Keats' Letter on Negative Capability and other critical readings

Harold Copping as Hamlet

read Keats on Negative Capability here:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/essay/237836?page=2

Read Freud on Hamlet here: 

http://producer.csi.edu/cdraney/archive-courses/fall09/175/etexts/repression-hamlet_freud.pdf

Read T.S. Eliot on Hamlet here: 

http://www.bartleby.com/200/sw9.html

Suchet, Stewart, Shylock

Old, but awesome! For this week's response, watch this video, and respond to something these master actors say about the pressures and anxieties of playing Shylock.

Falstaff, Carnival, and changing times, due Feb 25

Falstaff, one of Shakespeare's great characters, embodies in many ways, the long tradition of Carnival in European culture. In what ways does Falstaff's misrule stand in contrast to other cultural values in the play, like kingship, patriotism, sobriety, and temperance? 

If Falstaff was played by Will Kempe, does that change the way you read his character? Can you apply what you know about the evolving tradition of clowning in the period to a reading of this character? Does Hal's ultimate abandonment of the life Falstaff represents echo the period's turning away from carnival traditions? Is this a loss or a gain?  

write your commonplace notes in doge? Why not? Many fun. wow.

the real assignment for Tue is below!

See here: http://the-toast.net/2014/02/06/linguist-explains-grammar-doge-wow/

Fourth Response, due Feb 11: The History Play

You have likely encountered Shakespearean tragedy and comedy--the black and white flags, respectively-- that would have flown over London's theaters to alert playgoers to the day's offerings.

This is perhaps the first time you have spent any time under the red flag. What do you think? Can you identify major differences between the history play and the other two genres? Are the characters treated differently? Is the tone of the play different?