Signs, Symbols, and History (UPDATE WITH HOMEWORK)

From the Wikipeida Page on Shakespeare's "History Plays":

"Shakespeare was living under the reign of Elizabeth I, the last monarch of the house of Tudor, and his history plays are often regarded as Tudor propaganda because they show the dangers of civil war and celebrate the founders of the Tudor dynasty. In particular, Richard III depicts the last member of the rival house of York as an evil monster ("that bottled spider, that foul bunchback'd toad"), a depiction disputed by many modern historians, while portraying his usurper, Henry VII in glowing terms. Political bias is also clear in Henry VIII, which ends with an effusive celebration of the birth of Elizabeth. However, Shakespeare's celebration of Tudor order is less important in these plays than the spectacular decline of the medieval world. Moreover, some of Shakespeare's histories -- and notably Richard III - point out that this medieval world came to its end when opportunism and machiavelism infiltrated its politics. By nostalgically evoking the late Middle Ages, these plays described the political and social evolution that had led to the actual methods of Tudor rule, so that it is possible to consider history plays as a biased criticism of their own country."

Consider this in the context of the two television show's we're discussing today. Both shows are politically minded, but both also appear to be taking place in far off places with science fiction twists. I place these alongside history because Science Fiction is one of the best way to convey events of today through the context of ray guns and space ships. The original Star Trek was very evocative of its time, showing a hopeful idealism of space based on Kennedy's proclamation that we will send a man to the moon. The X-Files was a very conspiracy-filled show that commented on the US Government as a large institution that only cares about the rich and powerful, while keeping the true innovations in science and supernatural secret.

Battlestar Galactica and Kings are both commentaries on today, by evoking familiar signs and symbols that we recognize in recent history to illicit an emotional and intellectual response today. Consider the following clips:



The key part of our class today will be looking at how we can understand the symbols, signs, and relationships between the events happening in the shows and the events that have happened in the past. This is where an understanding of clothing, set design, and camera positioning really play a part in understanding the subtext of the story.

HOMEWORK:
1. Don't think I forgot about the "Left Field Cinema" articles. I will be quizzing you on your reading of Left Field Cinema for Wednesday class, as well as checking your outlines. Read the essays before you write your outline.

2. Look up the entries for Multiple Personality Disorder and Color Meaning (Symbol and Psychology) in Wikipedia.

3. Look up the images of United States of Tara and Pushing Daises in Google Images. What do you notice? What are some of the visual characteristics of both shows?