The fifth, compact installment in the 2015 Broadstairs series on Eliot witnesses Dr. White exploring meter and prosody by way of his consideration and reading of some of Mr. Eliot’s Practical Cats, illustrating how spoken daily language can be related to a poetic form. This, the doctor maintains, is Eliot’s unique achievement as a poet. In the second section of the lecture, Dr. White examines the Four Quartets, each of with has an idea, a theme, a memory, a historical foundation, and a place, and the fourth part of each of which constitutes – the doctor argues – the greatest lyric poetry of the 20th century.
Dr. White opens this discussion of Shakespeare’s As You Like It with a quick review of the filmed versions of the play. Then he characterizes it as a romantic comedy that is Catholic in a profound way in that it portrays conflict and envy between individuals and society but ends with compromise and renewal. As You Like It, according to White, represents a notion of free will and he describes it as a simple pastoral comedy in a woodsy setting. Spiced by dramatic readings, Dr. White explains the characters in some detail before opening his presentation to questions from his audience.
Here Dr. White introduces the concept of comedy, with a special emphasis on what are known as Shakespeare’s three golden comedies: Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. It is White’s premise that Shakespeare’s career as a playwright parallels the Mysteries of the Rosary, further solidifying the professor’s contention that the poet was, indeed, a Catholic. Comedy, in White’s view, pits the individual against society wherein the conflict is resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. This play, according to Dr. White, is about maintaining social order.
In this, part two of Dr. White’s commentary on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, he outlines the plot: built around eavesdropping and gossiping. It is a comedy, according to White, which contains two of the greatest comic scenes ever written. Interspersed with selected readings, Dr. White emphasizes the huge importance of words, and how language in this play is used as weaponry. It is what White calls a “serious” comedy. And he points out how the play evokes the image of the Virgin Mary, the model for all women; and he describes the parallels between this Shakespeare work and Dante’s Divine Comedy.
The Winter’s Tale is rich in messages to the Catholic audiences of Shakespeare’s time, but did not threaten his role as a public playwright in the company of the king, James I. Shakespeare was forced to do two things simultaneously throughout his career: remain a loyal subject, and write Catholic plays. The Winter’s Tale contains coded messages that gave hope to Catholics who suffered persecution. The king accuses his wife of infidelity and condemns the accused father to death. The king’s loyal servant, Camillo, warns the accused father and together they flee to Bohemia. Bohemia, at that time offered refuge to Catholics fleeing persecution. Pope Paul V (1605–1621) was born Camillo Borghese and was the reigning pope at the time of the production of this play. This is code but it is obvious. Camillo is the good servant working behind the scenes. This play is saying indirectly that the pope is in charge, trust him, he is doing what he can. Paulina, who defends the innocence of the queen, is based on Maudlin Brown who spoke out in defense of the Faith. The conflict at the start of the play concludes with reunion of all those who were separated.
In part one of Dr. White’s commentary on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, he points out that this particular comedy makes obvious references to the 12 days of Christmas, with the “twelfth night” as the end of festivities. And the plot of the play is also connected to the Feast of the Epiphany, i.e., seeing the truth where others fail to see it. This play contains a host of strong-willed characters and numerous cases of mistaken identity wherein they are unable to see the truth about themselves. It’s a play that reminds us we are human. A great comedy, according to Dr. White, but one sprinkled with sorrow and sadness.
