Monday, November 18, 2013
A conspiracy of cartographers
How does (do) the physical setting(s) of this play highlight and mirror the inner conflicts at work in the characters? To think about this from another angle, why would Shakespeare move the action to Cyprus after just the 1st Act? Is Geography an important element/character in this play?
The beat of a different drummer
How is the character of Othello more "modern" and believable than Hamlet, King Lear, or Macbeth? If you'd prefer (and haven't read the above works), consider Othello's character in light of other older heroes/protagonists such as Odysseus, Gilgamesh, and King Arthur. How does Othello depart from the stock associations and values of these more "typical" heroes?
The Horror! The Horror!
What is the nature of the evil that pervades the story of Othello? What is the central motivating factor for Iago? Is he aware of his own monstrosity? Why has Iago been characterized as THE most chilling and evil villain ever?
HeHeHeHawHeHeHawHawHaw
Shakespeare often uses humor NOT ONLY to offer a bit of comic relief, BUT ALSO to underscore a certain key idea. How does he use humor in Othello to highlight a key message of the play? (Please do not merely comment on the "comic relief" aspect of the humor; these responses will not count for credit.)
Original Student Entries for Othello
What observations, theories, or questions are you playing with as you read Othello and consider one of our listed ** Essential Questions?
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Original Student Entries for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
What observations, theories, or questions are you playing with as you read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and consider one of our listed ** Essential Questions?
Heads or Tails? A selection of prompts for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
If you're looking for . . . direction? purpose? a sunset? . . . and would like a few questions to get you going, feel free to respond to any of my sampling below. Have fun!
1. Why open with a stupid game of chance? With a gambling game? A child's game? A game of simple statistics . . . that doesn't go very statistically?
2. Why is so much of this story surreal? So unbelievable? Beyond assigning it merely to the genre of Absurdism, which in itself, of course, is just a name, a genre, a device, . . . WHY does Stoppard do this? And all this obfuscation and abstraction from characters who are two very normal fellows from a normal, linear, straight-forward classic like Hamlet?
3. Yes, yes, I know . . . Alfred is a bit over the top, as far as social commentary goes. But what other social critiques emerge from this short, distracted, frenetic play?
4. Was it only me, or were you too also REALLY FEELING for Guildenstern as he reacted to and despaired over the very real and impending death waiting for him just a few leagues away? I was very tense and sympathetic. And then I realized, "Oh wait . . . !" And then I thought, "But then again . . . ."
And then I was like, "Oh that crafty Player, he was so right!"
5. Rosencrantz, even when he's most insane, is really quite sage. Consider: would you rather be buried alive in a coffin or be buried dead in a coffin? And how does this idea resonate within the larger context of the play, and of the "other" play, Hamlet?
6. So it's easy to fault Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for how they so easily muck up their interview with Hamlet and bumble their attempts to sleuth his real motive and "madness." But, honestly, how would you have done it? What would you have said to Hamlet, or done, to help the whole Royal family?
7. Do you think, by referencing us and yelling "Fire!" that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern REALLY know we are sitting there? If we can agree that's a Yes, then what does it mean that we're sitting there, just another "character" hanging around?
8. Ok, ok, so Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are crazy. But look at the whole thing from THEIR perspective. What do all the others, and this situation, look like to them?
9. Do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern believe in God? Does Hamlet? Does Claudius? What is their world view, their philosophy on life?
10. I don't get his bad jokes. Do you? And what's with the sudden outbursts of color?
11. Why is it so easy to amass so many questions? What's the point of this play?
12. We know Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are similar. How are they so very different?
13. Time for me to get my AP on: what archetypal situations and issues are present here that would make for good lead-ins to open-ended AP essay questions?
14. Another one: as you know, literature is nothing without irony. What ironies are present here that slap one across the face, Guildenstern-style? Or that make you laugh?
1. Why open with a stupid game of chance? With a gambling game? A child's game? A game of simple statistics . . . that doesn't go very statistically?
2. Why is so much of this story surreal? So unbelievable? Beyond assigning it merely to the genre of Absurdism, which in itself, of course, is just a name, a genre, a device, . . . WHY does Stoppard do this? And all this obfuscation and abstraction from characters who are two very normal fellows from a normal, linear, straight-forward classic like Hamlet?
3. Yes, yes, I know . . . Alfred is a bit over the top, as far as social commentary goes. But what other social critiques emerge from this short, distracted, frenetic play?
4. Was it only me, or were you too also REALLY FEELING for Guildenstern as he reacted to and despaired over the very real and impending death waiting for him just a few leagues away? I was very tense and sympathetic. And then I realized, "Oh wait . . . !" And then I thought, "But then again . . . ."
And then I was like, "Oh that crafty Player, he was so right!"
5. Rosencrantz, even when he's most insane, is really quite sage. Consider: would you rather be buried alive in a coffin or be buried dead in a coffin? And how does this idea resonate within the larger context of the play, and of the "other" play, Hamlet?
6. So it's easy to fault Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for how they so easily muck up their interview with Hamlet and bumble their attempts to sleuth his real motive and "madness." But, honestly, how would you have done it? What would you have said to Hamlet, or done, to help the whole Royal family?
7. Do you think, by referencing us and yelling "Fire!" that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern REALLY know we are sitting there? If we can agree that's a Yes, then what does it mean that we're sitting there, just another "character" hanging around?
8. Ok, ok, so Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are crazy. But look at the whole thing from THEIR perspective. What do all the others, and this situation, look like to them?
9. Do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern believe in God? Does Hamlet? Does Claudius? What is their world view, their philosophy on life?
10. I don't get his bad jokes. Do you? And what's with the sudden outbursts of color?
11. Why is it so easy to amass so many questions? What's the point of this play?
12. We know Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are similar. How are they so very different?
13. Time for me to get my AP on: what archetypal situations and issues are present here that would make for good lead-ins to open-ended AP essay questions?
14. Another one: as you know, literature is nothing without irony. What ironies are present here that slap one across the face, Guildenstern-style? Or that make you laugh?
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