Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounc'd it to you, trippingly on the tongue. . . . Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature: for anything so o'erdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. -- Hamlet, III.ii.1-2, 17-24
According to Hamlet, plays are a mirror in which a playwright and the actors who perform the roles may reflect "nature," allowing their society to view itself as it is seen by others. In this course we will read a number of Shakespeare’s works with dual purposes in mind: first, we will seek to learn about the culture Shakespeare lived in and wrote for (the world we see in the mirror of his plays); second, we will attend to the way Shakespearean drama achieves this mirroring effect. Thus, we will familiarize ourselves with the genres Shakespeare used, with the conventions of poetry and drama that govern his texts, with the themes that he explored, and with the techniques and technologies of Shakespearean theater.
Below you will find a schedule for the course. Unless otherwise noted, the readings listed beside each date are to be read prior to that class. I have asked you to buy The Norton Shakespeare. This text is available at the bookstore. Although you may already own an edition of Shakespeare (or some individual plays), it is important that we all use the same text. For reasons that we will discuss in class, Shakespeare editions vary widely. It is crucial that we all read the same version of the plays!
** All page numbers refer to The Norton Shakespeare **
Date |
Readings/Activities |
| T, Jan 7 | Introduction to Course Sampling the Sonnets |
| Th, Jan 9 | Come to class with 5 questions about the events outlined in "A Shakespearean Chronicle," (3365). Your questions will be graded for Reading Test credit. For a more complete description of this assignment, click here. |
| T, Jan 14 | The Merry Wives of Windsor, Acts One and Two (1225) |
| Th, Jan 16 | The Merry Wives of Windsor,
complete play Due: Synopsis assignment |
| T, Jan 21 | The Merry Wives of Windsor Andrew Gurr, "The Shakespearean Stage," (3281) |
| Th, Jan 23 | Much Ado About Nothing, Acts One and Two ( ) |
| T, Jan 28 | Much Ado About Nothing, complete play |
| Th, Jan 30 | First Exam |
| T, Feb 4 | A Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts One and Two (805) |
| Th, Feb 6 | A Midsummer Night's Dream, complete play |
| T, Feb 11 | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| Th, Feb 13 | 1 Henry IV, Acts One and Two (1147) |
| T, Feb 18 | 1 Henry IV, complete play |
| Th, Feb 20 | 1 Henry IV |
| T, Feb 25 | Second Exam |
| Th, Feb 27 | Macbeth, Acts One and Two ( ) |
| T, March 4 | Macbeth, complete play |
| Th, March 6 | Hamlet, Acts One and Two (1659) |
| T, March 11 | Hamlet |
Th, March 13 |
Hamlet |
- Deborah Burks
- Office: Galvin Hall 470H
- Office Phone: 419 995-8252
- Home Phone: 419 422-2139
- Office Hours: T, Th 12:10-1:00 and 4:00-5:00,
- Other times by appointment
I sincerely hope that you will drop by during my office hours to introduce yourself, to ask questions, to seek help in preparing your paper, or simply to be neighborly.
Text: William Shakespeare, The Norton Shakespeare
Class meetings: The syllabus lists readings that are to be completed prior to each class meeting.
Attendance: I expect you to be in class: it is where you will learn how to approach the material for this course. There are no make-ups for quizzes; however, I will take weather emergencies into consideration and reserve the right to excuse quizzes in certain circumstances. (See weather policy below.)
Snow policy: Obviously, you should use your best judgment when deciding whether it is possible for you to travel to campus during winter storm season. I will take weather related issues into consideration, but it is up to you to communicate with me if poor weather conditions keep you away from class or force you to miss a deadline. If OSU-Lima announces a snow day or an early closure, I will make adjustments to the schedule if necessary.
Other requirements: I will use a number of different kinds of assignments to assess your performance in this course. There will be several homework assignments designed to help you learn the skills of literary analysis. There will also be a number of reading quizzes throughout the quarter. I will not announce when these quizzes will occur. Quizzes may not be made up. There will be three exams: on January 30, February 25, and the last during finals week. The final will be comprehensive.
Components of Final Grade:
- reading quizzes: 10% (collectively)
- synopsis: 5%
- prepared reading: 5%
- first exam: 20%
- second exam: 25%
- final exam: 25%
- attendance and participation: 10%
All work submitted for this class must, of course, be your own. If you have any questions about what constitutes Academic Misconduct, be sure to ask.
The Office of Disability Services, located in Public Services Building 145, offers services for students with documented disabilities. Contact Karen Meyer at 419 995-8453.
Read the "Shakespearean Chronology" in the Norton Shakespeare (3365-3392). It is an interesting document because it records a wide range of things which happened in England between 1558 and 1616. Perhaps the most interesting part of this historical digest are the excerpts from John Stow’s Abridgement of the English Chronicle, which was a contemporary account of history-in-the-making: sort of like the year-end editions of Newsweek or Time or People.
Read this assignment with an eye for what events and issues concerned people in Shakespeare’s day. Prepare questions about five of the items mentioned there. We will use your questions in class as a way to discuss the history and culture of Shakespeare’s England.
You will turn in these questions, so be sure they are typed. This assignment will count as your first reading quiz grade.
For a longer list of web resources for early modern literary and cultural studies, see the Links page on my website.