Creating an IOP Topic

[deadpan2297]

I'm having extreme difficulties in coming up with an IOP topic. I'm doing The Merchant of Venice, but any idea I come up with can't be supported or is just plain dumb. I've been reading countless other threads on this, and I found someone who said you can look at characters through a framework. His example was looking at Shylocke as a marxist; is something like this a good topic? I'd imagine you'd be able to find some evidence to support it but it would have to be taken out of context since Shakespeare couldn't possibly have been trying to achieve this.

 

How do you choose a good topic? What am I supposed to be looking for?

[kw0573]

The idea is interesting but I don't like the way you phrase the question because Marxist is a 20th century ideology, and to fit that to a Shakespearean play seems anachronistic and possibly forceful. However because the IOP is a creative assignment, you could make it work. I do believe your presentation should not heavily delve on this idea but to focus on more important literary elements, such as character development, mood, tone, rhetorical devices/word play.  

[deadpan2297]

8 hours ago, kw0573 said:

The idea is interesting but I don't like the way you phrase the question because Marxist is a 20th century ideology, and to fit that to a Shakespearean play seems anachronistic and possibly forceful. However because the IOP is a creative assignment, you could make it work. I do believe your presentation should not heavily delve on this idea but to focus on more important literary elements, such as character development, mood, tone, rhetorical devices/word play.  

Do you think doing a study of the allusions in the play could amount to anything? I can think of a couple examples and could talk about their purpose, effect, etc, but is that what the IOP is about or is meant to be more "creative" ?

[kw0573]

2 hours ago, deadpan2297 said:

Do you think doing a study of the allusions in the play could amount to anything? I can think of a couple examples and could talk about their purpose, effect, etc, but is that what the IOP is about or is meant to be more "creative" ?

To be honest I haven't read the play in its entirety. i think it could be appropriate. The IOP is first and foremost a literary analysis / informative presentation, and secondly it is creative. For example if allusion is your focus. You can create some exaggerated backstory or context in which the presentation can be more dramatic, rather than a plain commentary, for example. I believe the creative part is used to illustrate a point or subtlety.