Topic Description/Summarize Article…

Your final paper will be on ​one​ of the plays we’ve read this semester (​King Lear, Macbeth,Cymbeline, ​or​ Winter’s Tale​), on a topic of your choice. The primary requirements are ​1)​ a clear,lively, and persuasive ​argument​, ​2)​ plenty of ​textual evidence​ to support your argument, in theform of passages and lines quoted from the play(s);​ 3) interpretation​ of these quotes, showingclearly how they support your argument; and ​4)​ engagement with at least ​three peer-reviewedarticles​ relevant to your topic, which should be integrated into your own argument and textualanalysis.We will be writing this essay in stages.1.Topic descriptions (AT LEAST 300 words naming your play, describing your topic, andsummarizing one relevant peer-reviewed article) will be posted on Blackboard by FridayDec 4th.2.Annotated bibliographies summarizing three peer-reviewed articles (listed in MLAformat) will be posted on Blackboard by Friday Dec 11th.3.Final essays will be submitted by Dec 15th. Papers should be ​5-7 double-spaced pageslong​, in 12-point font, with standard one-inch margins. Make sure to check the WritingTips handout (posted on Blackboard) for foatting, and the Close Reading Essayinstructions for reminders on analyzing textual evidence.The topics listed below are meant to offer some starting ideas and guidelines to get you started;you are encouraged to devise your own topic, and/or to pursue a variation of one of thesedirections.1) Each of the plays we’ve read this semester features concerns about children, bloodlines, andsuccession. What kinds of particular concerns do these plays identify with fathers, such as Lear,Cymbeline, or Leontes? How do these plays characterize the experience of fatherhood?Alternately, consider the roles of a mother or stepmother, such as ​Cymbeline​’s Queen orHermione in ​The Winter’s Tale​. How do these plays portray the experience of motherhood? Howdo non-parents such as Macbeth or Lady Macbeth reflect on children and bloodlines? How dogender, class, and literary genre shape responses to parenthood in these plays?2) Consider the role of the supernatural in one of these plays: witches in ​Macbeth​, the oracle inThe Winter’s Tale​, or messages from gods in ​Cymbeline​. What do these otherworldly influencescontribute to the plays? What is the relationship between supernatural authority, monarchicalauthority, and patriarchal authority in the play?3) Many of the plays we’ve read this semester feature characters who wear other clothes todisguise themselves: Kent as a servant, Edgar as Poor Tom, Cloten as Posthumus, Imogen as theboy Fidele, Perdita as Flora, Florizel as a common peasant. Choosing one of these plays, discuss

whether this disguise is successful, and why or why not. What are its consequences? Why isclothing important to the play’s plot?4) A number of the plays we’ve read feature a wrongly accused woman who must defend herself,such as Cordelia in ​Lear​, Imogen in ​Cymbeline​, and Hermione in ​Winter’s Tale​. Choosing one ofthese characters, consider her response. How does she defend herself, and how well does herstrategy succeed. What sort of allies, if any, does this character find, and what sorts of authoritybecome decisive in establishing innocence? Alternately, we also see depictions of female figures,such as Goneril, Regan, Lady Macbeth, and the Queen in ​Cymbeline​, who are seen as innocentwhen they are actually malevolent. How do they succeed in disarming others’ suspicions, andhow if at all are they eventually brought to justice?5) Consider the language of money, property, jewelry, or other forms of material wealth in oneof these plays. Who or what uses this language, who or what does it describe, and why? What arethe consequences of this language, and how does it affect the play’s plot or tone? What kinds oflinks does the play suggest between family, property, and value?6) Many of the plays we’ve read this semester features characters and/or actions presented insome way as illegitimate, whether in the technical sense (born outside of marriage) or general(outside of legal, conventional, and/or acceptable ways of doing things). Choosing one of thesecharacters or actions, analyze how Shakespeare presents him, her, or it. What does illegitimacymean in this circumstance? Is illegitimacy always a bad thing, or can it be good? What ifanything might we learn from it?7) Consider the problem of jealousy in​ Lear​, ​Cymbeline​, or ​Winter’s Tale​. What are its causes,what are its dangers, and what are its solutions? How if at all is jealousy linked with the problemof illegitimacy?8) Consider fantasies and strategies of revenge in the plays, such as those plotted by Cloten,Posthumus, or Leontes. What is the place of revenge in one of these plays? What happens to therevenger(s)? Are the catalyzing problems resolved, and if so how?9) Examine the language of sickness, disease, and medicine in ​King Lear, Macbeth, Cymbelineor ​The Winter’s Tale​. When is it figurative, when is it literal, and when do the two interact? Whatkinds of risks, threats, possibilities, or other associations does this language contribute to theplay?10) Analyze the role of a “minor” character in one of these plays: someone whose role seemsperipheral to the main action. Why is this character here, and what does he or she add to the

play’s meanings? Some to consider might be Oswald in ​Lear​, Belarius in ​Cymbeline​, orAutolycus in ​Winter’s Tale​.11) Indirect means of communication acquire particular significance in many of Shakespeare’splays. Consider the role of letters in ​Lear, Macbeth, ​or​ Cymbeline​, or messages in ​Winter’s Tale​.Where do they come from? Who conveys them? How are they received? What sorts of responsesdo they garner? What problems do they cause? How reliable are they? What does it do to theaudience to view, from the outside, these transmissions of messages? Consider the relativesecrecy or publicity of these various forms of communication.12) Fools, jokes, nonsense, and tricks play crucial roles throughout Shakespeare’s plays.Consider the kinds of contributions made by the Fool in ​King Lear​, the Porter in ​Macbeth​, or theClown in ​Winter’s Tale​. What do these figures contribute to their play? How do they affect othercharacters and the plot, and what is their impact on the play’s mood? Why do you think they’rehere?