ENGL 2148-Shakespeare (Alonso): Assignment Descriptions

Due Date: March 16, 2025

At A Glance: The midterm assignment serves as a partial draft for the final research paper. Write a 1,250 to 1,800 word (5–6 page) draft exploring a question or theme in Shakespeare studies.

Requirements:

• Introduce your thesis and explore at least one major argument.
• Use evidence from the play and at least two scholarly sources.
• MLA format for citations

Option 1 (Historical Aspect of Performance) Due Date: April 30, 2025 

At A Glance: Explore the historical performance of Shakespeare’s works by analyzing a specific production, adaptation, or performance practice. Engage with the play’s cultural and historical contexts to show how it has been interpreted through performance.

Requirements: 

• Engage with one of the plays studied in class (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, or The Tempest).
• Analyze a specific historical production or performance tradition
• Use at least four scholarly secondary sources (e.g., historical accounts, reviews, or critical essays).
• Length: 2,500 to 3,600 words (10 to 12 pages) double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font.
• Use MLA format for citations.

Option 2 (Language or Poetry-Based Paper) Due Date: April 30, 2025

At A Glance: Analyze an aspect of Shakespeare’s language or poetry, focusing on imagery, meter, rhetorical devices, or linguistic innovations. Show how Shakespeare’s mastery of language contributes to the play’s themes or characters.

Requirements: 

• Engage with one of the plays studied in class (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, or The Tempest) or with Shakespeare’s sonnets.
• Explore a specific linguistic or poetic feature (e.g., imagery, antithesis, metaphor 5
• Use at least four scholarly secondary sources (e.g., critical essays, linguistic studies, or historical analyses). 
• Length: 2,500 to 3,600 words (10 to 12 pages) double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font.
• Use MLA format for citations