Required Texts
You will need to get the Gail Kern Paster/Skiles Howard edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream: Texts and Contexts, published by Bedford. I have ordered the Folger edition of The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest, edited by Paul Werstine and Barbara Mowat, but if you have a copy of the plays, you may use it IF it has line numbers and notes.
Films
Films: Since film is such an important aspect of Shakespeare today, I would like you to see as many of these as possible outside of class:
Shakespeare in Love, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Judi Dench--a fictionalized account of the young Shakespeare, which gives an accurate, vivid picture of the early theatre and the conditions under which he wrote
Hamlet, with Ethan Hawke--an updated version set in today's Manhattan
Hamlet, with Kenneth Branagh and a host of "stars"--the only uncut version
Hamlet, with Mel Gibson--Franco Zeffirelli chose Gibson for the part of Hamlet after seeing the scene in Lethal Weapon in which Gibson's character contemplates suicide
Hamlet, with Laurence Olivier--the acting is somewhat dated, but then it is Olivier
The Taming of the Shrew, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton--in some people's opinion, Taylor outacts Burton in the part of Katharina the shrew
Romeo and Juliet, with Olivia Hussey--the 60's version that you probably saw in high school
Romeo and Juliet, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes--the 90's version that's fast, loud, and, to many, exactly what Shakespeare would have done had he had film and rock 'n roll
Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski--known mainly for its nude Lady Macbeth
Macbeth, with Orson Welles--dated acting and strange costumes (Macbeth looks like he has a funnel on his head) but worth seeing for historical reasons
King Lear, with Laurence Olivier--his last Shakespeare role
A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Calista Flockhart and Michelle Pfeiffer--for some unknown reason, the director gave Bottom a wife; other than that, it's well done
A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Adrian Noble for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1996--beautifully and imaginatively done
Othello, with Laurence Fishburne--an excellent production
Henry V, with Laurence Olivier--done in the 40's as part of the war propaganda but still excellent
Henry V, with Kenneth Branagh--Branagh's first Shakespeare hit
Much Ado about Nothing, with Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton--gorgeous setting, beautifully done
Titus Andronicus, with Jessica Lange and Anthony Hopkins--in this one a mother eats her sons in a pie, and that's only for starters in this early Shakespeare play
Love's Labour's Lost, with Kenneth Branagh--a weird production set in the 30's with show tunes woven in (what were they thinking?)
A note about the web: if you type in Shakespeare, you'll get thousands of sites. Some are horrible, with simple factual errors, such as naming Edmund as Shakespeare's son instead of his brother or stating that the plays were never published in Shakespeare's lifetime, even that Shakespeare couldn't read and write. On my website I've listed a number that I've either checked out or that are recommended by a Shakespeare source that I trust.
Rank I and Rank II students are required to incorporate pedagogy into the paper on A Midsummer Night's Dream; please see me for suggestions
Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Services, Room 445, Potter Hall, phone: 745-5004
Grading
2 exams @ 40%
l paper @ 20% (l0 pages undergrad, l2+ grad)
2 reports @ 10%
7 reading exams, 2 in-class tests @ 20%
a creative project @ l0%
Policies
Reports and the creative project: The reports and the project must be done in your allotted time for credit unless you have a valid excuse. Reading exams: I allow one make-up on the reading exams if done before the next class meeting. After this one, I need a valid excuse. If you come in late or while the reading exam is in progress, I will not take up class time to allow you to take the exam. You will have to take another, much harder reading exam before the next class meeting. I do not allow students to take a reading exam and then leave for an appointment. Tardiness: Tardiness gets on my nerves--major! Three may count as an absence. Absences: At this stage, I don't expect students to miss unless they have the proverbial real excuse. However, if absences should become a problem, I will talk with you, dock your final grade five points for each absence, or ask you to withdraw from the class. Participation: A great deal of our work will be communal. If I see that you are contributing to the class above and beyond, I have been known to bump up, say, an 89.2 average from a B to an A. Due Dates: My standard procedure is to subtract five points per day, including weekends, for work turned in late. Anything after class time on the day due is considered late. Emergencies and life crises: If something extraordinary is going on in your life, please let me know (you don't have to give me any personal details), and I will work with you.
Please note that the last day to drop without a grade is August 30, and the last day to drop with a W is October 18.
Format
A revolution has taken place in teaching Shakespeare in the last ten or so years at the university level. Thus, we will be exploring, analyzing, interpreting, questioning, experiencing these plays through a variety of techniques. There will be some traditional lecture, but we will also discuss, perform, "textcrawl," answer questions with questions (which is actually what Shakespeare is all about), and develop techniques of our own. Some of these may seem strange to you; some may make you uncomfortable; some may even be fun! In essence, I see myself as a guide and a coordinator. I will share my background in Shakespeare with you, and I will learn from you. Bring an open mind.
8/23
Introductions
8/23
Shakespeare's life, language, the genres
8/30
Quiz and discussion, The Taming of the Shrew
9/1
Shrew, continued
9/6
No Class
9/8
Shrew, continued
9/13
Quiz and discussion, Romeo and Juliet
9/15
RJ, continued
9/20
RJ, continued
9/22
In-class exam on Shakespeare's life, language, the genres, the portraits
9/27
Quiz and discussion, Macbeth
9/29
Macbeth, continued
10/4
Begin A Midsummer Night's Dream
10/6
Quiz and discussion, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Out-of-class essay due
FALL BREAK
10/11
MND, cont'd
10/13
MND, cont'd
10/18
Contemporary readings reports--l/2 hour each group
Alaina, Laura, and Vicki
Stuart, Jeff, and Amanda
10/20
Contemporary readings reports, cont'd
Josh, Steve, Joe R., and Will
Joe H., Tara, and Heather
10/25
Critical essays reports--10 minutes each
Laura, Vicki, Jeff, Amanda, Steve, Joe, Will
10/27
Tara, Heather, Stuart, Alaina, Josh, Joe
11/1
King Lear reading exam and discussion
E-mail your MND paper outline to me by class time, or bring a hard copy
11/3
Outline/sources workshop
Writing about Shakespeare workshop
11/8
KL, cont'd
MND paper due
11/10
Twelfth Night reading exam and discussion
11/15
TN, cont'd
11/17
The Tempest reading exam and discussion
11/22
Tmp, cont'd
Thanksgiving--have a good holiday!
11/29
Discussion, KL, TN, and Tmp: bring all three books
12/1
Creative projects
Laura, Stuart, Vicki, Alaina, Jeff, Amanda, Josh
12/6
Joe H., Steve, Joe R. Will, Tara, Heather
12/8
Catch-up day
Out-of-class essay on KL, TN, and Tmp due by the final
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!