Welcome to the blog for Prof. John Talbird's English 102 class. The purpose of this site is two-fold: 1) to continue the conversations we start in class (or to start conversations before we get to class) and 2) to practice our writing/reading on a weekly basis in an informal forum.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Richard III, the film

Richard Loncraine's adaptation of Shakespeare's play transplants the plot from England circa 1483-1485 (Middle Ages) to a fictional 1930s England which is veering from monarchy into fascism. What does this shifting in times do to Shakespeare's play? Do you find it a successful or unsuccessful shift and why? Look at this picture of a Hitler rally from around the same time:

http://aquarianradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ww2-hitler-rally.jpg

What kind of connections can you make? What does the film seem to be saying about the differences between monarchy (a system in which a king (and sometimes a queen) rules by divine right) and fascism (a system in which a strong person and his followers seizes control from a previous "failed" government)?

It's almost ten minutes into the film before we hear any of Shakespeare's dialogue. What does the opening of the movie do?

What other questions do you have about the film? Did it help you better understand the play or not? Explain.

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