Maria/Stuart Dramaturgy

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So!  As you can see from this chart, we could make an argument for a pronunciation that sounds like the animal "Ant" or that shares sounds with the words "gaunt"---but I'd say you are best off with the "rhymes with gaunt" (or /änt/, as I believe it is written in IPA) version--it is more specifically/recognizably Northeastern, at least according to this study.

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I've quoted a couple things from Wikipedia's entry on Borges- I think they might have interesting reflections on this script. I think Jason has slipped a lot of little reflections of Borges into the script (and one explicit reference from Stuart). Let me know if any of these are interesting, I can do some more digging!

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"Borges and Modernism: Borges lived through most of the 20th century, and was rooted in the Modernism predominant in its early years. He was especially influenced by Symbolism. Like contemporary novelist Vladimir Nabokov and the older James Joyce, he combined an interest in his native culture with broader perspectives. He also shared their multilingualism and their inventiveness with language. However, while Nabokov and Joyce tended toward progressively larger works as they grew older, Borges remained a miniaturist. Borges's work progressed away from what he referred to as "the baroque", while Joyce's and Nabokov's moved towards it: his later style is far more transparent and naturalistic than his earlier works. Borges represented the humanist view of media that stressed the social aspect of art driven by emotion. If art represented the tool, then Borges was more interested in how the tool could be used to relate to people. Existentialism saw its apogee during the years of Borges's greatest artistic production. It has been argued that his choice of topics largely ignored existentialism's central tenets. Critic Paul de Man notes, 'Whatever Borges's existential anxieties may be, they have little in common with Sartre's robustly prosaic view of literature, with the earnestness of Camus' moralism, or with the weighty profundity of German existential thought. Rather, they are the consistent expansion of a purely poetic consciousness to its furthest limits.'"

From the Wikipedia article on Borges

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"Many of Borges's most popular stories concern the nature of time ("The Secret Miracle"), infinity ("The Aleph"), mirrors ("Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius") and labyrinths ("The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths", "The House of Asterion", "The Immortal", "The Garden of Forking Paths"). Williamson writes, "His basic contention was that fiction did not depend on the illusion of reality; what mattered ultimately was an author’s ability to generate 'poetic faith' in his reader." His stories often have fantastical themes, such as a library containing every possible 410-page text ("The Library of Babel"), a man who forgets nothing he experiences ("Funes, the Memorious"), an artifact through which the user can see everything in the universe ("The Aleph"), and a year of still time given to a man standing before a firing squad ("The Secret Miracle"). Borges also told realistic stories of South American life, of folk heroes, streetfighters, soldiers, gauchos, detectives, historical figures. He mixed the real and the fantastic: fact with fiction. His interest in compounding fantasy, philosophy, and the art of translation are evident in articles such as "The Translators of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights". In the Book of Imaginary Beings, a thoroughly (and obscurely) researched bestiary of mythical creatures, Borges wrote, "There is a kind of lazy pleasure in useless and out-of-the-way erudition." Borges's interest in fantasy was shared by Adolfo Bioy Casares, with whom he coauthored several collections of tales between 1942 and 1967, often under different pseudonyms including H. Bustos Domecq. Often, especially early in his career, the mixture of fact and fantasy crossed the line into the realm of hoax or literary forgery."

From the Wikipedia entry on Jorge Luis Borges

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Preparation for Jewish Burial: Responsibilities of the Bereaved

Between the time of death and the burial, everyone who is obligated to mourn for the deceased (as enumerated above) and who is or could be involved in the funeral and burial arrangements is called an Onen / אונֵן (plural: Onenim / אונֵנים) — a bereaved, the grieving. Aninut / אנינות is the state of being an Onen — the pre-burial stage of the mourning. Refraining from pleasure and work. Jewish tradition requires an Onen to show grief by refraining from any pleasurable activities such as touring, sports, entertainment, playing or listening to music, bathing for pleasure, using cosmetics, lotions, oils or perfumes, shaving, haircuts and marital intimacy. An Onen should not eat meat, drink wine or liquor, attend any festive meals or parties, exchange greetings and even eat at a table. Learning Torah is likewise forbidden, since learning Torah is considered a pleasure, as it is written (Psalms 19:9): “The precepts of the Lord are upright, gladdening the heart / פקודי ה' ישרים, משמחי לב”. Learning the Torah laws related to the funeral, burial and mourning is permitted, however. An Onen should also refrain from engaging in business and going to work, but he may make arrangements necessary for future Shivah / שבעה observances. For example, he is allowed to arrange for a leave of absence at his place of work, transfer his share in a business partnership to his companions until the end of Shivah, etc. Duration of Aninut. Many of the laws of Aninut do not apply to the bereaved when he cannot be personally involved in burial preparations, e.g., when the government has not released the body to the family, or if the deceased drowned or died at war and the body has not been returned, or when the bereaved is confined to a hospital or prison, or lives in a distant place and there are other close relatives who are taking care of the funeral arrangements. The bereaved becomes an Onen as soon as he is able to participate in burial preparations, even if in reality his help is not required, since others are taking care of all preparations. Aninut normally ends when the grave is filled with earth. Aninut may end before the actual interment, however, if the bereaved is not able to be involved in the burial, e.g., when the interment is scheduled in another city and the bereaved is not going there. In cases like this, there are different opinions of when the bereaved moves into the next stage of the mourning process, and, therefore, a competent rabbi should be consulted. Comforting an Onen. The Talmudic sages in Tractate Avot 4:23 wisely noted that one cannot and should not “comfort a mourner while his dead lies before him”. Therefore, before the burial, the mourners’ friends and neighbors should not make condolence calls or address the mourners with the traditional formula of consolation. One may say to the mourner, however, that he is sorry to hear about the mourner’s loss.

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Jewish Attitudes to Death: The Soul after Death

Since the soul comes from the eternal essence of God, it endures forever. The body, composed from the external, material world, is subject to decay. The soul is connected to the body from the moment of conception until the moment of death, when it separates from the body. Death is, therefore, often called in Hebrew Yetziat HaNeshama / יציאת הנשמה - departure of the soul. The disembodied soul then gives its account of how it fulfilled its mission in this physical world. It is punished for transgressions and then rewarded for the good deeds that it performed. How is the soul rewarded and how is the punishment meted out? According to Jewish tradition, after judgment, the soul is sent to Gehinnom / גהינום - the inferno of Hell, where the soul is cleansed and purified in a spiritual fire, so that it can subsequently receive its eternal reward. Details of the afterlife are not described in the Torah since its revelation only deals with our physical world. These details are certainly beyond human comprehension for “Never has the ear heard it, nor eye has seen it - other than God / ומעולם לא שמעו, לא האזינו, עין לא ראתה אלהים זולתך”. (Isaiah 64:3, Rashi / רש"י ad loc.) However, our limited understanding of both God and man can provide some insight into what happens in the world of souls. As we have already discussed, the soul can be compared to the mind, i.e., information in the human brain. Therefore the spiritual world — the world of souls — can be visualized as the world whose substance is information. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan points out that this concept was long known to the Kabbalists. The inhabitants of the spiritual world interact on a purely informational level without any physical transmission channels. However, they can affect material objects as well, by interacting with the information these objects carry. In the spiritual world, the soul (portrayed above as pure mind) is free from the physical and intellectual limitations of the brain and nervous system. It is capable of perceiving and understanding things in a way that was impossible when the mind was restrained by the physical body. Additionally, the soul then achieves a degree of unity with God, the source of all knowledge, and therefore is aware of things that are not revealed to mortals. This new intelligence of the mind is the source of both the reward and the punishment. The mind’s new awareness and comprehension, explains Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, is the most delightful bliss imaginable, as described in the Talmud, Tractate Berachot 17a: “the righteous, sitting with their crowns on their heads, delighting in the shining rays of the Divine Presence / צדיקים יושבין ועטרותיהם בראשיהם ונהנים מזיו השכינה”. This might be what Job meant when he said (Job 19:26), “And after my skin is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God[ 01 ] / ואחר עורי נקפו זאת, ומבשרי אחזה אלוה”. The soul with its new mental powers will be capable of understanding more about itself as well. It will remember clearly everything one ever did and will understand the true motives of one’s actions. The soul is likewise fully aware of the consequences of every deed. The memory of every good deed will be the source of the ultimate pleasure. But then, a person may have also sinned. The sins that were committed cannot be dismissed or rationalized. Thus the terrible shame and humiliation is unbearable when one is caught by one’s own memory in the act of doing something wrong. The soul is also tortured by the realization that being in the World of Reward it can do nothing to rectify these sins. The pain of humiliation can no longer be relieved through forgetting things - the soul does not forget. This indeed, may be what is alluded to in the Book of Daniel 12:2, “And many of those who sleep in the dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting shame / ורבים מישני אדמת עפר יקיצו, אלה לחיי עולם, ואלה לחרפות לדראון עולם”. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes that the fire of Gehinnom / גיהנום - the inferno of Hell, is actually the burning shame one experiences because of his sins. He quotes numerous biblical and Talmudic sources to support this view. The souls of the wicked are cleansed in this spiritual fire of shame for 12 months after death, except for a few extremely wicked people whose entire life was sinful and devoid of good. These evildoers have no escape from the shame and are doomed to everlasting torment. All other souls are sentenced to a lesser time in Gehinnom. This is why Kaddish / קדיש is usually recited only for the first eleven months after death in order not to depict the deceased as an evildoer. Fire is a very accurate metaphor for Gehinnom. Sins are caused by evil desires that can never be satisfied. The fire is also never satisfied - it burns all the fuel it is given. Fire is, therefore, a befitting retribution for the man’s sins. But fire does not only burn — it purifies. Metal ores are impure and worthless in their original form. Passed through the fire they turn into refined, precious metal. After the soul is refined and cleansed it is able to progress higher and higher in the spiritual dimensions, as alluded to in Zechariah 3:7:“If you go in My ways … then I will give you a place to move among [the angels] standing here / אם בדרכי תלך ואם את משמרתי תשמור … ונתתי לך מהלכים בין העומדים האלה”. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains that God was showing the prophet a vision of stationary angels, and telling him that he would be able to move above them. While angels are bound to their particular plane, man can move and progress from level to level. This is also alluded to in the verse, “The dust returns to the dust as it was, but the spirit returns to God who gave it / וישב העפר על הארץ כשהיה, והרוח תשוב אל האלהים אשר נתנה” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). [ 01 ] This is an allegoric interpretation of the verse. The simple meaning is that Job acknowledged heavenly decree that caused his skin affliction.

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Jewish Death Rituals According to Jewish Law

The body of the deceased is washed thoroughly.

The deceased is buried in a simple pine coffin.

The deceased is buried wearing a simple white shroud (tachrichim).

The body is guarded or watched from the moment of death until after burial.

Just before a funeral begins, the immediate relatives of the deceased tear their garments or the rabbi does this to them or hands them torn black ribbons to pin on their clothes to symbolize their loss.

Upon hearing about a death, a Jew recites the words, "Baruch dayan emet," Blessed be the one true Judge.

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More on sitting Shiva and Funeral Practices

"...Reform Jews often do not follow these practices. Instead, the rabbi tears black ribbons and hands family members a torn black ribbon to pin on their clothes to symbolize their loss. During the ceremony that follows, Psalms are recited, then a eulogy and the memorial prayer ("El Maleh Rachamim"). The casket is then carried or wheeled out of the room (accompanied by the 23rd Psalm in many Reform funerals) by the male members of a Chevra Kaddisha (or male family members in Reform funerals), regardless of the gender of the deceased, and the mourners follow behind the casket.

Those attending remain standing until the family mourners have left the room. In Reform funerals, people then often express their condolences to the family members of the deceased before the actual burial. In traditional funerals, people attending the funeral but not the burial may escort the dead, fulfilling the mitzvah of leveyat hamet by walking behind the hearse for a short distance. A Jew who is a Cohen, a descendant of the priestly class, will only attend the funeral and burial of his immediate family as he is otherwise forbidden to come near a corpse. You may see a close friend or relative who is a Cohen remain outside the funeral parlor or cemetery because of this law. At the cemetery, another custom in traditional funerals is to stop seven times – as the coffin is carried to the grave--to recite Psalm 91. Once the coffin is lowered into the grave, family and close friends cover the coffin with a few handfuls of dirt. The rabbi then repeats Psalm 91 and El Maleh Rachamim.

Following the burial, non-family members form two lines and, as the mourners pass by them, they recite the traditional condolence: "Hamakom y'nachem etchem b'toch sh'ar availai tziyon ee yerushalayim." May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. In traditional funerals, before leaving the cemetery mourners wash their hands as a symbolic cleansing.

After the burial, it is customary for the family to sit Shiva (in mourning). This was traditionally done for seven days, although many Reform and other Jews now sit Shiva for three days, and some for one day. Traditional Jews cover all mirrors during this time and sit on Shiva benches, however less observant Jews do not. It is customary for friends and family of the deceased as well as friends of the deceased's relatives to pay a Shiva call to the designated location where people are sitting Shiva, usually at the home of a close family member. Jews do not send flowers, but when paying a Shiva call it is appropriate to bring food, because the person mourning is not supposed to worry about such mundane matters. Being surrounded by family and close friends often helps mourners cope with the immediate loss. Often, family members find great solace from sharing memories of the deceased during the Shiva period.

Indeed, many mourners report that sitting Shiva was a time of family closeness, when small disagreements were overlooked in the face of the eternal."

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Sitting Shiva

Shiva, The First Period of Mourning

(Relevant to our play---the first day of mourning, continuing into 7 days)

Shiva means seven and is the period of mourning immediately following the burial. Tradition is that the day of burial counts as the first day of Shiva, which continues for seven days. Although no public mourning is observed on Shabbat, the Sabbath and Holidays count in the seven days. Many festivals affect the observance of Shiva and your rabbi will be best qualified to explain how they affect a particular situation. For example, some festivals cancel the observance of Shiva completely, and some festivals postpone the beginning of Shiva. Under special circumstances, the observance of Shiva is for fewer than the Traditional seven days, and again, your rabbi will be in a position to advise you in your particular situation.

During Shiva, mourners remain at home and the Jewish community comes and offers comfort to them. The only time a mourner is supposed to leave the home is on Shabbat to attend services in the Synagogue. During the Shiva period the community comes into the mourner's home and it is there that the three daily (morning, afternoon and evening) services are held. The Kaddish prayer is recited during these services and it is interesting to note how much comfort is derived from the recitation of the Kaddish prayer.

The atmosphere in the house of mourning should be one of dignity, and one should avoid creating a party atmosphere during Shiva. Talk should be centered around the deceased as it certainly is permissible to talk about the deceased. Shiva should be a time to remember with fondness many of the events of which the deceased was a part. Often we think that talking about the deceased and remembering events and happenings will be upsetting to the mourners. Out of our discomfort we avoid talking about the memories we have of the deceased. In fact, the contrary is true. Mourners find comfort in hearing stories about their loved one and although they may "seem" overwhelmed and upset, they would much prefer people talking about their loved one rather than thinking that people have forgotten the person.

It is understandable that we are nervous and uncomfortable when we are in the presence of mourners, or others who are in any emotional pain for that matter. We need to learn how to become more at ease when tragedy strikes those around us. Part of our uneasiness comes from not knowing what to say to a person in grief. More often than not, it's not anything we might say that brings solace to our grieving friends, it is simply our presence that lets them know we care and are concerned for their welfare.

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Jewish Burial Customs

Here are a few salient details on Jewish Burial Customs that might be applied to the show.  Much more information can be found at: http://www.jewishfederations.org/funeral-customs.aspx

and

http://jewish-funeral-home.com/Jewish-burial-customs.html.

"Immediately following a death, the deceased should not, according to Tradition, be left unattended. A Shomer, or "watchman," stays with the deceased from the time of death until the funeral and burial. It is ... the custom in many communities is for the family to provide the Shomer."

"Those who are considered mourners are the spouse, parent, sibling or child of the deceased. It's important to realize that other family members, although not technically considered mourners, may choose to observe many of the rites of mourning because of the close relationship they had with the deceased."

"It is more respectful to inter the body within a reasonable amount of time rather than having an unnecessary delay. Of course, waiting for relatives to come from a far distance is a respectful reason to delay the burial.

"Viewing the deceased is not a Jewish custom, and Tradition teaches us that it is disrespectful to look at a person who can not look back."

"Unless local laws require, embalming, a chemical process of sanitation and temporary preservation, should be avoided."

"Funerals usually last about twenty minutes and consist of the recitation of Psalms, Scripture readings and a eulogy."

"Mourners perform the ritual of K'riah, the rending of the garment. This ancient custom is symbolic of the tear that's in the mourner's heart. Traditionally the clothing is torn, but many people today use a black ribbon that is attached to the outside of the clothing. When people see the ribbon, or the tear in the clothing, it is a sign that that person is a mourner."

"The ribbon is worn, or the clothing cut, on the left side of the person if they are mourning the death of a parent. For all other Kaddish relatives, the ribbon or clothing is cut on the person's right side. This is to acknowledge that the relationship with a parent is different, and, therefore we observe the difference by performing the K'riah, on the side closest to the heart."

"Some of the customs many Jewish people observe [after the burial] are covering the mirrors in the house of mourning, having a pitcher of water outside the house for mourners to wash their hands, using a different route home from the cemetery, and a whole host of other customs."

"One of the oldest, most important, and meaningful traditions the Jewish people have is that upon returning to the house of mourning following the burial, the community provides the first meal. Eggs or bagels are traditionally served to symbolize the continuity of life. This meal of condolence, called the Seudat Hawra'ah was begun in recognition that if left to the mourners' own wills, they may not eat and would then become ill....The mourners are not to be "hosting" a party, nor are they to be concerned with taking care of other people's needs. Rather, the community is there to take care of the mourners."

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The Shapeshifter's speech on page 60

On page 60, the Changeling has that wonderful speech about the staircase descending to the great hall, with th scaffolding and the hall full of people with eyes full of lust. I can't help but think of the wonderful party in hell (Part II, chapter 23: Satan's Grand Ball). Here's an online translation- I would recommend reading the book if you haven't, amazing piece of literature. Chapter 23: http://www.weblitera.com/book/?id=205&lng=1&ch=23&l=fr#.URm1WhG9KSM

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Influences: Jason Grote and Chekhov

My initial reaction is that STUART is doing to Chekhov the inverse of what Grote is doing to Schiller--that is, Grote is taking these overblown, Regal characters and locking them into the mundane world of the suburbs, whereas Stuart is taking the "everyday" characters of Chekhov and placing them in this overblown, fantastic world of comic-book heroes.  A little taste of what's to come---and also, I wonder if we see Stuart really buying into the idea of Chekhov characters as superheroes, it helps the audience buy into Elizabeth I as a suburban mother?

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Ward 6

For reference, "Ward 6" is a mental asylum, from the eponymous Chekhov story. You can read the full text of the short story here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/WardNumb.shtml Obviously, there are ripples of the various mental challenges that various characters have. I haven't had much of a chance to read many of Chekhov's short stories, and I'd like to read this one- ill let you know if anything else about the story jumps out after reading.

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Hooks

A question was posed to me: were hooks actually used as prosthetic hands? The answer is- emphatically yes! They are still used commonly- basically, it's one of the easiest and most functional designs for picking things up. Historically- the prosthetic split-hook design, first patented by David W. Dorrance in 1912,allows the hook apparatus to hold and squeeze objects between the split hooks. Here are a few links of images and such: Disabled Vet using hooked hands: http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/machinery/disabledvet2.cfm More info on rehabilitation for soldiers who have lost portions of limbs: http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/machinery/aid2soldiers.cfm Product ordering for prosthetic hands: http://www.kingsleymfg.com/KMFGStore/Catalog_Product.asp?dept_id=B6212E35-99CC-41E3-877F-FA0FF78B7766&product_id=H-52601

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German Translations: Pages 5 and 17

Page 5: Es ist Zeit, as you could probably guess from context, does in fact mean "It is Time."

Page 17: Arroganz fand von Unschuld statt, Sie ehrten und zeigten Ihre Schande mit Stolz an. Ach, leiß ewige Ruhe Schlucken Sie diese Tat.

Translates as :

"Arrogance took place of innocence, You honored and showed your shame with pride. Ah, the fact of eternal rest is swallowing your body."

NB: The last line "Ach, leiß ewige Ruhe Schlucken Sie diese Tat." is veeeeery approximately translated--I parsed and sorted the words as best I could.  I'll have another human being look at it who knows more about German grammar and sentence construction than I do...by which I mean, anyone who knows anything about German sentence construction.