Shakespeare Paper/ Project
2 copies of draft due: June 20 Final due June 22
Form:
Essay should be computer-printed, double-spaced, and free of spelling errors. Minimum is four pages (1000 words). Maximum is 124 pages. Titles of plays should be italicized. This is not a research paper so you do not need a list of works cited; instead, simply make it clear within the essay which play or handout or class material you are using. ANY PLAGIARISM WILL RESULT IN ZERO POINTS.
Content:
You may choose any of the suggestions below for your essay, or you may wish to pursue your own topic. Please try to think “dialectically,” meaning that whatever straightforward ideas you put forward, consider also ideas that are contrary to that; for example, if you argue that a psychoanalytic approach is the best way to approach Othello, then think also about what a psychoanalytic approach might obscure or miss.
***If you want to choose a topic not on the list, please have a short discussion with Ms. Patton first.
Here are the REQUIRED ELEMENTS of your essay:
Attention to TWO plays, both of which we have read in class, though attention to one may occupy almost the entire paper, while attention to the other is scant.
Use of at least one critical perspective. I am thinking of Psychoanalytic, New Historical, New Criticism, Deconstruction, Structuralist, or Myth Criticism, but this may include Genre Criticism, such as the handouts on comedy and tragedy or it might include the Great Chain of Being as a form of historical material.
Attention to the interpretation involved in a performance of at least one scene from one of the two plays you discuss; “performance” may include performances in class, films, or live performances.
A minimum of four direct quotes (maximum is unlimited) from your plays, documented in the (1.1.25) form. When quoting lines that are in poetic form, please indicate the line breaks by slashes, eg. “The quality of mercy is not strained. / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath” (4.1.190-2).
Topic Suggestions:
Close reading of two passages (one from each of two plays), comparing and contrasting the scenes.
Write a new play as an adaptation or “translation” using elements from two of the plays we have read. Example: Write a comedic Henry IV taking place in 2007 with Princess Helen and her pal Fiona, which involves some cross-dressing (as in As You Like It). If you do this, you must add at least 250 words explaining how you thought about your adaptation and using quotes and theory to develop your choices. If you get paid $1,000,000 for the screenplay, you are not obliged to give me a cut. You are welcome.
Go into detail and explain the difference between Shakespearean comedy and tragedy (or comedy and history or . . . ) based on the reading of two plays we have studied this quarter.
Consider the heroes/ heroines in two plays. How would you rank them? What makes them heroic? On what do you base your judgments?
Attack the issue of Fathers and Daughters seen in two or more plays. What does As You Like It (or Merchant of Venice or The Tempest or Midsummer Night’s Dream or Othello) add to your understanding of the Father-Daughter dynamic?
Fighting, killing, and violence.
Love and marriage.
Power.
Compare the structure of two (or more) plays.
Psychology.
Nature.
Honor.
Politics.
The Great Chain of Being.
Meta-theatre – acting, directing, writing, as envisioned within the plays.
Teaching: Design a Shakespeare unit of 2-4 weeks for teaching at a grade level you choose. Specify the goals, the calendar, the daily activities, the outside-class requirements (if any), quizzes (if any), grading (if any), and tell what difficulties might arise. Please give a powerpoint or lecture notes for one day. What videos might you use? Give a few questions from the final for the unit.
Grading:
120 points possible.
10 points for bringing two drafts of at least 3 pages on June 20.
40 points for close attention to each play – showing real understanding.
10 points for attention to a critical or theoretical perspective
10 points for attention to a performance.
20 points for your quotations and specific examples.
20 points for organization, style, and originality.
10 points for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.