ENGL 27600: Shakespeare on Film
Fall 2011 MW 10:30-12:20 BRWN 1154
Charles Ross; Heavilon Hall 313
Office hours: MW 1:30-2:30, after class, or by appointment any time
Email: rosscs@purdue.edu; tel. 494-3729
Russell Keck: Heavilon Hall 209
Office hours: TR 1:00-2:00, after class, or by appointment any time
Email: rlkeck@purdue.edu
Course Description
In this
course we read six plays by Shakespeare, watch film adaptations, and consider
the differences between their presentation on the page, the stage, and the
screen.
Course Objectives
In this class you will
· Read six Shakespeare plays and compare them to movie versions: What was put in; what was left out?
· Respond to films based on Shakespeare’s plays orally and in writing
· Consider film as an aesthetic experience and how it differs from a stage play or a text
· Learn about Shakespeare’s life and language, distinguish verse from prose
· Learn to think about the genres of comedy, tragedy, history, and romance
· Explore what aspects of human nature are timeless, which are culturally conditioned.
Required Texts:
The text
formerly use for this class is out of print: Bevington,
David. Shakespeare: Stage, Screen, Script.
New York: Longman Pearson, 2005. Key pages from this text will be available
on-line, as will texts of the plays.
We would
like you to watch the films outside of class. They are available on reserve in
the Hicks Undergraduate Library; all can be downloaded through Netflix or
purchased through Amazon. In addition, you can borrow available copies. Most of
all of the films will also be shown in class.
Suggested reading: Barton, John. Playing Shakespeare.
New York: Anchor Books, 1984. This is a series of lessons on speaking
Shakespeare’s verse, available also on video and DVD in the Hicks Undergraduate
Library.
Web Access
We will be using “dropbox,” which you should install. Or check Blackboard, which we may use if it is working properly.
Attendance and Participation
Since
this course is designed around class discussions and viewings, attendance and
participation for every class session will be factored into your final grade. For
every class session that you are absent, your attendance grade will be reduced
by 2 points. We will excuse only those
absences which pertain directly to you and for which you can provide official
documentation. If you know in advance that you will be absent, please tell us so
that we can try to help keep you on schedule, though it is ultimately your
responsibility to make up for any missed material and adhere to deadlines.
Participation
means more than simply showing up to class; it involves active contribution to
class activities and discussions. Short homework and in-class assignments are
also part of your participation grade. Sleeping; using cellular phones,
laptops, or other handheld devices in ways not relevant to class; or finishing
homework for another class will result in an absence for the day and a
reduction of your participation grade.
Good
attendance and participation are worthwhile in themselves because every class
is designed to help you prepare for each exam and essay; thus, coming and
participating in class will enable you to submit your best work.
Course Schedule:
8/22 The Taming of the Shrew
8/24 The Taming of the Shrew
8/29 The Taming of the Shrew
8/31 The Taming of the Shrew
9/5 Labor Day (no class)
9/7 The Taming of the Shrew
9/12 Richard III
9/14 Richard III
9/19 Richard III
9/21 Richard III
9/26 Richard III
9/28 Richard III
10/3 First Midterm
10/5 Romeo and Juliet
10/10 No class (October break)
10/12 Romeo and Juliet;
First Paper: compare a scene in one
of the plays we have read to one or
more film versions, or see us if you have another topic. Email your paper to rosscs@purdue.edu
before 10:30 AM October 17. 3 point deduction for each day thereafter. 3-5
pages)
10/17 Romeo and Juliet
10/19 Romeo and Juliet
10/24 Titus Andronicus
10/26 Titus Andronicus
11/31 Titus Andronicus
11/2 Titus Andronicus
11/7 Midterm 2
11/9 Macbeth
11/14 Macbeth
11/16 Macbeth
11/21 Macbeth:
11/23 No class (Thanksgiving break)
11/28 Hamlet
11/30 Hamlet
12/5 Hamlet
12/7 Hamlet
Second Paper.
Identify a film sequence of five minutes more or less and compare it to the
scene or scenes it’s based on. Due by 10:30 AM December 12. Email to rosscs@purdue.edu.
(5-10 pages)
Final exam: Tuesday, December 13, 7-9pm ,
same room (BRWN1154).
Films:
1) Taming of the Shrew, directed by Franco Zeffirelli;
starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (1968; 122 minutes)
2) The Tragedy of Richard III, starring Ian McKellen
(1995; 104 minutes)
3) Romeo&Juliet, directed by Baz Lurhmann, starring Claire
Danes and Leonard DiCaprio (1996; 120 minutes)
4) Titus,
directed
by Julie Taymor; starring Anthony Hopkins, Jessica
Lange, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Alan Cumming (2000; 162 minutes)
5) Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski
(1971, 139 minutes)
6) Hamlet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli; starring Mel Gibson (1990; 135 minutes)
Note: Purdue’s policy on film courses is
to schedule them for four hours instead of three. That means an extra 750
minutes of class time per semester. Scheduled screenings for this class take up
716 minutes of this syllabus. That leaves a standard course of three full hours
of class time. DVDs are on reserve in
the Hicks Undergraduate library.
Readings:
Read the six plays corresponding to the films. You may find
most of the Playing Shakespeare video
material in text form in Playing
Shakespeare. To review for exams, pay special attention to:
First exam:
“Shakespeare’s
Life” (pp. 7-11)
“Shakespeare
and Comedy” (pp. 73-76)
“Varieties
of Verse and Prose” (pp. 28-31)
“Page
to Stage” (pp. 48-49)
“Screenplay
to Screen” (pp. 55-68)
“Fathers
and Daughters” and “Role Playing” (pp. 81-82)
“More Recent Film Versions” (pp. 386-389)
“Olivier”
(pp. 634-636)
Second
exam:
“The Sonnets” (pp. 25-28)
“Baz Luhrman” (pp. 559-563)
“Page
to Stage” (pp. 48-49)
“Screenplay
to Screen” (pp. 55-68)
Final
exam:
“Page
to Stage” (pp. 48-49)
“Screenplay
to Screen” (pp. 55-68)
Assignments:
Study
Hints:
1) Read
the assigned pages from the required texts.
2) Read
and outline each play: for each scene, list the characters, summarize what is
happening, then write a one-sentence “action statement” that states in the main
clause of the sentence the most important action that one character takes in that
scene. This exercise is for your benefit to help you realize the structure
of the plays.
3) Bring
a copy of the text to class. Take notes.
4)
Lectures are available on Boilercast: http://boilercast.itap.purdue.edu:1013/Boilercast/
The Digital Learning Collaboratory (DLC):
The DLC
(HIKS B853) is full of outstanding resources that you may wish to utilize for
your multimedia projects. http://www.dlc.purdue.edu.
Grading: Points possible for assignments
are as follows.
Midterm
#1 200
Midterm
#2 200
Final
Exam 200
Video
Project, Attendance, Participation 100
Essay
#1 100
Essay
#2 200
Final
grades will be based on the following percentage scale, out of 1000 points:
100-94 A; 93-90 A-; 89-87 B+; 86-84 B; 83-80 B-; 79-77 C+; 76-74 C; 73-70 C-;
69-67 D+; 66-64 D; 63-60 D-; 59-0 F
Boilerplates:
Please be aware of the penalties
for doing otherwise, as set forth in Purdue University’s “Academic Integrity: A
Guide for Students” [http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm.].
Classroom behavior: See the Purdue University “Student Code of Conduct”
available at: http://www.purdue.edu/usp/acad_policies/student_code.shtml. Also, given the stationary seating of the Brown Hall 1154, please do not eat or drink during class. Do not annoy
your neighbors by texting or doing email during class. Phones should be off.
In the event of a major campus
emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject
to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other
circumstances. Changes in this course will be announced via email.
On Monday of the fifteenth week
of classes, you will receive an official email from evaluation administrators
with a link to the online evaluation site. You will have two weeks to
complete this evaluation. Your participation in this evaluation is an integral
part of this course. Your feedback is vital to improving education at Purdue
University. I strongly urge you to participate in the evaluation system.