ENGL 152A

Dr. A. Eastwood

Comparative Essay 1

1500 words

Choose one of the prompts below and write a 5-6 page essay (typed, double-spaced) that makes an argument about the topic provided.  Use MLA format for in-text citations, but a works cited page is only necessary if you consult texts other than those required for this course. 

1. Discuss the endings of Edward II and A Woman Killed with Kindness.  What effect do these endings have compared with the events of the play as a whole?  Speculate about the effect such endings would have had on early modern audiences.

2. One possible purpose of early modern theater was to instruct its audiences on proper behavior.  How and to what degree do Edward II and A Woman Killed with Kindness operate didactically? 

3.  Examine the dynamic between masculinity and femininity in Edward II and A Woman Killed with Kindness.

4. Discuss the use of the tragic form in Edward II and A Woman Killed with Kindness.  How do Marlowe and Heywood manipulate expectations about tragedy?  What is the effect of these interventions?