Shakespeare Monologue Project

(or)

It’s the Analysis, Stupid!

Overview

In this assessment you will examine a character in one of Shakespeare’s plays through a close reading of one monologue or soliloquy of at least ten lines. You will explore this monologue in an essay and you will also present it to the class.

Choosing

Select a character from one of the plays we have covered. Any character, even a minor one, may be chosen, but the character must have at least one speech of at least ten lines that reveals something significant about him or her. You will be focusing your analysis on this speech, so choose wisely.

The Essay

In an essay of approximately two (2) pages, explore what this monologue tells us about the speaker. In a close reading, you will obviously examine the language, the metaphors, the symbols, etc., but your goal must be to use the speech to reveal key aspects of your selected character and how this character fits into the overall themes of the play.

Presentation

Accompanying the essay, you will present your monologue to the class. You will make a brief (one minute) intro explaining in summary what your essay uncovered about it, and then you will deliver it as honestly and compellingly as you are capable of doing. Proper inflection and pronunciation is a bare minimum, but you should strive for far more than that. We will, in class, go over how to speak Shakespeare’s words clearly and carefully. Your challenge is to do so while making meaning for your audience for all of the key elements that you have identified.

You do not need to memorize the monologue, but you do need to be thoroughly familiar with it. Any stumbling, staring at the page, etc., will have an adverse effect on your grade. Please note: this is not an acting class, but this is an assignment that asks you to show us your interpretation through your reading. Don’t overact, but don’t shrug your way through it either. Find the right note, which is the way you’d say this to someone if the speaker were you.

Assessment

This is a 100 point assignment. Fifty (50) points are in the essay; forty (40) in the monologue presentation. Standard quality expectations apply in the essay. Monologue grades will be based on speaking, inflection, facial expressiveness, interpretation of the words, and comprehension. The final ten (10) points will be awarded for the clarity of your one minute summation/introduction.

Due Date

This assignment is due on Monday, May 18.