chybug Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Hi! I'm thinking of writing my EE on Hamlet and a Midsummer Night's Dream, but I can't tell if my question is too vague or too specific: To what extent does Shakespeare's utilization of his own "Shakespearean Fool" differ in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet? Also, on a different note, I read through the IB Group 1 guide and no where did I see any examples using Shakespeare. I'm honestly rather surprised, as I'd figure Shakespeare's plays would be the most overused English EE topic there is. Do you think this is an overused topic AKA do you think the IB will think, "Oh great, another Shakespeare EE..."? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Jeeves Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Actually, I don't think Shakespeare's used nearly as much as The Great Gatsby or The Catcher in the Rye, to name a few. [Anecdote time: two kids in my class discovered they were doing almost the exact same thing on the latter when they were talking to me about whether it was too overdone. It was hilarious. For me, that is; they had to find new topics :/] Maybe don't do Hamlet, though, as that's quite a common one to do in class. As for the topic, I find it interesting but broad. In what way, specifically, do you want to analyze? Are we talking uses in comedy vs drama? Scenes as a breath of fresh air vs further malarkey? Characters as advancers of plot? Now that I think of it, that's a good place to start narrowing. Do you want to look at scenes in which the fool does his foolishness or the character of the fool himself? Maybe even the humor of the fool? 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tintinnabulation Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 As an alternative to Hamlet, I'd suggest King Lear, as it has a prominent Fool as well, whom I've always been partial to, and because it probably turns up less than Hamlet. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chybug Posted November 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Thanks for the advice! As of now, I'm not entirely sure where I want to go with this question. I'm probably leaning more towards looking at the differences in the character itself based on genre. I actually was considering King Lear in the beginning of my process, but switched to Hamlet because we're actually reading that in class... Which proves that it may not be the best choice to do. I think I'll try reading it and seeing if it fits my question! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Jeeves Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 If we're suggesting other fools, I absolutely have to put in a good word for Falstaff from Henry IV. What a lovable old fogey. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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