SHAKESPEARE
Welcome to our English class. This is a half year class, which will focus on reading and responding to literature, creative and critical thinking, writing, vocabulary. I look forward to an enjoyable and rewarding class with you!
This course is an intensive study of the life and writings of William Shakespeare within the parameters of the Elizabethan cultural, social and historical picture. It is intended for motivated students of academic ability or promise. Close readings, films and occasional oral recitations will be used to establish an appreciation of the Bard’s words, and to aid the student in understanding the reading material. The journey from the page to the stage will be considered, and students will become acquainted with quartos, folios and a variety of literary terms and approaches. They will examine Shakespeare’s works on three levels: literary, scholarly and dramatic. Approximately six plays, including comedy, tragedy and history, will be read and analyzed. A number of Shakespeare’s sonnets and selections from the narrative poems will be included, as time permits.