The Changeling Group

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francescacrowe
francescacrowe

Why and what is the purpose of the mad men dance in The Changeling?

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Posted by francescacrowe on Thursday January 10, 2008 at 3:05 PM and tagged with dance, mad men dance, the changeling.

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  1. nerfertiti Student

    The dance, though in today's society would seem in poor taste, was back in the Jacobean times, a source of entertainment. It is putting the madness on show allowing people to openly laugh- it would give a greater sense of humour to the subplot. It provides the tool for the meeting of the subplot characters with the main plot characters, as it is put to Lollio to help train the men to dance for Beatrice's wedding. Compared to Beatrice's character being put on show, is it much different? Beatrice has been exposed just like the madmen, and is suggesting where the true madness lies.

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    Posted by nerfertiti on Thursday January 17, 2008 at 1:18 AM

  2. hellybaybee
    hellybaybee Student

    Insanity was a source of entertainment in the Jacobean age and people would often pay to watch the antics of the insane (think of Londons 'Bedlam' or 'Bethleham' asylum.) It links the subplot to the main plot and also demonstrates how the sexually fraught characters are opporating on a level close to madness. The Jacobean notion of the soul had three levels Rational (human), sensory (animalistic) and the vegitative (plants)... humans should act on the rational however many characters within 'the changeling' are acting on the sensory where they are overtly sexual and bawdy. In a performance I have seen, the dance performance itself was fairly sexual, again showing links with the plays main characters. It is also important to note how these insane and overtly sexual incidences have strong connotations with the court of James I

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    Posted by hellybaybee on Thursday June 12, 2008 at 2:06 PM