Saturday, September 29, 2007

Memory and Recall in "The White Devil"

The play begins and ends with memory, extending the characters depth by having them recall previous events or to dwell inside of themselves. Further Francisco recalls his memory of Isabella (4.1), invoking memory which he attempts unite with his imagination to include accurate memory but he can only recall his inaction and sadness.

What is the role of tradegy in this time period and where does memory lie in this plays ultimate importance? In what ways is Isabella's worship of Brachiano relevant to memory in the play? How are we to concieve of Lodovico's role and his memory of his past deeds in reference to the ones of the play?

What are we to make of Flamineo and is role in the plot? He seems most interesting to me in that while he is a criminal and I don't feel sympathy for him, in a lot of ways, he seems to genuinely care about Brachiano. Is this an accurate reading and if so, why does he do so?

On another note, I know there was a Shakespeare and Cognition class offered last semester. If there was anyone in it, could they offer some discussion on memory within the context of this play?

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