Sunday, November 23, 2008

Rape in the near future?

"I know she had rather wear my pelt tanned
In a pair of dancing pumps than I should thrust my fingers
Into her sockets here. I know she hates me,
Yet cannot choose but love her.
No matter. If but to vex her, I'll haunt her still;
Though I get nothing else, I'll have my will."
(I.i.241-246)

These were definitely some of the creepiest lines I have read in any of the plays. In the beginning, I kind of felt sorry for De Flores because he seemed to be a secret admirer of sorts, and Beatrice simply treated him like crap... just as she does at the mention of any other male with the exception of Alsemero, her fiance. I got the impression of unrequited love at first, but then these lines hint at an unhealthy obsession. The image of thrusting fingers "into her sockets" although referring to her gloves, seems pretty violent and makes me wonder if he actually had the glove in mind when saying this. The lines "I'll haunt her still; / Though I get nothing else, I'll have my will" are incredibly disturbing and the first thing that came to mind was rape. I don't think his "love" for Beatrice is healthy in any way, and he suits the role of the obsessed madman in this play.

[Addendum...]

I was skimming through this act again and found it kind of strange that (after considering De Flores' lines quoted above), Beatrice initially refers to her virginity as something dear to her and even personifies it, calling it the "companion of [her] soul" (I.i.198). In a way, I think that she is being sarcastic since she is engaged to Alsemero and her father just told her that he wants her to marry Piracquo, so she is being over-dramatic about losing her virginity. However, the way that she speaks of it highlights De Flores' later lines to me even more, considering the emphasis on the virginity as a friend and companion. The juxtaposition of her description and De Flores' later lines really lead me to believe that De Flores will rape Beatrice at some point in this play.

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