Honors Final Project: Medieval Group

        Since I am in the medieval group I decided to do my research on two subjects that go hand in hand: medieval dance and music.  Both dancing and music were important in the daily lives of people in the medieval period. They were both used in times of celebration, holidays, and festivals. Their origins are also similar because they were both used for religious purposes but then evolved into secular purposes. Whether you were poor or rich during the medieval times, dancing and music was something you could enjoy and participate in, which is something very unique about both of these subjects.

        In the beginning dancing was not viewed very fairly by the church, but as the arts became more admired dancing became a part of masses. Medieval dances also became a way to relay imperial messages to people. For example the “Dance of Death” was to evoke emotions that reminded people that everyone will die and have to face their judgement one day. Dancing eventually moved on to also be a way of expressing joy, relieving one of the labors of daily life, displaying elegance and wealth, celebrating special occasions, encouraging bodily health, communicating with people, and creating a unified and unique culture.  Three common dances throughout the medieval period were the Carole, which involved multiple people in a circle formation; the Estampie, which involved couples facing the audience; and the Saltarello, which involved lively and leaping steps.

        Music was extremely important during the medieval period because not only did it maintain religious purposes as well as secular purposes, but also the basis of all music evolved from the music of the medieval period. Medieval music was introduced and influenced by multiple things including the Norman conquest of 1066, the Crusades, Arab poetry and love songs, changes in society and culture, the morals of courtly love and chivalry, the music and songs of French troubadours, Trouveres, and minstrels, and the patronage of medieval nobles and women.  Throughout the medieval period alone music evolved from a unison melody such as the chants used in masses to the addition of harmonies and eventually a form of musical notation developed to signify note length. There were various instruments that were used during this time including the recorder, a wooden flute, lute, lyre, timpani drums, tambourine, and bells. As music grew it gained respect from nobles and towns who would employ their own musicians. It is evident that throughout the medieval period, music and dancing both aided each other in their own success.

Honors Final Project Shakespeare Scenes

     I will be playing the part of Quince in Act III scene 1 of Midsummer Night's Dream. I looked into the history of his character in the context of the rest of the play, and it was interesting to learn that he was originally perhaps intended to be a parody of Shakespeare, or a Shakespeare wanna-be. All the players have other working backgrounds, making them simple working men (which explains much of their actions in the play). Quince was often thought of as a bookish character, who often struggles with Bottom for control, and who is very worried about the correct execution of the script he wrote. He can be played with a more authoritative air as well. It will be interesting to see how we will interpret this. 

     I also play the part of Verges, who will accompany Dogberry. I did not really know much about these characters, but with research I discovered that they are idiots. Though only in charge of the night watch, Dogberry has an enlarged sense of self and continuously botches everything he tries to do. Ultimately, they have some redemptive qualities, but in this scene they are basically just pompous dumb men. 

     I am one of the witches in Macbeth, and looking into this role I discovered that their origins are from ancient literature and folklore. Their roles are more like prophets, and originally they are referred to as the weird sisters. It will be interesting to experiment with the voices and attitudes of the witches in this scene. Over all, I am very excited to experiment with these very different parts.