“They were all on stage. They weren't only the
audience, not only looking on; they were acting.”
Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill” was an interesting read.
Interesting as in it was one that I enjoyed. The quote was one that stood out
to me, I found it rather intriguing, the idea of life being a play in which we
all participate. As a student, life can start to feel very much like a play.
You go to class at the same time on the days you’re meant to, you know before
starting the class that you will have homework and plan time accordingly, etc. What
if, after a while, we began to accept this idea of life as a play and as a
result couldn't tell the difference between our life and our play life?
¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí. What is life? A frenzy.
¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión, What
is life? An
illusion,
una sombra, una ficción, A shadow, a fiction
y el mayor bien es pequeño: And
the greater good is small:
que toda la vida es sueño, All of life is a dream,
y los sueños, sueños son. And dreams are just dreams.
I love the connection between English and Spanish Lit! the idea that life is a play is very similar to what Shakespeare meant when he said that "all the world is a stage." Have you read any other Spanish plays? I personally like "La Casa de Bernarda Alba" by García Lorca.
ReplyDeleteI have read other Spanish plays, including Bernarda Alba. I've taken 3 Spanish lit classes and am taking one that focuses on Calderón de la Barca in the Fall. Have you taken any Spanish classes or do you just like exploring literature?
DeleteI have been trying to explore Spanish Lit for some time (being that Spanish is my first language) and I will make sure I check out La vida es un sueño, it sounds quite interesting. I specially love the last two lines of that soliloquy, I feel that it kind of reflects at the void that is felt by this character as he reflects upon the experiences you mentioned. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDelete