Shakespeare 583
Summer 2003
Dr. Elizabeth Oakes
Offices and Phones:
l10C Cherry Hall, Phone 270-745-5783
134 Cherry Hall, Phone 270-745-5720
e-mail: elizabeth.oakes@wku.edu
Web page: http://www.wku.edu/~elizabeth.oakes
Office hours: immediately after class on MW and by appointment
Please note that the last day to drop without a grade is July 9, and the last day to drop with a W is July 22.
Required texts: We will be reading, examining, questioning, experiencing, and writing about Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Othello and As You Like It.
You will have to have The Merchant of Venice: Texts and Contexts, edited by M. Lindsay Kaplan. For the other plays I have ordered the Folger Shakespeare Library editions (edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine), but if you have a copy, you may use it IF (and only IF) it has line numbers and footnotes. You'll also need to buy a set of readings that will be available at Staples at the beginning of the term.
Films: Since film is such an important aspect of Shakespeare today, I hope you will see as many of these as possible on your own.
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 The Merchant of Venice; 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:
Four reading exams; in-class exam on Shakespeare's life, language, and the chronology of the plays; short oral report on paper--20%
One take-home exam, one inn-class group exam--20%
One paper on The Merchant of Venice--20%
Two reports--l0%
Creative or teaching project--l0%
In-class writing and exercises, both group and individual; in-class review of Texts and Contexts; sonnets exercises; sonnets group exam--l0%
Attendance and participation--10%
Note: If you are between two grades, excellent participation in general can "bump you up" to the higher one.
Policies:
In general, in summer especially, you have to keep up. I'll accept late work or grant an incomplete only in dire emergencies.
E-mail--Only under the most extreme of circumstances will I accept papers by e-mail.
Reading exams--I will be giving the reading exam shortly after class starts. If you miss the entire class, you may make up one reading exam, providing you do so at the next class meeting. Any such make-up exam will be harder. If you are tardy, you will have to finish the exam in the time I have allotted. If you are so tardy that you miss the exam entirely, you will have to take a much harder reading exam at the next class meeting. I don't let students sit outside the door and take a reading exam that the class has already taken.
In-class writing and exercises--These will be short assignments during class that may be either individual or group. There will be no make-up on these.
Tardiness--Anyone can have a reason for being late, say, maybe once--cars break down, etc. However, habitual lateness disrupts the class. If you are late more than once or so, I may ask you to wait until the break to come into the class.
Absences--I assume you will be here. If you miss for no real reason, I would think your classmates would be justified in not loaning you their notes.
Due dates--If you turn a test/exam/written report in late, I will have to grade it harder than I did those turned in on time simply to be fair to the others. My rule of thumb is going to be one grade per day, counting weekends. If part of the exam or paper is late, the whole will be counted late. Only under extreme circumstances will I bend this rule.
Critical reports and creative projects--The critical reports and the creative project must be done on the day allocated for credit. I won't give half credit for the written version.
Bad things happening to good people--I am aware that you have lives and that really traumatic things, things beyond your control, can happen. If one of life's traumatic zaps happens to you, please let me know. I won't ask for personal details even though I will check out your story, and I will work out something with you.
7/7
Introductions
Lecture on Shakespeare's life, the language of the plays, the chronology of the plays, the texts of the plays
7/9
We will read/act out as best as we can The Merchant of Venice in class, analyzing and interpreting as we do so. You will need to bring the Texts and Contexts book to this class.
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7/14
The Merchant of Venice reading exam and discussion
Group criticism exam
Bring five interpretation questions on The Merchant of Venice to class, typed, ready to distribute.
7/16
Contemporary readings report on The Merchant of Venice
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7/21
Critical readings report due
7/23
Hamlet reading exam and discussion
Life, language, chronology, genres in-class exam
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7/28
The Merchant of Venice paper due
5 minute oral report due
As You Like It reading exam and discussion
In-class essay reviewing the Texts and Contexts volume
7/30
Othello reading exam and discussion
Groups will be assigned an act to examine for the intersection of race, class, and gender
There will be an in-class group essay.
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8/4
In-class exercises on the sonnets and in-class group exam on sonnets
Out-of-class test on Hamlet and As You Like It due
8/6
Creative or teaching project due
I'll bring lunch for you. If you can, bring something too.
Class is over: enjoy the rest of summer!
