Jonathan P. Lamb's Courses

SRA #2
Find and Watch (and Read) a Shakespearean Reproduction or Adaptation

For this Short Rhetorical Analysis, you will choose a film reproduction or adaptation of a Shakespeare play, read or familiarize yourself with the play it reproduces/adapts, and write a brief, introductory analysis of how the film reproduces/adapts Shakespeare’s play in order to define a modern idea (that is, how it makes a definition argument). Think of this assignment as an intermittent step to Essay 2, in which you will analyze the reproduction/adaptation more extensively. The analysis should be no more than one page, double-spaced, with 12-point, Times New Roman font and one-inch margins all around.

It (the film)
Hundreds, if not thousands, of film adaptations and reproductions of Shakespeare’s plays have appeared in the last hundred years. You should browse the list on the back of this page, consult with others (your classmates and instructor), and choose a film you find compelling and worthy of analysis.

Because of the kind of analysis you’ll be asked to produce in Essay 2, be sure to choose a film that consciously adapts or reproduces Shakespeare. Films that use the original Shakespearean language—reproductions, that is—obviously fall into this category. Adaptations are sometimes trickier. If you’re considering a film and want to ensure that it counts as a conscious adaptation, ask your instructor.

There are several ways to get films, even more obscure ones. If you don’t already own it or know someone who does, you should look for the film in UT’s Audio/Visual Library, located on the third floor of FAC. You might also ask your instructor if he owns a copy, check local rental stores, or check Netflix (if you have a subscription).

Him (Shakespeare)
After you’ve chosen a film (or as you choose a film), you should familiarize yourself closely with the Shakespearean source play. The best way to do this is to check out the play from the library and read it. You might also check out and watch the BBC’s film version of the play, available from the Audio/Visual Library. This is an essential aspect of the assignment: you will not be able to analyze the reproduction/adaptation adequately without knowledge of the details of the source play.

What and How (the analysis)
After you’ve familiarized yourself with the play and watched the film adaptation/reproduction (presumably taking copious notes on both), write an introductory, one-page rhetorical analysis of what the film defines and how it defines it. You might also gesture at why the film defines it that way, but that question can wait for Essay 2. Ask yourself some basic questions to get yourself started:
- What does the film add to Shakespeare’s play?
- What does it remove?
- What does it replace?
- What theme or concept or idea is at stake in the film (that is, what might the film define)?
- If the film is a reproduction (if it keeps the language of Shakespeare’s play), what elements of the play does the film cut?
- Which does it emphasize?
- How does it alter them?
- How do these changes cause/result from/relate to the concept the film defines?

Some Possible Reproductions/Adaptations (NOT an exhaustive list)

Henry V  Henry V (Kenneth Branagh)*
Henry V  Henry V (Lawrence Olivier)
King Lear  Ran (Dir. Kirosawa)*
Twelfth Night  She’s the Man
The Taming of the Shrew  Ten Things I Hate About You
Romeo and Juliet  William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (Dir. Luhrmann)*
Romeo and Juliet  West Side Story
Romeo and Juliet  Tromeo and Juliet (watch at your own risk)
The Tempest  Prospero’s Books (Dir. Greenway)
The Tempest  Forbidden Planet*
Titus Andronicus  Titus (Dir. Taymor)*
Titus Andronicus  Titus Andronicus (ask Jon about this one)
Hamlet  Hamlet (various—Olivier, Branagh, Gibson, Hawke*)
Hamlet  The Lion King
Richard III  (various—Olivier, McEllen*)
Othello  O
Othello  Othello (Branagh)
Much Ado about Nothing  Much Ado about Nothing (Branagh)
Love’s Labour’s Lost  Love’s Labour’s Lost (Branagh)
As You Like It  As You Like It (Branagh)
Antony and Cleopatra  Antony and Cleopatra
Macbeth  Throne of Blood (Dir. Kirosawa)*
Macbeth  Scotland, PA*
1 and 2 Henry IV  My Own Private Idaho
1 and 2 Henry IV  Chimes at Midnight
A Midsummer Night’s Dream  A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice  The Merchant of Venice (Pacino)

* = Recommended