I don’t really have anything interesting to
post about, so this is like pulling teeth, but it wasn’t as bad as getting my
wisdom teeth pulled last week. That said, here goes nothing:
We discussed the vice vs. virtue plot of The London Merchant and the issue of
morality and the utter pain Barnwell is in whenever he goes against he better
sense and moral compass. Despite his obvious discomfort with lying, cheating,
stealing and harming others, Barnwell is nonetheless overcome by his urges or
vices. Virtue loses out when placed against his most base of urges brought out
or heighted by the sexually charged Millwood and her deceitful plan. Having
been to a handful of plays and written about them (which really doesn’t amount
to much), what I’ve noticed that in most them there are always two moments of
great calamity. The first of The London
Merchant being Barnwell getting seduced by Millwood; the second being
Barnwell killing his uncle and failing to rob, which was the real motive for
him being there. Unlike the first time when Barnwell returns from giving in to
vice where Trueman is there to help him and console him, Barnwell is with
Millwood and after finding out of his failure to bring her “what Gold, what
Jewels, or what else of Value,” before he implicates her in the murder, she
turns him in to the authorities. I feel these two moments mirror each other in
the way Barnwell is emotionally, but the difference is in the way he is
received in each scene. There are other instances where the play mirrors itself
by way of Barnwell’s drama. As in most good works, there’s always a scene of
reconciliation where the title character atones for his or her sins or there’s
a deus ex machina that makes everyone
feel good; and in The London Merchant,
Barnwell isn’t left without hope; he confesses and gains the acceptance of
Thorowgood and Trueman after he apologizes, so if this is a tale of morality,
then justice is served. The London Merchant is simplistic in a
way but it isn’t too simplistic. Having performed, however awkwardly, I
definitely feel what the characters feel.
Good commentary Vince. I have been thinking about Barnwell a lot and would say the way he feels about the situations he gets put into have much to do with the people who surround him. He might not have felt as guilty about sleeping with Millwood had he not understood that Trueman cared about him so much. And as you mentioned he feels guilty about not doing certain actions for Millwood, and were Millwood removed Barnwell would never do these things, much less feel guilty about not having done them.
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