When starting my Master’s programme significant emphasis was placed on the thesis we would be writing during the summer month, which makes sense! However, during my undergrad dissertation, I struggled with the concept of a research question. I know and understand what a research question is, I just struggled with coming up with one. I didn’t have a question I wanted answered, it was more of a concept I wanted to explore from a particular angle. So, this time round, I decided that I would write down any questions I could come up with about the area I’m interested in. Now, none of these could really constitute an actual research question, they’re simply questions I want to be answered.
So for some background on what I’m interested in! I have a massive love for Shakespeare! And Renaissance writing generally, but today my questions are going to focus on Shakespeare. I’m very interested in performance and adaptation, but mainly performance. I love thinking of Shakespeare’s plays as plays and not merely texts to be read and analysed. So, as a result, I want to write about performance for my Master’s thesis, I just don’t know what specifically I’m going to write about. Right, I’d say it’s time to get into my questions.
What makes a performance good? Is it the direction, the acting, the staging, the music, the costumes? Is it all of these? Can one outweigh the other? How can we tell?
Why do we continue to go back to Shakespeare? Is it just because we have a lot of his work? Is it something about his writing?
How have performances developed over time? How do we compare modern performances with those from Victorian times and then from the Renaissance? Are they comparable? Why/why not?
What was emphasised in each era of performance? Was it the costumes, the music, Shakespeare’s words? What was more popular, comedy or tragedy? When were they popular? How much influence do current events have on what Shakespeare’s plays are being performed?
Outdoor vs indoor performances. How have they changed? Does one remain more popular? In popularity, is it fair to count the Globe? How are outdoor spaces utilised compared to indoor?
Should there be an emphasis on originality? Or should we remain true to Renaissance performance norms?
These, along with a few more, are the questions that have been swimming around in my head since I began thinking about my Master’s thesis. I just have to figure out where to start reading and then progress from there. I don’t think I’m going to develop a well-rounded research question until April, but I think it’s good to start airing and exploring different questions that arise for me.