discussion-MonNov28

Discussion questions for Monday, November 28, Friday, December 2, and/or Monday, December 5

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 * We will be focusing on //Macbeth// in these last two weeks in terms of theatrical tradition and innovation through examining several distinct and distinctive **productions, performances, and adaptations** of it. We'll be starting with a print adaptation in the form of a comic book adaptation by John McDonald -- Scottish! -- for a company called Classical Comics. Classical comics specializes in such projects; and for each adaptation they do, they offer the same artwork but with three different versions of the dialogue: we are reading it in the Original Text (i.e., the words you'll see are Shakespeare's original words), but they also offer it in Plain Text (cleaned up for modern readers) and Quick Text (for lower level readers). Discuss how this this comic book adaptation works, theatrically, as a production / performance of Shakespeare's play. For example, is the style realist? Expressionist? Anti-illusionist? Something else? Explain, using specific examples of panels or pages from the book.
 * Billy Morrissette's 2001 film //Scotland, PA//, is a parody/update of //Macbeth//, set in a fast-food restaurant in 1970s Pennsylvania. How important is it to the film to have a tradition of Shakespeare performance and production to which it can refer? In other words, how much of the drama/comedy depends upon being able to play around with its audience familiarity with Shakepeare's play? And how much familiarity does it expect from this audience: does it expect that they are Shakespeare scholars? Fans? Have taken a high school English class and gotten by on the SparkNotes summaries? Point to specific moments in the film in support of your answer. BONUS QUESTION: What do your answers to the questions above tell us about the role played by Shakespeare in 21st-century American culture?