- This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated Sep 20, 2019, 3:01 pm by
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My first impression of Lysander from Act I was that he was a generally confident and bold guy. When Lysander says “You have her father’s love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia’s: do you marry him,” it seems that his intention is to continuously work everybody up while he remains calm and collected. It probably doesn’t do much for pleading his case in wanting to marry Hermia but it does demonstrate a sort of coolness. He also isn’t hesitant to say that he’s just as rich, more highly ranked, and has more love for Hermia than Demetrius, all of which show a calm self-confidence.
The movie version of Lysander is a little more desperate and pleading. He’s kind of whining when he points his finger at Demetrius for having sex with Helena like a child saying, “But he started it!” He otherwise maintains a certain level of calmness, too. It looks like he is trying to rationalize but doesn’t have the same confidence as Lysander presents in the text, so the efforts to sway Theseus and Egeus look even less hopeful or fruitful.
The Globe Theater’s Lysander is basically hysterical. Everyone is screaming at one another the entire first act. He is clearly very passionate over the unfairness of not being allowed to marry Hermia despite loving her deeply and having all of the necessary practical assets of wealth and status. When he says “Do you marry him” to Demetrius it’s in a much more antagonizing tone of voice than with the movie and text based versions of Lysander, who say it with more sarcasm and lightness (though in all instances they trigger the same outburst from Egeus).
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I think you notice an interesting interpretive shift. I don’t think in the Bennett version there’s a threat of death (because how could that make sense?). The stakes are low so they can play it more realistically (maybe). But in the Dromgoole version, the stakes remain high (death!!!). It almost doesn’t seem funny…and the guys seem so similar. You’re willing to die for <i>this</i> guy? What’s so special about him? Everyone seems to think he and Demetrius are the same… but then Hermia says what’s important (“look but with mine eyes….”). Later Helena has a speech about love’s eyesight…
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Lysander is potrayed in Act 1 Scene 1 as a man who has serious concern for the future his lover Hermia. Hermia’s father Egeus is mad that Hermia won’t marry to the man Demetrius. He presents his case, trying to reason that he is equal in quality but loves Hermia more. When trying to compare Lysander to Demetrius in the play, we have very little details to help us understand who Lysander is compared to Demetrius. Bernett’s and Dromoogle’s renditions present themselves differently.
Bernett’s rendition of the play we see a difference in personality. He has a less serious tone. Complaining better describes his appeal to Theseus in this case. He even laughs and jokes around whem plotting to run off and marry Hermia in the night. Unlike before, it is now possible to conclude that Egeus may not want his daughter to marry Lysander because he is immature.
Dromoogle’s rendition on the other hand shows a visible difference in the characters. Lysander is dressed poorly and looks disheveled. Even though he is more serious about the situation than in Bernett’s rendition, Lysander has a visible inequality to Demetrius. This is isn’t apparent in either of the other rendiotions of the play.
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Which lines make you think he has serious concern for Hermia?
Initial impressions are really important to staring to unravel a text. The next step is to try to nail down <i>why</i> you’ve gotten that impression. Which words? Sometimes it’s even just an association that leads to an image (and that acknowledgement is useful since you can seperate what’s your affective response and textually supportable).
I wonder if the Bennett contrast is about personality rather than wealth. Demetrius is the Wall Streets stereotype. Lysander is the hipster artist. I’ve lived in <i>this city</i> long enough to know that some people who <i>look</i> shlubby are wearing $15,000 worth of clothes. Sure, that’s not all hipsters, but it’s to say that wealth is displayed in different ways. After all, Lysander still says that he’s as well derived and that his fortune is the same if not better…
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In Act 1, Scene 1 I chose the character Lysander. He is the man who is in love with Hermia, and the feelings are mutual. Hermia is in love with Lysander and wants to marry him. Yet “the course of true love never did run smooth” (1.1.136) Hermia’s father Egues disapproves of their relationship, wanting her to marry Demetrius. Lysander isn’t one to back down easily, he brings up his aunt who isn’t affected by Athenian law. They decide to meet up in the night and run away to elope.
In the Bennet version, they gave Lysander a more ‘bad-boy’ appearance and giving Demetrius a stereotypical appearance of a businessman, to make his character seem well off. Lysander then pipes up and says “ You have her father’s love, Demetrius; let me have Hermia’s: yo do marry him.”(1.1.98) Referring to how Hermia doesn’t care for him and his materialistic things, she’s in love with Lysander, and that Demetrius’ money isn’t gonna change that. She ignores Demetrius’ texts and replies to Lysander, proving that against all the naysayers, they are still going strong.
On the other hand, in the Dromoogle version, instead of making Lysander a rebel they give him more a poor man’s appearance. Not only is Dromoogles version less modernized but it shares many of the key values and characteristics as the original play write.
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When you write that in the Bennett version Lysander is “more” of a bad boy, I wonder what you’re comparing to. More so than you’re reading? In your summary of the first act, you write (without a reference to a quotation), that he refuses to back down and comes up with the escape plan. That sounds like a typical “bad boy”: someone who wants daughters to run away with him and who doesn’t get the consent of the father first. What feels excessive or “more” to you about the Bennett version?
It’s possible you’re reacting to the costuming in the Dromgoole version, which is meant to recreate costumes that Shakespeare’s company might have used rather than the fact that Lysander is poor.
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I also chose Lysander as my character of interest for Act 1. Lysander, one of the two suitors for Hermia, presents himself as a rather confident man. He speaks towards Egeus and Theseus with a respectful yet careful tone, and at the same time wittingly jabs at Demetrius. Based on the text, I imagine Lysander is in his mid-20s with a decent build, or else he might be foolish to challenge Athenian law, risking both his life and Hermia’s life. Although his decision to elope with Hermia also demonstrates to an extent his love and devotion towards her.
In the Bennett adaptation, Lysander is portrayed as a more rough look, contrasting the more well off Demetrius. Lysander is as I imagined, a confident man. He speaks to Demetrius with a disinterested tone, as if he didn’t really take him seriously. He claims his and Hermia’s love to each other is real, and that the material things will not affect them. This portrayal of Lysander is mostly consistent with what I imagined him to be so far.
The Dromoogle adaptation on the other hand, has Lysander standing much further away from the rest of the characters. This emphasizes their social standing in comparison to his, and they deem him as beneath them and unequal to them. His clothing is also contrasted more here, as it seems dirtier, and lower quality. This performance also uses actual dialogue so we can see his character much more through his tone. He seems much more goofy and what I imagine he’s like through the text, as opposed to simply through text in the other version.
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I think you describe the categories each version fits into well. I wonder more where your affinities lie. Which Lysander makes the most sense to you? Why were you drawn to this character? What differences did you have in interpretation or what revelations did you have while watching the interpretations?
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