Act One: Scene One - Lines 86-96
Segismund: Unhappy me!
Oh, miserable me! You heavens above,
I try to think what crime I've done against you
By being born. Although to have been born,
I know, is an offence, and with just cause
I bear the rigours of your punishment:
Since to be born is man's worst crime. But yet
I long to know (to clarify my doubts)
What greater crime, apart from being born,
Can thus have earned my greater chastisement.
Aren't others born like me? And yet they seem
To boast a freedom that I've never known.
I thought this particular passage was very important to the play as a whole. Because Barca chooses to include this at the beginning of the play, it can be assumed that it will have some significance toward the entirety of the play. The setting of the opening of the play drew my attention in relation to the characters and their actions. Opening the play at the prison makes a statement; it makes a statement that sets the tone for the rest of the play. It is night time outside, you hear noises of chains rattling, and you see prisoners as you are entering the prison. All of these effects give you a feeling that something is going to happen, that something isn't quite right, and that you should stay alert and pay attention to what may come in the future.
Not only does the prison play a large role in the anticipation of what may come throughout the rest of the play, but the prison's relationship with Segismund does the same thing. The prison signifies the fact that he is being restrained from the rest of the world and is not free to live his life. When he makes this speech, you realize that he did nothing to deserve this. He had no control over the prophecy that was given to him when he was born; as a precaution, his father sent him to prison so that the prophecy could not come true. When you are first introduced to this prophecy as a reader, Oedipus comes to mind. From that play and from our own lives, we know that you cannot escape fate; what's supposed to happen will always find a way to happen, and there is no way to change that. Segismund displays his disagreement with placing him in prison and the effect it has had on him. He simply doesn't understand why he deserves this, and he just wants to be like every other normal person. Could you imagine being imprisoned for nothing that you did, but rather for something you had absolutely no control over?
This particular section allows the reader to foreshadow about the bigger picture of the play. Because Segismund makes us realize his dissatisfaction and that he really didn't do anything, you start to question whether or not he will remain imprisoned for the entirety of the play. The only action he has done is simply being born, and he reiterates that fact multiple times. You can also see the effect that his speech has on the characters that are listening to him. You can't help but to sympathize for him after listening to what he has to say and the points that he brings into the picture. When you start to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together, you begin to question the further actions that will take place in the play. The opening setting and connection with the characters has a large role in capturing the reader and convincing them to continue to see what may happen as you read on.
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