{"id":561,"date":"2018-04-21T14:45:33","date_gmt":"2018-04-21T14:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/?page_id=561"},"modified":"2019-02-20T16:48:02","modified_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:48:02","slug":"archbishops-school-canterbury","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/archbishops-school-canterbury\/","title":{"rendered":"Archbishop’s School, Canterbury"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fact that Lady Mary Wroth is a female contemporary of Shakespeare disproves Virginia Woolf\u2019s view that any sister of Shakespeare could not have written drama.<\/p>\n

Love\u2019s Victory<\/em>\u00a0is a powerful starting point for reviewing women\u2019s history and\u00a0theatre history.<\/p>\n

On 18th\u00a0October 2018\u00a0Year 12\u00a0students from Miss Creaney’s\u00a0English Literature class at\u00a0Archbishop’s School, Canterbury worked on\u00a0a comparison of the supernatural characters of the ghost in Shakespeare’s\u00a0Hamlet\u00a0<\/em>with\u00a0Venus and Cupid in\u00a0Lady Mary Wroth’s Love’s Victory\u00a0<\/em>with Professor Alison Findlay.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica, <\/a>
Jessica, Emily, Liam and Toby in second row. Goran, Mia and Fin in the front row. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Grace, <\/a>
Grace, Alma and Stuart. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Andrew <\/a>
Andrew and Ollie <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We know that the ghost in Hamlet <\/em>is an equivocal presence and this is reflected in both script and staging. Horatio calls it ‘this thing’; after speaking to it, Hamlet calls on ‘all the host of heaven!’ then ‘O earth!’ and ends ‘What else? \/ And shall I couple hell?’<\/p>\n

He refers here to three areas symbolised by the different levels in the early modern theatre.\u00a0At the top was the heavens, from which actors playing gods were lowered. Wealthy spectators also occupied this heavenly realm, sitting in the ‘Lords’\u00a0room’ or balcony above the stage.\u00a0The stage itself was the earthly realm and the lowest level – under the stage, was hell.\u00a0Spectators who paid only a penny\u00a0shared this ‘base’ level, standing\u00a0as ‘groundlings’\u00a0in the ‘pit’.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The heavens<\/strong>. Hamlet refers to the canopy over the stage which was painted with stars to signify the sky, as a \u2018brave o\u2019erhanging firmament, this majestical roof, fretted with golden fire\u2019 [Q2]<\/p>\n

The earth<\/strong> Hamlet refers to the stage as \u2018this goodly frame the earth\u2019, a \u2018promontory\u2019 which stretches out into the sea of spectators\u2019 heads.<\/p>\n

Hell <\/strong>When it demands \u2018Swear\u2019 from beneath the stage, the ghost is associated with underworld of \u2018perturbed spirits\u2019, the purgatory of Catholic faith that has been demonised by Protestant reformers. Hamlet calls the ghost \u2018old mole\u2019, asking \u2018can\u2019st work in the earth so fast?\u2019 Devils entered from here through trapdoors, and its positioning must encourage Hamlet\u2019s suspicion that it too is \u2018the devil\u2019 (2.2.376<\/p>\n

We read through the opening scene of Wroth\u2019s Love\u2019s Victory <\/em>in pairs to see what contrasts we could find between her divine figures, Venus and Cupid, and the ghost in Hamlet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Archbishop\u2019s students reading through the dialogue in pairs<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018I like the way women are in a position of power. It was interesting how different and similar they are\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Lady Mary Wroth is excellent at creating a dramatic relationship as we see Venus as a god which would have made the play interesting as many saw God as male.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

We then applied De Witt\u2019s vertical model of spiritual and social hierarchy to consider how Wroth\u2019s divine figures might be staged. The opening stage direction says they appear \u2018in her Temple, her Priests attending her,\u2019 but on their next appearance, Wroth directs them \u2018appearing in the clouds\u2019. To explore this, we read the scene using desks, chairs and a window sill to create different levels.<\/p>\n

Oliver Gaskin and Andrew Cunningham read opening lines<\/a><\/p>\n

Venus. Cupid, me thinks we have too long been still
\nAnd that these people grow to scorn our will.
\nMercy to those ungrateful breeds neglect;
\nThen let us grow our greatness to respect.
\nMake them acknowledge that our heavenly power
\nCan not their strength but even themselves devour.
\nLet them not smile and laugh because thine eyes
\nAre covered as if blind, or love despise.<\/p>\n

Grace Apps reads couplet<\/a><\/p>\n

Grace Apps and Stuart Cunningham used chairs to present a more intimate style between mother and son as Venus says \u2018Thou shalt discern their hearts, and make them know \/ That humble homage unto thee they owe;\u2019<\/p>\n

Stuart Cunningham pointed out that Wroth \u2018makes the mother think she is more powerful but she is a little inferior to her son\u2019<\/p>\n

Anon reads dialogue<\/a><\/p>\n

Wound them but kill them not, so may they live
\nTo honour thee, and thankfulness to give.
\nShun no great cross which may their crosses breed
\nBut yet let blessed enjoying them succeed.<\/p>\n

\u2018The positioning is effective, having certain characters higher than others gives a good effect\u2019<\/p>\n

Cupid. Mother, I will no cross, no harm forbear
\nOf jealousy, for loss, of grief, or fear
\nWhich may my honour touched again repair,
\nBut with their sorrows will my glory rear.
\nFriends shall mistrust their friends, lovers mistake,
\nAnd all shall for their folly woes partake.
\nSome shall love much yet shall no love enjoy,
\nOthers obtain when lost is all their joy.<\/p>\n

Mia Smith and Goran Spitz read dialogue<\/a><\/p>\n

Mia Smith (16), as Cupid, promises \u2018your will and mind to serve\u2019 to bring \u2018triumph\u2019 to Venus and Goran Spitz (15) as Venus assuredly predicts<\/p>\n

\u2018Then shall we have again our ancient glory,
\nAnd let this call\u00e8d be love\u2019s victory
\nTriumphs upon their travails shall ascend,
\nAnd yet most happy ere they come to end\u2019.<\/p>\n

Mia observed \u2018certain words made me want to emphasise for meaning\u2019<\/p>\n

Cupid. Joy and enjoying on some shall be set
\nSorrow on others caught by Cupid\u2019s net.<\/p>\n

\u2018The rhyming couplets show how Cupid is obedient and trapped by Venus\u2019s words, and I found that interesting\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Performing it made me notice the placement and power imbalance between characters.\u2019<\/p>\n

Comments on comparing the two texts:<\/p>\n

\"Shakespeare's <\/a>
Shakespeare’s Works <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Shakespeare's <\/a>
Shakespeare’s Sister <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

\u2018Makes a change from Shakespeare; fresh and new\u2019 (Oliver Gaskin)<\/p>\n

\u2018I found it interesting and eye-opening. It has made me want to look at the relationships in Hamlet in more depth\u2019 (Mia Smith)<\/p>\n

\u2018I think this play would entertain anyone on English A Level. Comparisons and differences between them gives good content for us to use in our answers\u2019 (Stuart Cunningham)<\/p>\n

I found the difference between male and female writers very interesting and how being a woman affected the way Lady Mary Wroth wrote.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I have enjoyed today\u2019s session and have learnt that Shakespeare was not the only powerful playwright\u2019<\/p>\n

Professor Alison Findlay (Lancaster University), Dr. Marion O\u2019Connor and Professor Catherine Richardson (University of Kent) screened The Urania Company’s production to students of Archbishop’s on the 6th December 2018.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Archbishops <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Archbishops <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fact that Lady Mary Wroth is a female contemporary of Shakespeare disproves Virginia Woolf\u2019s view that any sister of Shakespeare could not have written drama. Love\u2019s Victory\u00a0is a powerful starting point for reviewing women\u2019s history and\u00a0theatre history. On 18th\u00a0October 2018\u00a0Year 12\u00a0students from Miss Creaney’s\u00a0English Literature class at\u00a0Archbishop’s School, Canterbury worked on\u00a0a comparison of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-561","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P7IR4b-93","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/462"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1277,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/561\/revisions\/1277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/shakespeare-and-his-sisters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}