[ad_1]
- Milton originally intended to write Paradise Lost as a play. When he decided to compose an epic, he dictated the verse aloud. Perhaps for these reasons, the poem lends itself well to dramatic readings. For this question, choose one “verse paragraph” (a speech or block of narrative, beginning with an indented line, and ending before the next indented line) to prepare for a hypothetical dramatic reading. What line will you read:
a. The fastest?
b. The slowest?
c. The loudest?
d. The quietest?
What clues in the structure of the lines—rhythmic devices, repetition, etc—support these choices? And, most importantly, what aspects of the poem’s themes will these performance decisions highlight? Finally,
e. Identify one especially ambiguous line—one that can be read in different ways, to emphasize different meanings (a change in emphasis might change the meaning of the line; the grammar might change; a word or words might have multiple different definitions…). Explain two possible readings of the line, and discuss how a change in this line’s meaning alters the meaning of the verse paragraph as a whole.
- Imagine you are the literary consultant to a twenty-first century production of Volpone. The director plans to cut a brief, apparently unimportant scene (one of those in the list below). In a letter of ~1200 words, persuade them that your chosen scene is actually critical, and should not be cut. Steer away from considerations of plot and character arcs; a good director and actors can convey such developments even if lines have been excised. Instead, you should, first, focus on the literary and dramatic techniques that make this scene interesting and, second, analyze how these techniques contribute to an important theme or themes of the play.
Sample Solution
The post Twenty-first century production of Volpone. appeared first on acestar tutors.
[ad_2]
Source link