We're taking a break on The Sonnets for a few weeks and transitioning into the first of the four plays we'll read in this class (for next week). However, first I want to dive back into de Sousa for some context that might help us see some interesting aspects of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Answer any TWO questions, or ONE in greater detail:
Q1: de Sousa quotes the comedian Groucho Marx who said, "I would never join any club that would have me as a member." How does this sentiment pervade many of Shakespeare's Sonnets? A specific one?
Q2: How does the concept of "reward" help perpetuate the cycle of desire and pleasure? If you got rewarded at the end of a pursuit, why would the cycle repeat just as strong as before? Would reward necessarily end the cycle?Q3: What is the "altruist's dilemma," and how does it help explain why a "Court of Love" in 1176 ruled that love is incompatible in marriage? What does marriage--or any kind of formal union--abolish what is essential (they would argue) to the true condition of love and romance? Would Shakespeare agree with this?
Q4: According to de Sousa, why is love like stepping on a nail? How are love and pain similar concepts? In other words, why are causes and reasons completely different concepts that we often conflate? Why according to de Sousa is love necessarily "reason-free"?
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