Shakespeare’s Richard III
After his success in wooing Lady Anne (in front of the coffin of her father-in-law, no less), Richard delights in finding that his physical deformity somehow becomes an erotic asset, obviously fueled by his growing personal and political power. Can we view Richard’s quest for the throne in terms of an erotic trajectory—and if so, at what point in the play is that “deflated”? Consider bringing into your discussion one or more of the following: the Instructor’s “Study Guide for The Tragedy of King Richard the Third”; Jean E. Howard’s essay, “Shakespearean History”; and Stephen Greenblatt’s introductory essay, “Richard III.”
Your essay should be in the form of a well-reasoned argument (clearly-framed thesis statement developed by well-articulated points and supporting evidence) that makes specific use of the primary text as well as suggested secondary materials. You may, of course, bring other secondary sources into your writing, but be sure they are of high quality.
The text of the essay must not exceed four pages in length. Because of space limitations, you should avoid using quotations that take up more than three lines or so (such brief quotations will be part of your text).
You will need a separate “Works Cited” page that includes, in proper MLA form, entries for the play and all other sources actually used in the paper.
The paper should have a content-specific title, one that includes the title of the play, Shakespeare’s name, and the general direction of the essay’s content. An ineffective title, because of its vagueness, would be something like “Richard’s Ambition” (Richard who? Ambition for what? What literary work?). A better title, because it is more specific, would be “The Erotic Nature of Richard’s Ambition in Shakespeare’s Richard III.” (Paper titles are not enclosed in double quotation marks, of course.)
All quotations must be introduced properly; that is, quotations must fit into your sentences both grammatically and syntactically. Provide context for each quotation from the primary text(s) and comment on their significance in terms of the point you are making. Your reader needs to know at what point in the narrative something happens and other important circumstances!
Quotations from Shakespeare’s plays and other sources should be cited parenthetically (i.e., internally).
Note: Quotations from Shakespeare’s plays are cited by act, scene, and line number(s)—not page numbers. Important: The citation for the quotation from an essay on Richard III given above—“1.3.334-36”—is correct; “I.iii.334-36” would be incorrect.