Age Cannot Wither Her, nor Custom Stale Her Infinite Variety
Age Cannot Wither Her,
Nor Custom Stale Her Infinite Variety
In the production notes of Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon, the writer uses a Shakespearean quote to describe Emily, “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”. This quote is actually from William Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra, Act II scene ii, used to describe Cleopatra’s agelessness and the many intriguing qualities she possesses. In this essay, I will aim to analyze the reasons behind the writer’s choice for using this particular quote to describe Emily and how it is relevant to the portrayal of Emily in the play. The timeline of this play is not a single, continuous timeline, but rather a broken one that leaps back and forth in time to portray different scenes where Emily reflects and reviews the events that have come to pass.
It is through Emily’s reflection and review of her life that allows us to see how age has not withered Emily. No matter what events have happened over the years, may it be the death of her son or the death of her husband, Emily stands strong and is undefeated by them. She tells herself bravely, “It’s all over now. It’s all past, it can’t be changed…” and still continues to look forward to living. The death of these two people in her life did not make her cling incessantly to the people around her, in fear of losing them. Instead, age and experience has taught her to let go of some things in life, one of which is her daughter, Doris, who was supposed to stay with her at Emerald Hill. This time, Emily’s willingness to let go and allow the children to make their own choices paid off. She was able to maintain a good relationship with her only daughter and is satisfied to know that Doris is living happily in America. Her willingness to let go also brought her closer to her remaining 3 children, who are willing to come back to Emerald Hill to visit her frequently with her grandchildren even though all of them moved away. Towards the end of the
Nor Custom Stale Her Infinite Variety
In the production notes of Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon, the writer uses a Shakespearean quote to describe Emily, “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”. This quote is actually from William Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra, Act II scene ii, used to describe Cleopatra’s agelessness and the many intriguing qualities she possesses. In this essay, I will aim to analyze the reasons behind the writer’s choice for using this particular quote to describe Emily and how it is relevant to the portrayal of Emily in the play. The timeline of this play is not a single, continuous timeline, but rather a broken one that leaps back and forth in time to portray different scenes where Emily reflects and reviews the events that have come to pass.
It is through Emily’s reflection and review of her life that allows us to see how age has not withered Emily. No matter what events have happened over the years, may it be the death of her son or the death of her husband, Emily stands strong and is undefeated by them. She tells herself bravely, “It’s all over now. It’s all past, it can’t be changed…” and still continues to look forward to living. The death of these two people in her life did not make her cling incessantly to the people around her, in fear of losing them. Instead, age and experience has taught her to let go of some things in life, one of which is her daughter, Doris, who was supposed to stay with her at Emerald Hill. This time, Emily’s willingness to let go and allow the children to make their own choices paid off. She was able to maintain a good relationship with her only daughter and is satisfied to know that Doris is living happily in America. Her willingness to let go also brought her closer to her remaining 3 children, who are willing to come back to Emerald Hill to visit her frequently with her grandchildren even though all of them moved away. Towards the end of the
Bibliography: 1. http://www.bartleby.com/70/4522.html 2. Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon, Writing Singapore, An Historical Anthology of Singapore Literature, Edited by Angelina Poon, Philip Holden & Shirley Geok-lin Lim -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. http://www.bartleby.com/70/4522.html