EN 326–Shakespeare’s Women , Block 8 2002
Prof. Re Meyer Evitt
Making a Scene

How this assignment works
During the first two weeks of the block, we’ll be reading four of Shakespeare’s comedies. We’ll spend two days on each of these plays. For the first day of discussion, I’ll be asking you to explore the play in terms of contextual readings–readings that will help you understand some aspect of early modern culture and imagine the audience for whom the play was first performed. On the second day, the student groups who lead discussion of the contextual readings on the first day will perform a scene from the play, integrating the ideas they gleaned from contextual readings into their performances of the scene they’ve chosen.

In brief synopsis, when it’s your turn to present on the play of your choice, you will:

Day One–Present the contextual readings you signed up to discuss with the class (with the help of the 2-3 peers who signed up for the same readings). In your presentation, you should:

1)  Identify the most important ideas from your reading;
2)  Do a critical analysis/close reading of the play we’re discussing in which you show how these ideas translate into drama: how do they help us understand what’s happening on stage?

Day Two–Join with all of the students working on contextual readings for the play and perform one scene. You should:

1)  Discuss the performance of your scene critically, as a group, with the rest of the class;
2)  Explain which concepts from the contextual readings shaped your performance of the scene. In what way(s)?

Day Three–Hand in a one-page response paper in which you reflect on how your group integrated ideas from the contextual readings into its staging of the scene from the play.

You will need to:
Decide how you will divide up the work:

*Who will direct?
*How will you block the play, "stage" it? (Feel free to move classroom furniture, including your audience, around.)
*Who will act?
*Who will work as part of the "production team"?
*Who will guide discussion of the scene on Day Two?

You do not need to:
. . . . create elaborate costumes (too costly, too time-consuming). Instead, use your street clothes and a few imaginative, thought-provoking props.

. . . . memorize your lines (but do know the script in your hand well; that's very useful).

 

Sign-ups:

Present on April 23-24–The Taming of the Shrew

*Bedford Companion, "Men and Women: Gender, Family, Society" (253-302)

1)

2)

3)

 

*Dolan, "Marriage" (160-199)

1)

2)

*Dolan, "The Household: Authority and Violence" (200-43)

1)

2)

3)

Present on April 25-26–A Midsummer Nights Dream

*Paster and Howard, "The Making of Men" (149-91)

1)

2)

*Paster and Howard, "Female Attachments and Family Ties" (192-264)

1)

2)

3)

*Paster and Howard, "Natural and Supernatural" (265-324)

1)

2)

3)

 

 

Present on April 29-30–Twelfth Night

*Smith, "Sexuality" (183-236)

1)

2)

*Smith, "Clothing and Disguise" (237-78)

1)

2)

3)

*Smith, "Clowning and Laughter" (357-98)

1)

2)

Present on May 1-2–Measure for Measure

*Bawcutt, "Introduction" (1-63)

1)

2)

3)

*Mario Digangi, "Pleasure and Danger: Measuring Female Sexuality in Measure for Measure," ELH 60 (1993): 589-609 [find this piece online at Tutt Library in Jstor]

1)

2)

 

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