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Home , Ralph Fiennes

English 366B A01 | Shakespeare: Histories and Tragedies

Instructor: Richard van Oort Office location: CLE D235 Office hours: Tues, Wed 10:30-11:30, or by appointment Contact: [email protected] Course Schedule: TWF 9:30-10:20 Course Location: CLE A315

CourseSpaces: All the assignments for this course, including FAQs for each assignment, are available on CourseSpaces.

Course Description: Shakespeare wrote at least thirty-seven plays. We will study six of them: Richard III, Henry V, Julius Caesar, , Othello, and . I will from time to time refer to his other plays, but I will not hold you responsible for knowing them.

Required Texts: I will be using David Bevington’s The Complete Shakespeare (Longman, 2014), which is available in the bookstore. I don’t mind if you use another scholarly edition (e.g., Norton, Oxford, Cambridge, Signet) or an older edition of Bevington. If you are in doubt about the quality of your text, ask me.

Assignments and Grading: % of Final Grade Response papers (500 words; due first day we discuss the play; questions available at CourseSpaces) 10% Midterm (Oct 16) 20% Critical essay (1200 words; due Nov 29; topics available at CourseSpaces) 20% Closed book final exam (date TBA) 40% Participation 10%

Response Papers: These are short papers responding to one of the reading questions. The paper is due at the beginning of class on the first day we discuss the play. To receive a grade for this assignment, you must submit at least one paper. I encourage you, however, to submit a response paper for all six plays. I will count only the highest mark towards your final grade. I do not accept late response papers under any circumstances.

Midterm: The midterm is on October 16 and will consist of passage identification and commentary.

Critical Essay: The critical essay is due on November 29 at the beginning of class. There is a grace period of five days during which I will accept late papers without penalty; however, papers submitted during or after the grace period will not get written comments. Papers received after the grace period ends on December 4 at 9:30AM will be deducted 5% per day. Extensions are granted for medical reasons or family emergencies only and documentation must be provided.

Final Exam: The final exam occurs during the exam period. I will discuss the exam on the final day of class.

Participation: The participation grade constitutes 10% of your final grade and will be evaluated on the basis of your attendance and your contribution to classroom discussion. Students who miss more than 12 classes may be debarred from the final exam.

“N” Grade: Failure to complete the midterm, the critical essay, or the final exam will result in an N grade.

Academic Integrity: A paper that contains plagiarism will automatically receive zero and will be reported to the Literature Adviser. The university’s policy on plagiarism can be read at https://web.uvic.ca/calendar2019-09/undergrad/info/ regulations/academic-integrity.html#.

Grading Scheme: A+ 90-100 B+ 77-79 C+ 65-69 F 0-49 A 85-89 B 73-76 C 60-64 A- 80-84 B- 70-72 D 50-59 Schedule. Readings are expected to be completed for each class. Bring the scheduled text to class. week date play critical dates

1 Sept 4, 6 Introduction

2 Sept 10, 11, 13 Richard III R3 response paper: Sept 10

3 Sept 17, 18, 20 Richard III, Henry V H5 response paper: Sept 20

4 Sept 24, 25, 27 Henry V

5 Oct 1, 2, 4 Henry V , Julius Caesar JC response paper: Oct 2

6 Oct 8, 9, 11 Julius Caesar

Midterm: Oct 16 7 Oct 15, 16, 18 Julius Caesar, Hamlet Hamlet response paper: Oct 18

8 Oct 22, 23, 25 Hamlet

9 Oct 29, 30, Nov 1 Hamlet, Othelo Othelo response paper: Nov 1

10 Nov 5, 6, 8 Othelo

11 Nov (12, 13, no class) 15 Othelo

12 Nov 19, 20, 22 Othelo, Coriolanus Coriolanus response paper: Nov 20

13 Nov 26, 27, 29 Coriolanus Critical Essay: Nov 29

14 Dec 3, 4 Coriolanus Discussion of Final Exam: Dec 4 Final Exam (TBA)

I recommend watching a performance of each play we read. The following films are available in the library and I will refer to them in my lectures: • Richard III (1995), dir. Richard Loncraine, with Ian McKellen (Richard); Richard III (1983), dir. Jane Howell, with Ron Cook (Richard) • Henry V (1989), dir. , with Branagh (King Henry V) • Julius Caesar (1953), dir. Joseph Mankiewicz, with James Mason (Brutus) and Marlon Brando (Antony) • Hamlet (1995), dir. Kenneth Branagh, with Branagh (Hamlet); Hamlet(1990), dir. Franco Zeffirelli, with Mel Gibson (Hamlet) and (Ophelia); Hamlet (1980), dir. Rodney Bennett, with (Hamlet) and (Claudius) • Othelo (1965), dir. Stuart Burge, with (Othello); Othelo (1990), dir. , with Ian McKellen (Iago); Othelo (1995), dir. Oliver Parker, with Laurence Fishburne (Othello) and Branagh (Iago) • Coriolanus (2011), dir. Ralph Fiennes, with Fiennes (Coriolanus) and Gerard Butler (Aufidius)