Primary Source Analysis: Ballads in Shakespeare's Time

Shakespeare in many ways has become our contemporary, so it’s crucial that we begin by considering the ways in which he was a product of his own time. Shakespeare did not write in a vacuum–-he was inspired by the world around him and needed to consider popular topics if he wanted people to come see his plays.

This project asks you to demonstrate your accomplishment in the following learning outcomes:

1) identifying and analyzing primary sources, and

2) drawing unexpected connections between Shakespeare's plays and other pieces of early modern popular culture

Below you’ll find the link to several ballads produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We don’t necessarily have to assume they are directly related to Shakespeare (i.e. that he read or heard them) to draw connections: as products of the early modern period, they represent topics which were of interest to the populace (especially the low- and working classes who attended plays at the Globe) and were cheap enough to purchase on a whim (think of them as the period’s tabloids).

Invention

Choose one of the plays (Titus Andronicus or Loves Labours Lost) and go through the ballads. They are short and pithy, and intended for easy consumption, so you should have no problem reading through all of them. Once you’ve done that, select one of the ballads for deeper analysis. As you take notes and annotate (you’ll probably want to print a copy), try to answer the following questions:

1) What do you know about this ballad (topic/period/speaker)?

2) What story is it trying to tell? Why do you think early modern audiences might be interested in this topic?

3) Why does this story make a good ballad? Can you imagine people singing this at bars over a pint?

4) How does this make you think about your selected play? To which characters does it relate? What themes does it address?

5) Is the ballad presenting the subject in the same way as Shakespeare? If not, what’s different? How are the characters/behaviors of the men and women in the ballad being portrayed?

6) If you were to use a reference to this ballad as a footnote to the play, where would you put it (act, scene, perhaps even specific lines)? Why?

Composition

You don’t need to answer all the above questions in your paper. They are meant to guide your notes and ideas as you draft.

Write a 3-4 page paper that makes an argument about how your chosen ballad can be used to close-read and analyze a specific theme or character in the play. Your paper should focus on a narrow-enough point that can be discussed in detail over 3-4 pages. Your thesis should be argumentative–the goal is not simply to identify similarities or differences but to develop a persuasive point about how this ballad can enhance our reading of the play. Make sure you use specific textual references (to both the play and the ballad) to prove your point! Showcase your close-reading skills by analyzing at least a couple of quotes/sections in detail.

Option One: Ballads connected to Titus Andronicus:

• Celias Complaint, for the loss of her Virginity
• A Lamentable BALLAD of the Tragical End of A
  Gallant LORD and Vertuous LADY: Together with the untimely Death of their Two CHILDREN; wickedly performed by a Heathenish and Blood-thirsty Black a-Moor, their Servant; the like of which Cruelty and Murder was never before heard of 
• Lady ISABELLAs Tragedy; Or, The Step Mother Cruelty. (includes pie-baking!)
• DEVOLs last Farewel: Containing an Account of many frolicksom Intreigues and notorious Robberies, which he committed: Concluding with his mournful Lamentation, on the Day of his Death.

Option Two: Ballads connected to Loves Labours Lost:

• Advice to Batchelors, or,The Married Mans Lamentation.
• Faint Heart never won fair Lady: OR, Good Advice to Batchelors How to Court and Obtain a Young Lass.
• The Country Cozen: Or The Crafty City Dame. Who invited a Gentleman to her House in Womans apparel, whereby her Husband was deceived