Index: doctest.py
===================================================================
--- doctest.py	(revision 61049)
+++ doctest.py	(working copy)
@@ -1079,7 +1079,8 @@
     # separate sections of the summary.
     DIVIDER = "*" * 70
 
-    def __init__(self, checker=None, verbose=None, optionflags=0):
+    def __init__(self, checker=None, verbose=None, optionflags=0,
+                 encoding=None):
         """
         Create a new test runner.
 
@@ -1102,6 +1103,7 @@
         self._verbose = verbose
         self.optionflags = optionflags
         self.original_optionflags = optionflags
+        self._encoding = encoding
 
         # Keep track of the examples we've run.
         self.tries = 0
@@ -1121,11 +1123,17 @@
         example.  (Only displays a message if verbose=True)
         """
         if self._verbose:
-            if example.want:
-                out('Trying:\n' + _indent(example.source) +
-                    'Expecting:\n' + _indent(example.want))
+            source = example.source
+            want = example.want
+            if self._encoding:
+                source = example.source.encode(self._encoding)
+                if example.want:
+                    want = example.want.encode(self._encoding)
+            if want:
+                out('Trying:\n' + _indent(source) +
+                    'Expecting:\n' + _indent(want))
             else:
-                out('Trying:\n' + _indent(example.source) +
+                out('Trying:\n' + _indent(source) +
                     'Expecting nothing\n')
 
     def report_success(self, out, test, example, got):
@@ -1162,7 +1170,10 @@
         else:
             out.append('Line %s, in %s' % (example.lineno+1, test.name))
         out.append('Failed example:')
-        source = example.source
+        if self._encoding:
+            source = example.source.encode(self._encoding)
+        else:
+            source = example.source
         out.append(_indent(source))
         return '\n'.join(out)
 
@@ -1929,9 +1940,11 @@
         globs.update(extraglobs)
 
     if raise_on_error:
-        runner = DebugRunner(verbose=verbose, optionflags=optionflags)
+        runner = DebugRunner(verbose=verbose, optionflags=optionflags,
+                             encoding=encoding)
     else:
-        runner = DocTestRunner(verbose=verbose, optionflags=optionflags)
+        runner = DocTestRunner(verbose=verbose, optionflags=optionflags,
+                               encoding=encoding)
 
     if encoding is not None:
         text = text.decode(encoding)