English 4430-003 Dr. Jacqueline Vanhoutte

English 4430-003 Dr. Jacqueline Vanhoutte Shakespeare AUB 203 T/R 9:30-10:50 AM e-mail: [email protected] LANG 204 Office Hrs: T 10:50-11:50; R 12:50-1:50; by appointment

Shakespeare

Course Description: This course surveys Shakespeare’s career through close readings of representative works. To acquaint ourselves with Shakespeare’s stylistic complexity, we will pay close attention to sentence structure, figurative language, image patterns, multiple meanings, and so on. Although our major focus will be on the works themselves, we will also consider their relation to various aspects of Renaissance culture, such as contemporary attitudes towards marriage, religion, and politics. In the case of the plays, we will attend as well to issues of performance. The basic goals of this course are to increase your confidence and enjoyment in reading, discussing, and writing about Shakespeare. You should read the assigned works, think about them, and come to class prepared to discuss them. To achieve the best results you should read individual plays and poems at least twice. And take your time when reading: Shakespeare’s works have survived in part because they speak a language of feeling that can only be appreciated by an investment of your own emotional and intellectual energy. As you read, you should keep track of questions and ideas. In other words, you should not only read the material, but also begin thinking about it. I believe that the process of garnering meaning from literature is a communal one; accordingly, I shall structure the class around your contributions—questions and commentaries—as much as possible. Those who are having difficulties with the plays may wish to supplement their reading by watching filmed productions of the plays. Be careful, though: watching a film cannot adequately substitute for careful reading. Students unwilling to invest their time in careful reading should consider dropping the course.

Caveat: The reading material for this class contains “adult situations.” Students taking this class should be willing to consider in a mature and constructive fashion religious, political, and ethical perspectives alien to their own.

Exams: In the two scheduled exams, you will have to answer questions about information made available to you in class or about the assigned texts. Exams cannot be made up, so mark your calendars now.

Quizzes: I will give quizzes regularly. These quizzes will test knowledge of the works and of the supplementary reading; they may also ask for information made available to you in class. Those who have kept up with the reading and who attend class should “ace” quizzes without a problem. Quizzes cannot be made up. Latecomers will not be allowed to take a quiz.

Journal: You will keep a journal in a notebook. In it, you will record your reactions to the reading assigned for that week and/or respond to assigned questions. The first few journal assignments are listed on the syllabus. After that, they will be posted on Black Board. You should aim to have three substantial entries for every week that the class meets. Journals are part of the participation grade for this class. You should always bring your journal to class, as I will collect them arbitrarily.

Group Performance: In order to pass the class, all students are required to participate in a performance project during the last few weeks of classes (see Blackboard for this assignment). Although I have set aside some class time for this activity, you will also have to meet on your own time several times.

Required Texts: The Essential Shakespeare (Norton) The Prince, Niccólo Machiavelli, any translation including the one available on project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1232). Various Course handouts

Course Work: Midterm 20% Final 20% Quizzes 20% Participation (attendance, contributions to discussion, journal) 30% Group performance 10%

Extra Credit Opportunities: Students who attend theatrical productions of plays by Shakespeare and who write a short review (one-page, double-spaced) will be awarded 100 points towards their quiz grade. Please hand in your ticket stubs with the review. Here’s a website with information about shows in the area: http://www.theaterjones.com/. The Angelika Film Centers in Dallas and Plano screen live theater from the RSC and the Globe in England; check their websites for dates and times. These shows will count the same as a live theater production in D/FW area. The Winspear runs a series of staged readings that also count (http://www.attpac.org/series/thecompleteworks). Finally you will get 100 points extra credit for attending, and writing a one-page double-spaced review of Douglas Bruster’s lecture, entitled “Shakespeare, Writing,” on April 23 at 4 PM in ENV 120.

Americans with Disabilities Acts: “The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.” Essential competencies for this course include the abilities to read and interpret literature; to participate in class discussions about ideas in the literature; and to write mature, coherent essays about the literature. If you have a disability for which you will require accommodations, please register with the Office of Disability Accommodation and present your request for accommodation to me by January 30.

Attendance, Participation, Basic Responsibilities: I will be taking attendance regularly and I will be monitoring your behavior in class throughout the term. You should all follow basic classroom etiquette. You should be on time, pay attention, stay awake, remain in your seats until the class is officially over, resist the lure of electronic equipment, and refrain from packing up until the end of class. The only reading material on your desk should be the reading assigned for this class. Once class starts, you may talk only to the class as a whole, about the subject under consideration. It is unacceptable to leave to take a phone call or go the bathroom (you should turn your phone off during class). A simple rule of thumb: any behavior that is distracting to me or to the other students is discourteous and will not be tolerated. I retain the right to dock your participation grade (30% of your final grade) for infractions against common courtesy, for chronic lateness, or for absenteeism. Students who fail to show up for 5 or more classes will earn an F for the course. I retain the right to reward students who make serious efforts of attendance and participation. Only students who participate regularly and constructively will earn a good grade (defined as a B or a B+) for participation. The only excused absences are the ones defined as such by university policy (http://policy.unt.edu/policy/15-2-5). Unless your absence fits one of these categories, I do not need to know your reasons for absences. Be aware that if you skip classes to play hooky early in the term, you may end up in violation of the absence policy later, even if you have a legitimate excuse. By remaining in this class, you agree to the conditions stipulated in the syllabus. As an adult, you are responsible for your own actions and decisions. This responsibility includes keeping track of your own performance. I do not dispense warnings to students on the verge of violating the policies for this course. These rules apply to all students equally—that is what makes them fair. No one receives special treatment.

Electronic Devices: Please turn off all electronic devices—including cell phones and laptops—during this class. An exception will be made for students who present me with a request from ODA. A failure to observe this request will affect your grade adversely. If you would like to know the rationale behind this policy, read the following article from the Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/30/this-year-im-resolving-to-ban-laptops-from- my-classroom/?tid=HP_posteverything

PLEASE CHECK BLACKBOARD AND YOUR UNIVERSITY EMAIL REGULARLY FOR MESSAGES. All emails that you send me should identify you clearly as a student in this class in the subject heading. Remember that when you write an email to a professor, you are presenting a version of yourself to someone charged with evaluating you and whose good opinion you should therefore wish to secure. Be sure to observe all the niceties.

Reading Schedule (open to revision and updating):

Read all primary sources carefully, completely, and repeatedly. Unless I explicitly direct you to read only part of a play, you should read a play in its entirety by the first day of discussion. Please be sure also to read any additional material assigned below.

1/20: Introduction

BOOTCAMP I: Language (and the language of love and friendship) 1/22: Montaigne, “Of Friendship” (handout) Castiglione, from The Book of the Courtier (handout) Sonnet 1-18 Journal: Approach the primary works assigned for this week (Montaigne, Castiglione, S's sonnets) as if you were an anthropologist. What can these readings tell us about Renaissance culture? What sort of values, habits of thought, or assumptions do these three very different works have in common? What can you deduce about relational structures in Renaissance society? How are these similar to, or different from, our own? What other similarities or differences can you find with our own culture? Finally, what verbal or figurative patterns do you notice in these writers’ representations of love or friendship?

1/27: Stephen Greenblatt, “General Introduction,” in Norton Shakespeare Sonnet 20, 73, 138. Journal: identify a pun or an oxymoron in sonnet 20 and explain how it contributes to the sonnet’s overall meaning (note that in order to complete this assignment you need to make some interpretative claims about what the sonnet might mean). Make sure you know what the terms “pun” or “oxymoron” mean. If necessary, look up words that strike you as significant in the Oxford English Dictionary (available on line via UNT library) 1/29: Sonnets, cont. Journal: identify one metaphor or simile in sonnet 73 or sonnet 138 and explain how it contributes to the sonnet’s overall meaning. Make sure you know what these terms mean.

2/3: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act I Katharine Eisaman Maus,“Shakespearean Comedy” in Norton Shakespeare Journal: identify a recurring pattern of imagery or a significant allusion and explain how this pattern or allusion contributes to the thematic concerns introduced in this act. Again, be sure that you know what these terms mean. 2/5: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Journal: Shakespeare uses two distinct settings in the play: Athens and the woods. How does he create the impression of different places? What sort of society does Athens seem to be? What sort of place are the woods? What does he associate with each? How do the different settings help Shakespeare develop certain themes? BOOTCAMP II: Theater (Playhouses, playing, and play-going in Shakespeare’s England) 2/10: Andrew Gurr, “The Shakespearean Stage,” in Norton Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Much Ado About Nothing, Act I

2/12: Much Ado About Nothing

2/17: Much Ado About Nothing 2/ 19: Much Ado, cont. ; Richard III, Act I Machiavelli, The Prince, chapters 14-26

2/24: Richard III The Tudor Homily on Disobedience (posted on Black Board) 2/26: Richard III Stephen Greenblatt, “Shakespearean Tragedy,” in Norton Shakespeare Russ MacDonald on Tragedy (handout)

3/3: Othello 3/5: Othello

3/10: Othello 3/12: Midterm Exam

3/16-3/22: Spring Break

3/24: Hamlet 3/26: Hamlet Montaigne, “Of the Inconsistency of our Actions” (online)

3/31: Hamlet 4/2: Group Performance Day

4/7: Hamlet 4/9: Macbeth

4/14: Macbeth 4/16: King Lear

4/21: King Lear 4/23: King Lear

4/28: Antony and Cleopatra 4/10: Antony and Cleopatra

5/5: Group Performances 5/7: Group Performances Final exam TH 5/14 8:00-10:00 AM; see http://registrar.unt.edu/exams/spring