Wednesday

As assigned in class:

• Students must, as singles or as pairs, choose from Macbeth a monologue of at least 20 lines for singles or 40 lines for pairs to memorize. Each group (or individual) should choose from Act 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in sequence until every act is covered by at least one group. Performance groups are not to let their scenes overlap, and the beginning, middle, and end of the play should be represented.
• When the speech is memorized, it is to be performed in front of the class. The performance should include
• An intro that contextualizes the speech and explains its importance to the meaning of the play as a whole.
• A fluid demonstration of memorized lines.
• A review, after the main performance, of the scene in a line-by-line fashion that thoroughly investigates every image and figure of speech, connecting them to meaning. The speaker should re-recite two or three lines, and then stop to explain them thoroughly, so that a fifth grade CP student could understand it AND so that a scholar could recognize the speaker’s insight. That is, be critically astute but plain-spoken in explanation.
• A written commentary on the same scene to be turned in on the day of the performance.
• The tentative date for performance is October 12 and 13. I will further discuss this date with you if there are known conflicts.
• Also, form larger groups of four and ADAPT a complete scene from the play – the way Apocalypse Now adapts Heart of Darkness. Use new language to suit a new time and place. The adaptation should emphasize at least one motif from the original play. Actors may hold a script – it does not have to be memorized. This scene should be about ten minutes in length, and the actors should be ready for an interview about their choices after the performance. The tentative due date for this performance is October 18 and 19.

If you have questions, post them as comments here and I will answer in another comment.