I am changing the topic for this week, because I had a better idea. (Chad and Alana, you get extra credit for being so up on the blog that you got the topic done in the first 15 hours; Tyger you lose the extra credit because you made fun of my mom. Punk.)
You all made a list of things you would like to know about Shakespeare (Which I will post on here ASAP); one of the required essays for Sophomore year is a research report; we keep a weekly blog. This here is a perfect storm of assignments.
Your blog assignment for this week (And next week, since this one is heftier than the usual blog) is to pick one of these topics about Shakespeare, or come up with another equally compelling topic related to Shakespeare, to research it, and then to write up your findings in a formal essay-style blog, complete with introduction, thesis, body, and conclusion. You must have two sources of information, and you must include at least one quote from each source. You must cite the sources according to MLA standards. Both sources may be, but don't have to be, internet sources.
We will go over this in class in greater detail. Remember: due date is in two weeks, on May 24.
Here are the questions you gave me, along with those generated by the other class. You should try to see these as a starting point, not as your assigned topic. You are free to change topics as you research, as you discover that the information does not exist or is not interesting -- or simply that something else is more interesting. But start with one or more of these:
What was Shakespeare's middle name? Did middle names even exist then?
What are the titles of all of his plays?
What was his favorite color?
What is the story of “Hamlet?”
Where did Shakespeare come from?
How did he live?
What are the theories about Shakespeare?
Why did he start writing?
How did he die, and how old was he when he died?
Who did he write for?
How was he seen in his age? What was his reputation?
How long did it take him to write one play?
How much time did he devote to his plays?
What was his childhood like?
What did he do during his off time?
What is his most obscure play?
What is Shakespeare’s answer to the question of Life, the Universe, and Everything?
What did he do when he wasn’t writing?
Why did he write – what was his purpose?
Did he write a play about Henry? Maybe the VIII?
How long is his longest play?
How many characters/cast members are there in his biggest cast?
What exactly is rhetorical reasoning (Shakespeare’s best subject in school)?
What were Shakespeare’s sources?
How old was he when he started writing?
Who were his influences? His inspirations?
What was his highest level of education?
How did he catch the attention of Queen Elizabeth?
Did he wear a wig and false teeth?
Did he eat tea and crumpets?
SOME PLACES TO START:
Especially if you can't think of a good research topic. Just go to a site and start clicking, look around and see what catches your interest. If you start off with a good and reputable site, hey, you'll probably have one of your sources already!
Shakespeare Resource Center
Hey, the URL starts with a 42!
Huge site, many categorized links to others
I'm trying to find a good list of interesting facts about Shakespeare; so far this one is the best.
Shakespeare Facts
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