Sociology, asked by dineshraj7035, 1 year ago

How gonzalo's commonwealth is a satire on communism?

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Answered by Anonymous
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Gonzalo and the commonwealth

When we were acting this scene at the RSC, we decided that Gonzalo's goal was to try to bolster Alonso up in pretty desperate circumstances. He proposes a new way of thinking about the world, seeing the desert island on which they have landed as a blank canvas, an opportunity to start again, a possibility for Utopia, a chance for something absolutely good. Sadly, the people stranded with him would never be able to start again afresh - too much water has gone under their respective bridges, and Alonso and Antonio in particular have committed crimes for which they have only just started to pay the price. The speeches about the commonwealth elicit mocking and destructive comments from Sebastian and Antonio, and Alonso eventually cuts Gonzalo off abruptly with 'Prithee, no more. Thou dost talk nothing to me.' - i.e. you're talking about something fantastical + you're babbling (bonkers) + To me, one of Shakespeare's points in the play is that human nature is essentially flawed and corrupt - there is no such thing as absolute good, and if there were we couldn't imagine it. This passge links for me to things like Ferdinand swearing he won't touch Miranda - 'the white cold virgin snow upon my heart abates the ardour of my liver' - to which Prospero replies enigmatically 'Well...' - to me, meaning 'I don't believe you' + 'You're just a boy - you think can be absolutely in control of your emotions'. And of course it leads to the big turning point of the whole play, when Ariel tells Prospero that Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio (having been driven by Prospero to the brink of suicide) are truly repentent; if Prospero saw them, says Ariel, 'Your affections would become tender.' 'Dost thou think so, spirit?' 'Mine would, sir, were I human.' To be human is to be changeable, in both good and bad ways - we can't be absolute in the face of change. Prospero - who till now has been intent (I think) on eventually killing his 'enemies' - changes. 'And mine shall.' When you're acting these plays, you become aware of how moments like these in the text link together to tell the audience a profound story, at a deeper level than the words. Gonzalo's 'commonwealth' reflections on absolute good pave the way for the sea-changes to happen later.

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