World of Warcraft and Don Quixote

"In short, [Don Quixote] was soon so absorbed in these books that his nights were spent reading from dusk till dawn, and his days from dawn till dusk, until the lack of sleep and the excess of reading withered his brain, and he went mad. Everything he read in his books took possession of his imagination... That idea that this whole fabric of famous fabrications was real so established itself in his mind that no history in the world was truer for him" (Miguel de Cervantes, "Don Quixote: Penguin Classics" Part 1 Chapter 1 page 26-27).

In talking with my husband about this quote from "Don Quixote,"he, in an English Literature major, told me that people were afraid of reading up till the 18th century because they believed that it would ruin one's mind. This book was written in the 17th century, and the author, well aware of the superstitions of the people, could have gone both ways with this statement. Either it is a reflection of the ideologies in his time in the sense he firmly believed it, or it is his commentary on it and the book is playing with the idea of losing one's mind to literature. At first I was surprised when I read this and thought, "I can't believe people thought they would lose their minds if they read books, especially fiction." Then I looked at it again and saw the description of how people thought Don Quixote's mind was gone. Night becoming day and day becoming night in the sense that the sleep habits were reversed. Another thing that I took notice of was that these books took possession of his imagination and the world he would imagine as he read was more real to him than his own world. These symptoms of escapism match those who are addicted to games such as World of Warcraft, Halo, Sims and other games (especially role playing games.)

I speak of this addiction and obsession as one who has herself had to overcome the powers of the tempting games. My two weaknesses are for Sims and Civilization. I would spend hours late into the night, not looking away once, so enraptured in the world I was creating before me. Today, I tend to stay away from those games, otherwise I know I'd have a hard time running errands and maintaining my house and finishing school. I can relate with Don Quixote, but thankfully, I dropped it before I let my world become the game. Escapism is a real problem when it is uncontrolled. There is a movie that came out several years ago, "Surrogates" about this very issue. Balance is the key. Work and play. When it is all one or the other, we as humans can't handle the mental stress it can place on us and we become mad either way.

Here's to thy health. Give him the cup

"Here's to thy health. Give him the cup." (William Shakespeare, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, 'Hamlet: Act V Scene II,' 279- King).


To explain the scene quickly, this is the King speaking to Hamlet, then to the servants. While he is watching Hamlet and Laertes battle, he has a cup that is poisoned to kill Hamlet. When he smiles and states, "here's to thy health," there is a play on words that Shakespeare uses. Not only is it a traditional toast, it is also the King revealing his intent that Hamlet's health and life is poisoned. This is the King's latest treachery concocted to cover up his previous murder of Hamlet's father. The deeper in lies he goes, the more mad with fear he becomes. This is ironic as Hamlet himself has been playing crazy, but the most aware and sane of the group while the rest of the company go mad in their own way. Ophelia goes mad when her father dies and she, in effect, dies too. Laertes, the brother of Ophelia, goes mad in thoughts to avenge his father's death. Hamlet's mother, originally avoiding thinking rationally, is confronted by Hamlet and begins to put on an act. This play shows what happens when you do wrong, and when you try to cover up that wrong. You cannot live free when ensnared by the web you have made, and when the King toast's to Hamlet's health, it is really a self-prophecy as everything he has is destroyed before his eyes, including himself.

A Father's Blessing

“There,- my blessing with thee! (Laying his hand on Laertes' head) And these few precepts in thy memory see thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue... Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar... Beware of entrance to a quarrel... Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice... Neither a borrower or a lender be...This above all,- to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell: my blessing season this in thee! " (William Shakespeare, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, 'Hamlet: Act I Scene III,' 675-676).


My first post on how the humanities impact our lives on a daily basis, and I begin on a tender note. As Polonius lays his hands on his son's, Laertes, head, he gives him a father's blessing. Whether Shakespeare borrowed this from the blessings of his day or not, it is a beautiful and important blessing. I only included a few of the lines for the purpose of being brief, but even a simple version includes one-liners full of wisdom. An example of this: "Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice." If more people lived by this statement, there would be a lot less quarreling and misunderstandings. Why doesn't every father give their sons and daughters a father's blessing today? Why did it stop? Well, it didn't. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, all worthy priesthood holding men have the privilege to bless their children at anytime, not only with the hopes and righteous desires they have for their children, but most importantly with the gifts and blessings from the Father of us all. Everyone deserves a father's blessing, even if sometimes it is from another man who can stand in as a surrogate.