From Serendip

The Nature of Inquiry:
Story Telling and Retelling in the Sciences and Humanities

Forum Archive 2
Galileo and ...

Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: a Galileo question
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:04:26 EDT 2000
Comments:
"So, from the point of view of the theater, the question will arise whether The Life of Galileo is to be presented as a tragedy or as an optimistic play. Is the keynote to be found in Galileo's "Salutation to the New Age" in scene 1 or in certain parts of scene 14? ... "

Whaddya think?

(Yeah, I cleaned up a bit, to give us more space to work. You can find all previous forum materials in a forum archive. Maybe I'll break that up a bit too when I have a few minutes).

Name: Kate DiFelice
Username: kdifelic@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:40:11 EDT 2000
Comments:
Galileo certainly fits many of the characteristics necesary for traditional tragic theater. Due to one extreme of his charcter, Galileo drives himself to demise. For this individual, it is a tragic story. However, the play shows optimism for the continuance and advance of scientific thought and knowledge. Even though the individual is not able to escape a sorry fate, his ideas and innovations find a way to live on. From the perspective of science, there is a sense of optimism.
Name: rachel derber
Username: rderber@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:40:40 EDT 2000
Comments:
I think the play is to be presented as an optimistic one, with the keynote being in certain parts in scene 14. The little boy although in the end kicks over the milk jug and continues to sing with his friends, he will not be able to deny what his eyes have seen for very long. Seeing for the most part is believing and the young boy must soon come to understand that the women is not a witch, because he has seen her with his own eyes. Further Andrea will keep Galileo's ideas alive be reading his book and by discussing the ideas with others and maybe even publishing the book later. I think that at the end one gets the idea that all hope is not lost for a new age of thought and that Galileo's ideas will spread.
Name: Paige
Username: pcunning@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:44:26 EDT 2000
Comments:
I'm not really sure whether Galileo is a tragedy or an optimistic play. I do find it interesting to note that in the fourteenth scene, the customs officer tells Andrea that while religion and politics are dangerous, "figures" aren't. This is a bit humorous, because it is those figures which totally change the world view. Galileo, however, tends to irritate people and make them angry with him instead of really convincing them, so I guess in that way, it is a tragedy, because he brought about his own downfall. Otherwise, I really don't know.
Name: Ari
Username: ahlamb@brynmawr.edu
Subject: galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:45:09 EDT 2000
Comments:
i think the part of the play that distinguishes tragedy from comedy is in scene 1. galileo's little rant shows us his feelings and some of the motivations he has for doing what he does. these influences underlie everything else in the play
Name: Faye
Username: fmcgrath
Subject: Galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:46:02 EDT 2000
Comments:
So far, I do not believe that this play is overly optimistic (that may be, however, because I have not finished it). Going on what I have read, I would say it is a tragedy. Perhaps by the time I finish scene 14, I will have changed my mi
Name: Katie Kaczmarek
Username: kkaczmar@brynmawr.edu
Subject: tragedy or optimistic?
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:47:43 EDT 2000
Comments:
I think there is a bit of both in the play. There is the optimism of getting new ideas and passing them on to those who will further them; however there is also the tragedy that people will see only what they want to see, no matter how many "facts" you point out to them. This is especially true when it comes to religion. This same problem continues today with the controversy over the presentation of evolution as a theory, not a fact.
Name: Cassandra P-S
Username: cphillip@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:48:26 EDT 2000
Comments:
First, I think that it is very hard to look at this play objectively because we know what a contribution Galileo made to science and the world.

That being said, I agree with Rachel in thinking that "Galileo" is an optimistic play overall; depite the moral downfall of its principal character, science and the questioning spirit, what the man stood for, will still live on. Also, I do not think this is a tragedy in the classical sense: Galileo's downfall was not, in my opinion, brought about by a character flaw in himself that was formerly viewed as a good trait...if you say that his flaw was cowardice, that wasn't viewed as a good trait before - in fact, it was hardy implied at all.

Name: Jessica
Username: jamiller@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Galileo
Date: Thu Oct 5 11:46:33 EDT 2000
Comments:
I think that Galileo is both, it is tragic in what he is forced to endure for his ideas, however, it is more optimistic when you think in perspective of what we as a species have accomplished.
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Galileo?
Date: Thu Oct 5 15:40:16 EDT 2000
Comments:
Now THAT was an interesting class. Not that others haven't been but ... given the lukewarm enthusiasm for Galileo at the outset, I was a little worried we wouldn't find something to talk about. And instead ... I'm still not sure exactly what happened; anyone else know? Regardless, I was very much intrigued by where we came out. Can there be things so important to oneself that one accepts pain/death rather than give them up? What is faith, what is important about it, can it coexist with doubt? Are change and doubt the same thing, or different things? Can one have one without the other? Are either, or both, compatible with a stable society? How important is it to feel that one can question, and hence retell old stories? Is it a good thing, a bad thing, or sometimes one/sometimes the other and how does one decide? Is funny, I did a college seminar course a couple of years ago on doubt and certainty. Thought I'd gotten away from that subject. Maybe not, huh? Anyhow, looking forward to seeing where we go next with today's conversation. Thanks all.