Part A: Essay

What is Shakespeare's attitude toward love?

Shakespeare wrote many sonnets and in each he expresses love. Choose two Shakespearian sonnets that are discussed in this course and explain what these two sonnets say about his attitude toward love. Be sure to indicate in the intro which two sonnets you are discussing. As you prepare your essay, you will need to give a summary of the ideas in each sonnet and connect those ideas to Shakespeare's attitude toward love. Evaluate and compare the ideas in each sonnet.

Part B -

Pick one of the following works to discuss: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Morte d'Arthur, or "The Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales. Compare an idea (belief, value, political issue, or social issue) found in the text to some aspect of today's society. It could be something that is the same as it was in the text, or an idea that has shifted from the time the work was written until now. In your intro, identify the work you are discussing and the idea/issue along with how the views toward it have changed or remained the same. You will need to explain how the characters in the work address the issue as well as how it is addressed in society today.

Written Essay Option

Answer the question for Part B by writing a 600 word essay. You may research the issue from an outside source, but then be sure to include a proper MLA Works Cited page and in-line citation (see the appendix for more on these).

Speech Option

Answer the question for Part B by recording a five-minute video presentation in which you give a speech. The speech will be graded with the same rubric as the essay, including conventions in style, sentence structure, and grammar.