Orlando

Orlando’s life is a view of aristocracy. He was privileged as a young boy and man. In the first chapter Queen Elizabeth is described as falling head over heels for him at first glance. Everyone who saw him, loved him. He had an air of entitlement. He was betrothed to a Lady of the court, Euphrosyne. He decided on her over a handful of other women who were eager to marry him. His affair with the Russian Princess shows that he felt entitled to anyone and everyone. He did not feel guilty, nor did he care about others within the court seeing him with another woman. Orlando (as a male) reminds me of Mr. Ramsay. Like Mr. Ramsay, Orlando craved instant gratification. It is a perfect dose of karma that Orlando turns into a woman, after he has belittled them in his life as a male. Perhaps Woolf wanted to show the humor in karma. The Russian Princess also gave Orlando a dose of his own medicine. She was unfaithful to him with a sailor who was most likely unsanitary, not worthy of a princess, and certainly not on the same level as the beautiful Orlando. He caught her red handed and talked himself out of what he saw. He did not/ could not believe that she would sink to the level of a common sailor when she could have him. I laughed when I read his thought process and steps of talking himself into believing she was faithful because it reminded me of Mr. Ramsay. Orlando was being a bit of a “big baby.” If it is something he doesn’t like, he does not want to hear about it. Orlando thought that no one would be unfaithful to him yet, he had the ability to be unfaithful to everyone else. He believed that he was entitled to everything.

The three spirits remind me of the three witches in Macbeth. I didn’t like this scene at all the first time I read it. It seemed silly and so far from reality. I couldn’t take it seriously, and found myself completely lost as to why Woolf would write this into the novel. It wasn’t until we read the spirits paragraphs individually that I began to understand. I was able to see the smart-aleck tone and the underlying meanings of the spirits. I saw Purity as one that hides imperfections and “spots.” Chasitity does not allow any movement. Modesty, of course is the enemy of reproduction, fruitfulness, and sex. It was interesting that someone pointed out that Modesty is the frailest and fairest of all the spirits.

Throughout my reading, Orlando stood for privilege and entitlement. I still believe that it is a very important theme throughout the novel but, we came to an alternate conclusion in class that I have grown fond of. Orlando can stand for the soul of British Literature. He changes into a woman. Throughout the history of Literature men have always run the show. Women did not even have the choice to write and become published. Eventually women were given the right to write and have proved themselves as being just as worthy as men. Orlando’s transformation into a woman shows the evolution of British Literature and societies acceptances of women’s ability and independence.