Canst thou, O cruel! say I love thee not,
When I against myself with thee partake?
Do I not think on thee, when I forgot
Am of my self, all tyrant, for thy sake?
Who hateth thee that I do call my friend,
On whom frown’st thou that I do fawn upon,
Nay, if thou lour’st on me, do I not spend
Revenge upon myself with present moan?
What merit do I in my self respect,
That is so proud thy service to despise,
When all my best doth worship thy defect,
Commanded by the motion of thine eyes?
     But, love, hate on, for now I know thy mind,
     Those that can see thou lov’st, and I am blind.

Analysis

Sonnet 149 is the words of an abused lover who would rather stay than go.

Billy asks his cruel lover, how can she say he doesn’t love her when he sides with her over himself? He thinks on her while forgetting himself. He punishes himself to suit her whims. He is to her as a good and loyal servant; all of the best in him worships the worst in her, and all it takes is one look to command him. But, he bids his love, go on abusing him, because he realizes she love people who can see, and when he is blind to her abuse.

Will’s Wordplay

Throughout the sonnet he has listed her faults, but concludes admitting he is blind. Although she hates Will, she loves “those that can see; for although he is blind to her faults, she still refuses him, she must love only those who don’t want her. A classic case of wanting what you can’t have!

Washington Street, DUMBO

Washington Street in DUMBO is a scenic location with a lot of history. DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues east from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area. A staircase connects Washington Street to the Brooklyn Bridge walkway.

On December 18, 2007, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the Dumbo section of Brooklyn as the city’s 90th historic district.

Fun Facts About Washington Street

The cardboard box was invented in the Robert Gair building on Washington Street by Robert Gair, a Scottish emigrant, which is why the area was known as Gairsville for a long time.[1] The building is now home to Etsy.[2]

The view from Washington Street appears very often on the TV show “Gossip Girl” to inform the viewer of the scenario change from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

References

1. “About Dumbo”. Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn. DumboNYC.com. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
2. Graham, Jefferson. (2013, May 7). It’s hip to be tech in Brooklyn’s Dumbo. USA TODAY, p 5B.

ACTOR – Dana Watkins

Dana Watkins was last seen in The Culture Project’s production of Tennessee Williams last full length play In Masks Outrageous and Austere. Other roles include Achilles among others in Verse Theatre Manhattan’s production of Kings, and My First Time which enjoyed a two and a half year run at New World Stages, F. Scott Fitzgerald in the world premiere of Allan Knee’s The Jazz Age at 59E59, Marat/Sade (Corday), Native Son (Jan Erlone), Macbeth (Banquo) and The Cherry Orchard (Trofimov) at the Classical Theatre of Harlem, Charles in The French Lieutenant’s Woman at The Fulton (world premiere), Kafka in Stanley Walden’s Letter to My Father at the Kaye Playhouse (U.S. premiere), John Worthing in “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Scapino in “Scapino!”, Hal in Henry IV parts I and II at the Workshop, and Poe in the one man show An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe. Dana has appeared in innumerable plays and readings and workshops, working with Naked Angels, the Mint Theatre Company, the Westbeth Theatre Center, Expanded Arts, and the sketch comedy group Commedia Dell’ Jilles among others. TV: “OLTL,” “Guiding Light,” “The City.” Film: Christmas with Holly, How to be a Man, The Empath, Dreamgirl, Unbridled. Dana Watkins has been performing since the age of seven. In his nine years as a boy soprano both in the chorus and as a soloist at the Metropolitan and New York City Operas he performed in almost every opera with children, including The Magic Flute, Tosca, Gianni Schicchi, The Cunning Little Vixen, Wozzec and Billy Budd and working with such directors as Frank Corsaro, John Dexter and Franco Zeffirelli. He toured annually with both companies, as well as performing with many east coast opera companies. Other roles include Amahl and the Night Visitors at BAM (directed by Giancarlo Menotti), and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem. He has produced both the Off Broadway production of Allan Knee’s The Jazz Age at 59E59 theatre and Black Nativity Now Off Broadway at The Theatre at St Clements with his company Lost Generation productions. Graduate of SUNY Purchase.

DIRECTOR – Dylan Endyke

BIO COMING SOON