1) Act 4.1 is
the masquerade scene, which is all-important to the plots. Not only is the main
plot advanced, but also the sub-plot. Comment on one detail from this involved,
complex scene. OR, pose a question. There’s a lot of potential confusion, so
there’s no shame in posing a straightforward / practical question.
or
2) In 5.2, Doricourt tells Saville that he’d offer
Old Hardy the following: “the moiety of the estate which he [old Hardy] will
forfeit shall be his the next moment by deed of gift.” What does he mean?
Discuss this in relation to the betrothal of Doricourt and Letitia Hardy.
or
3) 5.5 is the
final scene of denouement, and there’s lots
to talk about in this scene. Here are just a few things you could discuss:
- Doricourt’s feigning madness (in this scene and elsewhere)
- Letitia’s big moment: she gets to say both “know to your confusion …” (5.5.220-223) and also “This is the most awful moment of my life” (5.5.260).
- The off-scene marriage, which happens at some point after 5.5.88 and before 5.5.168. (How exactly are we to take this?)
- “Rapture! Transport! Heaven!” (5.5.267). Is there any way to play this sincerely? Or, conversely, maybe these lines must be played sincerely?
- Doricourt’s feigning madness (in this scene and elsewhere)
- Letitia’s big moment: she gets to say both “know to your confusion …” (5.5.220-223) and also “This is the most awful moment of my life” (5.5.260).
- The off-scene marriage, which happens at some point after 5.5.88 and before 5.5.168. (How exactly are we to take this?)
- “Rapture! Transport! Heaven!” (5.5.267). Is there any way to play this sincerely? Or, conversely, maybe these lines must be played sincerely?
or
4) Discuss another part of today’s reading that
seems to be in need of exploration, elucidation, or comment.
I've been doing so much reading on Eighteenth Century betrothals, I sort of had to address the second question. Doricourt, who at this point is convinced that he loves Lord George's mistress, is desperate to get out of marrying Letitia Hardy. But they (presumably Doricourt, Letitia and Old Hardy) have already signed a legally-binding document, so Doricourt legally had to marry Letitia (even if they both hate each other) unless he can get Old Hardy to annul the engagement. Unfortunately for Doricourt, the engagement isn't really a matter of mutual affection - like others of its time, it serves to unite two houses and keep an estate in the family. According to the contract between the couple's parents, if one child refuses to marry the other, the whole estate (all fourscore thousand pounds plus of it) goes to the spurned party. In my opinion, this is not the smartest way to do business, especially when the children in question are both little kids, but it does do a good job of making Hardy push the match when he thinks Letitia wants out.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Old Hardy, Doricourt doesn't seem to care about the estate when his love life is in danger. Since he's under the impression that he loves another woman and therefore can't marry Letitia, he's fully prepared to back out of the engagement and forfeit his share (or moiety, in his words) of the estate. This is where I'm confused: Old Hardy tells Letitia (in Act 1 Scene 4) that Doricourt forfeits his share if he refuses Letitia. Then Doricourt (in 5.2) seems to say that he's willing to gift Hardy the share that Hardy would lose by not going through with the marriage. If Doricourt backs out, how does Hardy lose anything? Either way, this engagement contract is a great example of how political/financial marriages could be, with potentially two disinterested parties looking for legal loopholes to get out of it.
I got the impression that Letitia knows exactly what she’s doing, and equally how ridiculous it is. I think that on top of really liking Doricourt, she’s really bored and high stakes are fun stakes.
ReplyDeleteIn a sense, she’s a reverse Cinderella: she makes herself unappealing (instead of being forced to be that way), blows everyone away when in masquerade (and she sings!), a princess Charming, there’s even a pseudo werewolf/werelunatic for added drama, and she gets the guy.
The issue is that Doricourt is awful (“to catch thee… in this little cage!” ugh, you creep), and I don’t understand what Letitia sees in him. But I do believe that the “Rapture! Transport! Heaven!” line is sincere, in the way that only Doricourt can be sincere-- and that is where the masked lady is concerned.
But you know who’s a prince? Saville. He’s chivalric in that way, and he’s so nice to Francis and saves her from that scheme without getting anything for himself, huzzah for Good Guys. Even Florinda’s boyfriend wasn’t as nice.
There are turns of phrase here which I took to be more modern in origin.
Mrs Racket is so assertive--telling Hardy that he’s out of his depth and to “leave things to the womenfolk,” but in that same condescending tone which men tend to reserve for women. Refreshing! And he listens! (ish. Well, he proves her point by trying to interfere and fails.)
And Hardy says something akin to “she wears the pants in this family,” (which is also slightly ironic, considering my paper topic) while in costume, something I imagined was a product of post WWII structures. I don’t know much about the character he’s playing, and perhaps we’re missing out on a lot because of that, but Mrs Racket is definitely the one wearing the pants in their version of real-life.
I do find it odd that George refers to Courtall as a bird flown off, as if in parallel to the bird he himself set loose because Francis loved it; Francis didn’t like Courtall at all, so his leaving isn’t really much of an accomplishment for her husband in attempts to secure his wife’s favour. And he just gives another bird, his sister, to Saville because it’s convenient. Pull Doricourt in with his little cage and we have a whole sickening little menagerie owned by the men.
Avigail: I very much agree with your notion of Cinderella . The whole masque scene plays very much slog those lines. Also Dina: doesn't be fake madness so the papers will be ripped up? Back to the Cinderella idea, I find it very interesting that this is both happy and disturbing. If Letitia wanted to attract D, and she does, does she realize that it's almost a sign of his infidelity? He doesn't care that he's engaged, he just wants to find out who this beauty is, and although it happens to be the one he is betrothed to, in reality it could have been any number of girls. Yet, this works for Letitia. It's kind of an ironic way to catch a husband. (Reminds me a bit of the rover when the women dress up to check the fidelity of one of the suitors)
ReplyDeleteSince I am too writing about marriage contract for my term paper, the arrangement between Doricourt and Mr. Hardy regarding his daughter caught my attention. This seems to be a great example of the way "business" was done at the time, although it really was meant to be a marriage. Doricourt changes his mind towards the end of the play about marrying Letitia, and although Eighteenth Century marriages really had very little to do with love and affection between the couple, Doricourt is still trying to add love into the picture and defy the legally binding marriage contract he had already agreed upon with Mr. Hardy. Marriage very much involved property and financial security for the extended family, but Doricourt is disagreeing with this concept when he realizes he does not want to marry Letitia since he thinks he is in love with someone else, and is trying to act independently of the Eighteenth Century laws regarding marriage. I applaud him for trying to be this brave and refusing to enter a marriage he doesn't think he will be happy in. It seems like a concept that really isn't very much thought out and is slightly selfish, as the family's happiness and financial security seems to be the more important aspect rather than the own couple's happiness.
ReplyDelete