[Posted on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing] The Tragedy of Macbeth is a psychological portrayal of two murderers, deceived by illusions, goaded by ambitions, and driven to despair. Two people, though alive, yet were long dead. Kierkegaard would characterize Macbeth as in despair wanting to be himself, because he was past the point of no return, and Lady Macbeth in despair not wanting to be herself, because she […]
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“The Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare
The villains in Shakespeare’s plays always seem to have the best lines. It’s been more than 20 years since I first heard “The Merchant of Venice” on the radio, and I still remember Shylock’s “do we not bleed” speech. Few can evoke a stronger feeling of the brotherhood of man. The Voice of Reason What stands out to me, reading the play this time around, is the irrational nature of […]
Read more“The Tragedy of King Lear” by William Shakespeare
Is Shakespeare a Synonym for Greek? I’m amazed how much Shakespeare reminds me of the ancient Greek poets, both in the themes and the dialogues of the plays. Firstly, the style of the dialogues, which I’d call “contrapuntal”, with one high-flown voice of oratory and another plainer often ironic voice acting as commentary and counterpoint, is strikingly reminiscent of Aristophanes. The witty fool, who is wiser than the King, seems […]
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The Divine Comedy: XII. Why Purgatory?
Hell vs. Purgatory What is the difference between Hell and Purgatory in Dante’s Divine Comedy? To put the question in a different way, what determines whether a person stays in Hell or Purgatory? According to St. Augustine, it is the grace of God, which restores free will in man and enables him to desire and attain the Good. Firstly, those in the Inferno are confined to their respective circles, and never […]
Read more“Ennead III: On Love” by Plotinus
On Love Love is a real substance (ὑπόστᾰσις, hypostasis) born of the activity of the Soul. It is a kind of intermediary between desiring and desired; the eye of the desiring which through its power gives to the lover the sight of the beloved; but Loves himself runs on ahead and before he gives the lover the power of sight, he fills himself with gazing, seeing before the lover but […]
Read moreOn Travel
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. ― Augustine of Hippo The above quote by St. Augustine is perhaps one of the, if not the, most popular, quotes of his, more than all his sayings on Christian theology and philosophy. This is a testimony to the fact that the love or dream of travel is universal. Some of the most famous epic […]
Read moreCounterpoint
Plotinus’ idea of “unity-in-diversity” is perhaps best reflected in music in the art of the Fugue, which invariably brings me to J.S.Bach and Glenn Gould, my favorite interpreter of Bach on the piano. There is philosophy in music, and prayer too, if I may say so. I recently came across a WP post on Glenn Gould, with a link to a very interesting film titled “Thirty Two Short Films About […]
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