Extrapolation: Here We Come!

We're going to spend some time in class tomorrow going over how to figure out what to include in a paragraph when writing a Response to Literature Essay.  Look at the example I've written up to show you what I'm talking about.  This example took me about 20 minutes to write and another 10 to edit the paragraph's first draft.

Significant Quotation:	“Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.” ( Richard III, 1.1.1)
Content: What does this line mean or imply?   (Paraphrase or explain.)	The son of the Duke of York has ended the nation’s troubles.  We are to infer through knowledge of the situation, he means the coronation of Edward IV, Richard’s brother.  But he may also mean himself.
Form: How does Shakespeare say it? (Rhetoric, Poetic Devices, imagery, Rhythmic Deviation, Prose, etc. )	Shakespeare uses several devices in these two lines: Double Antithesis:  winter/summer; discontent/glorious Understatement/Hyperbole:  Discontent vs. Glorious Pun: Son of York/sun of York Double Meaning:  son of York – there are three sons of York.  Iambic Meaningful Deviation:  Now – trochaic opener Iambic Meaningful Deviation:  Anapestic intrusion: Glo/ri-ous Sum/mer
Matter: Why is the associated effect created by the content and form important? (What does their interplay say about a deeper understanding of some aspect of the play?)	Richard III is obviously a brilliant man to use all of these rhetorical devices in one line.  The use of antithesis suggests a mood of change and duplicity.  The understatement of “discontent” contrasting the hyperbole of “glorious” has a dramatic effect and combined with the homophonic pun relating to the “son” the overall effect is suggests sarcasm.  The meaningful deviation from the iambic line with the three syllabled “glorious” heightens this sarcastic effect.  Furthermore, the ambiguity of which “son of York” Richard is referring, also lends a sinister overtone to his
Audience/Extrapolation: To whom is this line important and why? (Audience of the day, Audience today, the other characters, one character)	As this is a soliloquy, Shakespeare is introducing the main character to the audience, giving us insight into his character. Richard comes off as a bitter, sarcastic individual from the very first line.
Context: What is the author’s purpose in including this quotation for the world outside the play to hear?	Shakespeare sets up Richard III as a villain from the beginning of the story.  The Elizabethan audience, being aware of the story,  would have appreciated this portrayal. Portraying Richard as a villain from the start lays out the trajectory of the story.  Elizabeth I was a descendant of the man who eventually kills Richard, and therefore his heroism is heightened.
Frame your paragraph with the most important/pertinent ideas from above: Shakespeare frames Richard III’s villainous nature through his use of ironic rhetorical devices and dramatic figurative language that suggest sinister characteristics.  With the first two lines of the play: “Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this son of York,” (1.1.1-2) the playwright paints the title character as a complex villain.  The playing with opposites found in the antithetical use of not only “winter” and “summer” but also “discontent” and “glory” hints at his duplicitous nature.  Additionally, the juxtaposition of the understatement “discontent” with the hyperbole of “glorious” mocks the seriousness of the war-torn circumstances.  As these lines also begin an opening soliloquy, Shakespeare heightens Richard’s two-faced persona and wicked sense of humor through his homophonic punning about “this son of York.”  This play on words suggests Richard’s deceitful nature, considering the ambiguous antecedent for the word “son.”  Does Richard mean his brother King Edward IV or himself?  To complete the ironic effect, Shakespeare highlights the word “glorious” through its meaningful deviation from the predominant iambic rhythm.  The elongated word encourages the actor to give an indulgent, smirking delivery.   The complex construction of Richard III’s first lines would have had the Elizabethan audience immediately tuned into the playwright’s intent to vilify the title character from the moment he first walks onstage.