Ideas from Chapter 7, "Beyond a Joke"

In class on Tuesday, I gave everyone in class one of these quotes, and had everyone write about and discuss how they were relevant to the plays in question. Remember to use Bevis as the 'frame' for your presentation. Don't just stage a modern version of Shakespeare: think about what a modern version of Shakespeare can help you say/reveal about Shakespeare's comedies. Some of these passages from Chapter 7, which we didn't read for class, might help you think about your productions and implement some great comedic ideas. Here are the passages we discussed in class (though you can use anything from the previous chapters in your presentation as well):

From Bevis, Chapter 7: “Beyond a Joke”

Page 95: The world is a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel…Tragedy is when I cut my little finger, Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die (Mel Brooks).

Page 96: Comedy does not preclude tragedy, it presupposes it…humour is the instinct for taking pain playfully.

Page 98: [Don] Quixote is one of comedy’s representative heroes because he reminds us that those lacking in imagination can be too healthy.

Page 100: Such deadpan ironies can make comedy the defender of the finer feelings against which it offends. Perhaps it even elicits these feelings in the reader by affecting to disregard them.

Page 100: Luigi Pirandello claims that humour is ‘the feeling of the opposite…’ almost a mirror in which feeling looks at itself.’ Modern comedy often stages mixed feelings about feelings themselves.

Page 102: Comedy is a kind of second glance, a moment in which somebody is caught hold of—or catches hold of themselves—as trivial yet also larger than life.

Page 104: ‘The essential achievement of modern art,’ explained Thomas Mann, ‘is that it has ceased to recognize the categories of the tragic and the comic…and sees life as tragicomedy”…

Page 104: Nell points out in Beckett’s Endgame (1957) that ‘Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. Yes, yes, it’s the most comical thing in the world.’

Page 105: Thomas Nagel sees the absurd as a three-stage drama: armed with ideals, policing yourself with purposes, you are leading your life (or, rather, pursuing it); then, suddenly, you are caught off guard by a sense of your life’s idiocy, or triviality, or futility; and then, since you cannot do very much as a mere spectator of your life, you go back to living it…

Page 105: Our very sense of the absurd is an achievement because it shows that we are able to transcend ourselves in thought, yet also a predicament because it seems to involve falling into old mistakes in new ways.

Tips for Final Projects!

I gave this handout in class on our last day (Tuesday), but if you missed it or misplaced your handout, here are some ideas to consider as you go into your final project. Be sure to look over the links in the posts beneath this one, since they give you valuable resources to help you piece together your production. 

1.       Be sure to research some previous productions of your play, which you can find on the RSC archive (on the blog) or elsewhere on the web. Look up reviews of your play and see what critics thought worked and didn’t work. The more you understand how the play has been ‘solved’ by others, the more you can come up with your own solution.

2.       Be sure to ask yourself ‘why?’ when it comes to your setting and location. What purpose does it serve? What problems does it solve? Is it a gimmick, or does it actually help us ‘see’ something in the play or between the characters?

3.       Use Bevis to find a ‘direction’ for the play. By this I mean, consider what ideas of comedy you want this play to explore or illustrate. All of these plays are comedies, but not everyone will see the joke. So think about how Bevis shows us multiple ways to think about and understand what comedy is and what it does to an audience. Imagine that Bevis’ ideas are your thesis: try to state this thesis in a sentence or two in your presentation.

4.       Find VISUALS. Make sure we can see examples of what your play would look like. You don’t need to find a production to show us, but you can find examples of the kinds of people, the costumes, the landscape, etc., that would evoke your staging.

5.       Show us a PROBLEM moment in the play that you can briefly discuss and maybe solve for us. In fact, your entire presentation could be a single problem scene that you explain through your modernization/staging.

6.       You only have TEN MINUTES, and you really can’t cover that much ground in ten minutes. So make sure everything you show us is meaningful—that it actually leads somewhere. Don’t waste frames and time on a portrait of Shakespeare, or something that is ‘throw away.’

PLEASE let me know if you have questions, if you don’t know how to do something, or you find yourself stuck. I’m here to help! Good luck!

Final Project Videos and Our Flipgrid Site

NOTE: The last questions for The Merchant of Venice are in the post below this one! 

I’ve made a Flipgrid account for our class: Shakespeare's Comedies. Here's the link to our class' site: https://flipgrid.com/4wn3lvz5

I gave everyone in class permission to join the group, but if you have problems doing so, the code to join is "4wn3lvz5.” So go to flipgrid.com and put in the code, and then join with your ECU e-mail (it will ask you for a Google or Microsoft account—ECU is Microsoft). 

When you get to the site, you'll see 1 topic called "Final Project Posts." That's where you'll post your presentation as a "response." Once you click on the topic, there's a big red button that says "Record a Response." Once you click on that, you can either upload a video you've already recorded (on Zoom, Powerpoint, etc.) as long as it's no more than 10 minutes long (that's the limit for Flipgrid, and thus, this assignment). Or you can record your video right here on Flipgrid, using the "Share Screen" option to narrate over your Powerpoint. Here's how to do that:

1. Make sure your Powerpoint or other presentation is open on your desktop

2. When you click on "Record Response," and your image appears, click on the "Options" tab and then choose "Record Screen." 

3. Click on "Start Screen Recording" and then choose "Window." Click on your presentation and then choose "Share." 

4. Once you do that, the recording starts, so get ready to talk! You can also start recording before you share the screen (Flipgrid will give you a 3-second countdown if you do it this way, so you know to get ready). Afterward, you can edit the presentation, delete it, or continue.

5. If you like it, click "Next" and you'll be asked to include a selfie (you can take one on the spot or use an image from your presentation) and some information about the video. And then you're ready to post! 

Here's a video that walks you through recording a video to Flipgrid if my information isn't as clear as it needs to be: 

REMEMBER, though, you only have 10 minutes. You can do a lot in 10 minutes, but it's also not as much time as you think, so be succinct and try to hit all of your points quickly. Imagine that you're trying to sell your idea to a director or acting group; they wouldn't want to hear too much, and you would have to interest them almost immediately. So hit the main points, be specific, and that's it. 

I posted a video as an example of how a presentation might look. Mine isn't perfect, and I rush a bit at the end, but it gives you an idea of the main points you might hit. Be sure to include something about previous productions (you can find that on the RSC links in a post below), ideas from Bevis, your ideas about modernizing the play, and at least one problem scene and how you intend to solve it. In general, lean on your Paper #3 assignment; that's the genesis of this project. You shouldn't have to do much more work, just show and explain your ideas. 

The final project is due the last Friday of finals week, May 7th by 5pm. So you have plenty of time! 

Good luck and let me know if you have questions! 

For Tuesday: The Merchant of Venice, Acts 3-5

LAST SET OF BLOG QUESTIONS! Answer TWO for next week: 

Q1: Why is Shylock’s famous speech in Act 3, Scene 1 in prose? It contains some of the most famous lines in Shakespeare...so why isn’t it glorified in imabic pentameter? Also, we know Shylock can and will speak in verse, so why does he opt for prose in this speech—and in this entire scene? Why might it important to highlight this for the audience?

Q2: Are we meant to feel sympathy for Shylock in Act 4, Scene 1? While Shakespeare’s audience would have naturally cheered for Portia’s victory (this is a comedy, after all!), could Shakespeare have writing against the grain of audience expectations? Consider Shylock’s final words, “I am content,” and “I am not well.” Given his earlier confidence, are these comically brief...or concisely tragic?

Q3: Act 5 opens with an extended scene of love banter with Jessica and Lorenzo. Using the footnotes on the side, what makes these allusions to Cressida, Dido, and Thisbe somewhat surprising? How might this scene suggest Jessica’s state of mind after fleeing her father’s house and finding herself in the Christian world of Belmont? Is this ‘happily ever after’ for her, or is she constantly looking over her shoulder?

Q4: In Act 4, Scene 1, Portia tells Shylock, “in the course of justice none of us/should see salvation” (155). Does she offer the same compassion to her own husband in Act 5? What do you make of her bizarre interrogation of Bassanio, which culminates in her claming she has slept with Balthazar, the lawyer, to obtain the ring? Does she feel betrayed by Bassanio...or is she toying with him the same way she toyed with Shylock during the trial scene?

The Dramaturgical Presentation: Modernizing Shakespeare

INTRO: A drama-what? A “Dramaturg” is a scholar who works with a theater company to understand the textual, historical, and political ideas behind a given play. This is particularly important for older plays, like Shakespeare’s, since the audience (and the actors) often don’t know very much about this world: who lived there, what life was like, what they cared about and found funny, etc. Daniel Mesta, in his article “Theatre’s Secret Weapon: A Closer Look at Dramaturgy,” writes: “Curiosity is one of a dramaturg’s most crucial traits. Sometimes, both with new plays and familiar ones, asking the right questions can make or break a production. Dramaturgs ask, “What are the rules of the world? What are the relationships between characters? How does time work in the world of this play?” As the source of limitless questions, dramaturgs allow playwrights, directors, designers, and actors to expand their understanding of the script and create a world that is cohesive and accessible” (dramatics.org).

PROMPT: For your final project, I want you to be the Dramaturg for an ECU production of the play you wrote about in your Proposal assignment (Paper #3). To do this, you will put together a short PP presentation (or similar) of no more than 10 minutes, which you should record yourself narrating. This presentation should be aimed at the director/actors, explaining how you propose to make the play more accessible and interesting to the audience with a little adaptation. Ideally, you should draw from your Proposal assignment: why this play, where will you stage it, what basic theme or idea does the play need to communicate, and what are some of the problem scenes, etc.? So be CURIOUS, ask the RIGHT QUESTIONS, and give PROVOCATIVE ANSWERS to your actors and audience. Make these plays FEEL NEW and EXCITING and not just “warmed over Shakespeare.”

Your presentation should include MOST or ALL of the following:

• Why stage this play? Why not just keep doing the more popular ones?
• Visual examples of what your setting would look like, of what certain characters should look like, or other aspects that help us ‘see’ your vision
• Why this setting? What theme or idea are you trying to put across? What do you want the audience and actors to essentially understand about this play?
• A passage or two from Bevis’s Comedy to show how some of his ideas might have influenced you, or helped you understand Shakespeare’s intentions
• Brief summaries of 1-2 recent productions that staged this play, and how this influenced your own staging
• Brief discussion of at least ONE problem scene, and how you might address it: include brief but focused CLOSE READING (don’t just summarize)
• Discussion of some common misconceptions of the play, or misconceptions about Shakespeare that you can address in your staging

REQUIREMENTS: Remember, this is a presentation, not a paper. So I want you to RECORD the presentation with you narrating it, like a real presentation. Imagine that you’re addressing the director and the actors, and letting them know the WHAT, the HOW, and the WHY of the play. I’m going to set up a Flipgrid account for our class, so you can either record and upload it there, OR you can simply send me a video file and I can do it for you. But remember, make sure you base your presentation on a PP, Prezi, or other format so we can SEE the visuals and the words, as well as hear your narration. Due on the last day of Finals, date TBA! (May something or other).

NOTE: I will post a video soon showing my take on this assignment, and how you might go about creating your presentation. And if you have questions, please ask! 

Some Resources for Paper #3

 If you need some ideas for 'modernizing' your play, or simply to think about problem scenes and ideas, here are some useful resources!

PAST ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRODUCTIONS:

This link has clickable productions from 1960 to the present, showing every time a play has been performed, and some of the production notes and photos outlining how it was performed and some adaptations that were made. Some entries have more detail than others, but note that, for example, The Comedy of Errors was only performed FOUR times in 60 years (!) by the RSC, most of them recently: in 1996, 2005, 2010, and 2012. So this tells you that it used to be totally ignored, but has now become almost popular--maybe an undiscovered gem among Shakespeare's plays?

THE LINK: https://www.rsc.org.uk/about-us/history/past-rsc-productions

THE GLOBE THEATRE WEBSITE

This showcases plays that are performed at the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London, where Shakespeare actually performed many of his plays. They always do a more 'traditional' staging, though minus boy actors, yet still try to incorporate modern ideas and practice. Note that on May 20 they feature "Anti-Racist Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream," a free webinar about race and Shakespeare's play. Many of these events can be streamed at home, some for free, and some for normal ticket prices. But it gives you a sense as to what plays are being performed and how in Shakespeare's 'home.' 

THE LINK: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/

 LOVE TROUBLE

A review about a 2013 production of A  Midsummer Night's Dream, noting some of the uncomfortable issues in the play, notably: "In the playing, of course, much of the venomousness comes across — as it should — as hyperbolic, and therefore comic. And it’s of course true that Titania, Lysander and Demetrius have all been led into their romantic follies not by the yearnings of their own hearts, but by the manipulations of magic."

THE LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/theater/the-light-and-dark-of-a-midsummer-nights-dream.html

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE: A PROTEST WITHIN A PLAY

An article about the Habima Theater's production of The Merchant of Venice in Hebrew at the Globe Theatre in 2012. It caused a large protest which almost spilled onto the stage. As the author writes, "The thought that crossed my mind, as I watched events unfold on the stage and in the auditorium, was not so much how resonant the themes contained within Shakespeare's play still are, but what protests, if any, would The Merchant of Venice have provoked had it been written today and not more than 400 years ago?"

THE LINK:  https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-18262621

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW: THIS IS NOT A WOMAN BEING CRUSHED

A review of a 2012 production with interviews by the actors, asking them what kind of play this really is. As one actor notes, "Hall doesn't think Shakespeare was being misogynistic in portraying female subjugation, but questioning the values of society. "He's challenging an audience's expectations of how a woman is supposed to behave. What if, as a human being, she doesn't want to roll over, as was expected in Shakespeare's day? I actually think he's championing the woman's rights."

THE LINK: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/jan/17/taming-of-the-shrew-rsc 

POWER AND GENDER IN THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

An article from the British Library with many historical document giving context about Shakespeare's time and intentions. A great overview of many of the controversial issues, and how they could be understood in light of Shakespeare's age. 

THE LINK: https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/power-and-gender-in-the-taming-of-the-shrew# 

WHY SHYLOCK SHOULD NOT BE CENSORED 

A New York Times article from 1974 tackling the problematic question of Shylock, and why he's still relevant to the stage (and our lives). 

THE LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/31/archives/why-shylock-should-not-be-censored-tv.html 

Blog Response #6: Adapting Shakespeare and The Merchant of Venice, Acts 1-2

 The video below is less about The Merchant of Venice (though I talk about it at the end) than an introduction to the idea of adapting Shakespeare, with an eye toward your Paper #3 assignment. I'll be posting more links and tips for doing this assignment and the Final Project to follow soon. For now, watch this video and COMMENT below, and then be sure to read Acts 1-2 of The Merchant of Venice for next week. See you then!

Paper #3: Final Project Proposal

Your third paper is a kind of ‘abstract’ to your Final Project, suggesting what you might want to do, or explore, in that larger assignment (see that assignment below). Since the final project will focus on the modernization and performance of a single play, I want you to choose ONE of the four plays from this class to focus on. Imagine which play you would most like to see performed in a modern production, and which of the four you think a modern audience would most benefit from seeing live.

The Proposal should do three things, and can be much more informal than the typical English paper: 

1.       Explain why you think this play is the best candidate for a modern production: why you think the audience needs to see it, or why the play is underappreciated or could expand our notion of Shakespeare’s writing.

2.       Suggest an alternative (more modern) setting for the play that makes sense to an audience. Instead of Ephesus or Athens, for example, why not Las Vegas or Cancun? Or a historical period, such as 1930’s Chicago (gangsters) or Studio 54 in the 70’s (in NYC). Explain why this setting (with its appropriate costumes) would help your audience see the characters and the comedy that Shakespeare intended.

3.       Identify 2 or 3 potential “problem scenes” in the play. But “problem,” I’m referring to scenes where you think the audience would have trouble with the content, the language, the characters, or some other element (is it sexist? Racist? Too confusing?). It doesn’t have to be the entire scene, necessarily, but explain why a specific passage might have to be changed, adapted, edited, or cut slightly. You can’t re-write lines, but you can adapt them (delete lines, remove a character, combine characters, etc.). Be SPECIFIC. Don’t just say that something is too confusing or too sexist; explain why and where you see it. You don’t have to offer elaborate changes, but suggest how you might approach it.

For this assignment, you don’t have to use any secondary sources, but think about Bevis’ ideas throughout. I’m only interested in seeing you talk shop here: tell me the what, why, and where of each play. And that’s it. However, the more thought you put into this assignment, the easier the final project will be. No page limit, but this due IN-CLASS ON TUESDAY, APRIL 13^th. This will be our primary focus in class that week, and I’ll give you a break from the reading/questions/videos.

For Next Tuesday: The Taming of the Shrew, Acts 3-5

Sorry for the delay--I've been having connection issues with my new laptop! But no fears--you questions have arrived! After you read Acts 3-5, answer TWO of the following questions for Tuesday's class. 

Q1:Petrtuchio's method to tame Katherine is similar to how an Elizabethan gentleman would prepare a wild falcon for service: "My falcon now is sharp and passing empty,/And, till she stoop, she must not be full-gorged,/For then she never looks upon her lure" (151). Why might Shakespeare have Petruchio dehumanize Katherine in this manner? If they are both intellectual equals (as Act 2 seems to prove), why does he take this course of action, rather than trying to win her through love and affection? if this is a comedy, why would Shakespeare resort to such brutal tactics to bring together his two protagonists? 

Q2: Why after several scenes of Katherine refusing to play Petruchio's game, does she suddenly give in and proclaim, "be it moon, or sun, or what you please./And if you please to call it a rush candle,/Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me" (187)? He she finally been broken by his gaslighting? Or is there another way to read her abrupt about-face? Do her words sound convincing? How would you advise the actress playing her to say or to act around them? 

Q3: Though Katherine is the most prominent woman in the play, Bianca is more interesting than she first appears. Though she seems like the "nice" sister, is this completely true? How does she using her charm to work against her would-be suitors and get her way? And how does she seem to feel about her new husband by Act 5? Is this a love match? Any clues? 

Q4: In Karen Newman's essay, "The Taming of the Shrew: A Modern Perspective" (in the back of the book), she notes that "The convention of mistaken identity...is not only a plot device in the play, but also works thematically to undermine notions of an essential self or a fixed identity" (235). Why might it be important than both Christopher Sly, the suitors, Katherine, and Lucentio's father, Vincentio, are all changed into something they're not? What might Shakespeare by saying to his audience that anyone, from the lowliest servant to the greatest lord, can wake up one day and not be who they think they are? 

Q5: (one more for good measure!): Why do you think the Induction scene doesn't return at the end of the play? There is another version of this play (but probably not by Shakespeare) where they bring back the character of Christopher Sly. However, after Act 1, he's never mentioned again, and surely this wasn't an oversight on Shakespeare's part. Would returning the frame story benefit the play? Or ruin it? 

For Next Week: The Taming of the Shrew, Induction + Acts 1-2

Be sure to read the first two acts (plus the brief Induction that opens the play) for next week, even though there are NO questions or video to watch. However, here are some ideas to consider for next week, and we'll open the class by examining a specific scene in the play. See you then!

* Why does the play open with the brief Induction that makes the entire play seem 'fictional'? How does this compare with Act 5 of A Midsummer Night's Dream? 

* Also, why are the characters in the Induction English (English names and English locations), but the play itself is Italian? Why do you think Shakespeare made that distinction? 

* The Taming of the Shrew has a mixture of poetry and prose, but in the first 2 acts, almost no rhyming verse. The verse is almost exclusively blank verse, with only a few lines here and there that rhyme (usually at the end of a speech or scene). Why do you think this is, particularly considering A Midsummer Night's Dream was full of it?

* Why might this play illustrate Bevis' idea that you are what people say you are? Where do we see that in the play? (or possibly, where don't we?)

* Where do you see some obvious echoes or connections to the previous plays, particularly in characters and the roles they play? Based on this, do you think The Taming of the Shrew was written after or before our previous plays (or in-between them?). 

* How seriously does Shakespeare treat the business of love and marriage in this play? Do we find people sincerely in love, or it all a game, or an act? How can we tell?

* How do you read the sparring match between Petruchio and Katherine? Is it meant to be angry and threatening? Or light-hearted and flirtatious? Is he really trying to marry her, or just playing a game? Is she offended, or flattered, by his attention? 

* Is Petruchio more like Oberon or Robin (someone who mischievously tries to control others), or is more like Dromio and Bottom (someone who is a wise fool--silly, but wiser than he seems)?  

Spring Break: Read Acts 1-2 of The Taming of the Shrew (and recap below)

Since we don't have class next week, go ahead and read at least the first TWO acts of The Taming of the Shrew. I won't give you any questions since it's Spring Break, but I will give you some ideas to think about early next week to help your reading. Don't forget that Paper #2 is due THIS FRIDAY! Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a little recap and some passages that are pertinent to our discussion on Tuesday: 

JUST A JOKE

• Page 78 (Bevis): People often say, "oh, I'm only joking," or "he's just kidding" but are often serious nonetheless. Jokes are often geared to wound. As Bevis writes, behind the smile is a socialized snarl...real snarls and real fights.
• Page 78: Is the term "playful anger" an oxymoron? How can anger be playful? Anger becomes playful or funny because it seems antithetical to play--it CAN'T be harmless, can it? But it can...it can be used to make us laugh.
• Page 80: What really makes us laugh? Two theories: Superiority Theory and Incongruity Theory? One suggests we laugh because we feel superior to the 'fools' on stage; the other, that we laugh because things are so absurd and out of place. How else CAN we respond? One or the other? A mixture of both?

THE USES OF SATIRE

• "Satire" comes from old Greek satyr plays, which were comedies about half men, half goats that mocked the audience. The idea is that you see both your human and your animal side on stage--reason and illogic. 
• Page 79: The point of satire: change the name and you are the subject 
• Page 81: Like TICKLING--both pleasure and pain. 
• Page 81: BIG—to send something up is not necessarily to put it down; which means, a satire isn't necessarily mean-spirited. You can lampoon something you love in order to see it better, or to point out its obvious flaws. Indeed, can we love something WITHOUT flaws? Don't we have to see something for its flaws and all? Does comedy helps us see the world in a human light in exactly this way? 
• Page 91: "Bad behavior"—so wrong it’s right. We often like to act badly in private, or in a space that allows us to do the 'wrong' thing. Why we like horror movies? Because they allow us to see people die and commit murder without committing a crime? Or experiencing terror without real danger? 
• Comedian George Carlin: likes bringing the audience across the line, having them happy I did...but where is the line drawn? And how far can we go without becoming 'monsters'?

ASKING THE WRONG QUESTIONS!

• Page 84: Composer John Cage was asked if there was too much suffering in the world. His response: “I think there's just the right amount.” Why is this COMEDY? Why is he acting like a "fool" here? 
• Page 81: PHILOSOPHY—“things aren’t so bad, it could be worse”: comedy as complacency? 
• Volatire's 1759 novel, Candide: the main character is constantly told "we live in the best of all possible worlds," even though he witnesses murder, torture, rape, and worse. His response: “yikes, so what are the other worlds like?”
• Page 85: TO BE A WITNESS IS AN ACCOMPLICE: why are we 'guilty' simply by watching the events on stage? 
• Page 85: Comedy a force for good? OR merely to question what “Good” might be? And who gets to choose?
• Page 91: Not to degrade humans; to remind them they already ARE!