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Home , Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Fleetwood, Kenneth Branagh

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HCOL 186N: Shakespeare and the Classical Tradition Spring 2016 Sophomore Seminar MWF 1:10–2:00 PM ~ North Complex 16 Professor Angeline Chiu

The text of Julius Caesar in the First Folio of 1623 Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

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Instructor Information:  Email: [email protected], [email protected]  Office: 481 Main Street #302 (top floor)  Office Hours: MWF 10:45 AM-12:45 PM and preferably by appointment  Phone: (802) 656-3210

Grading:  20% Class participation  25% Reading journal portfolio  10% Writing project 1 (creative)  10% Writing project 2 (analytical)  10% Performance project  25% Final exam

Texts For The Class: ~Required Physical Texts at UVM Bookstore (all Folger Shakespeare Library editions):  Antony and Cleopatra  The Comedy of Errors   Julius Caesar   A Midsummer Night’s Dream 

~Optional but Recommended Physical Texts:  A Year in the Life of : 1599 by James Shapiro (2006)  Shakespeare's Restless World: Portrait of an Era in Twenty Objects by Neil MacGregor (2014)

~Required Texts In PDF Or Online:  Packet on Shakespeare’s historical context  Selections from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives  Transcription and paleography materials  Amphitruo, Menaechmi, and Miles Gloriosus by Plautus  Seneca, Thyestes  Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy  Selections from the Metamorphoses by Ovid, translations by Golding and Lombardo  Shakespeare’s epyllion Venus and Adonis  All source materials for the creative adaptation writing project  Selected scholarly research articles  Others TBD as the semester progresses

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~Films: In a perfect world, we would attend multiple different live stage productions of each play that we study. Since that is not possible, film versions will have to do. Remember: Shakespeare is meant to be seen and heard, not read on a page. Note too that different productions make different creative choices. You will encounter these required films over the semester in the following order:

 Much Ado About Nothing (1993); , , et al.  Much Ado About Nothing (2012); Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, et al.  Hamlet (1996); Kenneth Branagh, , , et al.  Hamlet (2010); David Tennant, , et al.  Macbeth (2010); Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood, et al.  Macbeth (2015); , Marion Cotillard, et al.  Throne of Blood (1957); Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, et al.

A number of film versions of other plays will be available for extra credit viewing over the course of the semester. Of these you may do as many or as few (or none) as you please.

~Required Theatre Attendance: Thursday, February 11, 2016, 7:00 PM at the Palace 9 theatre on Shelburne Road: The encore broadcast from of the production of Hamlet with , Ciaran Hinds, et al.

Goals and Objectives: Welcome! This semester we have several goals:  First and foremost: Read and appreciate selected works of William Shakespeare.  Learn about Shakespeare’s world and context, Elizabethan and Jacobean .  Keep in mind that Shakespeare’s works were meant to be performed, not read. Appreciate Shakespeare as theatre as we consider gesture, voice, body language, movement, music, art direction, hair, wardrobe, makeup, interaction, and other aspects of performance.  Consider the role of the classical tradition and the cultural inheritance from ancient Greece and Rome in Shakespeare’s day and our own. Consider too our inheritance from the Bard.  Specifically, we shall take a closer look at several major ancient influences on Shakespeare: Plutarch, Plautus, Ovid, Seneca, and classical mythology.  Understand better the history of English via the usage and lexicon of Shakespeare’s day.  Practice the art and skill of close active reading and analysis.  Hone the art and skill of writing from the first brainstorm to the final draft in both creative and analytical arenas.  Grasp more firmly the art of theatre by learning and performing lines.  Spark your creativity along the way. Consider the intricacies of source and adaptation.  Engage in thoughtful complex discussion, clear thinking, and lucid communication both verbal and written—valuable life skills in general.

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Classroom Policies: I expect every student to behave in a manner that is professional, responsible, courteous, and appropriate to a collegiate setting. Generally, use common sense. Furthermore, you are Honors College students held to a high standard. Particular points include:  Attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences count against your grade and will only harm you in the long run. You will NOT be allowed to make up any work missed due to an unexcused absence, nor will I make concessions for catching up.  For excused absences: If you must be absent for University-approved reasons, it is your responsibility to let me know beforehand and to make up the missed work.  Be punctual. If you arrive after I close the door, you are tardy. Repeated tardiness will count against your participation grade. 3 tardies will count as 1 unexcused absence.  Once I start the lecture/discussion, class has started, and I expect all conversations to stop.  Treat your classmates and your instructor with courtesy and professionalism.  Do not mill around the room or leave for any reason once class has started.  Do not interrupt your instructor when she is speaking.  No electronic objects whatsoever are allowed in class. This includes laptops and tablets.  Plagiarism in any way is cheating. Copying and pasting passages from Internet sites counts as plagiarism. Quoting without attributions is plagiarism. All forms of cheating will be treated in accordance with UVM’s policies on academic integrity.  No profanity or obscenity.  Pay attention and remain on task. Do not distract yourself or others.  Turning in assignments: All assignments must be in hard copy printout form with black ink in 12-point standard font. I will not accept anything that is handwritten.  Turning in assignments late: Don’t. I do not accept late work.  All class-related emails will be sent to your UVM email addresses.  Email policy: Treat emails as formal business letters. No Internet spellings, abbreviations, emoticons, or emoji. Begin with “Dear Dr. (or Professor) Chiu” and end with “Sincerely, Your Name.” In the subject line, put the course prefix and number (example: “HCOL 186N: Question about Hamlet assignment”). This is sound policy for all your classes.  Remember: YOU are responsible for your performance and success, not I.  FOCUS. Remember, hard work beats raw talent when raw talent does not work hard.  Do not assume you know a play if you have read it before.  Come ready to learn, ask questions, and engage! This class is interactive. Leave your bashfulness at the door.

FINAL EXAM: Friday, May 6, 2016 from 1:30-3:15 PM in our usual classroom.

SCHEDULE FOR ALL SPRING 2016 FINALS: https://giraffe.uvm.edu/~rgweb/batch/final_exams_spring.html

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Class Schedule Subject to change at instructor’s discretion.

Week 1 (Monday, January 18) Wednesday, January 20 Friday, January 22 Introductions MLK Jr. Holiday First Day of Class Intro to Shakespeare’s World Introduction to the Course Due: ~Packet (BB) ~Optional but recommended: MacGregor and/or Shapiro Week 2 Monday, January 25 Wednesday, January 27 Friday, January 29 Julius Caesar Last Day to Add Classes Julius Caesar Julius Caesar as Adaptation; Without Permission Thomas North’s Plutarch Julius Caesar Due: Acts 3-5 Due: Selections from Plutarch’s Due: Acts 1-2 Lives of Caesar, Brutus, and Also due: first reading log. Antony (BB; no log) Assume a log due for each assignment from here on out unless noted otherwise. Week 3 Monday, February 1 Wednesday, February 3 Friday, February 5 Antony and Add/Drop Deadline Antony and Cleopatra Antony and Cleopatra as Cleopatra Antony and Cleopatra Adaptation Due: Act 3-5 Due: Acts 1-2 Due: Plutarch, Antony (BB) Week 4 Monday, February 8 Wednesday, February 10 Friday, February 12 Special Special Collections visit with Comedy of Errors Discuss Cumberbatch Hamlet Collections; curator Jeff Marshall Comedy of Errors; Due: Act 1-Act 3 Sc. 1 Due: Viewing log Hamlet Due: Transcription performance assignment (BB; no log) Week 5 Monday, February 15 Wednesday, February 17 Friday, February 19 Plautus; Presidents’ Day Holiday Comedy of Errors Plautus & Roman Comedy Twelfth Night Due: Act 3 Sc. 2-Act 5 Due: ~Menaechmi (BB) ~Amphitruo (BB) Week 6 Monday, February 22 Wednesday, February 24 Friday, February 26 Twelfth Night; Twelfth Night Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing Due: Whole play Due: Acts 1-3 Due: Acts 4-5 Week 7 Monday, February 29 Wednesday, March 2 Friday, March 4 Much Ado About Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado and Plautus Discuss tragic/historical and Nothing in performance comic adaptation. Due: (no log) Due: Branagh and Whedon ~Miles Gloriosus (BB) Choose your project topic from with viewing log ~Miola article (BB) options on BB (no log) 6

Spring Break Monday, March 7 Wednesday, March 9 Friday, March 11 Week 8 Monday, March 14 Wednesday, March 16 Friday, March 18 Adaptation In-class project workshop (Chiu at CAMWS conference) (Chiu at CAMWS conference) projects Work on your projects! Work on your projects! Due: Outlines (no log) Week 9 Monday, March 21 Wednesday, March 23 Friday, March 25 Adaptation Due: Adaptation projects Seneca & Roman Tragedy; Hamlet projects due; (no log) Elizabethan Revenge Plays Seneca and Kyd; Due: Act 1-2 Hamlet Due: ~Seneca, Thyestes (BB) ~Kyd, Spanish Tragedy (BB) Week 10 Monday, March 28 Wednesday, March 30 Friday, April 1 Hamlet; Macbeth Hamlet Hamlet in performance Macbeth

Due: Acts 3-5 Due: Branagh and Tennant Due: Acts 1-3 with viewing log Week 11 Monday, April 4 Wednesday, April 6 Friday, April 8 Macbeth Macbeth and Livy? 40th Annual VT Latin Day

Due: Acts 4-5 Due: (no log) (Work on the viewing ~Selections from Livy (BB) assignment for next class.) ~Philo article (BB)

Introduce performance and research assignments for semester’s end Week 12 Monday, April 11 Wednesday, April 13 Ovid’s Friday, April 15 Macbeth; Ovid; A Macbeth in performance Metamorphoses and Arthur A Midsummer Night’s Dream Midsummer Night’s Golding Dream Due: Stewart, Fassbender, and Due: Act 1-Act 3 Sc. 1 Kurosawa with viewing log Due: Ovid packet (BB) Discuss Week 14 performance project parameters Week 13 Monday, April 18 Wednesday, April 20 Friday, April 22 A Midsummer A Midsummer Night’s Dream Venus and Adonis Performance workshop Night’s Dream; Venus and Adonis Due: Due: Due: Reading log portfolio ~Act 3 Sc. 2- Act 5 ~Epyllion text (BB) (no new log) ~Rudd article (BB) ~Research topic (1 paragraph) Week 14 Monday, April 25 Wednesday, April 27 Friday, April 29 Performance Performance project Performance project Performance project (no logs) Week 15 Monday, May 2 Wednesday, May 4 Research due Performance addendum Last Day of Class Due: Research assignment Closing festivities