English 205, Dr.

Manous 1

Essay 2: Renaissance Literature

Due Dates:

 Tuesday, November 06 – Provisional Thesis Statement due

 Tuesday, November 13 – Bring in your most current draft, outline, or notes
 Tuesday, November 20 – Printed Final Draft due at the start of class
 Tuesday, November 20 – Digital Final Draft due on Turnitin by 11:59pm

Assignment

In 4-5 pages, write an essay that analyzes and interprets one or more of the works that were
assigned to you during Weeks 6-10 of this term—these works are Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie
Queene, William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and the poems by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, John
Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Richard Lovelace, and Andrew Marvell. Your essay
must include a thesis statement that makes an argument about one or more of these works and
that is supported by well-analyzed textual evidence. *Assume your readers have read and
understood the texts you are analyzing. Limit your summary of the texts, accordingly.

The proper integration and presentation of quotes, accurate quoting and citing, and a Works
Cited page are all required. For primary texts, always quote from The Norton Anthology. We
will go over quoting and citing requirements in class. No outside research is required for this
essay; however, if you do wish to incorporate discussion of outside sources, please discuss
academic arguments found in reputable journals or on library databases like JSTOR.

Ultimately, you may choose your own topic and focus, so think of the following paper topics as
suggestions rather than compulsory outlines for your essay:

1. Redcrosse Knight and Sir Gawain both belong to an Arthurian world. In what ways is
Redcrosse’s knightly quest and the lessons he learns similar to and/or different from those of
Gawain? How do these similarities and/or differences—and the Arthurian context, in
general—support Spenser’s purpose?

2. Discuss the concept of “error” and its relevance to The Faerie Queene. What is the purpose
of error. What kinds of lessons does error teach? Can error be overcome? Is error treated
the same way in Twelfth Night? In Twelfth Night, does error serve similar or different
purposes?

3. What view of human nature is conveyed in Twelfth Night and/or The Faerie Queene? How
does this view relate to the purpose and significance of each text?

4. Consider the concepts of hope and despair in The Faerie Queene? How do the characters
confront despair? What lessons—Christian or otherwise—does this topic reveal?
 English 205, Dr. Manous 2

5. Many consider The Faerie Queene to be a national epic. How do the figures of Arthur, the
Faerie Queene, Redcrosse, Una, and/or other characters help support this notion? Does the
work gain added significance from reading it as a national epic?

6. Examine the Christian elements and the pagan elements in The Faerie Queene. What role
does each kind of element play in the text? How does each relate? Are the pagan elements
significant?

7. Discuss the importance of the lord-retainer relationship in The Faerie Queene. How is this
relationship linked to another theme or topic—e.g. exile, social stability, survival, love,
holiness, heroism, etc.?

8. How does Twelfth Night handle the “lord-retainer” relationship? How does this kind of
relationship serve the purposes of the play?

9. What role does the fool and the “madman” play in Twelfth Night? What is their function and
purpose?

10. Discuss the purpose and meaning of disguise in Twelfth Night? If you want, consider how
the concept of disguise in Twelfth Night compares or contrasts with the concept of disguise in
The Faerie Queene.

11. Consider the narrative arc of Book 1 of The Faerie Queene. How does the organizational
structure of the book help to convey its meaning?

12. Both Beowulf and Redcrosse Knight fight and kill the dragon. Discuss the dragon and what
it represents in The Faerie Queene. Compare and contrast Spenser’s dragon with Beowulf’s
dragon.

13. Discuss the role and significance of carnival—or festive time—to the meaning and purpose
of Twelfth Night. Which characters best embody this role and significance? Which do not?
How are we to interpret the ending of the play?

14. Compare and contrast one or more “metaphysical” poems with one or more “love” poems.
What do they share? How do they differ? You may focus your comparison on the poems of
Donne, or you may compare poems by different authors.

15. Analyze and interpret one or two poems. In support of your interpretation, consider the
speaker, the imagery, the use of metaphors and similes, the overarching “conceit,” the use of
rhymes to create or emphasize meaning, the use of symbolism, and/or other poetic devices
and matters relevant to the understanding of the poem(s).

16. Feel free to propose a different topic to me.

GOOD LUCK!