English 3503.05 / Spring 2004
Reconstructing Shakespeare
CLAS 434
Thursday: 2:00-3:15
Professor: Dr. Gregory Colón Semenza
Office: 132 CLAS
Office Hours: Wednesday: 1-2:30; Thursday: 12:10-1:45
Phone: 486-4762
Email: semenza@uconn.edu
Course Description:
In this introductory course, we will closely examine eight of Shakespeare’s plays and their reconstructions in a variety of interdisciplinary media ranging from music to film. The recent explosion of Shakespeare in film, music, and the visual arts can be understood as the culmination of a much longer history of reconstructions dating back as far as the seventeenth century. How have such works figured in the construction of the almost mythological literary figure we recognize today as Shakespeare? How have they served to ensure or perhaps undermine his lasting place at the center of the English literary canon? What are the cultural-political costs and/or benefits of such reconstructions? Our main focus will be on the plays themselves, of course, but it is my hope that these media exercises will help us to think—in exciting and immediately relevant ways—about Shakespeare’s place in modern American culture.
Texts: (Please purchase the Signet editions ordered for this class)
The Taming of the Shrew
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo & Juliet
Richard III
Twelfth Night
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
&
One $5 to $15 ticket to see the Connecticut Repertory Theater’s Production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (April 15-17, April 21-25). Call ASAP for tix at 486-4226, and be sure to ask for “Student Discount.”
Requirements:
Attendance, Preparation, Professionalism, and Participation*
15%
8-10 Unannounced Reading Quizzes**
25%
4-page Midterm Paper
20%
3-page Review of Theater Production
20%
Comprehensive Final In–Class Examination
20%
* The professor does not take kindly to excessive absences. Because your understanding and engagement of the material depends on your presence in our class, I will take absences seriously. More than two unofficial absences will be a problem. Furthermore, excessive absences will affect your quiz and exam grades since the latter will test skills we will develop in class. Preparation includes completing homework and in-class assignments, and having read the texts to be discussed in class. Make it a point to turn off your cell phone before class begins; if your cell phone goes off in my class, you should expect to receive an extra paper assignment by email.
**Quizzes: Quizzes are designed to test your reading comprehension skills; they are not designed to trick you. My sense is that you will do absolutely fine as long as you read each day’s assignment carefully. A typical question might look like this: Why doesn’t Romeo receive the Friar’s letter in Mantua? Easy, right? Please note that missed quizzes cannot be made up unless you can show me an official University excuse for your absence (i.e., official athletic event, serious illness, etc.). Everyone may automatically drop the lowest quiz grade. If you take all of the quizzes, you may drop one additional quiz grade. To dissuade lateness, I will give most quizzes in the first five minutes of class; I will not repeat question #1 of a quiz after I’ve moved on to question #2. Please be here on time.
Office Hours:
Office Hours will be held in 132 CLAS during the following times: Wednesday: 1:00-2:30; Thursday: 12:00-1:30. I urge each of you to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce yourself to me, to ask any questions you may have, to discuss future or current assignments, or to seek private instruction on specific problems with which you might be wrestling. I like students, I love teaching, and I promise that I don’t bite (even though I’m told I look rather mean). There is a too often unrecognized but undeniable correlation between students who tend to use office hours and students who tend to be successful in college. I also encourage professional communication through email (i.e., please check syllabus for information first!).
Plagiarism:
It goes without saying that you are responsible for citing any words or ideas that you borrow. Using material from the so-called Internet Paper Warehouses constitutes a form of plagiarism as serious as using someone else’s paper (and is easy to discover). Plagiarism demonstrates contempt for your instructor, peers, and the purposes of liberal education. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will automatically fail the course and be referred to the dean of judicial affairs. If you are uncertain as to what constitutes plagiarism, please consult the English Department’s policies guide or see me outside of class.
Class Schedule:(Film Schedule Below)
T Jan. 20:
Introduction to course; Trailer for Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 Hamlet
R Jan. 22:
The Renaissance and Shakespeare’s Life
T Jan 27:
The Taming of the Shrew (“Induction” and Acts 1-2)
R Jan 29:
The Taming of the Shrew (Acts 3-5)
T Feb. 3:
The Taming of the Shrew; Film: Sam Taylor’s 1929 Film Version and the Concept of Textual Indeterminacy
R Feb. 5:
Richard III (Acts 1-2)
T Feb. 10:
Richard III (Acts 3-5)
R Feb.12:
Richard III; Film: TBA: Metatheatricality
T Feb. 17:
Romeo and Juliet (Acts 1-2)
R Feb. 19:
Romeo and Juliet (Acts 3-5)
T Feb. 24:
Romeo and Juliet; Film and Music: West Side Story, Radiohead, and Luhrmann’s Adaptation
R Feb 26:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Acts 1-2)
T March 2:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Acts 3-5)
R March 4:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Music and Film: Mendelssohn’s “Overture” and Performative Interpretation
T March 9:
No Classes: Spring Break
T March 11:
No Classes: Spring Break
T March 16:
Twelfth Night (Acts 1-2)
R March 18:
Twelfth Night (Acts 3-5)
T March 23:
Twelfth Night; Media Exercise TBA; Midterm Exam Due
R March 25:
Hamlet (Acts 1-2)
T March 30:
Hamlet (Acts 3-5)
R April 1:
Hamlet
T April 6:
Hamlet; Some “paintings of Ophelia”; Hamlet in Pop Culture
R April 8:
Othello (Acts 1-2)
T April 13:
Othello (Acts 3-5)
R April 15:
Othello; Film: Tim Blake Nelson’s “O”
T April 20:
King Lear (Acts 1-2)
R April 22:
King Lear (Acts 3-5)
T April 27:
King Lear; Reviews Due (with ticket stapled to Paper)
R April 29:
King Lear; Jocelyn Moorhouse’s version of Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres and Revisionism
Final Exam time TBA
Film schedule:
Each semester, I try to make available film versions of every play I teach. Attendance is absolutely voluntary, of course. In any given semester, roughly 20% of a class will attend a particular film viewing (Hamlet always gets more), which helps students to visualize each work and think about different ways of performing these complex plays. Aside from the pedagogical advantages of attending, many of these films are quite impressive in their own right. Usually those who attend stick around for 5-10 minutes after each viewing to discuss (with me) reactions to the films. Think about attending a few films, especially if you’re having trouble with a particular play.
All films except Hamlet will be shown on Tuesday Nights in 163 CLAS at 7 PM
Feb. 3
Franco Zeffirelli’s The Taming of the Shrew
Feb. 10
Richard Loncraine’s Richard III
Feb. 24
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet
March 2
Max Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
March 23
Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night
April 6
Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet (6 PM)
April 13
Oliver Parker’s Othello
April 27
Peter Brook’s King Lear