Blog 12

I am surprised how badly I have written some of my previous blogs and I am pretty satisfied with some of them ( when and how such ideas came to me) as I read my all previous blogs. In fact, journey from the blog one to eleven was experience of both pain and pleasure. Pain in a sense that sometimes I run out of time and was so much occupied with other things that I was not able to submit them on time (I think three of them I submit after due day and completely missed one). Pleasure in a sense that I was expressing myself not only in my diaries or in papers that was handed to professors ( in fact I used to write diaries in native language and most of time burn them after 2/3 years ) but among other people.

Expressing ideas in sweet, short and precise way was problem with my blog writing. Most of time, while commuting in train and buses I used to think / plan to write blogs or any papers. But when I start writing, I felt very much deadlock. I usually get frustrated, walk around kitchen, make coffee and drink, read the resource and text books and assignment question again, and do many other weird things, take a shower or many times blame professor for giving so much work. I have occasionally just read blog questions over and over again just as German poet Raina Maria Rilke spent couple days in a zoo watching panther to write a single poem, “The Panther”. And all of sudden when I start writing two or three lines, I was greatly amazed how quickly I surpassed 250 words. So I would say writing 250 words was not problem for me but the real problem was to write first five lines and organize the ideas that was in my head.

It was a great advantage for me to read other people’s blog for it helped me to learn how native people with English as their mother tongue writes and know their perspectives’ which I could not have if there were no blogs. One big thing I learn from reading couple blogs were how people were capable of saying the same thing in 300 words which I might have taken more than 500 words to explain. When I write I usually do not think what I am writing but when someone comments on some of my writing it was amazing sometimes when people have different perspective when I totally mean another thing.

I would say that I have technophobia and especially when it comes to computer and internet I am little bit shaky. So at first I was very frustrated at even uploading blogs because of lack of familiarity with right procedure. However, as time went by everything turn out to be smooth and now I enjoy doing it.

Last winter, in my Sociology class, I was assigned to write in discussion board and at those times I felt very awkward to put what I feel. Now after this blogging in Shakespeare class I am pretty confident to showcase what I write no matter how bad it is for grammatical reasons, organizing ideas or any other reasons. Therefore I must admit that blogging was great experience for me to kill my timidity in expressing myself.

By the time I started writing first couple of blogs, I stated to think to create some blog myself, especially about Nepal, its past present and future political scenarios, its social and economic problems etc. and make a team of online community across the globe, within the diasporas’ of Nepalese communities mostly in US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, countries of European Union, middle east and eastern Asian industrializing countries like Malaysia and Korea. Another one I am planning to create a blog, concentrating mainly on entertainment like books, music and movies and get connected with people of my types who love reading books, watching movies and listening to music of my kind. I have never thought of online community or making a forum of like minded people who share common interest and ideology through blog before. Now I will do it – get connected with my old friends, the people that share my ideology, interest and ambition.

Last but not the least, thanks for blog assignments’ which was easier than writing essay papers as grammar was not taken into the consideration. It was more like free writing for me just flow the emotions and thoughts, and you would be fine, irrespective of any rules and syntax of language just as beat poems and writings of 50’s.

Blog 11 Lady Macbeth's Sleep Walking Scene

All three pieces of Lady Macbeth’s sleep walking scenes were masterpieces. After watching three times each I am unable to grade them with different grades. They were all A plus particularly the first two ones for their action performance and the last one for powerful singing. I must admit the fact that third version of Shirley Verrett, I have no idea what was going on. However I was moved more by the music and the voice of actor than her acting.

Jane Peptone : When she came up from stairs to high platform, she walked back and forth and looked in air so astonished that she was totally paranoid. Her pain strikingly cries and sometimes hysterical smiles reflected her mental breakdown. Her expressions were full of guilt, remorse, isolation, and insecurity nearer to the stage of human insanity. When she said lines, “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” – she look really remorseful, spreading her hand away from her nose-face as if there were real blood and its smell. At last when she pulled and pushed her husband virtual and imaginary hand to go to bed, her performance did great justice to Shakespeare classic. “What is done can’t be undone” part of her performance showed her desperation and loneliness and her need of her crime partner husband’s deep and intense emotional support in time of her mental crisis.

Judi Dench : After watching Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth - a witty, cunning , arrogant and royal lady (queen), I never thought her acting so deep in agony, grief and remorse. I have Judi image as either queen Elizabeth or rough and tough Bond. As she appeared in the sleep walking scene with her left hand finger in mouth holding a candle light with right hand – her cries were full of guilt and remorse. Her eyes full of deep pain, her voice trembling with emotions of pain were much noticeable. Pronouncing her word “still” emphasizing deep agony and afterwards deep cries after saying the lines, all perfumes……this little hand, was the height of perfection; Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth to her best. I have nothing more accurate to comment expect borrow the lines from the afterward lines from the doctor. “What a sigh there Judi Dench heart was sorely charged at that time,” as Lady Macbeth as she was charged with full authority of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.

Shirley Verrett : Her lady Macbeth sleep walking scene was more of singing than of acting. Her voice were so finely tuned that it was hard for an audience to focus on her acting. Watching and listening her third time I felt that her opera was full of more melancholy about some lost love or tragic destiny than guilt or remorse that lady Macbeth was going through. However it still was a great piece of work.