Drama and Film
DIRECTIONS:
Choose one of the following topics, and write a well-organized essay of approximately 500 words. Do NOT do any research. Do NOT look at anything on the Internet. This essay must contain only your original ideas and words. After choosing a topic, go back to the text, and study through it carefully. Find pertinent quotations from the play, and explain how those quotations prove your points. Finally, remember to take the necessary time to plan what you want to write so that you present two to four main points in a logical and orderly fashion, and after you finish, please proofread carefully several times so that you don’t leave grammatical, punctuation, or spelling mistakes. Good luck with your drama papers!
1. How is the imagery of light and darkness used throughout Oedipus the King? How is it related to Oedipus’ blindness?
2. What roles do the chorus and choragus assume? Compare their functions in the beginning, middle, and end of the play.
3. “Oedipus is completely fated. He simply has no free choice.” Agree or disagree with this statement.
4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends with the words “Robin shall restore amends”. Explain why you think the plot does or does not end as it should, with the balance restored per your textbook’s notes for Chapter 21.
5. Now that you have read MND and seen both Michael Hoffman’s 1999 film adaptation and Tom Gustafson’s Were the World Mine, which movie do you think more faithfully presents Shakespeare’s play? Citing the play and the film(s), discuss.
6. A dynamic character undergoes a significant change in personality or outlook while a static character stays the same. Choose one of the characters from “Fences” and explain why that character is either dynamic or static. Remember to give specific evidence from the text.
