Shakespeare

For this assignment you will write a 250-500 word essay . You may choose to have one to three body paragraphs. The essay structure should follow the format discussed in the course content thus far (introduction, body paragraph(s), conclusion). You need to smoothly integrate at least one quotation in the body paragraph(s). Hint--if you were to use a quotation from Act One, Scene Two, Lines 85-87, then you would cite it like this: (1.2.85-87). As has been evident throughout this unit, there is a relationship between dramatic works and their target audience. The social, cultural, and economic values and perspectives of the audience do also influence the themes and interpretations of a text and how they are portrayed or emphasized in any given production. For this assignment, you will be considering a contemporary teenage audience. You may choose one of the following two options: Option One: Write an essay that persuades your teacher to update some allusions in Hamlet for a contemporary teenage audience. Perhaps Termagant and Herod were effective allusions during Elizabethan times, but you will provide allusions that will have a similar meaning to the original, but that a modern audience will understand. You are simply replacing allusions in the original text with your own allusions to our contemporary culture. Explain how the original allusion works, and why your example would be an effective replacement for a modern teenage audience. You may wish to use allusions that you have already researched in previous activities, though you are free to use different ones. You need to smoothly integrate at least one quotation in the body paragraph(s). Since most of you are teens, you will not need to conduct any original research, as you can speak as an authority. Your thesis can be simply stated as something like: updating these two allusions in Hamlet would effectively target a contemporary teenage audience. Include a Work Cited page. Option Two: Imagine that you are responsible for creating a modern film adaptation of Hamlet for a contemporary teenage audience. You can use the content from U4A7 to give you an idea of what other filmmakers have done in previous generations. Your task is to argue that some particular elements of your film will help to target a modern teenage audience. You will need to smoothly incorporate at least one quotation as you provide examples of how your updates will work in the film. You may wish to do a bit of research on the “Millennial Generation” to get ideas about what sorts of ideas will appeal to your target audience. This will help you to understand what directorial choices will be effective if your film is going to target this generation. Your thesis might be something like: the following film devices/production elements (costume, setting, actors, etc.)/ dramatic choices/ allusions/ would effectively target a contemporary teenage audience. Include a Work(s) Cited page.