Paper #2: First Time Tragedy, Second Time Farce

English 3213

Paper #2: First Time Tragedy, Second Time Farce

“Risk is intrinsic to all performance, but where tragedy is concerned, the sense of risk is written into the text itself as something to be embodied, encountered, endured by anyone who reads, witnesses, or performs it, no matter how gifted or ham-fisted” (Poole, Chapter 7).

INTRO: As Poole notes above, there is a great risk in performing tragedy—because we might not ‘get’ it. It might fail, the actors might fail, and we might simply laugh that what is supposed to be horrific or moving (bathos instead of pathos). As Poole also notes in Chapter 6, “There’s a good case for laughing at the pretensions of tragedy when it’s not the real thing.” Many scenes in Shakespeare’s tragedies veer close to comedy, not because they’re telling jokes, because they’re so difficult to perform or imagine. This is especially true with over-the-top characters like Richard III, who sometimes seems to embody a cartoonish violence (“off with his head”), or many characters in Julius Caesar, whose events and language are ripe for parody. So does Shakespeare want us to cry or laugh? When might he stretch the tragedy too far—on purpose? Or when are we just unwilling to take the risk, and laughter is the easy way out?

PROMPT: I want you to examine TWO SCENES (either one from both Richard and Caesar, or two from one play) that you feel have the potential for parody. Meaning, we’re not sure whether to be moved to laughter or to tears/emotion. Why is this? Is it in the plot, the relationships, the context, or the language? What is the “risk” this scene demands of its actors and the audience? How could it be performed/understood tragically, and how could it become a joke? Should it? Is this scene an attempt to bring comedy into an otherwise serious moment? Or are we just taking the easy way out by laughing? Try to avoid an obviously funny scene (with someone making jokes, etc.) and look instead at a scene that has the potential to go either way. But make sure to tell us which way you THINK it should be performed; which way makes the most sense dramatically?

REQUIREMENTS:

• CLOSE READING: Just as with the last paper, don’t summarize but analyze: show us what you see in the language. Don’t rely on the plot to make your points.
• THEORY: Use Poole to help you make connections and point out things which are otherwise difficult to explain/examine. Poole can help!
• DUE DATE: In a little over two weeks, on Thursday, October 30^th IN CLASS. We’ll approach your scenes in class, so bring it with you!