Paper #2 assignment: due Oct.7th!

English 3213

Paper #2: First Time Tragedy, Second Time Farce

 

Brutus: Forever and forever farewell, Cassius.

If we do meet again, why we shall smile;

If not, why then this parting was well made.

 

Cassius: Forever and forever farewell, Brutus.

If we do meet again, we’ll smile indeed;

If not, ‘tis true this parting was well made. (Act 5, scene 5)

INTRO: As Poole writes in Chapter 6, “There’s a good case for laughing at the pretensions of tragedy when it’s not the real thing.” This is important because for tragedy to make its mark on an audience, we have to relate to the pain and emotion of the characters and see it as our own. The more distant it is, the more we withdraw, shake our heads, or simply laugh out loud. Indeed, some of the greatest tragic moments are often hilarious in the wrong context—or in the wrong actors! The line between pathos and bathos is perilously thin, and Shakespeare is happy to skirt it in all his tragedies, trusting in the power of his actors and in readers who can skillfully interpret his poetry. Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet are some of his most oft-parodied plays, since the over-the-top relationships and dialogue can seem histrionic or hysterical to modern audiences (esp. if the actors don’t understand it themselves).

PROMPT: For your Paper #2, I want you to examine TWO SCENES in Julius Caesar and/or Romeo and Juliet (in other words, two in one play, or one in each) that you feel risk sounding comic or ridiculous in performance. Why do the words strike us as false, out of place, or bathetic? Do we know what Shakespeare’s intention might have been? Have the meanings of words changed? Do we need to understand the social/historical context? Or is it more in the delivery? Discuss how you would make this scene (or these words) powerful rather than pathetic, rousing rather than ridiculous. What does the audience need to see or understand that could be ‘shown’ at the same time the words are spoken? You might also consider whether laughter IS the appropriate response, and if something humorous or ridiculous can still have a tragic effect.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Be sure to employ CLOSE READING when you analyze your passages. Don’t just summarize the plot, show me the story: explain how the language creates an effect, and discuss how Shakespeare creates it (and how we interpret it).
• You don’t need to summarize the plot of each play, but do briefly set up each scene—remind us what’s going on around your passage.
• MUST quote from Poole’s Tragedy along with the two plays: use him to help your conversation about Shakespeare.
• NO PAGE LIMIT: That’s entirely up to you, but try to exhibit thought and attention to details.
• DUE Friday, October 7^th by 5pm