"Jase You Like It"

            Dr. Kulbaga has encouraged us to have fun with our last blog post of the class. I’m putting a lot of weight on that in order to validate this ridiculous post I’m about to make. A lot of you guys have, at one point, successfully rewritten part of a story from a different character’s perspective, or from a completely original point of view and those have been some of my favorite posts. There’s something super creative and informative about analyzing text from a fresh angle. However, I’m not really that good at creative writing, so I haven’t attempted that kind of approach. Since this is the last post, though, I figure it’s time to throw in my lot with these types of posts and try to create a new look for Jasmine – particularly as if it were a play written by Shakespeare.

            One of the other classes I’m taking this semester is a Shakespeare class, and I’m learning a lot about him for the first time. Yes, I’ve learned that he is one of (in a lot of people’s opinions the most) prolific writer of the Western world, but I think that kind of adds to the ridiculousness of trying to emulate him. As I’m sure a lot of you already know, the reverse (adapting Shakespeare’s works into different settings) has been incredibly common: Taming of the Shrew becomes the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, Othello becomes O, there’s even the argument that The Lion King is, at some level, a retelling of Hamlet. His writing can stand up to this cyclical bastardizing, which is why I have no problem butchering it! (My favorite Shakespeare adaptation, by the way, is the Akira Kurosawa film Throne of Blood which retells Macbeth. It’s awesome.)

            Jasmine lends itself to Shakespeare tradition in several ways. A woman with several suitors, as well as marriage itself, is an incredibly common device in Shakespeare’s plays --Jasmine’s different personas could be similar to the copious amounts of disguises present in any of his comedies. Yet there are (obviously) fundamental differences in the writing of Bharati Mukherjee versus Shakespeare. Mukherjee is writing the story of an incredibly powerful female character, something that Shakespeare has come under criticism for not doing enough of. I think all of this mostly unnecessary background information is a way for me to stall from actually rewriting the scene, so I should probably get to it. I’m focusing on Chapter 23, when Jasmine starts living with Taylor, Wylie and Duff. Mostly because I think Taylor and Duff are hilarious.

“Jase You Like It” (Sorry)

I.1 Enter Taylor, Wylie, Duff

DUFF:             How now, father? Of what character is this lady soon to come?
TAYLOR:        Why, that of th’ most virtue. I do hope, a paragon of chastity
            And virtue, tis she. Yea, as well a song to thine own eyes, perchance,
             A shape toiled over by th’ Gods. [aside] But I shall hide thy thoughts lest
            Wylie better determine them.
WYLIE:            Fie, fie, Master Hayes, are you not ashamed?
            Tarry not with thy father, Duff. He plays The Fool as sure
            The sun wakes and the moon doth lay’th all to slumber.
DUFF:             Ay, he doth so.
WYLIE:          Thine keeper is exactly that and no more.
            With haste, daughter, prepare the tea and biscuits. She soon comes.
DUFF:             Of course,
[exeunt DUFF]
[enter JASMINE and KATE]

TAYLOR:       (to Jasmine and Kate) By gar, I pray thee, enter! Enter!
WYLIE:          How now, Jasmine?
JASMINE:      Master Hayes, Mistress Hayes, I am humble in thy presence.
TAYLOR:       (looking at Jasmine) And may you be in our presence evermore!
WYLIE:          Truly, Master Taylor. Tis the composure of a knave unbecoming as such.
[enter DUFF with tea and biscuits]

DUFF:             (looking at Jasmine) Ay! A keeper so exotic!
            Do pray tell, what is thy name?
            Care thee for tea?
            From where afar thou came
            For simply to watch o’er me?
TAYLOR:       (to Duff) Control thy self, daughter! For shame, this display
            Of what fate did meet your manners? 

(Wow, trying to write like Shakespeare takes FOREVER. I already have to go to work. I'll add more later!)