Choose FIVE of the eight prompts given and answer them to the best of your abilities. I’m expecting excellent work as you have plenty of time to work on the assignment and you have your lecture notes and texts with which to work.
YOU MUST USE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE TO PROVE YOUR OPINIONS.
Responses are to be 1-1.5 pages, double-spaced. Please indicate what question you will be answering by noting the question’s number at the start of the essay
1) Revenge has been an overarching theme this semester’s readings. More to the point, the theme of revenge is especially prominent in Titus Andronicus, Hamlet, and Richard III. Choose two of the listed plays and compare/contrast the use of revenge as a plot device. Which play does revenge the best?
2) We have (arguably) met Shakespeare’s most famous villains: Macbeth, Edmund, Richard III, Claudius, and Aaron. While each character gives ample reasons for their villainy, the level of believability varies from reader to reader. Review the motives given by each character and select the one that you feel makes the best case for his actions. Make sure to provide ample textual evidence for your choice.
3) The ability to forgive oneself after an especially appalling action is difficult, particularly when one is constantly reminded of the offense(s). This unfortunate cycle of remorse + regret= despair can be seen especially in The Winter’s Tale and King Lear. Select one play and analyze the devastating effect that remorse/regret has on one character.
4) We have encountered limited instances of “happy” marriages through the semester. The “happy” marriages (or relationships) are often found in the tragedies. Choose a marriage (or relationship) from one of the tragedies (Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, or Titus Andronicus) and express how the chosen relationship fulfills your aspects of a happy one. Moreover, what does it say about us that these relationships are found within tragedies?
5) The ultimate conclusion of a Shakespearean comedy includes a union/reunion of characters and/or families. While we receive a “happy ending” for some characters, others miss their happy endings and end up with poignant (if not downright unhappy) endings. Choose one character from the comedies we have reviewed (As You Like It, Twelfth Night, or The Winter’s Tale) and evaluate how his/her/their endings are dismal. Additionally, why do you feel that Shakespeare insists on having these melancholy characters?
6) Although some are not given much attention, we meet several distinctive queens in our readings: Lady Macbeth, Gertrude, Margaret, and Elizabeth; Goneril, Cordelia, Hermione, and Tamora. Choose TWO (and only two) of the aforementioned (one from each half of the semester) and explain why your chosen queens are effective leaders and overall, fit your definition of a “good queen.” Make certain that you offer your definition of a “good queen” and use textual evidence to prove our points.
7) It’s interesting to know that, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the ending to King Lear was changed so Cordelia survives and marries Edgar. It is also telling that Shakespeare’s source for Lear also has a similar ending. Choose two plays (one from each part of the semester) and choose the endings you would like to change and why.
8) The Fools (Feste from Twelfth Night and unnamed Fool in King Lear) have uniquely defined roles. Choose one of the songs sung by either Feste or Lear’s Fool and apply a close reading to your chosen text. How is the song a biting critique of the actions of a character(s)? Does the song give the audience a more in-depth look into the play itself?