SUBMISSION PORTAL OPEN. DUE MONDAY 5-29-2023.
Remember, essay prompts are in Module 7!
FORMAT: 4-5 pages (1200-1500 word count), 1” margins, double-spaced, 10/12 pt. type; cover page if you wish. Use at least two outside sources (cited). MLA format preferred for any quotes (see syllabus). You must use one of the approved file types: pdf,txt,rtf,doc,docx – no Google docs, etc.
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FORMAT: Use standard format (double-spaced, 12-pt type, 1” margins); cover page if you wish. MLA format preferred for any quotes (see syllabus). Due by 11:59 pm to the Canvas portal (once it opens).
Choose from options 1, 2 or 3 (which include sub-options as well). 1200 words minimum is required. Where relevant, you’re allowed to build on any earlier thoughts on Hamlet or Tartuffe from the discussion board; you can reuse such material as long as it’s suitably developed to essay standards.
1. William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1600)
In your essay (1200 words minimum), address one or more of the following prompts. In all cases, you must also include at least one good paragraph that discusses the cinematic methods and achievements of Franco Zeffirelli’s version, which we watched this term. As a filmed adaptation of a celebrated play, it takes liberties with the script but achieves impressive results. Detail and evaluate the most important that you notice (angles, lighting, staging, acting, etc.), and give at least one example about the experience (content, direction, performance, and/or production). And of course, consider the acting: Mel Gibson, Glen Close, Helen Bonham Carter, et al. Again, address one or more of the following prompts:
Discuss the concept and use of irony (reversal of expectations) as it occurs in the play: verbal, situational, and dramatic. Give at least three examples, whether from dialogue, action, or characterization.
Discuss how the play uses the medieval convention of the Revenge Play to develop complex characters who reflect a much truer image of human nature than the perfect heroes and heroines of such theatrical models. How does the contradiction & ambiguity of such characters reveal their humanity? Besides Hamlet, characters like Claudius, Laertes, and Gertrude would be good choices to consider. Again, give at least three examples, whether from dialogue, action, or characterization.
Consider how Aristotle’s notion of hamartia — the inherent flaw or weakness that destroys a tragic hero — drives the story. What is Hamlet’s flaw and in what ways (and what key scenes) does it manifest itself? As always, give at least three examples, whether from dialogue, action, or characterization.
Some useful links:
The complete Hamlet, so you can reread key scenes as needed. This link opens to Act V, scene II (gravedigger), but you can jump around from there: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/hamlet.5.2.html (Links to an external site.)
Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 version starring Mel Gibson, the version assigned for our class: https://digitalcampus-swankmp-net.ezproxy.grossmont.edu/gcc341394/watch?token=36a744291db0ca0d57ce91a7a4a5174f771e2bcd651fc7fd4e1f1594509a4bc2 (Links to an external site.)
2. H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (1899)
In your essay (1200 words min.), address any or all of the following points raised in this influential early science-fiction novel:
the author’s use of oppositions and plot reversals in developing the narrative (inside/outside, underground/on the surface, fleeing/returning, paired characters, alien-human, etc.)
the colonialist/imperialist implications, ironic and otherwise, of the alien invasion
the utopian implications suggested in the conclusion
the opinions/ideologies expressed by the Curate, the Artilleryman, and/or the narrator himself
Whichever of those topics you choose, also answer these questions:
Who does our philosopher-narrator hope to see at story’s end?
What conclusions do you reach in response to the story and/or the author’s style and ideas?
How does H. G. Wells develop his tropes (figures of speech, repeating narrative devices) or themes (big ideas, comments on the human condition, experience of being), and to what effect? Give at least three examples, whether from dialogue, action, or characterization.
You may also make further comparisons with any of the adaptations of the H. G. Wells novel, including the Orson Welles radio broadcast, either of the films, or any of the (at least 3) recent video versions. 1-2 paragraphs allowed on this sub-topic.
3: Molière, Tartuffe (1664). Choose one topic and argue for or against (why or why not):
EITHER: Tartuffe — lecher or tortured soul? Or is he an artist? You decide! Give at least three scenes/actions/dialogues to support your interpretation of events onstage.
OR: The King as Absolute Monarch — praise or mockery? You must refer to the scene from Act V and also Bishop Bossuet’s comment on absolutism (see textbook and module notes). Can you think of a contemporary to this wise prince? Tell us! You should also be able to demonstrate the use of a deus ex machina, in which, referring back to the staging of Classical Greek theater, an impossible situation is resolved by an outside force that overrides all laws or norms, as a god could do — or a king, in this case.
In either case, describe in a few words your experience of watching this play performed. Consider the acting, the blocking (stage movements) the sets, the score (music), or anything else that grabs your attention. You must comment on one of the Donald Moffat scenes (clips) and, finally, you must recount a detail from the performance of the last act of Molière’s farcical and nuanced comedy — that part of the play only available in the cheerfully amateur production. Of course, you’re encouraged to watch that version in its entirety. They work hard, that rival drama department!
https://vimeo.com/38036423 (Links to an external site.)
(Links to an external site.)
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