492 F19 Macdonald

492

English 492: “Sweet Smoke of Rhetoric!”: Shakespearean Persuasion in Theory and Practice

Michael MacDonald, Associate Professor (m2macdon@uwaterloo.ca)

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:45–3:45 in Hagey Hall 256

Although humanism was closely associated with the rediscovery of key manuscripts of ancient rhetoric, Renaissance theorists and artists were not content with parroting classical authorities—they appropriated Greek and Latin rhetoric for their own purposes. The plays of William Shakespeare provide a dramatic example of this transfiguration of ancient rhetoric at work. Ranging over the tragedies, histories, comedies, and romances, this course investigates how Shakespeare “figured and disfigured” the classical rhetoric drubbed into him as a boy at the King’s New School. At the level of practice, it examines how Shakespeare retools classical rhetoric in the “quick forge” of his imagination, fashioning a new kind of vernacular English eloquence for the London commercial theatre stage. At the level of theory, it examines how Shakespeare rehearses the vexing ethical, political, and philosophical problems rhetoric posed for his culture. Over the course of the semester, we will see how Shakespeare dramatizes the arts of persuasion in all their comic and tragic ambivalence: rhetoric can be both intoxicating and toxic, “ravish like enchanting harmony” and poison the mind with “pestilent speeches.”

Texts

Love’s Labour’s Lost; King Richard III; As You Like It; King Lear; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Othello; Macbeth; The Tempest; Much Ado About Nothing

Syllabus

September

5. Administration

10. Love’s Labour’s Lost

12. Love’s Labour’s Lost

17. No class

19. No class

24. King Richard III

26. King Richard III

October

1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream 3 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 8 Othello

10 Othello

15 Reading Week

17 Reading Week

22 As You Like It

24 As You Like It

29 King Lear

31 King Lear

November

5. Much Ado About Nothing; Essay 1 Due in Dropbox

7  Much Ado About Nothing

12. Macbeth

14. Macbeth

19. The Tempest

21. The Tempest

26. Conclusions

28. Make-up day (if necessary); Essay 2 Due in Dropbox

Assignments

• Participation 10%
• Reading Responses 20%
• Essay 1 35%
• Essay 2 35%

Participation (10%)

Students are expected to contribute to class discussion on a regular basis. In addition to discussing your reading responses, this involves raising ideas for discussion, responding to others, asking questions, etc.

Reading Responses (200 words) (20%)

For each play, students are required to write a reading response (200 words) that provides 1) three insights into the rhetorical aspects of the play, and 2) a quotation to support each reason. In addition to demonstrating that you have read and reflected on the plays, these responses serve as the basis for informed class discussion.

Due Date and Format: Responses are to be 1) submitted to the LEARN “Reading Responses” Dropbox and 2) pasted into the “Reading Responses” section (under the Connect/Discussion tab) of the LEARN website for colleagues to read and comment on. Responses are due by 4:00 PM each day of class.

Responses must be a minimum of 200 words; Times New Roman 12 pt.; double-spaced; Word doc. or docx. Please state the word count of your response at the top of the page. Please also print and bring a copy to each class for discussion purposes.

Late responses will not be accepted (the Dropbox closes). Responses are read but graded quantitatively, not qualitatively—credit is earned for completing the assignment.

Essay 1 (2250 words) (35%)

Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast any two plays on the first half of the syllabus (up to and including Othello), focusing on some aspect of rhetoric Do not summarize the action of the play. Instead, isolate a key issue, theme, or problem and offer an interpretation and supporting argument. Be sure to develop an argument over the course of the whole essay rather than simply conjoining two distinct essays. In addition, be sure to support your argument with relevant citations from the play.

Format: 2250 words; double-spaced; 12 point; Times New Roman; 1” margins; MS Word doc or docx. Please state the word count of your essay at the top of the first page.

Essay 2 (2250 words) (35%)

Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast any two plays on the second half of the syllabus (after Othello), focusing on some aspect of rhetoric. Do not summarize the action of the play. Instead, isolate a key issue, theme, or problem and offer an interpretation and supporting argument. Be sure to develop an argument over the course of the whole essay rather than simply conjoining two distinct essays. In addition, be sure to support your argument with relevant citations from the play.

Format: 2250 words; double-spaced; 12 point; Times New Roman; 1” margins; MS Word doc or docx. Please state the word count of your essay at the top of the first page.

Grading

Essays will be graded according to the following criteria: 1) grammar; 2) style; 3) structure and coherence; 4) content; 5) argumentation, including use of evidence; and 6) originality. An “A” range essay will be excellent in most of these areas; a “B” range essay will be good in most of them; a “C” range essay will be adequate in most of them; and a “D” range essay will be inadequate in most of them.

Policies

Texts

Students are required to bring the play to every class.

Electronic Device Policy

Please turn off and put away laptop computers, PDAs, cellular phones, and other electronic devices in class. If you require a laptop for a legitimate reason (beyond preferring it for taking notes), please consult the professor.

Attendance

In keeping with the University of Waterloo’s attendance policy, students are “expected to attend all meets” of the course and may be required to “present documentation proving the reasons for non-attendance” (UG Calendar). Students who miss several classes without providing adequate documentation from a physician may, at the discretion of the professor, be penalized 2% of their final grade for each subsequent absence. Students who miss more than 6 classes will likely fail the class.

Late Penalties

Unless an extension has been requested and granted in advance, the professor reserves the right to subtract 5% (per day) from the assignment grade.

Collegiality

Students are expected to be informed, attentive, and collegial in class. Gossiping, note-passing and other types of discourteous behaviour will be discouraged. For the sake of the class as a whole, the professor reserves the right to ask disruptive students to leave the classroom.

Food

Many students suffer from food allergies, sensitivity to smells, etc., so please do not bring food to class (though beverages are fine).

University of Waterloo Policy on Academic Offences (including plagiarism)