Working Title: “History Has Its Eyes on You: Henry V to
Hamilton and the Success of the History Play”
Working Thesis: Though written hundreds of years apart,
Shakepeare’s Henry V and Lin Manuel
Miranda’s Hamilton are key subjects to
understanding the timeless elements that guarantee the success of a history
play, no matter the era.
Social Sources:
Homie/Enthusiast: Saren Bennet. Saren is one of my best
friends and the one who introduced me to Hamilton in the first place. I talked
to her about my research idea and she told me why she liked Hamilton so much as
a history play. She mainly told me about how she liked Miranda’s choice of a
racially mixed cast and thought he was smart to use catchy music. She is interested
in history like never before, thanks to the musical.
Peer: Bridgett Vanderhoof. Bridget is a grad student and
recently gave a presentation about Shakespeare and Hamilton. She’s the one that
I Internet-stalked so intensely and eventually sent me over the write-up of her
presentation. She talks about Miranda and Hamilton as “Great Men” and her topic
explores the concept of what makes a “Great Man”. While not expressly related
to my topic, she has a few key quotes in her paper that I’d like to use and
some sources that are really valuable.
Expert: Robert Means. This morning, I went to Robert’s
office and talked to him about my paper. He was an excellent resource and told
me a lot about a few books on Shakespeare of which I was previously unaware. He
showed me the most helpful searches to try on the library databases, and then
helped me figure out how to set up my paper effectively.
Scholarly Sources:
Cavanagh, Dermot. Early Modern Literature in History :
Language and Politics in the Sixteenth-Century History Play. Gordonsville, GB:
Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 18 November 2016.
This is an awesome article about language/rhetoric and its
effects in Shakespeare’s day. I think that one of the reason’s Shakespeare’s
history plays are so effective is because of their rhetoric, so this will be
really useful for analysis.
Moseley, C.W.R.D.. Shakespeare's History Plays : Richard II
to Henry V, the Making of a King. Penrith, GB: Humanities-Ebooks, LLP, 2008.
ProQuest ebrary. Web. 18 November 2016.
The chapter from this book that I really like describes what
makes Henry V such an amazing character. Strong, relatable characters are also
aspects of a successful history play that I’d like to focus on, so I’m excited
to use this to delve into the characters better.
Knight, Charles. Shakespearean
Criticism, Vol. 5, edited by Mark W. Scott, Gale Research Company, 1987, p.
198.
This essay discusses how Shakespeare made his history plays
dramatic. One of the key elements that I’d like to expound is how historic
storylines are made more dramatic so they’re interesting. The essay here gives
great examples.
Leech, Clifford. “History for the Elizabethans.” Shakespearean Criticism, Vol. 56, edited by Michelle Lee, Gale Research
Company, 2001, pp. 2-3.
This article explores the patriotism of history plays in the
Elizabethan era. History plays are made successful because of the patriotism of
their listeners, so I’m excited to explore how a love of country influences
Shakespeare, Miranda, and their audiences.
It sounds like you've found some good peer sources. I love how you stalked that girl online, that was a great idea. I was wondering what elements you would specifically talk about with history plays. Does Shakespeare's rhetoric relate to Miranda's rhetoric? Also, for my ear, I like the sound of "Henry V, Hamilton, and the success of the History Play." The extra "to" distracts me. Just a thought.
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