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Shakespeare: Love, Myth, and Metamorphosis

ENGL 365.001

NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester.

Objectives: I hope that this course will increase your appreciation of William Shakespeare as both a master craftsman of the theater and a master of the English language, as both a man of his own time and a man for all ages. We will experience the marvelous variety of Shakespearean drama as we read three love tragedies, a comedy, and a dramatic romance, considering each work as a play written to be staged in an Elizabethan or Jacobean theater and as a great dramatic poem transcending time. We will explore recurrent themes, paying close attention to the variations which Shakespeare works upon these themes. We will read slowly, interpreting the playwright's images as we participate vicariously in the thoughts, feelings, and actions of his characters.

Assignments: In addition to the plays included in the course outline, from time to time you will be asked to read handouts and additional material in the texts. Other assignments will include two essays of approximately 1 000 words each (topics to be announced later) and a creative project (more about that later too). The midterm and the final exam may be supplemented by brief quizzes, announced in advance.

Expectations: You are expected to attend class regularly. (More than two absences during the semester may place your grade in jeopardy.) Your writing, whether in or out of class, must be literate. You must take the midterm and the final exam at the scheduled times. But you will be permitted to reset the due date for one of the two essays without penalty, provided that you submit the essay promptly on the new date.

Grading: In determining the semester grade, I will give equal weight to the midterm, the final exam, and the two essays. The quality of your class participation and of the creative project and your scores on any quizzes will be taken into account if you are on the borderline between two grades.

Texts: You may already have a collection of Shakespeare's plays. Even if you do, I strongly recommend that you buy the Pelican Shakespeare editions of all five plays. 'I (They are very inexpensive.) Otherwise, you'll have trouble locating the specific passages that we're discussing. And you won't have access to the introductory material that you will be required to read.

Note: Please subscribe to the listserv for this class. To do so, go to http://astro.ubalt.edu. The name of the listserv is ENGL.365.001. The listserv will make it possible for me to post notices to the entire class and for you to ask for assistance from your classmates. If you need to get in touch with me, don't use the listserv. Instead, use my personal e-mail address.

TOPICAL OUTLINE

I. Love's Rough Course

Romeo and Juliet

A Midsummer Night's Dream

II. The Green-ey'd Monster

Othello

III. The World Well Lost for Love

Antony and Cleopatra

IV. The Brave New World

The Tempest

WEEK-BY-WEEK SYLLABUS

Week 1 Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as Romeo and Juliet

Week 2 Romeo and Juliet, Acts I and II

Week 3 Romeo and Juliet, Acts III-V

Week 4 A Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts I and II

Week 5 A Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts III-V

Week 6 Shakespeare in Love (film)

first essay due

Week 7 Othello, Acts I and II

Week 8 SPRING BREAK!

Week 9 Othello, Acts III-V

Week 10 Antony and Cleopatra, Acts I and II

Week 11 Antony and Cleopatra, Acts III-V

Week 12 The Tempest, Acts I and II

second essay due

Week 13 The Tempest, Acts III-V

Week 14 presentation of creative projects

Week 15 final exam