Shakespeare
Write on THREE of the following topics in 2 page essays. Best essays will have a clear beginning, middle and end (Opening Paragraph, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion Paragraph) and use direct quotations from the plays.
How is the idea of the Pastorale (shepherds, country life, getting back to nature, the simple life) important for understanding As You Like It?
Compare and/or contrast Rosalind, Juliet and Isabel.
What is a melancholic? How is this character represented in two of the plays we have studied?
Is Richard III a cartoon, 2-dimensional villain or is he a real 3-dimensional character with complex motivations?
How is Richard III a parody of the idea of the Renaissance Man?
Why are the low comedy characters (ex. Barnadine, Pompey Bum, Lucio, Mistress Overdone) so important to the theme of Measure for Measure?
What is Shakespeare saying about parents (biological and surrogate) in Romeo and Juliet?
How would the balcony scene have been played on Shakespeare’s Elizabethan stage . Where would the scene have been played, what portions of the stage would have been used, and what theatrical devices would have been employed?
Also, imagine how it would have been performed with the actors of Shakespeare’s time. (Keep in mind that Shakespeare plays were usually done outdoors and in the daytime, but be creative as you use your imagination to reconstruct how this scene might have been performed in Shakespeare’s time).
Who is the main hero of Romeo and Juliet? Romeo or Juliet?
Do you agree or not agree with Isabel for refusing Angelo? Explain your answer.
Compare and/or contrast Duke Senior and Duke Vincentio.
Compare three Machiavellian puppeteers: Rosalind, Duke Vincentio and Richard of Gloucester?
How would the theory of humours apply to the plays we have read? Find a character who exemplifies Sanguine, Melancholy, Choler and Phlegm and explain how their chemical imbalances inform their characters.
Do Romeo and Juliet go to Hell after their suicides? Why or why not?
How is Richard III able to manipulate and seduce Lady Anne in the presence of her dead husband’s body?
