Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Reading

• Richard III, Act 5

Notes

Today we’ll see our first in-class performance, of Richard III, 5.5.71-160.

We’ll also conclude our discussion of Richard III. Think about the means that Richard uses to gain power. Are any of his methods also involved in his “tragic” downfall? (Note that for an Elizabethan audience, his demise would likely be a cause for celebration.)

When we were discussing the role of women in Othello, Jocelyn asked where Desdemona’s mother was. This will become an even more significant question as we progress through the remaining readings, especially when we get to King Lear.

If you’re curious about the issue of gender in Shakespeare, a couple good places to start are the following essays:

• Kahn, Coppélia. “The Absent Mother in King Lear.” Rewriting the Renaissance. Ed. Margaret W. Ferguson, Maureen Quilligan, and Nancy J. Vickers. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. 33–49.
• Thompson, Ann. “Are There Any Women in King Lear?” The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed. Valerie Wayne. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991. 117–28.