In Susan Glaspells Trifles and in William Shakespeares Othello, much of the excitement comes from the audiences awareness of events that some of the characters are unaware of. As a result, the audience members (viewers or, in our case, readers) experience feelings of suspense and anticipation as they await for events to unfold or for characters to become aware of what is actually going on.
For this assignment, write an essay of 500 words or so comparing and/or contrasting how the authors manage to keep the audience informed while keeping certain characters unaware. Use elements of drama terminology such as aside and soliloquy as you discuss the writers strategies. What other elements play a role? Consider stage directions and dialogue as you analyze how Glaspell and Shakespeare manage to bring the audience into the performance.
This assignment has two separate phases, both of which are completed for a grade. During the first phase, you compose a rough draft for your paper and submit it to the Peer Review Workshop discussion topic, where you will give and receive feedback from your peers. During the second phase, you revise your draft and submit it for a grade in the appropriate assignments folder.
The rough draft should be a true attempt at the essay. Therefore, the instructions for the essay are presented first on this page. After you have read and understood these instructions, read the instructions for the Peer Review process by navigating to the page titled “Assignment: Essay Rough Draft + Peer Review Workshop”
Points:
100
Required Reading/Watching:
Othello by William Shakespeare (Entire play)
Trifles by Susan Glaspell
Purpose:
One of your goals is to reveal how dramatic performances (or scripts, in this case) manage to pull the audience into the story in a way that other genres do not. The result is a unique participatory experience that has engaged audiences since ancient times . . . and continues today (think of the films you enjoy).
Learning Outcome(s) Addressed:
Analyze and interpret works of drama
Select and integrate research from a secondary source
Document the use of a work of drama in MLA style
Produce a written essay that compares and contrasts two different literary works of drama
Skills:
While completing this assignment, you will practice:
Critical thinking
Analytical writing
Researching
Knowledge:
This assignment will help you develop the ability to compare two similar things; in the process, you will become more adept at discerning how two things are similar and how they are different. This increased discernment will help prepare you for future papers in this course. In addition, the ability to compare and contrast two things is an important skill for most jobs
