B4    The roles of Shakespeare quotes and poetry in the novel  

by Katharina

The role of Shakespeare quotes and other poetry in the novel is very important for the understanding of John Savage’s and Helmholtz’s characters. Shakespeare provides the language through which John understands the world and John uses exactly this language to express his deepest feelings and emotions. Also Helmholtz uses this and his own poetry to articulate his feelings and thoughts.

Shakespeare’s poem on page: 161, lines: 13- 16

à When the Savage thinks of Lenina, he invariably recalls passages from ‘Romeo and Juliet’, because he elucidates his own worship of Lenina and he can best express his reaction to the obscenity of the feelies with another quote from Shakespeare. While he is reading that passage he is currently identifying with Romeo and so he puts a great deal of passion into the story.

Shakespeare’s poem on page: 165, lines: 28- 30 & page: 166, lines: 4- 9

à An immediate friendship occurs between the Savage and Helmholtz due to their common love of poetry. Because they both have this certain knowledge of poems and their meaning, they have the same feelings while listening/reading that poem from Shakespeare. Both of them feel very excited and emotional.

Shakespeare’s poem on page 167, lines: 8- 12

à The Savage resumes his reading, he pathetically mimes Juliet. Reading out Shakespeare’s poetry is a way to communicate for the Savage and Helmholtz. They both are kind of on the same level, because they love poetry, especially from Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s poem on page: 174, lines: 1- 8

à The Savage uses Shakespeare’s poetry to make his own feelings real, because Shakespeare speaks to the Savage with ‘a terribly beautiful magic’. Writing and reading poetry is John’s way to express his deepest emotions and feelings for Lenina. She doesn’t understand a word and gets angry but as a reader and observer I’m able to feel all the passion and emotion, John puts into the poetry.

Poetry by Helmholtz on page: 164, lines: 5- 24

Helmholtz wrote this poem, because he felt alone and due to that, he wanted to share his feelings with the Savage. He wants to do a bit of propaganda with his poetry. He tries to engineer people into feeling as he felt when he wrote that poem.

à As a conclusion, I’d like to point out, that the role of Shakespeare quotes and other poetry in the novel, is a way for Helmholtz and the Savage to reveal their inner feelings. Other people draw pictures, sing or do something else, to express themselves, but for Helmholtz and the Savage, it is poetry, which has become a true passion.

Vocabulary:  

to elucidate ~ to make sth clearer by explaining it more fully = erklären

worship ~ a strong feeling of love and respect for sb/ sth = Anbetung, Verehrung

to mime ~ to act; the use of movements of your hands or body and the expressions

                on your face but without speaking = nachahmen

to engineer ~ to arrange for sth to happen or take place   = organisieren, in die Wege leiten