All Souls Day: Shakespeare & Edgar Allan Poe
Earlier this month I had a series of visitations from dead people.
When I mentioned this to a friend who has had similar experiences, she reminded me that “the spirit world is at its closest” this time of year.
Of course!
It makes sense. Afterall, October is “teach Edgar Allan Poe” and “watch scary movies” month. This week in Sophomore English we read “The Cask of Amontillado,” recited “The Raven,” watched Tim Burton’s early short film “Vincent,” and talked about how some people love scary movies, and some people hate them.
“The Raven” caused me to think about some of my recent musings on Grief.
In the poem, the speaker is being haunted by the memories of his lost Lenore, and wishes for Respite–respite, and nepenthe. Nepenthe is a mythical drink that induces forgetfulness of pain and sorrow.
Once Grief has ripped a path through our lives, getting back to a “new normal” (at least one that includes getting out of bed and going to work) requires a certain amount of forgetfulness, or shelving, of the horrible truth that the person we love shall be with us Nevermore.
Getting back to work that is distracting is a good escape. Another good respite from the sorrows that haunt us is watching shows.
In “The Taming of the Shrew” Shakespeare says that melancholy is the nurse of frenzy, and recommends that to avoid going crazy:
you hear a play
And frame your mind to mirth and merriment,
Which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.
There you have it. Seeing plays (meaning, watching stories acted out, on stage, or even on screen–yes, that includes Netflix) is good for your mental health! Good old Shakesie–always working a self-serving promotional angle. For the betterment of mankind, of course.
Interestingly, I discovered there is a restaurant in Big Sur called Nepenthe. http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/ Based on the setting alone I think it might live up to the claims of its name.
#poe #nepenthe #shakespeare #teachingshakespeare #tamingoftheshrew #writinggrief #the raven #allsoulsday #timburtonvincent