Office Hours (Carey Hall 220): 2:15-3:30 p.m. (daily)
jspragins@gilman.edu   

                               Acting Shakespeare

EH 71
Spragins
Spring 2020

 

 Course Outline:

 


The Chandos Portrait (1606?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Comedy of Errors (1593)

 
 
The arriual of the Englishmen in Virginia
Debry Woodcut (1590) (Description)
The New World
 
The Tempest (1611) by William Shakespeare

Month

Day

  Cycle Day

 Day

Assignment

1/        

22

Day 7

Wed.
1/ 23 Day 8 Thurs.


Mountebank Stage (1600)
The Mystery Plays


Bear Baiting


Marlowe, Tambulaine Act IV iii (1587)


Shakespeare's Globe, London (2004)

Course Description

Course Philosophy: 

  • We will approach the plays actively and practically. We will not simply sit and read.
  • What do we learn about the language, the characters, and the action of the plays from the practical necessities of staging scenes?
  • You have to be open to improvisation. Who knows what the audience might do in the midst of the action?

Introduction to Course Exercises:

“Shakespeare’s language has a whole energy that has nothing to do with what the words mean and everything to do with how the words sound.” (Cecily Berry) 

Homework:

A. "Words, words, words..." 

  • To love Shakespeare, you must love words. In Elizabethan London, feats of language comprised the ultimate media entertainment. (that is, beyond bear baiting and public executions.). (John Barton)
  • Choose a word from the 'diss list' and look it up in the OED online. First, say the word out loud. Experiment with various ways of pronouncing the individual word. Feed off its sound. 
  • Then, consider the various meanings the word has had in its history. Pronounce it differently for each different definition.

B. ...and please read Shakespeare’s Youth, notes from Greenblatt, Will in the World, Chapter One

1/23Day 9Fri.

1/

27

Day 10 

Mon.
Marlowe_portrait.jpg
Purported Portrait of Christopher Marlowe,
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge


A portion of a panoramic view of London by Claus Visscher (1616) London Bridge (1600) 

sonnet, a lyric poem containing fourteen lines of iambic pentameter with one of a fairly limited set of rhyme schemes, including the Italian (ababababcdcdcd) and English or Surrey-Shakespeare (ababcdcdefefgg) and the Spenserian (ababbcbccdcdee). (English Literature Glossary- Goucher)

Shakespeare's Verse:

Homework:


for further reading:

1/

28

Day 1

Tues.

 

 

 

 

 

1/

29

Day 2

Wed.

 


 petrarch_laura.jpg
Florence Petrarch Sonnets

Petrarch's Laura, Laurentian Library


Sir Walter Raleigh

 

Shakespeare's Language:

“Shakespeare’s language has a whole energy that has nothing to do with what the words mean and everything to do with how the words sound.” (Cecily Berry)   

Homework: 

  • Sonnet Project: You will receive two grades for this project: the first for a short essay analyzing your poem and the second for your performance. Write up your analysis of the poetic effects of your sonnet and discuss your choice of its dramatic situation. The best essays will be built around one idea. The best performances will be done free of the text, so memorize your lines).
  • Selected Sonnets

For Further Reading:

  • On the composition of the Sonnets. Wood, In Search of Shakespeare, Chapter Nine, "A Hell of Time" (pp. 179-200) and Chapter Ten, "Shakespeare in Love?" (pp. 201-222)
1/ 30 Day 3 Thurs.

1/

31

Day 4

Fri.

 

John Barton (RSC)

 

 Iambic Pentameter Exercises (Yolanda Vazquez)

Sonnet Project: You will receive two grades for this project: the first for a short essay analyzing your poem and the second for your performance. Write up your analysis of the poetic effects of your sonnet and discuss your choice of its dramatic situation. The best essays will be built around one idea. The best performances will be done free of the text, so memorize your lines). (Selected Sonnets)

Sonnet Project Acting Exercises

  • Physicalization: (These exercises were developed by Cicely Berry of the R.S.C.) 
  • Verse Analysis: (These approaches to the verse were developed by John Barton of the R.S.C.)

Homework:

  • Sonnet Analysis

2/

3

Day 5

Mon.

                       

2/ 4 Day 6 Tues.



 


Sonnet Performances


Sonnet Project: You will receive two grades for this project: the first for a short essay analyzing your poem and the second for your performance. Write up your analysis of the poetic effects of your sonnet and discuss your choice of its dramatic situation. The best essays will be built around one idea. The best performances will be done free of the text, so memorize your lines). (Selected Sonnets)

Taking Apart Sonnet #12: ‘When I do count the clock that tells the time’ (Analysis)

Homework: 

2/

5

Day 7

Wed.

   Parent Conference Day       

2/6Day 8Thurs.

 

 

 

Sonnet Analysis Due by 3:30 pm

Sonnet Performances

Introduction to The Comedy of Errors (1594)

Homework: 

  • Read The Comedy of Errors Act One 
2/7Day 9Fri.Measure for Measure at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
Measure for Measure at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

2/

10

Day 10

Mon.






 

Sonnet Performances

Introduction to The Comedy of Errors (1594)

The Comedy of Errors Act One:

Act One scene one

Act One scene two

Putting a Scene on Its Feet

  • Rehearsal Day One
  • Constructive Criticism: Intentions and Obstacles, Clarity of the Dramatic Situation, Shakespeare’s Hidden Stage Directions

Homework:
2/11Day 1Tues

2/

12

Day 2

Wed.

 

Sonnet Performances

Discuss The Comedy of Errors Act Two:

Act Two scene one

Act Two scene two


Homework: 

For Further Reading:
2/13Day 3Thurs.

2/

14

Day 0

Fri.

 Faculty Professional Day
2/ 17 Day 0 Mon. President's Day
2/ 18 Day 4 Tues.




 

Rehearsal Day Two

Act Two scene one

Act Two scene two

Cast the scene and get it on its feet:

  • It is o.k. to have different people play the same part at different times. Its also o.k. to double parts by having the same actor play two different people. Don’t worry about gender to type in your casting. It is o.k. to cast against type.
  • Work through the scene together. 
  • Decide where key moments of your scene should take place.
  • Work through the scene again with a different cast.

Homework: 

  • Rehearse your scenes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2/

19

Day 5

Wed.

 

2/

20

Day 6

Thurs.

 The Globe 1599 (Presentation)



Perform The Comedy of Errors Act Two:

Act Two scene one

Act Two scene two


Homework: 

2/

21

Day 7

Fri.

 

2/

24

Day 8

Mon.

 



Discuss The Comedy of Errors Acts Three

Act Three scene one

Act Three scene two


Homework:

2/

25

Day 9

Tues.

2/

26

Day 10

Wed.




Discuss The Comedy of Errors Act Four

Act Four scene one

Act Four scene two

Act Four scene three

Act Four scene four

Homework:

2/

27

Day 1

Thurs.

2/

28

Day 2

Fri.





Discuss The Comedy of Errors Act Four

The Comedy of Errors: Scene Breakdown

Act Four scene one

Act Four scene two

Act Four scene three

Act Four scene four

Homework:

3/ 2 Day 3 Mon.
3/ 3 Day 4 Tues.








Discuss The Comedy of Errors Act 5

Act Five scene one

Homework: 

Promptbook Project: Choose Scenes, Divide Promptbook Responsibilities.

3/

4

Day 5

Wed.

3/

5

Day 6

Thurs.

Errors Scene Project One:

Promptbook Work:

3/

6

Day 7

Fri.

 

 

3/

9

Day 8

Mon.

 




Promptbook Checklist:

a. ________ Cover page
b. ________ Introductory Page
c. ________ Set Design (Elevations/ Ground Plan or Description)
d. ________ Company Report (group project)
e. ________ Prompt Pages (see below for the ideal prompt pages)
f. ________ Costume Drawings (Descriptions and Justifications)
g. ________ Character Reports (one per actor)
h. ________ Short Essay (everyone does one of these too)
i. ________ Photographs of Key Moments in Tableaux
j. ________ Video of Key Moment in Tableaux

Remember that the ideal prompt book will contain the following:

a.  _________ Definitions of difficult words.
b. _________ Paraphrases of difficult passages.
c. _________ Blocking Notes:
1) Mark in the script every move your characters will make in the course of your scene.
2) Describe the stage business in which the characters engage.
d.  _________Character Report:
1) Write down your character’s objective in the margins of your script next to the appropriate lines. If your character’s objective changes during the scene, write the new objective in the margin at the point of change.
2) Mark your lines with notes that indicate inflections, pauses and stressed words.

3/

10

Day 9

Tues.
3/11Day 10Wed
Comedy of Errors Performances!

Promptbooks Due by Friday at 3:30 p.m.
3/12Day 1Thurs.
3/13Day 2Fri.SPRING BREAK
3/14Day 0Sat.SPRING BREAK
3/23Day 0Mon.SPRING BREAK
3/ 24 Day 3 Tues.
3/25Day 4Wed.






Spain's New World Empire, 1600

First Encounters in the New World (Powerpoint) 

PARAGRAPH: Columbus' first reaction to his encounter with the natives of Hispaniola.

The English sought to do something entirely different. The Spanish were their enemies. They dreamed of setting those enslaved by the Spanish free and living with them.

from Terence Malik's The New World (2005)

Homework:

3/

26

Day 5

Thurs.

3/

27

Day 6

Fri.



The arrival of the Englishmen in Virginia


A Cimmaron


Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596)

Discussion of "Dreams of Liberation" chapter one of American Slavery...American Freedom (1975) by Edmund Morgan; Study Guide 

Quiz on Morgan (closed book on paper)

Paragraph: "What if....."

Homework:


3/

30

Day 7

Mon.
3/ 31 Day 8 Tues



Watercolor drawing "Indians Fishing"
by John White (created 1585-1586).

Discussion: “The Lost Colony"; Study Guide; (Quiz)

Paragraph: What doomed the Roanoke Colony and with it a vision of English liberty which included both Blacks and Native Americans?

Homework:

For Further Reading:

4/

1

Day 9

Wed.

4/

2

Day 10

Thurs.



John White's Map of the Outer Banks
of North Carolina (1584)		excerpts from Montaigne: "On Cannibals"  (first published in England in 1603, translated by John Florio) (Study Guide) (answers) (Video)
  • How does Montaigne define "barbarism" and "wild"? Which, then, is the superior shaping force: nature or nurture?
  • In Montaigne's opinion, how did the societies of the New World surpass the Golden Age? 
  • Why do these natives engage in cannibalism? (Why does Montaigne consider this behavior more civilized than European warfare?)

Paragraph: What is Montaigne right about? Or is he too being sucked into the utopian vision of America?

Homework:

Roanoke Reports: 
In 1585 John White sailed to America with the Roanoke colonists and then lived for thirteen months with the Arawak tribe in the area where the English tried to launch their multi-racial colony. Choose one of the paintings and write a brief report about your impressions of his or her life.

DIRECTIONS:

Go ahead and be creative. But do the following first:
  • Carefully observe a White watercolor;
  • Compare the picture with its  narrative description (written by Thomas Hariot, who also lived in the Roanoke colony). 
  • Take a look as well at the DeBrys woodcut made to help promote colonization in Virginia. (DeBrys had never been to the New World.)
  • Read the detailed annotations linked to the picture. 
  • Write a creative report about your impressions of this person's life. (Use the 1st person if you like.)
  • What purpose do these texts and images serve?
  • What preconceptions did the English bring to bear on their understanding of the natives?
  • What are the Indians really up to?

Due Tuesday, September 17th by 3:30 p.m

For further reading:

4/

3

Day 1

Fri.

4/

6

Day 2

Mon.

Roanoke Reports: 
In 1585 John White sailed to America with the Roanoke colonists and then lived for thirteen months with the Arawak tribe in the area where the English tried to launch their multi-racial colony. Choose one of the paintings and write a brief report about your impressions of his or her life. 

DIRECTIONS:

Go ahead and be creative. But do the following first:
  • Carefully observe a White watercolor;
  • Compare the picture with its  narrative description (written by Thomas Hariot, who also lived in the Roanoke colony). 
  • Take a look as well at the DeBrys woodcut made to help promote colonization in Virginia. (DeBrys had never been to the New World.)
  • Read the detailed annotations linked to the picture. 
  • Write a creative report about your impressions of this person's life. (Use the 1st person if you like.)
  • What purpose do these texts and images serve?
  • Compare details of the painting with the woodcut.
  • What preconceptions did the English bring to bear on their understanding of the natives?
  • What are the Indians really up to?

Due Tuesday, September 17th by 3:30 p.m

4/

7

Day 3

Tues.

4/

8

Day 4

Wed..


Shakespeare. The Chandos Portrait

Roanoke Reports due by 3:30 p.m.: 

The True Pictures and Fashions of the People in That Parte of America Now Called Virginia (1585) (from Virtual Jamestown)

  • What purpose do these texts and images serve?
  • What preconceptions did the English bring to bear on their understanding of the natives?
  • Compare details of the painting with the woodcut.
  • What are the Indians really up to?
  • Summary of Roanoke Experiment

 Why We Study Shakespeare:
Homework:

For further reading:

4/ 9 Day 5 Thurs.

4/

10

Day 0

Fri.

 Good Friday

4/

13

Day 0

Mon.

 Professional Day
4/ 14 Day 6 Tues.



In 1609, the ship Sea Venture wrecked near the Bermudas on its way to Jamestown. Hear more about its possible link to The Tempest in this excerpt from the Shakespeare in American Life radio documentary.

Background Notes to Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)

Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

The Tempest (Act I, scene ii) "Prospero’s Cell", Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, Sycorax, Caliban, Ferdinand; (Quiz); Study Guide  

Discussion: 

Homework:

Character Report: (Google Slides Presentations) on Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, or Caliban:

To understand Shakespeare's purpose in The Tempest, it is essential that we use our critical imagination to discover the back story involving each of key characters. 

  • Imagine a brief biography for your character.
  • Find imagery on the internet to illustrate your story.
  • Support your conclusions with evidence from the text.
  • Be prepared to present next class.

Prospero:

  • How did he lose his dukedom?
  • What kind of magic has he mastered? (Are there any limits to his power?)
  • What kind of society did he try to create during the fifteen years he has lived on the island?
  • When and why did things go so terribly wrong on the island?

Miranda:
  • Has she ever seen her father so angry before?
  • What does she know about who she is?
  • Who was her mother?
  • What has her life been like on the island for fifteen years?
  • What has her relationship with Caliban been like until very recently?

Ariel:
  • Who or what is Ariel?
  • What was his role when he served Sycorax, Caliban's mother?
  • How long was he imrisoned in a tree?
  • What kind of magic powers does he possess?
  • What is his relationship like with Prospero?

Caliban:
  • What was his life like before Prospero came to the island?
  • How old was he when his mother died?
  • For fifteen years, what was his relationship like with Prospero and Miranda?
  • What went wrong? (Do you blame him?) 

Study the following speeches by (ar about) your character from  Iii :

4/

15

Day 7

Wed.

4/

16

Day 8

Thurs.







Background Notes to Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)

Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

Character Reports on Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, Sycorax, Caliban, and Ferdinand (due by 3:30 p.m.)

  • Imagine a brief biography for your character.
  • Find imagery on the internet to illustrate your story.
  • Support your conclusions with evidence from the text.
  • Be prepared to present next class

Discussion: Prospero's Rage (and its cure?)

Paragraphs:
  • Describe Prospero's state of mind at the outset of the action. From what past experiences in Prospero's life has the tempest sprung?
  • How does the imagery of Ariel's Song relate to Prospero's revenge?

Homework:


4/

17

Day 9

Fri.

4/19Day 0Sun.

4/

20

Day 10

Mon.




Poole, Paul Falconer. Scene
 from "The Tempest" (1856)




Stephano and the Beast


Trinculo Vented

Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

Paragraphs:
  • How might the original English model of colonization, if it had been successfully implemented, have changed American history? How did this Utopian model go awry?
  • Describe Prospero's state of mind at the outset of the action. From what past experiences in Prospero's life has the tempest sprung?
  • How does the imagery of Ariel's Song relate to Prospero's revenge?
  • How do people like Antonio make utopia impossible?
  • In the very next scene, Caliban believes he has been given a magical opportunity to take revenge on Prospero. What is Shakespeare's take on Caliban's desire for vengeance?

The Tempest (Act I, scene ii) "Prospero’s Cell", Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, Sycorax, Caliban, Ferdinand

The Tempest,  Act II, scene i "What's Past is Prologue"; (Quiz) Study Guide


Paragraph: How do people like Antonio make utopia impossible?

Act II, scene ii: "O brave monster!" (Effects) (Taymor)

Caliban:

Paragraph:  How does this comic scene make Shakespeare's point about the desire for vengeance?

Homework:

4/

21

Day 1

Tues.

4/

22

Day 2

Wed.

4/ 23 Day 3 Thurs.
4/24Day 4Fri.


Ferdinand and Miranda


Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban Beset by Spirits

Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

Paragraphs:

  • How might the original English model of colonization, if it had been successfully implemented, have changed American history? How did this Utopian model go awry?
  • Describe Prospero's state of mind at the outset of the action. From what past experiences in Prospero's life has the tempest sprung?
  • How does the imagery of Ariel's Song relate to Prospero's revenge?
  • How do people like Antonio make utopia impossible?

Act II, scene ii: "O brave monster!" (Effects)
  • In the very next scene, Caliban believes he has been given a magical opportunity to take revenge on Prospero. What is Shakespeare's take on Caliban's desire for vengeance? (Compare to Antonio: (The Primal Sin: (I ii))

Act III Scene i: Admired Miranda!
  • What is significant about the fact that Miranda proposes to Ferdinand?
  • Anything worry you about the perfection of Miranda and Ferdinand's budding relationship?
  • How does Prospero's response to Miranda's engagement fit into Shakespeare's overall purpose in the play?

Act III, scene ii: When Prospero is destroyed  (Study Guide) (Quiz) 
  • Is there any difference between Antonio's plot and Caliban's? What is the way of the world according to Machiavelli?
  • Consider Caliban's great speech, "The isle is full of noises",  describing the wonders of Prospero's island. Would he have been better off never having met the Europeans and learning how to speak their language? 

Reviewing Caliban:

Paragraph: What is Shakespeare's vision of Caliban's character? Is he a victim or a villain?

Homework:

4/27Day 5Mon.
4/28Day 6Tues


Ariel as Harpy


Costume design for A Star from
"Oberon the Faery Prince" (1611)

Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

Paragraphs:

  • How might the original English model of colonization, if it had been successfully implemented, have changed American history? How did this Utopian model go awry?
  • Describe Prospero's state of mind at the outset of the action. From what past experiences in Prospero's life has the tempest sprung?
  • How does the imagery of Ariel's Song relate to Prospero's revenge?
  • How do people like Antonio make utopia impossible?
  • In the very next scene, Caliban believes he has been given a magical opportunity to take revenge on Prospero. What is Shakespeare's take on Caliban's desire for vengeance?
  • How does Prospero's response to Miranda's engagement fit into Shakespeare's overall purpose in the play?

Quiz on Reading Assignment

Paragraph: Can you propose a solution to Prospero's dilemma?

  1. Antonio (Machiavelli's bleak vision of human nature) Can you devise a government which will contain the ruthless ambition of immoral people? (Must Prospero turn himself into Machiavelli's Prince?)
  2. Caliban (Colonialism) Must the interaction between modern and undeveloped cultures be one way? (Should Caliban have been taught how to speak English?)
  3. Miranda (Patriarchy) How can a parent protect a child from the dangers of the real world? (Should Prospero intervene in the budding relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand-- as he did earlier between Miranda and Caliban? If so, how?)
  4. Ariel (Power) (Is there really any magic which exists to help Prospero with these dilemmas?)

Act III, scene iii: The Deep and Dreadful Name of Prosper  (Effects) 

  • Have you ever had a dream which flipped suddenly from wish fulfillment to nightmare? When does this scene change? Why does Shakespeare construct this climactic scene in this way? 
  • What does Ariel actually do to Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian? Can you imagine a worse punishment? What kind of vengeance has Prospero chosen to take? (Could such a punishment be meted out to a prisoner today?)

Act IV, scene i: The Masque: A Most Majestic Vision  Study Guide  

  • How has Ferdinand passed Prospero's test?
  • Use your imagination and conjure up a suitable spectacle to celebrate such a moment. What spirits would you summon to the scene? (Masque Powerpoint)
  • What causes the celebration to suddenly evaporate? 
  • Even though Prospero and Ariel can easily deal with the plot, what un-resolvable philosophical problem does the rebellion present?
  • How do you interepret Prospero's Great Speech: "Our revels now are ended..."
  • Do you agree with Prospero's final condemnation of Caliban?
  • How does he punish him?

Homework: 

4/29Day 7Wed.
4/30Day 8Thurs.

Slavery in Jamestown (1619)


Miranda and Prospero on the Beach

Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

Act V, scene i: O brave new world!; Epilogue  Study Guide  (Quiz) (Tempest Spot Passages)

Homework:

5/1Day 9Fri.
5/4Day 10Mon.AP's


The Daughter of Niger from The Masque of Blackness
(1606) by Ben Johnson and Inigo Jones


Essay on The Tempest  due Thursday, October 10th at 3:30 pm

Essay Workshop: 
Tempest Review:
  • How might the original English model of colonization, if it had been successfully implemented, have changed American history? How did this Utopian model go wrong?
  • Describe Prospero's state of mind at the outset of the action. From what past experiences in Prospero's life has the tempest sprung?
  • Can you propose a solution to Prospero's dilemma? How does the imagery of Ariel's Song relate to Prospero's revenge?
  • Antonio (Machiavelli's bleak vision of human nature) Can you devise a government which will contain the ruthless ambition of immoral people? (Must Prospero turn himself into Machiavelli's Prince?)
  • Caliban (Colonialism) Must the interaction between modern and undeveloped cultures be one way? (Should Caliban have been taught how to speak?)
  • Miranda (Patriarchy) How can a parent protect a child from the dangers of the real world? (Should Prospero intervene in the budding relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand-- as he did earlier between Miranda and Caliban? If so, how?)
  • Ariel (Power) (Is there really any magic which exists to help Prospero with these dilemmas?)

Homework: 

5/5Day 1Tues.AP's
5/6Day 2Wed.AP's
5/7Day 3Thurs.AP's
5/8Day 4Fri.AP's
5/11Day 5Mon.AP's
5/12Day 6Tues.AP's
5/13Day 7Wed.AP's
5/14Day 8Thurs.AP's
5/15Day 9Fri.AP's
5/18Day 10Mon.Awards Day
5/19Day 1Tues.Encounter Begins