Shakespeare's tragedies and romances depict the most intense human experiences: loss and death on the one hand, sudden reunion and restoration on the other. No wonder they have had such a lasting impact. Yet we should also keep in mind that Shakespeare, as a working playwright, was writing particularly to the experiences--the fears and fantasies--of his contemporary audience. Indeed, both a fascination with and an anxiety about the historical changes occurring in Renaissance England are in part responsible for the greatness of these plays--and Renaissance drama more generally. We'll consider Shakespeare's tragedies and romances in terms of these changes, by focusing especially on issues of political authority, social status, gender relations, and encounters with ethnic and racial others. We will also attend to the way in which the Renaissance theater as a form and an institution gives Shakespeare a distinctive perspective on these issues. The course will provide relevant historical contexts but stress close reading of the plays.

Course requirements: reading responses and quizzes, a group performance, three 5-page papers and a final.

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Schedule of readings and events:

Note: This schedule is subject to change (I will give warning, however).
 

DATES	READINGS	DUE DATES	PERFORMANCES
Jan. 25	Course Introduction

 

SEE REVENGER'S TRAGEDY AT THE WSC BY FEB. 20

 
 

Jan. 27

Historical Introduction  Read the following selections from Greenblatt's "General Introduction" in the Norton Shakespeare: pp. 1-2; 3-18; 21-28; 35-39**

**Page numbers for Greenblatt reading mark approximate beginnings and ends of sections, e.g. stop reading on page 2 at new section "Shakespeare's world"; begin reading on page 3 at new section "wealth."

 

Feb. 1	sonnets, 1-3, 17, 21, 30, 38, 41, 42, 55, 64, 67-69
Feb. 3	sonnets, 73, 83, 87, 92, 93, 96, 124, 127, 129, 130, 138, 152
Feb. 8	Julius Caesar, acts 1-3
Feb. 10	Julius Caesar, acts 4-5		Performance
Feb. 15	Hamlet, acts 1-2
Feb. 17	Hamlet, act 3
Feb. 22	Hamlet, act 4; discussion of Hamlet and Revenger's Tragedy
Feb. 24	Hamlet, act 5	Paper 1 assigned	Performance
Feb. 29	Othello, acts 1-2
March 2	Othello, act 3	Paper 1 exchanged
March 7	Othello, act 4
March 9	Othello, act 5	Paper 1 due	Performance
Spring Recess
March 21	No class (credit for Revenger's Tragedy)
March 23	Lear, acts 1-2		Performance
March 28	Lear, acts 3-4
March 30	Lear, act 5
April 4	finish discussion of Lear; Macbeth, acts 1-2  Greenblatt, "General Introduction," pp. 28-29**	Paper 2 assigned
April 6	Macbeth, acts 3-4		Performance
April 11	Macbeth, act 5	Paper 2 exchanged
April 13	Winter's Tale, acts 1-2
April 18	Winter's Tale, acts 3-4	Paper 2 due
April 20	Winter's Tale, act 5		Performance
April 25	Tempest, acts 1-2	Paper 3 assigned
April 27	Tempest, acts 3-4		Performance
May 2	Tempest, act 5	Paper 3 exchanged
May 4	Wrap up
May 9	No class	Paper 3 due

 

Other important dates:
 

Feb. 1:	Last day to drop a course with no tuition liability
Feb. 7:	Last day to add a course
Feb. 25:	Last day to drop a course without dean's permission.

 
Course policies:
 
Readings:
The readings for each class are due on the date listed above. Approach each assignment actively by always reading with a pen or pencil in hand. Note words, phrases or sentences that interest you, that seem significant in the context of the work, or that you have questions about. Jot down in the margins any questions or ideas you have about a particular point or the work as a whole. This practice will help you come prepared to discuss the plays in class and get the most out of class discussion; it will also help you become a more skillful reader of literary texts in general.
 
Participation and Attendance:
There will be some historical background presented in lecture, but as much as possible we will open up the class to discussion, to observations about the ideas presented in a text, about its style, its uses of language, its puzzling qualities--whatever grabs our attention. Contribution to class discussion will not be formally calculated into grades, but I will take participation into account for grades that are borderline. If you aren't in class, you can't participate in discussion, nor will active class participation wholly excuse excessive absences. Absences from class will also necessarily reduce your reading response and quiz grades (see below).
 

Reading Responses:
The reading responses are meant to help you read carefully, to prepare for class discussion and to aid you in finding starting points for your essays. A reading response should either ask a question about or observe some aspect of the reading that is not answerable by a fact. For example, a question about plot would not be appropriate while an observation about the use of a certain image or the reasons behind a puzzling sequence of events in the plot would be. You may also wish to speculate about how your question or observation would matter for other moments in the text, or why it seems an important matter to consider. A reading response of a about a page will be required for each day's reading, and collected at the end of class (the responses need not be typed). I will frequently begin class by asking some of you to read out your responses. I will read all your responses and grade them on a credit/no credit basis. They will get credit if they are turned in at the end of class and meet the criteria above. Grading will be based on the number of no credits: 0-3=A; 4-5=B; 6-7=C; 8-9=D; 10 or more=F. I will also use responses to keep track of who was in class for a particular day, so if you were in class but did not do a response (say it's not so!) let me know you were there. If you are absent you may not make up a reading response.
 

Quizzes:
Quizzes will pose questions about the day's assigned reading that are objectively and readily answerable if you have read attentively. They will be given irregularly. If you are absent you may not make up a quiz.
 

Performances:
The plays we are reading were first written to be heard and seen, and they changed each time they were performed. In order to get some experience of the plays as dramatic performances, I will ask each of you to work in a small group to present a selected scene (or part of one) from a play we're reading. Your group should consider how to bring the play alive to your audience (i.e. the rest of us). You'll be evaluated on your group's interpretation of character, of its blocking of the scene and of its use of props. You'll also be graded on a two-page essay in which you'll describe your reasons for making some of the choices that you did (you could also describe in this regard the alternatives the scene offered you), as well what you learned from actually having to perform the scene. You don't need to memorize lines for this. Each group will receive a single grade and is expected to work together.
 

Paper Deadlines:
Each paper will be due twice: the first time in class at the paper workshop scheduled one week after each paper is assigned, and the second time one week following that. During the workshop you'll have a chance to trade papers with fellow students and raise questions or give each other suggestions for revision. You'll have the second week to revise your paper, based on this input and on your own rethinking and rewriting. The second week after the paper is assigned both the revised and original version of the paper will be handed in to me. I hope that this system will build revision, so necessary to good writing, into the structure of the course.
 
Late papers: You need to have your first paper done on time so that you can work on it in the paper workshop. I also expect that the final versions will be handed in on time. Late final versions will be graded down a half grade for each day late. On late first versions, see below under "paper standards."
 

Paper Standards (final and first versions):
Each paper should be four to five pages long, typed with standard margins, spacing and type size. It should be carefully proofread and neatly presented. The paper topics will relate to issues we have discussed in class, and you are encouraged to bring to bear class discussion in your writing. You are also encouraged to expand on these discussions and credit will be given for new ideas. You may set your own topic, but you should talk it over with me first.
 
I'll grade the paper on basis of the revised version only, but I will expect the original version to be your best initial attempt at the topic. Original versions not done, not typed or obviously incomplete will result in a half letter grade reduction in the evaluation of the final paper. It would not be fair for other students to have to read work that is not your best; additionally, it is in your interest to write as good an original version as possible, so that your second version is even better. Remember that because everyone has two tries at the paper, I will accordingly have higher expectations for the final version.
 

Paper Helps:
During the scheduled workshops, you'll have a chance to give and get advice on your papers. Additionally, I encourage you to come see me at my office hours or to make an appointment to see me. When we meet, try to have a draft of the paper you are working on. This will give us something more concrete to talk about. There is also available a Writing Center at Robinson A116 that can provide you with further individual attention to your writing. I encourage you to take advantage of this excellent facility.
 
I would also suggest that you give yourself plenty of time to work. Writing a paper at one sitting is, for most people, unpleasant, and the results are not likely to be satisfactory. Start early!
 

Plagiarism:
Since this class emphasizes the development of your own close reading and interpretive skills, you are not encouraged to consult secondary sources. If you do choose to look at such work, however, you must cite, using a standard citation format, all the articles, books or other sources that your own writing draws on, either directly or indirectly. Such sources include (but are not limited to) introductions to editions of the texts we're reading and any kind study aid.
 
Also note that uncited sources will constitute plagiarism even if they ended up in your work without your conscious knowledge (e.g. you forgot you read the material; you confused your own notes with notes on a source), since part of the scholarly responsibility that comes with using secondary sources is keeping track of which words or ideas were yours and which came from a source. If you do not wish to take on this responsibility then you should not consult secondary sources.
 
I will take all suspected cases of plagiarism to the Honor Committee.
 
Final:
The final will consist of a set of short take-home essays that will require you to recall and synthesize ideas from the entire semester, as well as to demonstrate your skills as a close reader.
 

Grading:
The final grade will be derived as follows:
 

Quizzes	7 %	First paper	16 %
Discussion Questions	10 %	Second paper	20 %
Performance	7 %	Third paper	20 %
		Final	20 %

 
Please come see me if you have any questions about grading, the syllabus or the class. I look forward to having the chance to meet you. Best wishes for a good semester!
 
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A   Specific, complex and/or striking thesis, thesis developed without digression through the course of the paper, consistently precise, sensitive and/or striking interpretations of the text, crafted prose, no major mechanical problems
 

B   Specific thesis, thesis generally developed through the course of the paper, consistently good interpretation of text, competent prose, minor mechanical problems
 

C   Has a thesis, but one that needs greater specificity or complexity, thesis developed with some digression or repetition, some good interpretation, some mechanical problems
 

D   Very general thesis, thesis development digressive or repetitive, plot summary or thoughts/speculations not based on textual evidence, major mechanical problems
 

F   No thesis or thesis development