English 150B ; Fall, 2015 Prof. Robert N. Watson; 282 Humanities Tues/Thurs. 2--3:50 PM 310-825-2910; RNWatson@UCLA.eduClassroom: Haines 44 Thursdays, 9:30-11:30 & by appointment

SHAKESPEARE: THE LATER WORKS

Sept. 24: Introduction to Shakespeare and Renaissance Tragedy; Bedford Shakespeare, 1-5

29: Measure for Measure; Pro-Life Politics. Watch BBC/Time-Life video of the play on reserve in Powell Library media lab before class

Oct. 1: Measure for Measure; Angelo, Isabella, and the Problem of Sex

6: Othello; The Failure of Comedy and the Temptation Scene

8: Othello; Iago’s Motivation. First Paper Due by Noon, Monday. Oct. 12

13: Othello; New Views of Language and Religion

15: King Lear; The Set-Up

20: King Lear; The War on Beliefs

22: King Lear: The Final Scene

27: Midterm Examination

29: Macbeth: Nature’s Revenge

Nov. 3: Macbeth: The Human Tragedy

5: Macbeth and "Throne of Blood”

10: Macbeth and "Throne of Blood"

12: Coriolanus; The Personal Struggle

17: Coriolanus; The Political Struggle

19: The Winter’s Tale; Leontes and Original Sin

24: The Winter’s Tale; Art and Nature. Second Paper Due by Noon, Monday, Nov. 30

Dec. 1: The Tempest; Magic and Memory

3: The Tempest and Conclusions

Final Exam: Thursday, December 10, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Schedule: It is essential that you read each play very carefully at least once before the first class on that play. The lectures and discussions will not provide plot summary, and you will be unable to learn from them unless you already know the play. Regular attendance and participation is extremely important. Please note that this schedule will probably undergo minor revisions as the term progresses.

Grading: The essays (10% and 25%), examinations (20% and 30%), and class attendance and participation (15%), will all contribute to your final grade. It is possible to receive a zero in any of these categories, which would do serious damage to your overall grade. No Incompletes will be given except under extraordinary circumstances.

Examinations: The midterm will require you to identify passages from the plays and comment on them briefly, and may involve some short-answer questions; the final will also require essays on some major themes. All exams will be designed to reward thoughtful reading of the plays in their original language.

Essays: A short essay (2-3 pages) will be due via TurnItIn.com, by noon on October 12. The longer essay is similarly due at noon on November 3. This longer essay should be 6-8 double-spaced typed pages long. It should conform to the MLA, Chicago, or UCLA Style Sheet format, and it must be scrupulous and thorough in documenting its sources: any persons or writings from which you have derived any of your ideas or wordings. Late essays will be penalized by a full grade (B+ to C+, for example), and another full grade for each additional five days of lateness. So get an early start and give yourself some leeway, which will also allow your unconscious mind time to explore the issues and your conscious mind to revise your presentation!

Performances: A number of performances of plays on this syllabus are available for viewing in the Powell Library Media Lab. The Measure for Measure video is required viewing; “Throne of Blood” will be screened in class. Some sound recordings are also available in the English Reading Room in the Humanities Building. These are extremely helpful supplements to reading the plays, though not substitutes for it. Some students benefit from watching a video of the play (to get a sense of the story and characters), then reading it carefully (to see what the particulars of the language contribute). But not all the BBC/Time-Life videos are as good as their Measure. For Othello, you may prefer the Olivier, Welles, Suzman, or (visually rich but deeply cut) Fishburne versions; for Macbeth the McKellen, Welles, or Polanski; and for King Lear, the Olivier, Holm, or Brook. The Fiennes Coriolanus is really excellent, making modern sense of some complicated ancient history; it will likely be required. I do not know of a really satisfactory film version of the last plays on the syllabus (although The Tempest has provoked some interesting adaptations). Local stage performances will be announced in class; please give me any such information.

Texts: The only required book for this course is The Bedford Shakespeare. The contextual material will enrich your understanding of the plays and their world. If you already own a good edition of Shakespeare, however, and buying the individual texts represents a burden, you may continue to use that edition, provided it has extensive and accessible explanatory notes. The Riverside, Norton, Signet, Pelican, Cambridge, Arden, and Bevington editions are generally good; the single-volume Oxford, Rowse, and Yale editions are not. I will gladly recommend other works on topics you wish to pursue in greater depth, or on which you need remedial assistance.