English 90, Winter Quarter, 2021
Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45 AM, online
Discussion sections, online
Prof. Robert N. Watson
RNWatson@UCLA.edu
SHAKESPEARE
January 5:
7:
12:
Introduction; Sonnets 18, 20, 27, 29, 30, 73, 87, 94, 106, 129
Romeo and Juliet; recommended films: Luhrmann (‘96) or Zefferelli (‘68)
Romeo and Juliet
14:
Henry V; in-class screening/discussion: version by Kenneth Branagh (’89); the
Hollow Crown series (‘12) is also very good
19:
Henry V; conclusion
21:
Hamlet; recommended films: Jacobi (BBC), Branagh (’97), RSC (’08-9)
26:
Hamlet First paper due by 5PM.
28:
Davis (’79)
Measure for Measure; strongly recommended is the BBC version, dir. Desmond
February 2:
Measure for Measure
March
4:
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
9:
Othello; recommended films: Parker (’95), Welles (’51), Olivier (’65)
11:
Othello
16:
Othello
18:
King Lear; recommended films: McKellen (’08), Olivier (’83), Brook (’71)
23:
King Lear
25:
King Lear
2:
Macbeth
4:
Macbeth; screening/discussion of Kurosawa’s “Throne of Blood”
9:
Macbeth / The Tempest
11:
The Tempest and Course Review
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FINAL EXAM: Monday, March 15, 2021, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
March 22: Longer paper due
Please be aware that the schedule of lectures may undergo minor revisions as the term progresses.
Before Class: It is essential that you read each play (and, for opening day, the assigned sonnets) very
carefully, and in its original language at least once before the first class on that play: the lectures and
discussions will not provide plot summary, and you will be unable to learn from the lectures or participate
meaningfully in the discussions unless you have already familiarized yourself with the play.
In Class: Regular attendance and intelligent engagement, both in lecture and in discussion sections, are
extremely important; we will work very hard to make sure they are worthwhile. Unless you have severe
problems with bandwidth or other serious obstacles to being present on video during class, please have
your video on. It is very helpful for me in sensing how the group is doing, what I need to explain further or
need to move on from, who is excited by an idea and who is confused or bored, and so on. It also gives
your fellow students more of a sense of a living community in the virtual classroom.
Teaching Assistants and Discussion Sections: The course Teaching Assistants will be Sarah
Bischoff (sbischoff@g.ucla.edu) and Stanley Wu (wustanley@g.ucla.edu). You must be enrolled in one
of the discussion sections, attend it regularly, and participate actively.
Grading: Grading will primarily be done by your Teaching Assistants, though I will oversee that work
carefully. The essays (10% and 25%), examinations (20% and 30%), and participation in discussions
(15%), will all contribute to your final grade. It is possible to receive a zero in any of these categories,
which would do serious damage to your overall grade. No Incompletes will be given except under
extraordinary circumstances.
Examinations: The exams will emphasize your ability to recall and synthesize some specifics and
themes of the plays, with longer essay questions on the final exam.
Essays: A short expository essay (2-3 double-spaced typed pages) will be due through TurnItIn.com by
5 PM on January 26. The longer essay (5-7 double-spaced typed pages) will be due by 5 PM on March
22. Both should conform to the Chicago/Turabian or MLA Style Sheet, and it must be scrupulous and
thorough in documenting its sources (other than things learned in lecture): any persons or writings from
which you have derived any of your ideas or wordings. Late essays will be penalized one level (B+ to B,
for example); essays submitted more than five days late will be penalized by a full grade (B+ to C+, for
example), and another full grade for each additional five days of lateness.
Performances: Various performances of plays on this syllabus are available for viewing online. These
are extremely helpful supplements to reading the plays, though not substitutes for it. In general, I
recommend watching the video of the play if there is a good one, then reading it (while taking notes on
your ideas and questions).
Texts: The only required book for this course is The Wadsworth Shakespeare ed. G. B. Evans (earlier
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editions of that collection, published as The Riverside Shakespeare, are nearly identical and are a good
choice if you are economizing). The contextual material will enrich your understanding of the plays and
their world. If you already own a good edition of Shakespeare, however, you may continue to use that
edition, provided it has extensive and accessible explanatory notes and does not offer modern-English
versions of the texts. The Bedford Shakepeare is excellent, with perceptive commentary and lots of
illuminating sidelights. The Norton, Signet, Pelican, New Cambridge, Arden, and Longman/Bevington
editions are generally good; the single-volume Oxford, Rowse, Dover, and Yale editions are not. The
Arden single-play paperbacks are the most complete scholarly editions. The online Gleeditions are
good, though not all the plays are yet available. At last notice, Gleeditions had been made available for
free, at least during the pandemic shutdown. You just need to create a login and password on the
Gleeditions.com site, then log in to the UCLA system by VPN, then go to the UCLA Library site, then
choose Databases, and search Gleeditions in that. If a large single volume is unsuitable for you, I
recommend the following single-work paperbacks:
Complete Sonnets and Poems, Oxford paperback, ed. Colin Burrow
Romeo and Juliet, New Cambridge paperback, ed. G. B. Evans
Henry V, Pelican paperback, ed. Claire McEachern
Hamlet, Pelican paperback, ed. A. R. Braunmuller
Measure for Measure, Arden paperback, ed. Robert N Watson and A.R. Braunmuller
Othello, Pelican paperback, ed. Russ McDonald
King Lear, Arden paperback, ed. R. A. Foakes
Macbeth, New Cambridge paperback, ed. A. R. Braunmuller
Tempest, Pelican paperback, ed. Peter Holland
If saving money or weight is a serious priority for you, you could buy Four Great Tragedies: Hamlet,
Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Signet Classics, ed. Sylvan Barnet, in place of those four plays above.
Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare: The World as Stage is recommended a compact, lively, and lucid
introduction to our topic. Julia Briggs’s This Stage-Play World (2nd ed.) is an accessible and inexpensive
book which offers excellent background on the period and culture from which Shakespeare's works
arose. The Teaching Assistants and I will gladly recommend other works on topics on which you need
remedial assistance or which you wish to pursue in greater depth.
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