Rear Window

Jeff and Lisa’s relationship is an interesting one to explore since it is far from the “norm.” Jeff seems to be so involved with the Thorwald’s that he often times brushes Lisa aside to watch his neighbors. The most enjoyable portion of this movie for me is the fact that Jeff’s and Lisa’s relationship is projected through the neighbors nearby. Miss Torso is depicted as a sexual object always dancing around her apartment in little clothing which relates to Jeff and Lisa in the sense that in their relationship Lisa is the one to instigate romantic interactions between the two of them. She visits Jeff often making him dinner and inviting herself to sleepover at his place without his consent. It is humorous that Jeff actually challenges Lisa for stating that she is going to sleep over. I think Miss Torso represents their relationship because they lack romantic interactions with one another whereas she (Miss Torso) exudes it. Miss Lonelyhearts on the other hand seems to struggle with loneliness and finding love. Jeff and Lisa’s relationship is projected through her character because even though they are together it seems as though Lisa does in fact feel lonely. Jeff isn’t exactly accepting of her love and shuts her out quite a few times throughout the movie thus resulting in Lisa’s own lonely heart. The Thorwalds seem to parallel Lisa and Jeff’s relationship the best. Mrs. Thorwald plays an invalid character whose husband is not particularly nice to her it seems. They are constantly seen yelling at one another which specifically parallels with Jeff and Lisa because they are often bickering with one another as well, whether it be something minor or major like their relationship, they are often times arguing. Additionally, the fact that the audience is led to believe that Mrs. Thorwald is killed by Mr. Thorwald closely works with Jeff wanting to break up with Lisa, or rather not wanting to marry her. The married couple’s relationship is similar to Jeff and Lisa’s in that the woman is portrayed as needy constantly calling for her husband. Many times the husband is caught rolling his eyes or sighing; this character if very similar to Jeff because it is clear that he is outright annoyed with Lisa at times. The composer is typically throwing lavish parties which certainly matches Lisa’s lifestyle. Perhaps the sad music he composes and plays reflects Jeff and his inability to come to terms with Lisa’s success.

 

Much Ado about Nothing: Are you satisfied with the ending of the play?

I was not particularly satisfied with the ending of this play as I felt like there were many gaps. It’s funny that I think there are gaps at the end of this play because Shakespeare seems to think he has tied everything together very neatly with the two marriages that take place at the end of the play. This type of ending would appeal to the audience of the time period for which it was written for because all the character’s simply live happily ever after but in reality, the marriages, in a sense, minimize the problem. They do not actually face the problems head on. Shakespeare certainly plays on gender roles throughout the entire play but reinforces it boldly at the very end of the play when Hero still ends up marrying Claudio. When Claudio publically humiliates Hero, her image is immediately tainted because the accusation is coming from a male character. It is important to note that when Claudio accuses Hero of being disloyal, Hero’s father immediately believes him and turns on his own daughter. Though I do not necessarily agree with this, it makes sense for Hero’s father to take the word of a man over a woman (regardless of his relation to Hero). The word of a man is far more valuable and “Much Ado about Nothing” emphasizes that gender difference. Even when the friar’s plan is suggested and executed, it does not do much for Hero. It is true that Claudio is remorseful and sad about Hero’s death but ultimately the plan is designed to help Hero get settled by marrying Claudio still. It does not appear that they are actually interested in proving that she is a loyal girl but rather still concerned about essentially marrying her off. She is used as an element to keep the plot going at the end of the play, which parallels with the idea of women being the weaker gender: they get rid of her character until she is needed again whereas Claudio remains present and active throughout the entire play. I also question Claudio’s and Hero’s relationship in the first place. Arranged marriages were far more prevalent in Shakespeare’s time but in this case it seems as though there is no real connection between the two characters. Apart from them liking each other’s exterior appearance, there really is no core to their relationship. Bennedick’s relationship with Beatrice is different from that of Hero’s and Claudio’s: it is more realistic. They pretend to not like each other when deep down they know that quite the opposite is true. While I was not pleased with Hero’s marriage to Claudio, I was pleased with Beatrice’s to Bennedick’s. Their relationship shows the progression of a true love story as opposed to Claudio who, after seeing Hero just once, is head over heels in love with her. I do not think Beatrice’s and Bennedick’s marriage is as gender bias based as it emphasizes on the idea of how people change and grow. At the beginning of the play Bennedick and Beatrice both put on a front as way of indicating that marriage/love is not for them. By the end of the play they do what they promised they would never do at the beginning of the play: they get married. In general, the use of marriages in comedy plays seems strange because it acts as a way to simply give the audience something to laugh and be merry about while the underlying issue still lingers. This kind of ending does not work of an audience in today’s day and age, but I suppose it could work for an audience of Shakespeare time who probably didn’t over-analyze every little detail like we do today.