Blog Post Numero Uno

Ah, do not tear away thyself from me;
For know, my love, as easy mayst thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulf,
And take unmingled thence that drop again
Without addition or diminishing
As take from me thyself, and not me too.
How dearly would it touch thee to the quick
Shouldst thou but hear I were licentious,
And that this body, consecrate to thee,
By ruffian lust should be contaminate? (2.2 124-133)

I chose to reflect on this passage for a number of different reasons. First, I think that there is beautiful imagery in these ten lines. Secondly, I'm not sure what all of the images mean; I'm hoping that by further examination it will make more sense. On that note, please bear with me as I try to interpret the passage.

Adriana, in these ten lines, speaks of the imagery of water. On first glance, I interpreted Adriana's inclusion of the image of water as her way of reminding her husband that there are other fish in the sea. I thought she was telling him that he is unimportant to her, like one drop of water is unimportant to a gulf (2.2 126). You don't notice that the drop is there, and you don't know if that drop is missing. Applying this image to Adriana's love life, she doesn't care if her husband is around or not; he is unimportant to her well being. Regardless of his presence, she will remain the same and unaffected.

However, there are a couple of things wrong with my interpretation. First, Adriana in lines 124 through 133 is speaking to her sister Luciana, not her husband. So she can't be telling her husband that he's unimportant to her. Secondly, her entire speech is about how her husband isn't treating her as his wife. And it seems to me if a person spends so much time dwelling on one subject, it's bothering them. This all makes me wonder if Adriana really is upset by her husband's behavior, and is making this speech in order to put on a brave face for her sister. What if Adriana is saying she doesn't care about her husband so that her sister doesn't realize how hurt she is? This is just a guess, and doesn't seem any more probable than my first interpretation. Any ideas as to what the water image could mean?

I loop the last two images, of a candle and a body, together because I believe they are referring to the same concept. In these lines, Adriana says that it would make her husband upset if she were to ruin their marriage by cheating on her. She seems to be saying, if it would upset you when I did it, why would you do it and upset me? Because Adriana is talking about her marriage, I view the images of a candle and a body in the light of church and religious ceremonies. At least in my experience, candles are frequently used symbolically and functionally (they provide light and decour) during services. As far as the body is concerned...in the Christian religion marriage is considered a sacred union between two people. They become one-almost as if they are one body. So Adriana's reference of a body probably stands for her marriage.

Shakespeare's inclusion of the phrase "consecrate to thee" bewilders me (2.2 132). From my experience, consecration in the Roman Catholic religion refers to the part of the mass when the Eucharist (the bread or wafer) is turned into Jesus' body. By including the word "consecrate", does Shakespeare again mean to reference Adriana's marriage? If Shakespeare is indeed trying to compare Adriana's marriage to the consecration, does he mean to highlight the sanctity of marriage? But their marriage was falling apart-how would that be holy?

Well, that's all I have. If any one has any ideas, please feel free to comment.