Suggested
Paper Topics
You
are not limited to the topics below, but this list provides numerous topics and
approaches that will work for the term paper assignment.
Please remember that you will need to find a focus within most of these
topics. Additional topics could be
generated by thinking about a play in terms of your favorite critical theory or
the content of your major if it is other than English (history, psychology,
religion, and philosophy are the ones that come most readily to mind; business
and biology would also work).
I have marked with an * the topics that I consider most challenging.
An + indicates that the topic is suitable for a conference.
Boldfaced topics are those I would especially like someone to work on this
semester. Many other good topics
are possible, and I would be very glad to discuss your interests with you.
Feel free to make an appointment.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- +Using
myth criticism, evaluate Theseus’s choice of evening entertainment in Act
V. Why does Pyramus and
Thisbe suit him better than the other options?
- *+Examine
Bottom’s “dream” in terms of Renaissance dream theory, Biblical
dreaming, and/or our own modern psychology.
An excellent way to approach the character is to consider Michael
Hoffman’s video version of the play (Kevin Kline plays Bottom).
In terms of dreaming, what do you make of the fact that Hoffman gives
Bottom a wife?
Do you agree or disagree that Bottom's experience is an example of what one
critic calls the "primal scene"?
- Or talk about Bottom in terms of Maslow's hierarchy
of needs.
- +Consider
Hippolyta and the Amazons in connection with Elizabeth and feminist
politics.
-
*+What
can you make of the play's multiple allusions to Diana or to Diana and
Venus? What is the relationship between these allusions? Do you
see a connection to Queen Elizabeth?
- How is this play's take on
dreaming a corrective to what Mercutio says about dreams in
Romeo and
Juliet? How is Titania a foil to Queen Mab?
- * It is very possible to write a paper about Puck in
which you connect native British mythology with a New Historicist approach
to the Elizabethan supernatural.
- Bottom is a weaver. Do you find that fact to be
significant for an interpretation of him? For an interpretation of
MSND more generally?
The Merchant of Venice
- Using
numerology and psychoanalysis, examine the casket scenes.
(Freud and Alastair Fowler's work on numerology would be good
places to start your research.)
- +Examine
Shylock in terms of his historical antecedent, Dr. Roderigo Lopez. In what way is his situation a gloss on Shylock’s?
In what way is Dr. Lopez a historical red herring?
Ultimately, this paper will have to incorporate Marlowe's
The Jew of Malta.
- *+Look
into Elizabethan law and/or the Bible and argue that Portia either does or
does not stand for the mercy she espouses in Act IV.
When she advocates mercy, is she sincere, or is she setting Shylock
up? (This may be a fallacy of false dichotomy, but you get the
idea.) You will have to consider the book on Shakespeare and
Elizabethan law in the library, but be careful that it does not take over
your paper.
- Consider
Antonio’s friendship with Bassanio in terms of Renaissance notions of
friendship and the attitude toward homosexuals under Elizabeth.
Do you think that Antonio is gay? Neo-Platonism may
provide a helpful framework. Eventually you will want to look at
Rebecca Ann Bach's Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature before
Heterosexuality (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) and Thomas MacFaul's Male
Friendship in Shakespeare and His Contemporaries (Cambridge, 2007).
You will also need to consider Alan Sinfield's essay, “How to Read
The Merchant of Venice without Being Heterosexist," in New Casebooks:
The Merchant of Venice. Some analogy to Shakespeare's sonnets to a
young man would be helpful. See also Claude Summers's edited book,
Homosexuality in Renaissance and Enlightenment England and Alan Bray's
Homosexuality in Renaissance England.
The
Taming of the Shrew
-
*+Consider Kate's final speech: is it ironic or straightforward, and how
do you know? (You may find it helpful to have a look at the relevant
sections in John D. Cox's Seeming Knowledge: Shakespeare and Skeptical
Faith and Margaret Jane Kidnie's The Taming of the Shrew, but do not do so until the relevant stage in the writing
process. Note also that McDonald mentions this topic in The Bedford
Companion 84-85.)
Twelfth Night
-
*+Write about Feste and Erasmus's Folly in The Praise of
Folly. If you are interested in philosophy, this would be a particular good
and challenging topic.
-
+Malvolio is a Puritan: What is Shakespeare trying to
say regarding this character? [Note: This tends to be a popular
topic. For example, several students chose it during Fall 2010. I
would prefer to have you steer clear of it during Spring 2011.]
Measure
for Measure
- +An
excellent paper could be written by using Shakespeare’s Sonnets as a gloss
on this play. Look for sonnets that deal with reason vs. lust.
- +You
might also do a Freudian or Jungian analysis of psychology and sexuality in MFM.
- You could do a very cool reading of the play in terms of
Elizabethan and Jacobean laws against prostitution. This would be an
Old Historical approach.
As You Like It
Much Ado About Nothing
- There are multiple acts of
reading in this play. Write a paper about them in which you offer a
reader-response interpretation in connection with the idea of "nothing" (a pun
on noting).
Richard
II
- +Track
down the theater references in Richard II and relate them to the
theme of politics as theater, with Queen Elizabeth as an ideal example.
- *Evaluate
the respective roles of Gloucester’s widow and the Duchess of York in Richard
II. This topic lends itself to a feminist approach. To round
things out, you might also look at Lady Percy in 1H4.
- Write
a paper on the sun imagery in this play.
- *Track down what Holinshed says
about Richard II in the Chronicles and then write a paper about the
meaning of Shakespeare's alterations of the historical record. One student who
did this topic focused on the fact that Holinshed includes three endings.
Henry IV, Part I
- +Argue
that the myth of the Fisher King underlies Falstaff in the
Henry
plays (or, more precisely, his banishment).
Note: One previous student wrote an excellent paper by approaching
this topic via Perceval.
- +Discuss
the prostitutes in Measure for Measure and Henry IV, Part II
in terms of feminist theory and politics.
How do these characters function in their respective plays?
BTW, Pericles also deals with prostitution, and Hamlet frequently
alludes to it. You may find chapter 5 of Fike's A Jungian Study of
Shakespeare: The Visionary Mode to be helpful.
- In
Part II, Prince John commits an act of trickery against the enemy.
Analyze it from the standpoint of political theory. Be
careful, though, about scholarship. Be sure not to let the article on
John's "dastardly treachery" take over your paper.
-
What do you make of Falstaff in light of the Calvinist language that
Shakespeare uses in connection with him?
Hamlet
- +What
is the significance of the classical references in Hamlet, II.2
(Dido, Aeneas, Priam, Pyrrhus)? Evaluate
this material in much the same way you would evaluate Theseus’s decision
not to select certain plays for the evening entertainment at his wedding
celebration in MSND. Why did Hamlet single out the
fall of Troy? Freudian psychology can substantially enhance an approach to
this topic. See especially the notion of "acts of compromise."
- *+What
is the significance of the gravediggers in Hamlet?
An excellent comparison can be made to the porter in Macbeth.
It will be helpful to read Dr. Johnson’s essay on Shakespeare if you
choose this topic. This is a popular but very challenging topic. It appeals
because of its superficial ease, but properly addressing it requires some
difficult thinking.
- *Consider
Ophelia’s mad songs in relation to feminist theory.
Other papers about Ophelia could be written about the loss of a loved
one in relation to madness, especially in light of contemporary psychology.
Apparently, drowning was young women's preferred means of suicide: can
you do anything with that fact?
- Was
Ophelia pregnant? Was her death
an accident or a suicide? Do
you see any connection between these two issues?
No definitive answer is possible, but you can piece together a case that
transcends reasonable doubt.
- *+How does the play use the
concept of words? Zero in on places where "word" is used and see if you can
figure out what Hamlet's attitude toward language is. The concordance will
help you find all of the uses of "word." A paper on this topic will need to
incorporate a connection to "logos." Mr. James Funk's essay on this topic
was recently published in The Oswald Review.
- Apply the Myers-Briggs
personality inventory to Hamlet as a way of understanding his hesitation.
This this paper requires Jungian "typology."
- *+Figure out how Shakespeare
is using Protestantism and Catholicism in the play. This is a very
difficult topic.
- Ophelia's flowers: Construct a paper around how the
visual appearance of O's flowers contributes to the idea that she and Hamlet
have had sexual relations. This is an excellent topic for a biology major.
- This is a new topic: Apply Freud's essay "Mourning
and Melancholia" to Hamlet. It may help to focus on one of
Hamlet's soliloquies such as "To be or not to be."
King
Lear
-
*+What
is the significance of the blind Gloucester’s encounter with Edgar at the
supposed white cliffs of Dover in King Lear?
-
+What
do you make of the remarkable similarities between Cordelia and the Fool?
Were they originally played by the same actor? See "doubling" in
Bedford 123. This is an especially fine topic for a theater major.
-
+In
what ways are the evil daughters masculine while Lear is feminine?
Why is this significant?
-
+Do
a psychological reading of Lear, using Freudian and/or Jungian psychology.
-
+What is the relationship between
the play and the movie A Thousand Acres? See
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120323/. Bear in mind that the movie is
based on a novel by Jane Smiley; a respectable paper on the play-film
connection ought to tap into the book as well.
-
The physical body and the body politic: How do these two things come
together in the language of the play?
-
Write a Jungian paper in which you argue that the king's evil daughters are troubled by
animus possession.
Macbeth
- Gender bending: How does
Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth challenge conventional
notions of gender roles and sexuality?
- *+The witches call for analysis
in light of things that Shakespeare's contemporaries wrote about the
supernatural. For example, examine the play in connection
with James I's work on witchcraft. One student who chose this topic did
so in relation to the Great Chain of Being. Another approached it by
focusing on Hecate.
- Examine the relationship
between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in terms of Jung's theory of animus and anima
and or the biblical archetypes of Adam and Eve.
- What is going on in this play
regarding sleep? The topic calls out for a psychological analysis.
Jung's idea of compensation may help you along, but more contemporary
psychologists' work could also surely be part of your research.
- +A common truth about the play
is that it connects in interesting ways to the reign of King James.
Write a paper in which you argue instead that it is relevant to Queen
Elizabeth.
Othello
- Why
does Othello place such great importance on Desdemona’s handkerchief?
If you select this topic, you will have to discuss not only the major
description of it at 3.4.57 but also Iago's comment at 3.3.450. You
should certainly consider Fike, chapter 4 in A Jungian Study of
Shakespeare: The Visionary Mode. Be sure that you have something
original to say about the topic. Your paper cannot be a synthesis of
others' work. You might, for instance, consider how the provenance of the
hanky ties in with reason, logos, fathers, and father figures. In light of
an emphasis on fathers rather than mothers, is one origin more likely than
the other?
- Discuss Othello in
terms of one or both of the following concepts from Jungian psychology:
shadow,
anima. Note: There are several articles on these topics, so it is important to work out your own
analysis before you look at the criticism.
- Evaluate Desdemona's role as the wife of a military
officer.
- Read Othello through the lens of W. E. B. DuBois's
The
Souls of Black Folk. Pay particular attention to the concept of
"double consciousness." This topic connects with postcolonial
criticism, and you may find the work of Ania Loomba to be especially
helpful.
- How can Iago's motivation be better understood in light
of Marxist theory? In other words, how might his motive be economic?
Romeo and Juliet
- +This play and
MSND were
written at about the same time. Consider the possibility that Queen Mab
and Titania could yield a fruitful comparison.
- +Another point of similarity
between the two plays is dreaming. You may be able to make very fruitful
connections to A Midsummer Night's Dream and
Romeo and Juliet.
Marjorie Garber's book on dreams in Shakespeare should eventually be part of
your bibliography.
Julius Caesar
- The introduction states:
"These women [in Julius Caesar] do what they can to offer their men an alternative perspective on
political ambition--one in which caution and attentiveness to family values
stand in opposition to the competitive mores of the male-dominated world...."
Write a paper that explains this statement in connection with Plutarch's "The
Life of Marcus Brutus" and Shakespeare's portrait of Kate in 1 Henry IV.
If you can, use Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch.
The Tempest
- *Evaluate
the theory that Caliban represents Native Americans or
some other minority group. Or
consider Prospero as an oppressive colonialist.
Greenblatt’s essay “Marvelous Possessions” may help you.
This is a tricky topic; please see me if you want to take it on.
A great way to focus it would be to discuss the role of alcohol in the play
and in North America. Note: It will not be sufficient just to list
the ways in which the play seems to refer to Native Americans. Ms.
Sally Shader published her term paper on Caliban and alcohol in The
Oswald Review (fall 2009). Also note: You wouldn't have to
agree with Shader, Vaughan, and others. You could actually disagree with
their theses and claim, instead, that the situation depicted in the play
reflects contemporary events in Ireland.
- +Why
do we get the masque of Iris and Ceres in The Tempest? If
you are into mythological criticism, this is an excellent topic for you.
You will need to consider that some of the mythological characters figure
prominently in Virgil's Aeneid, book 4. How do you account for
the difference? Thinking about cave imagery will strengthen the
connection.
- Gonzalo makes a famous statement in The Tempest
about the ideal commonwealth. Track
down Shakespeare’s sources for this statement and analyze the ways in
which the character changes them. See
especially Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals.”
What do we ultimately make of Gonzalo’s statement? Note:
We will discuss this topic and the previous one in class, but that will be so
late in the semester that it should not undermine your work.
- +Compare and contrast Prospero's
masque of Iris and Ceres to Doctor Faustus's conjuring of Helen in Marlowe's
play. The topic will require thinking about magic and about the close
connections between Prospero and Faustus. Faust might provide an
alternative way of approaching Shakespeare's play.
- Write a paper about Prospero as a father.
The Winter's
Tale
- *The play is partly set in a
pastoral landscape. Based on what you know about the pastoral from our
study of As You Like It, figure out how Shakespeare is using this
convention in WT.
- The play also invites a
discussion of art vs. nature, and this could yield a good paper in connection
with theories of representation.
- *It may also be possible to
write a good paper on Autolycus and sexuality.