Andrew Nelson
November 25, 2014
English 226
Dr. Coronado
Bluebeard
America looked
very different in the 1840s. We were quite literally only half the nation we
are today with states like Iowa and Wisconsin joining the union during this decade.
America as we know it was still forming; the famous Oregon Trail expedition was
launched from Missouri in 1843, Minnesota became an American territory in 1849.
As a country we were busy adopting traditions and custom’s that we still have
today. The very first ongoing congressional filibuster occurred in 1841, the
dates of our federal elections were set in 1845, and in 1842 the Landmark
Supreme Court case Commonwealth v Hunt gave workers the legal right to unionize
and trike for the first time in our History. We were very much still trying to
figure out who we were as a country and how we wanted to govern ourselves;
trying the balance the need for centralized laws with the borderline paranoid
fear of (non-divine) higher authority that started at “We the People of the
United States…” and continues to this very day. We see for the first time in
this decade the lower class citizens beginning to not only realize that the
American Dream is not within their reach, but that is it being kept out of
their reach by the upper class elite and, more importantly, deciding to do
something about it. Its little surprise then, that the publishers of “The New
World” would think the American people would relate to the first act of Bluebeard. The lower class was tired of
the upper class getting all the benefits of their labor while they themselves barely
survived.
Bluebeard opens up with Heymon, the lord
of Wallenrod Castle, meeting with his advisors and knights, as well as with a counselor
who we are told by Heymon’s brother Conrad “Has given many an excellent piece
of advice which is would have been well if any had taken.” (Bluebeard, Act 1) From this we can
gather that this counselor has a reputation for being wise enough to give good
advice, whether it is taken or not. The character to focus on in this act, however,
is Claus who is listed in the character list as “a fool.” They are meeting to
discuss how to deal with the treat from a rival lord by the name of Bluebeard
who has been concurring other lands surrounding Wallenrod Castle. When we first
see Claus he is introduced as such
“Claus: The fool
enters; he is small and deformed, hump-backed, lame of a leg, and moves very
nimbly upon one crutch.
Conrad: Ah! It is
our fool.
Matrin: You Have a
Very complete household.
Conrad: Thank God!
We deny ourselves nothing. A little man, the fool, whom you see before you
there, but he has an excellent, untiring wit of his own. He will make you laugh
a whole evening, even without speaking a word. –But a very good disposition.
Claus: Is it
allowable, gentlemen, that a fool should come into a rational assembly of
counsel?
Conrad: Gracious
Heaven! He is a fool, we must allow him a little innocent pleasure, since he
does not drink, and is altogether a pretty good fellow. Take a seat fool, and
we sensible people will take our seats too. [All sit.]” (Bluebeard, Act 1)
We clearly see
that Claus is seen to truly be a fool by the knights and advisors. They clearly
like him, calling him ‘altogether a pretty good fellow’ and praising him for
how well he does at his job. It is also painfully clear that they do not
respect him. Indeed, they go as far as to believe him simple enough that just listening
to their ‘rational’ discussion would be an entertainment for him. What really
shows their true colors though, is what happens while they are discussing the assault
on bluebeard;
“Heymon: And when
we have concurred him, shall we then take his castle by storm, and divide his treasure?
Claus: And where
will Bluebeard be, meanwhile?
Heymon: Fool, he
is to be killed in the battle.
Conrad: And if he
be not killed, then he will be clapped in irons.
Heymon: But that
he will never agree to, …thus better that he should fall in the fight.
Counselor: Good; ‘t
is much better that he should fall in the fights Sir Heymon. You have expressed
exactly my opinion.
Conrad: Be if he
is not killed after all?
Counselor: Ay
Indeed! A good observation of your brother indeed. If he is not killed after
all! He will do better to fall in the battle, that’s certain; but men are often
very singular. Yes, what think you in this case.” (Bluebeard, Act 1)
Yes, what is
Bluebeard is alive? What about Bluebeard? The important thing to notice here is
how, despite Claus being the one to bring up questions of Bluebeard’s fate, it
is not until Conrad voices the question that it is taken seriously by the counselor,
and by extension by everyone else. He accredits Claus’s idea to Conrad, commending
him on being wise for thinking of it and it then leads to a discussion between
then knights. We see this same kind of action
later in the Act when the knights come upon Bluebeard fighting with another
enemy and they wait for the fight to finish and, when Claus suggests they should
have attacked Bluebeard while he was fighting someone else as well, they lament
not having Counselor with them to have told them that, even though Claus is
once again the one to voice the idea. The idea of those higher up in society
taking credit for the work and ideas of the lower class was a pretty dear idea
to the American people both then and now.
Sources I plan on using:
-
Karl Marx’s Consciousness
Derived from Material Conditions
-
Study of Commonwealth v Hunt found at http://moglen.law.columbia.edu/twiki/bin/view/AmLegalHist/BillNahillWikiProject
-
Possibly another case study of Commonwealth v Hunt I
found, if I find anything I want to use in the half I haven’t finished reading
yet.
-
I may also quote some from Life in the Iron Mill.
Bluebeard Play Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2gvuXtIs422REc0Y0tkRXZnb28/view?usp=sharing
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