Pam's Shakespearean Pages

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Fulgour	05 Jul 2004
4 of Shakespeare's Young Ladies, disguised as males: As You Like It CUPS Rosalind-Ganymede She seeks to teach a version of love that not only can survive in the real world, but can bring delight as well. By the end of the play, having successfully orchestrated four marriages and ensured the happy and peaceful return of a more just government, Rosalind proves that love is a source of incomparable delight. Twelfth Night WANDS Viola-Cesario She is the character whose love seems the purest. The other characters’ passions are fickle. Only Viola seems to be truly, passionately in love, as opposed to being self-indulgently lovesick. We can interpret Viola’s disguise as something that makes the unprotected young woman feel safer in the strange land into which she has wandered. The Merchant of Venice PENTACLES Portia The Duke, wanting to save Antonio but being unwilling to set the legal precedent of nullifying a contract, turns to a young scholar who is actually Portia in disguise as a doctor of civil law. Later as Portia leaves, Bassanio offers her a monetary gift. Portia turns this down, requesting his gloves and wedding ring instead. Cymbeline SWORDS Imogen-Fidele When they were brought before the King, Lucius spoke out: "Roman with a Roman's heart can suffer," he said. "If I must die, so be it. This one thing only will I entreat. My boy, a Briton born, let him be ransomed. Never master had a page so kind, so duteous, diligent, true. He has done no Briton harm, though he has served a Roman. Save him, Sir." Then Cymbeline looked on the page, who was his own daughter, Imogen, in disguise, and though he did not recognize her, he felt such a kindness that he not only spared the boy's life, but he said: "He shall have any boon he likes to ask of me, even though he ask as a prisoner, the noblest taken."

Fulgour	05 Jul 2004
Medieval pages came from distinguished families and served persons of rank. A medieval page was the first stage of chivalric knighthood. Boys and youths in medieval Europe were used as attendants to persons of rank, usually noble or royal. These boys were chosen from aristocratic or good families. The tradition began as boys serving knights as part of their military training and preparation for knighthood themselves. As these pages accompanied the knight they served, they were also present at court and thus had to learn refined manners as well as fighting skills. While the pages of the middle ages are perhaps best known to us today, the tradition is an ancient one. There are records of pages in Roman, Persian, and other an ancient civilizations. In medieval times the degree of page was the first stage of chivalric knighthood, preparatory to that of first esquire and then knight. In more recent times it is the latter function they served, being present at ceremonies to attend to royal personages at court. Their selection was considered a great honor. http://histclo.hispeed.com/intro.html Christopher Wagner

The Pam's Shakespearean Pages thread was originally posted on 05 Jul 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.