zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/93982778562
SYLLABUS
Autumn 2020 Shakespeare after 1603 W.R. Streitberger
MW 11:30-1:20 ZOOM English 324 A streitwr@
Our ordinary procedure: we will meet every M, W from 11:30 TO 1:20 in ZOOM. Log in through CANVAS.UW.EDU. We will also use email to communicate and to submit work. You must check your email every 24 hours during the quarter. All written assignments and exams will be submitted to me by email as WORD attachments (no other kind of attachments please).
Our “fail safe” procedure: Online courses require internet access. What if my/your internet goes down? Our plan is as follows: I have sent you the syllabus for the entire quarter listing the requirements, the schedule, and study questions for each hour of class time. You are to follow this schedule. Do the reading and answer the questions for each class period. Choose one question for each hour, write a 20 minute essay on it, submit them to me when we meet again.
Texts: I have ordered The Norton Shakespeare, 3rd ed. The Essential Plays/ Poems. Material from the introduction of this text will be included in the two exams. On occasion you will want to look up definitions of literary terms. Literary encyclopedias and handbooks are available online
The Course:
The opening of the Globe playhouse in 1599 coincided with a major change in Shakespeare’s interests. Before 1599 he wrote eight comedies and eight history plays but only two tragedies (Titus Andronicus and Romeo and Juliet). After 1599 he wrote eight tragedies, three comedies so disturbing that they are designated “tragicomedies”, and four “romances”--as modern critics all them—which are haunted by tragedy. We will explore Shakespeare’s radical transformation of tragedy in this course. He broke every rule that Neoclassical critics held sacred, and in the process as philosophers, literary critics, theorists, and artists have argued for two centuries he initiated a post-Neoclassical modern theory of art, society and consciousness.
This is a Junior/Senior level majors course in which we will learn a fair amount about Shakespeare’s life, times, theatre, and about the criticism of his plays. We will begin our reading with the so-called “great tragedies”: Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, and King Lear. We will then go on to read three tragicomedies Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. Our focus will be on the artistry in Shakespeare’s texts—the use of language and poetry, the ideas of dramatic construction, the treatment of genre, the conception of gender, the idea of theater, the impact of his education on choice and treatment of subjects, the history of the texts, and, finally, the criticism of his works.
Requirements: This is a lecture-discussion course. I will lecture, and we will discuss the material we read in every class period. You must have your text open in front of you during every class meeting. I will call on students to respond (10%). Writing: Three 3 pp. essays. See syllabus for details (40%). Exams: Two 1 ½ hour exams. See syllabus for details (50%).
Syllabus
Week 1. This week read in Norton, 44-74, on Shakespeare’s life.
30 Sept. Introduction.
Week 2. This week read in Norton, 1-44, on Shakespeare’s world.
5 Oct. Macbeth and the introduction
7 Oct. Macbeth
Week 3.
12 Oct. Othello and the introduction
14 Oct. Othello . Due today: 3 page essay on EITHER “Masculinity and Femininity in Macbeth” OR “Race in Othello”.
Week 4. This week read in Norton, 957-68, on Tragedy.
19 Oct. Hamlet and the introduction
21 Oct. Hamlet. 3 page essay: Read on line Montaigne’s essay “Of the Inconstancy of Our Actions” Relate this to the Player King’s speech in Hamlet (3.2.170-199). NB: This essay is due on 9 Nov.
Week 5.
26 Oct. Hamlet.
28 Oct, Exam 1
Week 6. Read in Norton, 93-118, on the theatre of Shakespeare’s time.
2 Nov. King Lear and the introduction
4 Nov. King Lear
Week 7.
9 Nov. King Lear. Essay on Hamlet due today.
11 Nov. Veterans Day
Week 8. This week read in Norton, 75-92, on editing Shakespeare’s texts.
16 Nov. Measure for Measure and the introduction
18 Nov. Measure for Measure
Week 9.This week read in Norton, 1625-40, on the “Romances”.
23 Nov. The Winter’s Tale and introduction
25 Nov. The Winter’s Tale
Week 10.
30 Nov. Exam 2
2 Dec. The Tempest and the introduction
Week 11.
7 Dec. The Tempest
11 Dec. The Tempest. Due today. 3 page essay: “Look up the term “masque” in a literary dictionary.
Explain the characters, action, and theme of Prospero’s masque (4.1).
Discussion Questions
5 Oct. Macbeth. Hour 1
- Who or what are the three witches? What are Banquo's and Macbeth's first impressions of them (1.3.45-82)?
- How does Macbeth's character come across when we first meet him? Examine especially 1.3.128-143. What does he mean by "Against the use of nature" (138)?
- How does Lady Macbeth come across? What does she mean by "unsex me" (1.5.41)? What is her opinion of Macbeth's character? What is her conception of masculinity and femininity (1.5.17-18, 1.5.38-53, 1.7.48-59). What role does emotion or feeling play in these conceptions? Why does he accept her ideas on the subject?
Hour 2
- More than any of Shakespeare's other plays, this one emphasizes atmosphere. Much has been made by critics of the Porter's speech (2.3.1-40) in this regard. The knocking at the gate and the drunken porter's jokes bring us for a moment from the sickening murder scene into the realm of ordinary concerns and humor. What is "equivocation"? In what way does equivocation relate to other aspects of the play--to the witches and their predictions, to the weather, to thought process which leads Macbeth to murder?
- Paraphrase Macbeth's speech (2.1.34-62). What is this dagger? Make a list of the "natural" wonders which follow the murder in 2.3 and 2.4 Why does Shakespeare include them?
- Paraphrase Macbeth's speech 3.1.49-73. What does he mean by a "fruitless" crown, by his "eternal jewel," by "championing" fate in the lists? What is the relationship between these three ideas and some of the main thematic issues raised in the play thus far?
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7 Oct. Hour 1
- Shakespeare was chief playwright in the King's company of actors, part of whose job it was to present plays for the court's entertainment. Macbeth deals with ancient Scots history. Banquo is the legendary founder of the dynasty from whom King James I is descended. In what ways are the Macbeth's visions in 4.1 appropriate compliments to King James I? In what way do they pick up on themes and images in the play (blood, children, the future, equivocation)?
- What effect does Shakespeare appear to be working toward in 4.2? Would you say that this scene is important to the play? How?
- 1. Why does Malcolm lie to Macduff (4.3.1-101)? What is it that finally convinces Malcolm of Macduff's sincerity (4.3.115-38)? Do you think that Macduff's behavior (4.3.204-42) relates to other ideas about masculinity and femininity in the play?
Hour 2
- Paraphrase Macbeth's speeches in 5.3.19-29, 5.5.9-28, 49-52. Compare his state of mind and feelings here to those in Act 1. What effect does Shakespeare seem to be working toward by having Macbeth fight to the death even though he does not have a chance of winning?
- Comment on Lady Macbeth's death. Why do you think that Shakespeare has handled her character in this way?
- In what way is this play tragic?
How does Shakespeare’s treatment of masculinity and femininity figure in Macbeth’s tragedy?
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12 Oct. Othello. Hour 1
- By the end of Act 1 we hear of the relationship between Desdemona and Othello from three different perspectives. We first hear of it in the low comments made by Iago and Roderigo in their attempt to incite Brabantio's anger (1.1.88-94, 111-116, 118-120, 123-143). We then hear about it from Brabantio (1.1.173-178; 1.2.63-81). Finally, we hear about it from Othello and Desdemona (1.3.130-172, 251-262). Explain these perspectives. How do they contradict one another? How do they complement one another?
- Iago's values and his conception of human nature are clearly stated by the end of Act I (cf. especially
1.3.322-405). Describe his character and list the motives you find for his hatred of Othello. See also 2.1.287-313.
- Describe Othello--his background, his experience, his character--as it appears from reading Act 1.
Hour 2
- How often does Iago confide in the audience (cf., e.g. 1.3.361-382)? The effect?
- Examine the conversations between Othello and Desdemona in Acts 2 and 3. How does Shakespeare capture the qualities of an inexperienced relationship? What are the best examples?
- What reasons does Othello offer to explain Desdemona’s supposed betrayal
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14 Oct. Hour 1
- The handkerchief (3.3.306-315; 3.4.57-70) has ‘magic’ in its web. It is associated with the "magic" of love which is capable of transforming in positive ways. Here it becomes the "ocular proof" that convinces Othello of Desdemona's guilt. In what way is Shakespeare playing with reason and passion? Look back at the control Othello demonstrates in Act 1 (1.2.17-28, 30-32, 60-63, 82-86; 1.3.263-277) and compare this to his behavior in Cyprus (e.g., 4.1.35-43).
- Explain the dramatic effect of Emilia’s character.
- Evaluate Othello's reasons for killing Desdemona (4.1.208-210, 5.2.1-22). Compare also the emotional effect of the dramatized murder scene to these justifications. What effect is Shakespeare trying to achieve?
Hour 2
- Othello thinks he was fated to this end (5.2.274) and looks forward to punishment that seems very much like a Christian version of hell. Are these two notions compatible? How does Othello finally assess what he has done (5.2.348-366)?
- In what way is this play tragic?
To what extent does Othello’s race factor into his tragedy?
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19 Oct. Hamlet. Hour 1
- How does Hamlet describe his ‘interiority’ in 1.2.76-86?
- Pay careful attention to the imagery in Hamlet’s first soliloquy in 1.2. What is at the root of his anguish? How would you describe his character after reading 1.2? His sense of humor? His behavior? The state of his mental health?
- Is Polonius’s speech (1.3.116-121) an accurate description of the way human nature is constructed? If so, is Hamlet or anyone justified in expecting others to honor their promises and vows?
- How does everyone think that King Hamlet died? Pay careful attention to the imagery in the ghost’s description of his death in 1.5. Is it significant that it takes place in an orchard? With poison? What happens to the king’s body? By the end of act 1 how certain is it that the king was actually murdered?
Hour 2
- In 2.163-69 Polonius explains how he goes about discovering ‘directions.’ Give examples of other characters using ‘indirections’ to find directions.
- What kind of relationship does Hamlet have with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (see 2.1)?
- Hamlet admires the play describing Pyrrhus’s revenge but it also includes a description of Priam’s death and Hecuba’s pain (2.2.432-520). Does it seem that revenge may be more complicated than you originally imagined?
- In this scene Shakespeare begins to make many references to drama and theatre. A group of players come to Elsinore because companies of boy players are getting all of the audiences in the city. Polonius talks about the various genres they can perform. Hamlet asks the chief player to perform several speeches from a play he admires. In act three the players will perform a play that comments directly on this play. How do all of these meta-theatrical devises affect your engagement with the play? Are you being encouraged to distance yourself from Hamlet and from his revenge project? To what effect?
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21 Oct. Hour 1
- At the end of act 2 is Hamlet justified in berating himself for lack of action?
- How does Hamlet relate thought and action in the ‘To be or not to be speech’ (3.1.57-92)? How does he relate word and action in his advice to the players (3.2.1-45)? In what way might they be connected?
- Can you think of anything that might justify Hamlet’s behavior toward Ophelia in 3.1.116-52.
- What does the Player King tells the Player Queen about the relationship between purpose and memory (3.2.184-213)? How connected to the relationship between thought and action, word and action? If human nature is constructed as the Player King says, then how can anyone be expected to remain faithful to a partner? And what might the Player King mean by saying that our wills and fates run contrary to one another?
What twelve to sixteen lines did Hamlet write for The Mousetrap?
Hour 2
- Is it fair to say that when Claudius attempts to pray (3.3.35-72) he seems caught between thought and action? How does Hamlet define revenge it in this scene? What is the great irony of his rationale for not killing Claudius?
- To what extent is Hamlet in control of himself in the interview with his mother in 3.4? What seems to be her attitude toward him?
- What does Hamlet plan to do with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Why?
- How is Polonius’s body treated (3.4, 4.2.31-2, 4.3.16-39)? To what effect?
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26 Oct. Hour 1
- Compare Laertes and Hamlet as revengers.
- Up to act 4.5 Hamlet places great importance on individual responsibility for action. In what way does 4.6 question this notion?
- What notion of change lies behind Hamlet’s analysis of Fortinbras’s motives for fighting in Poland (4.4.26-30) and what behind Claudius’s attempt to manipulate Laertes by talking about the nature of love (4.7.111-27)? What are the downsides of wealth and peace? What happens to love and goodness in this way of looking at change?
- How did Ophelia die? How does Gertrude and the two Clowns try to explain her death? Why should we be interested in this question? How might it be related to Hamlet’s definition of revenge?
Hour 2
- Why such a cheerful gravedigger? Why so much concern about how long it takes a body to decay? What conclusions does Hamlet reach after his confrontation with Yorik’s skull?
- Do you think that Hamlet’s reaction to Ophelia’s death illustrates the philosophical conclusions he has just come to?
- What final conclusions does Hamlet come to about the relationship between thought and action? What appears to be Shakespeare’s attitude toward purposeful action in this play?
Does Hamlet succeed in taking revenge for his father’s death? Or, is he the victim of Claudius’s plot to kill him?
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2 Nov. King Lear. Hour 1
- Given the formality of the occasion how appropriately do Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, and Kent behave toward Lear in 1.1? What is a bond (1.1.91-93)? Why doesn't Lear find this a sufficient demonstration of love? In what ways can this contest between the sisters be considered a companion piece on the theme of love to that between France and Burgundy later in the scene?
- Paraphrase Edmund's speeches (1.2.1-22, 121-136). Paraphrase Gloucester's speech (1.2.106-120). What role is accorded to the individual in their respective views?
- Disguise is a standard feature in romantic comedy, not in tragedy. How successful do you find Kent's disguise (1.4)? Fools do not usually appear in tragedies either. What is the subject of the Fool's jokes (1.4)? How amusing do you find him?
Hour 2
- A number of characters in this play go mad, pretend to be mad, describe themselves as almost mad, or are suspected of being mad. To what extent is 2.2 in which Kent is put into the stocks a companion piece to 2.3 in which Edgar disguises himself as a madman? Pay careful attention to Edgar’s description of his disguise.
- Shakespeare works with a variety of parallels in this play. Paraphrase Lear's speech (2.4.208-211). In what way does he remind you of Kent in 2.2 and Edgar in 2.3?
- Paraphrase Lear's speech (2.4.266-288). What does Lear have specifically in mind here? Do you think that Shakespeare is putting words in his mouth that have broader significance than their application to the specific issue? Is "need" something that can be justified by rational explanations?
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4 Nov. Hour 1
- Paraphrase Lear's recognition (3.2). What exactly does he recognize about himself and about the circumstances that have brought him to this point?
- Compare 3.6 and 3.7. In what ways can these two scenes be considered companion pieces on the theme of justice?
- How do you know that Lear is mad in Act 3? Are his observations at this point more perceptive than those earlier in the play? How is Shakespeare using "madness" and "reason"? Give examples (cf. especially 3.4.26-36, 100-108) and explain.
Hour 2
- Compare the action in each of the scenes in Act 4. How are Edgar's expectations, like those of Albany and Gloucester, continually undercut? How does this constant undercutting affect your sense of justice, order, and a governing providence in the play's world?
- Examine the competing observations about fortune, justice, order, and providence in Act 4.1.1-28, 36-37; 4.2.79-82; 4.3.33-36; 4.6.150-173; 4.7.14-17? List the competing observations. Do any seem more correct or perceptive than others?
- Act 4.6 is a very interesting scene to include in a tragedy. How does Edgar's "miracle" (4.6.34-79) and Gloucester's "fall" come off? Would this work in any kind of theatre other than anti-illusionistic? How would it work in a representational medium?
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9 Nov. Hour 1
- What does Edgar mean by "Ripeness is all" (5.2.5-10)?
- Examine Lear's speech (5.3.8-18). How does it affect you emotionally? intellectually?
- What is an "interlude" (5.3.91)? What effect does this remark have on our ability to identify with the action of the play?
Hour 2
- Make a list of the divisions emphasized at the end of the play. Who is at odds with whom? How are these characters related to one another? Was Gloucester right (1.2.106-120)?
- Which lines sum up the play for your: Edgar, Albany, and Kent (5.3.268-269) or Lear (5.3.316-17?
- Explain the ways in which King Lear is structurally and thematically different from Othello, and Macbeth.
What features of King Lear are reminiscent of the morality play? Implications for interpretation?
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16 Nov. Measure for Measure. Hour 1
- Go online to the Bible. Call up Matthew 7: 1-5. To what does the title of Shakespeare's play refer? Exactly what does Claudio mean by describing human nature as rat-like (1.2.124-30)? See Romans 7: 14-20.
- The Duke appoints Angelo so that “virtue” will spread throughout Vienna. What is actually spreading through Vienna in 1.2? 1. What do you make of the Duke’s justification for appointing Angelo as his Deputy in 1.3?
- What kind of character is Isabella (1.4)? What other character is she most like?
Hour 2
- Angelo and Escalus discuss justice and mercy in 2.1.1-31. What for Escalus is the source of Mercy? Are you impressed by Angelo’s confidence in himself?. What do we learn about extending too much mercy in 2.1 135-254? What is Pomepy’s attitude toward it?
- Isabella (2.2.139-146) thinks that deep in our hearts we all know ourselves and that this knowledge leads us to show mercy. How like Esalus’s idea about mercy in 2.1?
- Focus on Angelo’s speeches in act 2. How well does he know himself? Consider especially 2.2.169-194 and 2.4.1-17. Does Matthew 5:27-30 clarify this? Do you have any sympathy for Angelo in 2.4.19-30? 2. In what two senses does Isabella uses the word die in her interview with Angelo?
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18 Nov. Hour 1
1.What do you make of Claudio's attitude after his counseling session with the Friar/Duke (3.1.41-43, 83-85)? Are you horrified by Claudio's change of heart in the meeting with Isabella (3.1.119-138)? Are your horrified by Isabella's attitude toward her brother?
- What is interesting about the description of Marianna’s love for Angelo in 3.1? Are you satisfied with the Duke's justification for the bed-trick (3.1.241-260)? What function is Mariana intended to serve in this play?
- What is amusing about the interaction between Lucio and the Friar/Duke in 3.2
Hour 2
- At the same time that Isabella is supposedly losing her virginity to Angelo, the Friar/Duke is stalking the prison for a head. What do you make of this parallel? How do Bernadine and Ragozine fit into the play?
- To what extent might the last scene be read as the Duke’s “play”, engineered to reveal certain attitudes in the characters he judges? The Duke reiterates the idea (5.1.115-117)--for at least the fourth time-- that the source of Mercy involved recognizing faults in ourselves. Why are we reminded at this point? 3. Are you satisfied with the Duke's explanation for withholding from Isabella the information about Claudio's escape from death (4.3.107-111)? What about his willingness to execute Bernadine who is spiritually unprepared for death (4.3.64-65)?
- Read Matthew 5: 43-48. Does this explain Isabella's decision to plead for Angelo's life (5.1.452-462)? Is this the source of mercy? If so, how does it impact the ending of the play?
Claudio described human nature as “rat-like”. Are any new perspectives on this subject added during the trial?
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23 Nov. The Winter’s Tale. Hour 1
- The play opens with a conversation between Archidamus and Camillo. What two key points are made in this conversation?
- Paraphrase Polixines's speech (1.2.67-75). What does he mean by "the imposition cleared/ Hereditary ours"? Describe both his and Hermione's attitude toward sexuality (1.2.68-85).
- Follow the course of Leontes's fall into jealousy (1.2.108-46, 186-207, 283-95, 323-32).
Hour 2
- Paraphrase Leontes's speeches (2.1.36-53, 151-55). In what way does the image of the spider in the cup relate to his state of mind?
- What exactly are the issues involved in Paulina's conversation with the jailer (2.2.51-62)?
- What crimes does Paulina accuse Leontes of committing (3.2.175-202)? What is the emotional effect of her speech (3.2.207-13)? Does she remind you of Emilia? How do you explain her change of mind (3.2.218-32)?
- Describe what is happening in nature (land, sea, sky) in 3.2 as Antiginus is abandoning the baby. How does the Shepherd's speech (3.3.109-11) relate to what is going on here? What kind of universe is this play set in?
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25 Nov.
Hour 1
- What do we learn from the chorus in Act 4.1? How long has it been since Act 3? Why do you think Shakespeare wants this particular amount of time to have elapsed? What powers does Time have?
- Paraphrase the dialogue between Perdita and Polixines (4.4.79-108). What is Perdita's position? what Polixines's? How do their positions in this argument relate to their ideas on this subject in their own lives?
- What is the attraction between Florizel and Perdita (see especially 4.4.116-80)? Why bring Autolycus into the sheepshearing festival? How does he, along with Florizel and Peridta, become part of Camillo's "play"? To what extent is metatheatre important here?
Hour 2
- Examine the descriptions of the reunions in 5.2. How do the gentlemen describe them? Make a list of the imagery they use to grasp the significance of the reunions. Why do you think Shakespeare reports rather than dramatizes this?
- How is the statue scene (5.3.85-111) brought about? Why does Pauline in her meta-theatrical role insist that Leontes awaken his faith? Faith in what?
- What effect does the ending have on you? What is gained? What lost? Explain how this play is tragicomic.
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2 Dec. The Tempest . Hour 1
- What happens to the characters in the storm in act 1.1? (See Ariel’s description of his work in Act 1.2.). Does it seem that the play takes off where Measure for Measure ends? In The Tempest, past is prologue. What does Prospero tell us about it in Act 1? How long has it been since Prosper was in Milan? How much time elapses between Act 1 and Act 5? (See act 1.2 and 5.1). So what kind f a play do we have here?
- How did Prospero come by his magic powers? What is the difference between his power and that of Sycorax?
In what state did Prospero find the island when he arrived?
3.Who or what are Ariel and Caliban? Look carefully at their genealogies and histories. What services do they perform for Prospero? How does he control them?
Hour 2
- Follow the development of the Alonzo, Sebastian, Antonio plot beginning in 2.1. What is Gonzalo's view of the island? What is the Golden Age? How do Antonio and Sebastian respond to Gonzalo? What is their view of the island? What are the similarities between Sebastian's and Antonio's conspiracy against Alonzo and the earlier conspiracy, twelve years before, against Prospero?
- In 3.3.53-82 Ariel in the shape of a harpy confronts Sebastian, Antonio, and Alonzo and delivers a speech written by Prospero. Paraphrase this speech. What does he mean by "Destiny"? What is the "lower world"? Describe the view of nature presented in this speech. What does he mean by "heart's sorrow/ And a clear life ensuing"? What genre do you think this plot belongs in?
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7 Dec. Hours 1 and 2
- What characteristics do Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo have in common? To what genre do you think that 2.2 and 3.2 belong? Compare what happens to these characters to what happens to Alonzo, Antonio, and Sebastian.
3.In what way does the Caliban, Trinculo, Stephano plot (2.2, 3.2, 4.1. 165-263) complement the Alonzo, Sebastian, Antonio plot?
- Look closely at the development of the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda. What do they think of one another when they meet? What does Prospero think? How does Miranda behave toward her father when he sentences Ferdinand?
- How do Ferdinand and Miranda behave toward one another in the log stacking scene? What is Prospero’s intent? How do these actions (many of them symbolic) relate to what you know about the structure of romantic comedy?
- Why does Prospero want Ferdinand and Miranda to be virgins?
9 Dec. Hours 1 and 2
- In what way is virginity picked up in Prospero’s masque (4.1.57-139)? Who are Juno, Ceres, and Iris? Why are Venus, Cupid, and Hymen missing? How does this masque relate to the play?
- What does Prospero mean by saying ‘we are such stuff s dreams are made on’? Why does he choose to forgive? Why does he give up his powers?
- How does the epilogue, spoken by the character of Prospero, recapitulate the themes of the play? What decisions/choices are you asked to make? Explain how this play is tragicomic.
Look up the term masque in a literary handbook. In what way is The Tempest masque-like? What implications for interpretation.