Creative Engagement - Shakespeare Behind Bars

In Shakespeare Behind bars, it was interesting to see how closely the inmates seemed to connect with the play, often reflecting bits of themselves passionately through their characters. During personal interviews, many of these inmates revealed what they had done that landed them in a prison setting and many of them became both emotional and remorseful. For me, their words came off as very truthful and their feelings appeared raw.

However, in many sociology and psychology courses, we learn that recidivism (resorting back to crimes) is incredibly high amongst released inmates. Similarly, many studies show (sadly) that it is unlikely for an inmate to be behaviorally reformed while in prison (though they may undergo serious religious/faith reformations).

Which position do you guys feel holds up more? Did the men in this video appear to be remorseful and reformed? If so, did their participation in the Shakespeare program perhaps aid this? Or do you stand behind the statistics and studies? Let me know what you think!

Rumination: Shakespeare Behind Bars

When reading an original Shakespearean play, it is important (if not entirely necessary) to take into consideration the small writing in the margins. Often, these clarifications tell us how a character spoke their dialogue (was it sarcastic? bitter? whispered? laughed?) They can also give us a feel for the emotion behind the words (if a line is said by a character followed by the stage direction of "storming out the door" we can tell that the dialogue was very emotional and intended to offend or insult). While these stage directions and voice clarifications help enhance a reader's interpretation of the play, physical performances of the plays often stray from these directions, changing their meaning. In "Shakespeare Behind Bars," several slight (and perhaps unintended) changes to the play's portrayal have altered its meaning and tone.

For example, when viewing the performance of the prison inmates during their lines of dialogue, it is hard not to notice the way they intensely elevate the volume of their speech. In many instances, they are almost yelling their lines. Perhaps this is reflective of their own personal experiences within prison: participating in the play may be the only time throughout their incarceration term that they feel that they have a voice. Do they yell their lines because they are caught up in the excitement of finally being heard? 

Typically in performances, actors are encouraged to speak their lines clearly and slowly as to avoid appearing "babbling"to the audience. However, many of the inmates say their lines very quickly, establishing an air of anxiety in their words. This slight change in tempo gives Shakespeare's play a different tone than originally intended for the text  - however this tone change does not harm the play's effect; instead, it offers a different view of a famous text. The anxiety in the speech of the inmates also brings an air of passion into their dialogue. This passion may very well be fueled by their emotional stories about how they became incarcerated. One man, who spoke about having a very tumultuous romantic relationship with an ex-wife appears to allow his feelings of frustration, loss, and guilt into his performance. In this way, perhaps Shakespear behind Bars is more reflective of real life than the original text is.

Rumination: Sarcasm in Volpone

When performed, written text often takes on a different meaning. Subtle literary references to character, sarcasm, and judgmental undertones become exaggerated in theatrical productions as to convey the meaning to the audience. For example, someone who is hinted at in the text as being overly materialistic may appear on stage in ridiculously gaudy attire. Similarly, a character who is hinted as secretly being a homosexual may take on a voice or stance on stage that is stereotypically indicative of being gay. While the text version of these productions are often more difficult to navigate through when looking for these subtle elements, they are rewarding in the sense that these elements are seen in their raw form. A deeper reading of texts such as Jonson's "Volpone" can help its readers to grasp onto some of these elements that can often be overlooked in reading - particularly the element of sarcasm, which is often difficult to convey through text.

When being tried, Celia is quoted as saying that "And heaven never fails the innocent." While perhaps these words were meant to be hopeful, they are loaded with sarcasm and come off as mildly humorous to the reader. They tie into our current day sayings about how the "good guy" always finishes last. Perhaps Jonson, the author, intended to use her words as a commentary on the way that heaven, God, and even our own society and governments DO fail the innocent. This scene however, is not the only place where sarcasm appears throughout the text.

In one scene, when Volpone makes his entrance Voltore cries out that "here's the ravisher, the rider on men's wives, the great impostor, the grand voluptuary!" but later goes on to change his position when he instead suggests that perhaps torturing Volpone would prove his sickness to be valid. When first reading this, I took his words literally and was very confused. However, a further investigation into the text showed that he was sarcastically suggesting the idea of torture - a suggestion that changed the air surrounding the situation and made other characters in the scene uneasy.

Taking into consideration later sarcastic references to wealth and old age, one can view Jonson's work as pretty humorous. To me, his writing is almost that of a comedy when you examine the spitfire dialogue between characters.