Short Paper #1 Assignment

Option #1: The Player Makes the Part

“When admiring Shakespeare’s authorship of his great tragic roles, we should remember that he created them for Burbage, and could not have done so without this actor’s particular and remarkable gifts” (Hackett 64).

For this option, consider that Marlowe and Shakespeare shared many of the same actors when composing their plays; to make a play successful, you had to fit the part to the actor’s talents/abilities. We know that Edward Alleyn of the Admiral’s Men performed in Marlowe’s plays and continued acting until 1600 (long after Titus). Additionally, many other actors performed in different companies and for different playwrights. With this in mind, discuss a single character in Dr. Faustus and in Titus Andronicus that you think was written for the same actor. How does this role seem to suggest a specific set of qualities, abilities, and characteristics? What kind of actor does it seem written for? Is the language fluent and poetic? Short and comic? Full of bawdy innuendos? Or dripping with Classical allusions? Through close reading, make the case that each role shares certain qualities that would make it likely to be played by the same actor—or even a certain type of actor.

Option #2: Collaboration is King

“Chettle was one of a stable of writers…[who] contributed to some 49 plays between 1598 and 1603, of which 36 were collaborations. His colleague Heywood claimed to have had ‘either an entire hand, or at the least a maine finger’ in no fewer than 200 plays” (Hackett 67).

For this option, explore the idea that both plays (Faustus and Titus) are

collaborations by Shakespeare and Marlowe. In Faustus, Marlowe would have

been the chief writer with Shakespeare more a junior collaborator, whereas

Shakespeare took the lead on Titus with Marlowe simply adding a “hand or a

finger” to its composition. With this in mind, discuss two specific passages (at

least one from each play) that seem to illustrate the same quill at work. How
can we tell that this is Shakespeare writing or Marlowe writing? You don’t have
to prove this through sources/documentation, but rather, focus on themes,

characterization, and language to illustrate your theory. Where do two speeches

sound uncannily alike? Is there an obsession with a specific theme? A recurring

metaphor? A linguistic quirk? Through close reading, analyze both passages and

help us see the man behind the meter.

REQUIREMENTS

·        4-5 pages, double spaced

·        Must quote from both plays and analyze these quotations

·        Cite all quotations using MLA format with a Works Cited page

·        Due Thursday, February 9th by 5pm