tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136593454417242564.post817942740739201816..comments2023-02-27T03:53:34.869-05:00Comments on New Paltz Shakespeare: Leonato's Speech- Passion and Repetition Cyrus Mulreadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07949993053589030711noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136593454417242564.post-45198293009155176742012-10-05T13:18:44.929-04:002012-10-05T13:18:44.929-04:00What a careful reading of the text you present her...What a careful reading of the text you present here, Jacey! You have definitely clued us in to something with the language of "mine" and possession in this scene. Liz Schiavo, below, notes the importance of Leonato in this scene, and your post does a good job of demonstrating, at the level of language, just how "possessed" Leonato is in this moment.Cyrus Mulreadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07949993053589030711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136593454417242564.post-68587904616110658122012-10-04T07:17:35.515-04:002012-10-04T07:17:35.515-04:00After reading your posting, I could not help but b...After reading your posting, I could not help but be reminded that part of the anger that Leonato exhibits is due to the fact that she was seen with "a ruffian" and not a nobleman. If she had been seen with King Henry VIII, for instance, and she subsequently went on to have a male child, he would have made that child noble and given him and the mother's family much power and land. As we all know, every wife from Anne Boleyn on, gave the family including the fathers much more power, fortune, and land. The shame seems to lie not in the sexual impurity but in the choice of lover. A female child was only used as a pawn to making a good marriage with a man of means or noble birth. It was indeed a "battle cry" for Leonato because it would also indicate that his ability as a careful custodian of his daughter's chastity would shame him as well as her. To imagine death being the answer to such shame seems unimaginable and yet even today women commit suicide rather than be known as a teenage unmarried mother.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16646715175449056665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136593454417242564.post-30155657089245820482012-10-03T14:40:18.079-04:002012-10-03T14:40:18.079-04:00I found it very interesting that you noted Leonato...I found it very interesting that you noted Leonato's excessive use of the word "mine," and his tendency to be possessive of Hero. While the public shame has been cast upon Hero, Leonato appears to be very self-centered, and worried about how this will reflect on him. He therefore feels responsible for her actions, and considers "his daughter" a very important part of his image. Hero living with the public shame is not the focus of this passage. Instead, the focus is Leonato fear of dishonor. While this should be a moment where Leonato strives to comfort his daughter, he is all "me, me, me." Public image is therefore shown as being more important than family relationships. Vanessa Pavelockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171861669565666529noreply@blogger.com