Retail Arts has a good point that reaffirms the elusive nature of Shakespeare when we try to nail him down. But what fun to make the attempt---and your reasoning holds a lot of water.
I won't say you're definitely wrong, but I think it's important to note that the use of "fair" in this book doesn't necessarily mean light skinned. It's rather used to describe one as beautiful. I also don't see Helena's line as proof they looked similar. They were called equally beautiful, but they couldn't have looked that similar if Demetrius would leave Helena for Hermia. I don't believe there's any solid proof either way, so it's up to interpretation (as none of the characters have any real descriptions)
Thanks for your thoughts! Appreciate the engagement. Agreed it's impossible to be certain about her appearance/intended appearance. Believe it or not, I have a fair bit more to say on the topic, no pun intended, and almost wrote a Part 2. One further piece of evidence is the meaning of "fair" in Petrarchan poetry, where it does indeed convey light skin and hair. Would you agree? In my doctoral thesis, I argued that Dream is one of several satires of Petrarch that Shakespeare wrote in the 1590s. Of course, this is another contextual point and so doesn't decide the matter definitively. In any case, will take up this question again another time! In the mean time, always happy to hear feedback, so thanks!
The entire tone and tenor of the scene would absolutely be played differently, and I'd argue more interestingly, if the interpretation shifted in the way you describe.
This is fantastic! I’m teaching Midsummer now, may I share with my students? Full credit given of course! It’s a theater appreciation class at a Community College.
It went really well John! I asked them to write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with you using textual proof and they all did well. I wanted to show them how scholars write and this was a perfect opportunity! Thanks again!
They mostly agreed with you, although many said that they wouldn't mind seeing a Black or of color Hermia. What I wanted was for them to use their own textual proof rather than repeating yours. For the most part the repeated some of yours but thought about it for themselves and gave me REASONS for those thoughts. It's tough to get more than a yes or no answer out of them in class sometimes, so having this as a tool for a homework assignment was really useful. May I use it for future classes? I'm not sure I'll teach Midsummer again for a while, but if I do, I'd like to put in rotation.
Your essay is a delightful read.
Retail Arts has a good point that reaffirms the elusive nature of Shakespeare when we try to nail him down. But what fun to make the attempt---and your reasoning holds a lot of water.
Thanks very much, Tom! Very kind of you.
An interesting look into how things can be misinterpreted.
Thanks, Andrew! Appreciate your support.
I won't say you're definitely wrong, but I think it's important to note that the use of "fair" in this book doesn't necessarily mean light skinned. It's rather used to describe one as beautiful. I also don't see Helena's line as proof they looked similar. They were called equally beautiful, but they couldn't have looked that similar if Demetrius would leave Helena for Hermia. I don't believe there's any solid proof either way, so it's up to interpretation (as none of the characters have any real descriptions)
Thanks for your thoughts! Appreciate the engagement. Agreed it's impossible to be certain about her appearance/intended appearance. Believe it or not, I have a fair bit more to say on the topic, no pun intended, and almost wrote a Part 2. One further piece of evidence is the meaning of "fair" in Petrarchan poetry, where it does indeed convey light skin and hair. Would you agree? In my doctoral thesis, I argued that Dream is one of several satires of Petrarch that Shakespeare wrote in the 1590s. Of course, this is another contextual point and so doesn't decide the matter definitively. In any case, will take up this question again another time! In the mean time, always happy to hear feedback, so thanks!
The entire tone and tenor of the scene would absolutely be played differently, and I'd argue more interestingly, if the interpretation shifted in the way you describe.
Thanks, Donna!
This is fantastic! I’m teaching Midsummer now, may I share with my students? Full credit given of course! It’s a theater appreciation class at a Community College.
Thanks so much! And of course!
I'd love to hear how it goes!
It went really well John! I asked them to write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with you using textual proof and they all did well. I wanted to show them how scholars write and this was a perfect opportunity! Thanks again!
Great to hear, Janna! What fun - being read in a theatre class. A first for me, thank you! (Now make them all subscribe! 🤣).
I'll suggest it! It's an early college community college class so I'm not sure how many takers you'll get! 🙂
I'm curious to know: did they mostly agree or dis?
They mostly agreed with you, although many said that they wouldn't mind seeing a Black or of color Hermia. What I wanted was for them to use their own textual proof rather than repeating yours. For the most part the repeated some of yours but thought about it for themselves and gave me REASONS for those thoughts. It's tough to get more than a yes or no answer out of them in class sometimes, so having this as a tool for a homework assignment was really useful. May I use it for future classes? I'm not sure I'll teach Midsummer again for a while, but if I do, I'd like to put in rotation.
Will let you know!