a means of funding an ill-begotten war with no advance for the state. Horatio: I find myself in agreement with Northumberland on this point. Claudius was perhaps the stronger, or at least the more active of the two men, but Hamlet was the better ruler for Denmark and the rightful ruler as well. Hamlet feigned madness as a means of discovering the truth behind the old Hamlet’s death before he plotted against the new king. This despite the knowledge that the crown rightfully should have fallen to Hamlet’s head before Claudius had Hamlet been in Denmark when the old king died. A man’s actions can reveal much about whether he will be a good ruler for the benefit of the state, and that man should be favored above all men for the support of the nobles. Banquo: Knowing what I know now of Macbeth’s actions in relation to his attaining the crown of Scotland, I would not have supported him in his actions or in his coronation. I remained unaware of his thoughts and actions until it was too late for me. The best I could do to reveal Macbeth’s treachery was to appear to him in ghostly form and hope his shocked senses might reveal him to his guests. Horatio: I fear me that in the end, the best I could do as well was to reveal after his death the true nature of Hamlet’s designs and the events that had taken place in Denmark. There was little I could do to dissuade him from fighting and nothing I could do to save him once he’d been struck with the poisoned sword, but I could ensure others knew of the treachery that took place in Denmark and that Hamlet’s memory would not be tainted with the stain of cowardice or insanity, but rather with the honor and nobility he deserved. Cassio: I suppose, in the end, that is all I can do as well. I could not have known the designs of Iago in feigning to befriend me in my time of trial and woe. In my despair, I could not see how my interactions with Desdemona might alarm and upset Othello. My conception of the noble leader left no room in his heart for any kind of weakness or doubt. I now know different, but it is too late. All I can do is continue to ensure all who know of Othello’s end also know of Iago’s deceptions. It does not alleviate my despair, but it helps to place it in its proper place. Judith: Thank you, gentlemen. We are out of time for this session, but I do believe it has been enlightening for all. Read More