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Annotated Bibliography: Ophelia’s ‘False Steward’ Contextualized
Burnett, Mark. “Ophelia’s ‘False Steward’ Contextualized”. The Review of English Studies, New Series, 46.181 (1995): 48-56. Print.
Burnett’s article centers on the proposed perspective that upholds Ophelia, a character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a false steward. In the introduction, the author notes that the falsification proposition has lacked strong support and therefore aims at according a strong argument in support of Ophelia’s characterization. Burnett holds the view that initial researchers have failed to acquire a succinct grasp of Ophelia’s character, as they tend to focus on the historical reflections as opposed to the intricacy attached to her personality as evidenced in the various contexts that the character appears in. To develop his theory, Burnett reviews the character of a false steward as applied during the Renaissance period with the most notable factor being the application of Biblical references whose theme is related to wise and foolish stewardship in the Gospel of Luke (Burnett 48-51). Of significance is the parable that praises a manager whose shrewd practices benefit needy households although conducted from unethical perspective that upholds the practice of defiance. Between the 15th and 17th centuries steward characteristics were developed with reference to these narratives and the same perspective was adopted in the theatrical work. However, theatrical works focused on the disobedient and witty traits as portrayed within stewards. Applying the same perspective in Ophelia’s situation, it becomes evident that Ophelia is a false steward by the fact that she is developed as a shrewd worker who abducts a member of her employee’s family (Burnett 54). The congruence between Ophelia and Renaissance stewards is that both have a common vice, namely stealing; Ophelia having stolen a human life while the others embezzle wealth. This form of character development set the pace for a diverse form of unprecedented practices among stewards like the class setting where identity is stolen through unwarranted intermarriages between stewards (poor) and the affluent. Identity theft in theatrical studies was associated with the practice of balladism, which can be attributed to Ophelia. The most pronounced clue sued in the publication concerning her ballad tendencies are amplified by Burnett’s citation of Polonius, another example of a false steward, who abducts Ophelia during her young age from the King’s household. Polonius acts as the king’s steward but his shrewdness is evidenced by his witty character, which seems to be replicated in Ophelia’s case (Burnett 56).
Relation of Article to the Selected Topic
Florian refrains from offering any type of comment or observation with regard to Ophelia and Hamlet play. Her interview focuses on the style of writing across her four publications. With Telescope, Florian addresses the theme of identity, which reviews the egocentric practices and the communal view. In 32 Pedals and 47 Stops, Florian addresses the problem of ignorance and its role inhuman failure with regard to aspirations resulting into self loathe and the hatred towards other individuals (Oventile, 2009). In her third publication, The Tree of No, the theme of human defiance is explored through the Edenic tale of Adam and Eve. This is the only article that draws a level of parallelism with Ophelia’s character in the defiant nature of the steward. Lastly, in Of Wonderland and Waste, Florian reviews her failures and successes that have shaped her publishing career form her initial writing point to the present. There are no traces of feminism in her publications or in the interview.
Works Cited
Burnett, Mark. “Ophelia’s ‘False Steward’ Contextualized”. The Review of English Studies, New Series, 46.181 (1995): 48-56. Print.
Oventile, Robert. An Interview with Sandy Florian. 2009. Web. 12 April 2011. <http://www.copper-nickel.org/coin/conversation/an-interview-with-sandy-florian.html>.
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