Course Description
This class will focus on selected works by Willliam Shakespeare. Usually the previous Shakespeare course--English 271 (which is not a prerequisite for English 272)--begins with the sonnets, so this course will start with selected plays. If, however, most of the students in the course have not read and studied the sonnets, we can spend some time on them. We will be flexible about this.

Text: Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Shakespeare: The Essential Plays/Sonnets. 2nd Edition. Norton Publishers. ISBN: 13: 978-0-393-93313-0.

In English 272, we will probably begin with selected sonnets, after which we will read and discuss the following plays: The Tragedy of King Richard the Third, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tragedy of Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, The Winter's Tale.

As a backdrop to this literature, we will also look at the historical, political, and religious temper of the times, a period replete with intrigue, espionage, religious tension--an historical era that also saw England threatened by civil war, as well as threats of invasions by France and Spain. Central to this historical background is Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor line of rulers in England, a brilliant, high-strung ruler who reigned through a period in which the English language was expanding in its richness of vocabulary, in which the English theater acquired its international reputation, and in which the English military and economy rose to be one of the strongest on the globe. In addition, we will explore the gnawing question--recently made more gnawing by the film Anonymous--that has been plaguing people since the end of the eighteenth century: Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare?

This course will be rich in material, and with your help, it should be challenging and stimulating, as well as a lot of fun.

The Honor Code
This code stipulates that when independent work is required—as it is on your essays and quizzes—each of you does that work within the boundaries that I set. See my web site on "Plagiarism" for clarification of how the honor code applies to your written work. Failure to adhere to this code will cause a breach in the healthy academic environment of trust that I wish to foster in this class. It will also lead to your failing the course. Your continuing in this class will tell me that you abide by the honor code as I have set it forth here and on the above-mentioned web link.

The Goals

  • to analyze and understand the structure of Shakespeare's sonnets, comedies, histories, and tragedies
  • to form an understanding of the political, religious, and social background of the age in which Shakespeare lived and wrote
  • to write clear, coherent, argumentative and analytical essays, based on the works under discussion
  • to help students understand how and why the controversy over who wrote Shakespeare began

Evaluation
You will be evaluated two ways: through essays and through quizzes. You will write three essays, as noted below. The essays will be argumentative and analytical, requiring critical thinking and interpretation; they will be at least one thousand words apiece. The quizzes will be based on material from the textbook, as well as material presented in class. To take the quizzes, you will need scantrons, form #882-E, and a number two pencil. The essays will comprise approximately seventy-five percent of your grade, the quizzes approximately twenty-five percent. For further information about the essays, see the links below, all of which contain the criteria that I want you to follow.

Syllabus

1/11 -- Sonnets

1/18--Richard III

1/25--Richard III, continued

2/1--Much Ado About Nothing

2/8--Much Ado, continued

2/15--The Tragedy of Hamlet

2/22--The Tragedy of Hamlet, continued

2/29--The Tragedy of Hamlet, concluded

3/7--Spring Break, No Class

3/14--A Midsummer Night's Dream

3/21--A Midsummer Night's Dream, continued

3/28--The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice

4/4--The Tragedy of Othello, continued

4/11--The Tragedy of Othello, concluded

4/18--The Winter's Tale

4/25--The Winter's Tale, continued

5/2--The Winter's Tale, concluded, and final quiz

Click here for the criteria for your first essay. You will choose either William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Richard III or Much Ado About Nothing. The essay is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, February 15. If you don't meet that deadline, you may submit the paper, as a late paper, at the beginning of class on Wednesday, February 22. Late papers will be penalized one full letter grade; that is, instead of beginning with the possibility of achieving an A, you will begin with the highest grade of a B. Each of the other grades will be lowered by one letter. If you don't submit the essay to me by the late date, then you will have to talk to me about your progress in the course. It will be impossible for you to do well without turning in even one essay.

Click here for the criteria for your second essay. This essay will deal with Hamlet. The due date is at the beginning of class on Wednesday, March 21. The late date, with the same stipulations as the first essay, is March 28.

You third essay will deal with Othello. The due date is at the beginning of class on Wednesday, April 25. The late date, with the same stipulations as for the first essay, is May 2.

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