SHAKESPEARE REQUIRED TEXTS Shakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare. G. Blakemore Evans, et. al. eds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. READINGS September Wed 2: Introduction to the Course and Historical Outline Fri 4: Class Cancelled Mon 7: Holiday--No Classes Wed 9: A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Elizabethan Theater Fri 11: MND Mon 14: A Midsummer Night's Dream Wed 16: MND: Love, Magic, and the Art of Acting Fri 18: MND Mon 21: The Merchant of Venice: When is a Joke not a Joke? Wed 23: MoV: The Outsider in the Theater Fri 25: MoV Mon 28: Twelfth Night, or What You Will: The Party's Over Wed 30: TN and Shakespearean Comedy: variations on a theme October Fri 2: TN Mon 5: Measure for Measure as a Dark Comedy Wed 7: MfM and the Problem of a Just Ruler Fri 9: MfM Mon 12: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second and the Sequence of Histories Wed 14: Richard II: History or Tragedy? Fri 16: Richard II Mon 19: The First Part of Henry the Fourth: Comedy and History Wed 21: The Second Part of Henry the Fourth: Tragedy and History Fri 23: 1 & 2 Henry IV Mon 26: The Life of Henry the Fifth: The Ideal King? The Just War? Wed 28: Henry V: What were Shakespeare's Politics? Fri 30: MIDTERM EXAMINATION November Mon 2: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: Why there is no text of Hamlet Wed 4: Hamlet: The Play within the Play within the Play Fri 6: Hamlet Mon 9: The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice: Husband and Wife? Angel and Devil? Wed 11: Othello: Race, Sex, and the Theater Fri 13: Othello REVIEW ARTICLE DUE AT BEGINNING OF DISCUSSION SECTION Mon 16: The Tragedy of King Lear: Parents and Children Wed 18: Lear: "Is this the promised end?" Fri 20: Lear Mon 23: The Tragedy of Macbeth: Things that go 'Bump' in the Night--Natural, Unnatural, and Supernatural Wed 25: Macbeth: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Fri 27: Macbeth Mon 30: The Winter's Tale: The Late Romances December Wed 2: Winter's Tale: Why do all the characters in WT keep saying that it's 'like an old tale still'? TERM PAPER DUE AT BEGINNING OF LECTURE Fri 4: Winter's Tale Mon 7: The Tempest: Politics, Magic, and Art Wed 9: Tempest: Shakespeare's Farewell? Fri 11: Tempest: Our Farewell. Course Requirements Quizzes 10% Performance Review Article 10% Term Paper (@ 5-7 pgs) 25% Midterm Examination 25% Final Examination 30% Throughout the semester, we will be scheduling showings of various Shakespeare performances. You are not required to attend these performances, but they will make assimilation and interpretation of the plays much easier for you. The discussion sections are intended to be just that: classes devoted to group discussion of the material. Discussion is expected during these classes. While we will not be assigning grades for participation, your consistent involvement could help your final grade.