Russ McDonald

McIver 126; Phone: 334-4694 (voice mail)

e-mail address: r_mcdona@uncg.edu

web page: www.uncg.edu/~r_mcdona

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 3:30-4:30; Friday 9-10; also by appointment. You are encouraged to consult me about problems in reading, for help with writing papers, and on other such matters.

G. B. Evans, ed. The Riverside Shakespeare, 2^nd. ed (Houghton Mifflin, 1997). Any modern text with adequate notes may be used instead of the Riverside. Older editions without notes or with minimal introductory matter are unacceptable; using such a faulty text will damage your performance in the course and thus damage your grade.

Russ McDonald, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare, 2nd Edition (St. Martins, 2001).

Upon completion of ENG 339, you will

• be able to read a Shakespeare play with pleasure and understanding
• demonstrate an understanding of the components of drama generally
• be able to apply your reading ability and critical skills to other works of early modern literature
• have acquired a general understanding of Elizabethan culture, particularly its theatrical and literary milieux
• be able to write an effective analysis of a literary work

Work load: there will be substantial reading, one critical paper, a quiz on each play, and two hourly tests. On the first day devoted to a play, you should have read at least half of it, i.e. you should be well into Act Three. You will then need to finish the play by the next class.

The quiz, given on the second day devoted to the play, will cover the entire work and is designed to see that you are reading carefully. There will be ten questions and a bonus. Questions will concern characters, their actions, paraphrasing of lines, and other such basic information. (A sample quiz is available on my web page.) One quiz grade will be dropped; there are no make-ups on quizzes.

Regular attendance is expected, and participation in discussion is encouraged and rewarded. Absence will damage your performance.

Papers are due on the date assigned, at the beginning of class. Late papers will be penalized in fairness to those who have sacrificed other duties to finish their papers on time.

Plagiarism or other violations of the University Honor Code will be dealt with harshly. My web page contains information that may be helpful in the preparation of papers

Grades will be calculated according to the following imprecise scale: The two tests count about half; quizzes and critical paper count about half; you may improve your grade by regular class participation and by improvement over the course of the term.

Filmed versions of most of the plays have been placed on reserve in the Teaching and Learning Center, McNutt Building, corner of Forest and Spring Garden Streets. The tape is usually available one week before we take up the play in class. You are strongly encouraged to avail yourselves of these performances, while recognizing that watching the video will not substitute for a careful reading of the play. Ideally, you would read the play carefully, then watch a filmed performance, and then re-read certain scenes of the text. Many of the films I have designated, as well as other versions, are available for rent at commercial video stores and for borrowing at the public library.

On Reserve:

The Taming of the Shrew (BBC; John Cleese)

A Midsummer Nights Dream (Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart)

Richard III (Laurence Olivier)

Richard III (Ian McKellan)

Romeo and Juliet (Franco Zeffirelli)

Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann; Leonardo di Caprio)

1 Henry IV (BBC; Anthony Quayle)

Henry V (Olivier)

Henry V (Branagh)

Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson)

Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh)

Hamlet (Laurence Olivier)

Also, through September 15: Shakespeare in Love