William FitzGerald                                                                                                     Fall 2006
English 220 - Introduction to Literary Study


OED Exercise -- Researching and Summarizing a Word in "The Tempest" using the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

Assignment: identify at least three words appearing in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" to look up in the OED (http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl). Note: You must be logged in to the Rutger's library site to access the OED

1. Examine the full entry for each of these three words. In general, choose more common words whose meaning seems somewhat different from the term's current usage. Be sure to identify which terms you also examined beyond the one you selected for #2 and #3.

2. For one of those words, summarize the OED entry; that is, briefly discuss its etymology and usage over time--based on the dated quotations in the OED entry--in several sentences.

3. Finally, briefly discuss over several sentences how this word is employed in "The Tempest," being sure to cite a particular line or passage and also being sure to note how the term's meaning contributes to understanding that line or passage.

Assigned: Wednesday, October 18
Due: in hardcopy or electronic form, Monday, October 23