12-164-01
Shakespeare
TTh 2pm  (Brother Anthony)

In this course we will be studying Shakespeare's depictions of Love:   Romeo and Juliet; Much Ado About Nothing; Othello; Antony and Cleopatra.We will study certain texts in detail and watch videos of each play

Students will need to buy copies of Romeo and Juliet and Othello (Arden edition), since we are going to go through the text of those plays in detail. Summaries of Much Ado About Nothing and Antony and Cleopatra are available on my home page and should be printed out in preparation for the classes in which we watch videos of them.  An introduction to the life and theatre of Shakespeare can be found in my book Literature in English Society, Volume II, The Renaissance (Sogang University Press). The introductions of the Arden editions will provide useful information and there are mnay books in the library.
 

Detailed Course Description

September 3 Week 1
Romeo and Juliet (text)

September 10 Week 2
Romeo and Juliet (text)

September 17 Week 3
Romeo and Juliet (video)

September 24 Week 4
Romeo and Juliet (video)

October 1 Week 5   No class Thursday
Romeo and Juliet (video)

October 8 Week 6
Much Ado About Nothing (video)

October 15 Week 7
Much Ado About Nothing (video)

October 22 Week 8
Mid-term Exams

October 29 Week 9
Othello (text)

November 5 Week 10
Othello (text)

November 12 Week 11
Othello (video)

Novermber 19 Week 12
Othello (video)

November 26 Week 13
Antony and Cleopatra (video)

December 3 Week 14
Antony and Cleopatra (video)

December 10 Week 15
Final exams start on Thursday

Students will write a Midterm Essay (due on the Monday after the Mid-term Exam) in which you discuss the portrayal of love in Romeo and Juliet, including discussion of the way the work is seen in different video/film productions; a final section will discuss Much Ado About Nothing, comparing it with Romeo and Juliet..

The Final Essay  (due on the Monday after the Final Exam) will be on  the different portrayals of love and tragedy in the second two plays.

Grading will be based on the 2 reports and the result of the Mid-term and Final Exams (Max 50 points each). The exams will test students' knowledge of the action of the plays, and will include tests of precise memorization of the most celebrated passages in the two plays (Romeo and Juliet and Othello) that we study in detail. Exams and reports are of equal weight.