Phyllis Gorfain

Spring 1999

English 307

Domestic Violence in Early Modern Drama

Required books

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew, Texts and Contexts, Ed. Frances E. Dolan. NY: Bedford Books, St. Martin's Press.

Dekker, Thomas. A Woman Killed with Kindness. Ed. Brian Scobie. New Mermaid Series, Norton.

White, Martin, ed. Arden of Feversham. New Mermaid Series, Norton.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Norman Sanders. New Cambridge.

Middleton, Thomas and Rowley. The Changeling. New Mermaid Series, Norton.

Webster, John. The Duchess of Malfi. Ed. Rene Weis. Oxford Univ. Press.

Ford, John. Tis Pity She's a Whore. New Mermaid Series, Norton.

Recommended Books

Joseph Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fourth Edition. New York: MLA, 1995.

Diana Hacker, The Bedford Handbook, Third edition. NY: St. Martin's Press,

Meeting Place and Time

King 337, MWF 3:30 p.m.

Instructor's Office and Office Hours

Rice 107	Mon. 4:45-6:00 p.m.
	Thurs 7:15-9:30 p.m. OR Wed. 7:15-9:30 p.m. OR a combination
Sign up on door

Course Objectives

1. To read, study, discuss, and appreciate a range of English early modern plays (including comedies, tragedies) with a theoretical, topical focus on the ways these plays depict, use, and comment on domestic violence. We will question how the plays participate in a cultural discourse about violence, female sexuality, the construction of the domestic, gendered forms of honor, and other issues centering on regulating the family and sexuality.
2. To learn how to consider these texts as scripts and explore them with an eye to performance issues and how performance choices shape a range of meanings.
3. To experiment with performance choices through scene work (putting on scenes, discussing scenes) to learn how ideas can be expressed using scripts and physical choices, interpretative acts.
4. To study scripts in relationship to video representations of the scripts, where available.
5. To develop a critical and theoretical sensibility by reading essays on particular plays.
6. To develop writing skills in critical, interpretative, and analytic discussions of particular plays as well as in comparing and synthesizing views of several works
7. To place the plays in their own historical setting, understanding something about contemporary issues of the family, social change, regulating the domestic realm, and issues of violence.
8. To use the plays to understand the differences and similarities of issues, concepts, constructions in the depiction and representation of household violence.
9. To pursue how feminist theories, goals, and methods enable us to pursue questions and approaches we might otherwise not consider and that open this study to a consideration of the intersecting forces of gender, sexuality, class, rank, color, history. We will also question how this study, which places the works in a historical framework and considers them within their own contemporary discourse and culture, can contribute to present concerns with violence that affects people within households but intersects with larger social forces.

Course Requirements

1. Attendance and participation, 15%

Attendance is required and more than three absences will result in a lowering of the grade. With each three absences the grade will be lowered 1/3 without ANY contingencies considered, other than medical illness and a doctor's report. Participation will be graded on the basis of strength and consistency of prep papers, contributions to in-class discussions and impromptu scenes, fine questions, helpful comments, responsiveness to others, contribution to the building of a community of learning, collective efforts.

2. One in-class scene and scene journal 20%.

The scenes will be fully memorized, and involve costumes, props, a set, and other production needs. The scene journal will be due at the class following the scene performance. The journal will include a log of activities, actually written after each rehearsal and a long commentary containing the following elements:

a. A character study -- as much as you can possibly know from the entire script about your character; what the others say about the character; gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity, color, class, status, experiences, education, occupation, views, personality, etc. Consider ways to develop your character: what do they wear most of the time; how do they move, sit, smoke, use their voice, etc.

b. Scene analysis -- what are the given circumstances in your scene, what conditions obtain for the characters (what has happened and what is the situation); what problems face the characters. In your scene, what are each character's objectives and how are the character's objectives pursued, frustrated, redefined, re-pursued through the course of the scene. Where are the conflicts and accords, discoveries and changes? What does this scene accomplish for the play, in terms of plot, character, situation, and theme?

c. Finding signals for performance choices: where are the major scripted signals you must observe? What kinds of signals demand definite, specific choices? What signals indicate an optional choice must be made but do not show exactly how to make the choice? What other signals do you find for choices you need to make about costume, props, blocking, line readings, characterization? What choices do you make that can be supported by the script although the script does not indicate such choices? Are you making choices for your scene that work there but would not work if the scene were performed with the rest of the play? What is your justification for doing that?

d. Issues of violence and representation: how does your scene explore ideas, themes, and issues at the core of the course?

3. Midterm paper, 20%

The midterm can be on one or more of the plays from the first half of the course, but not one in which you performed a scene. The midterm should address key issues of the course, and should include some essay or work engaging with history, theory, methodology, or practical criticism, which addresses these issues in some way. Check with the instructor to get your topic approved or supported with suggestions.

4. Final project, 25%

The final assignment may be a final paper (10-12 pages), final scenes (two scenes for each person) or other group or individual project on the plays from the second half of the semester. If you do not write a paper and want to do a scene or project, you must rewrite your midterm paper if it earned less than an A-. You must turn in your rewrite by Dec. 1, having discussed the rewrite you will do beforehand with the instructor. You must make a proposal for your final paper or project by Wed. Nov. 19, and required conferences will be held on all proposed topics by Thanksgiving break. All scenes will include a scene journal, a report and discussion must accompany all projects, and all papers must include some research using theory or practical criticism.

All papers must conform to the rules for format and documentation as laid out in the MLA Handbook.

Many comments and corrections will use the abbreviations and refer students to relevant passages in the Beacon Handbook. Be sure to buy and use these optional books if you have any problems with either format or rules of grammar and punctuation.

5. Preparation papers, 20%

Several 2-3 page position papers will be used for in-class discussion of assigned articles; the instructor will aim to return them to you within 2 weeks, with a brief evaluation. These papers will be kept in a packet by your, and handed in together at the semester to be graded as a collective product at the end of the semester. There will be interim evaluative numbers (1-3) when they are handed in. 1= poor; 2= okay; 3=very good. The entire packet will be graded with an eye to completeness (how many were done), timeliness (on time), quality and consistency of work. Every week there will be one prep paper required; you may choose among various options most weeks; occasionally there will be only one option.

DATE	ACTIVITY	COMMENTS AND DUE DATES
Mon 2/8	First class, Intro. to course
Wed 2/10	Visit from Kwelismith, Women of Substance writer and performer	Issues of color, class in representing violence; discussing her piece, "White"
Fri 2/12	Reading dramatic script: meter, embodiment, choices (Shrew Act 1)	plus reading documents in Dolan edition
Mon 2/15	Other Scripted Signals (Shrew Act 2)	plus reading documents in Dolan edition
Wed 2/17	Shrew (Acts 3-5)	plus reading documents in Dolan edition
Fri 2/19	Discussion of contemporary documents included in Dolan edition
Mon 2/22	Discussion of critical articles on Shrew
Wed 2/24	Looking at current feminist work on domestic violence
Fri 2/26	Critical work on Shrew and history: making the links
Mon 3/1	Scenes from Shrew
Wed 3/3	Arden of Feversham, entire play
Fri 3/5	Historical readings
Mon 3/8	Historical readings/contemporary readings
Wed 3/10	Scenes from Arden of Feversham
Fri 3/12	A Women Killed with Kindness, entire play	AofF scene journals due
Mon 3/15	Critical Readings
Wed 3/17	Historical and critical readings
Fri 3/19	No class, make up later	Midterm paper due
Mon 3/29	Othello, Act 1
Wed 3/31	Scenes from A Woman Killed with Kindness
Fri 4/2	No class, make up later
Mon 4/5	Othello, Acts 2-3	AWKWK scene journals due
Wed 4/7	Othello, Acts 4-5
Fri 4/9	Othello readings and history
Sun 4/11	Othello readings and history
Mon 4/12	Othello readings and theory
Wed 4/14	Othello scenes
Fri 4/16	The Changeling, Acts 1-3	Othello scene journals due
Mon 4/19	The Changeling, Acts 4-5
Wed 4/21	The Changeling, readings
Fri 4/23	The Changeling scenes
Mon 4/26	The Duchess of Malfi, Acts 1-2
Wed 4/28	The Duchess of Malfi Acts 3-4	Changeling scene journals due
Fri 4/30	The Duchess of Malfi, Act 5 and readings
Mon 5/3	Duchess readings
Wed 5/5	Duchess scenes
Fri 5/7	Tis Pity She's a Whore, whole play	Duchess scene journals due
Sat 5/8 or Sun 5/9	Make up classes from two missed classes on 3/19 and 4/2	Final presentations
Mon 5/10	Tis Pity She's a Whore readings
Wed 5/12	Tis Pity She's a Whore scenes
Fri 5/14	Wrap up
Tues 5/18	Final papers due
	Final presentations, continued	We'll use the set exam time for additional final presentations