SHAKESPEARE I - HISTORIES AND COMEDIES

SHAKESPEARE I - HISTORIES AND COMEDIES

Module Level:

Module Leader:

Dr Deniz Greenald

Module Credit Value:

10 Credit Points

Recommended Prior Knowledge: None required. It is intended that this module be offered as an elective.

Aims The module aims might be described as follows:

to discuss examples of Shakespeare’s Histories and Comedies, and see them in relation to their society
to study specific texts and understand the conventions which govern their form and content
to consider the important shaping factors acting on the writer and the work, as well as appreciating the writer’s contribution to the literary Canon
to examine the history of critical response to the writer as well as some of the recent methods or approaches associated with the most important insights into his work
to explore Shakespeare’s stagecraft within the framework of Elizabethan stage conditions and conventions

Indicative Content

A broad survey of Shakespeare’s History plays and Comedies and an in depth reading of selected texts.

Similarities between the plays: distinctive features, recurrent themes and patterns and divergences from these.

The theatrical conventions governing the production of drama in the period and its influence on the development of the Histories and Comedies.

The influence of the historical period on the work.

Critical responses to the work.

Specific Texts:

Richard II
Henry IV part 1
Henry IV part 2
Henry V

The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It
Twelfth Night

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module each student should be able to:

demonstrate an awareness of the usefulness and limitations of the generic terms ‘History Play’ and ‘Comedy’
demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the texts studied and be able to respond independently to issues raised by those texts
demonstrate an understanding of the way the plats conform to or challenge dramatic conventions
demonstrate an understanding of the way the plays engage with Elizabethan political issues
identify and describe some of the different critical methods which have been applied to the Histories and Comedies
form and substantiate judgments about the appropriateness of the critical methods applied to the texts

Teaching and Learning Strategies

Texts will be studied in blocks of 2 weeks. Introductory lectures will provide background information and introduce general themes and issues. These will be followed by seminar work which will focus on comprehension and close textual analysis as well as broader themes. There will be independent study time for reading of texts, background and critical material, as well as preparation of seminar activities.

Assessment Strategies

The module will be assessed by coursework in the form of 2 x 2000 word assignments, chosen by the student from a range of questions set by the tutor. Assignments will be designed to elicit both detailed analysis and comprehension of individual texts and an understanding of broader issues raised by the course. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of the texts, understanding of their relation to the society which produced them and their continued relevance or interest to people today. Tutors will look for evidence of the student’s ability to apply critical insights and assess the value of recent critical works. As appropriate to Level II study, breadth as well as depth of response will be required.

Bibliography

Required Reading

Dollimore, J. & Sinfield, A., Political Shakespeare, (MUP, 1985)

Drakakis, J., (ed) Alternative Shakespeares, (Methuen, 1985)

Rutter, C., Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare’s Women, (Women’s Press, 1988)

Parker, P. & Hartman, G., Shakespeare & The Question of Theory, (Methuen, 1985)

Teague, F., Acting Funny: Comic Theory & Practice in Shakespeare’s Plays, (Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1994)

Vickers, B., Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Questions, (Yale, 1993)

Wells, S., The Cambridge Companion To Shakespeare Studies, (CUP, 1986)

Recommended Reading

Braunmuller, A.R. & Bulman, J.C., Comedy From Shakespeare To Sheridan, (Associated University Presses, 1986)

Dessen, A.C., Elizabethan Stage Conventions & Modern Interpreters, (CUP, 1984)

Hawkes, T., That Shakespearian Rag, (Methuen, 1986)

Holderness, G., Shakespeare’s History, (Gill & Macmillan, 1985)

Kott, J., Shakespeare Our Contemporary, (Methuen, 1964)

Nevo, R., Comic Transformations In Shakespeare, (Methuen 1980)

Ornstein, R. Shakespeare’s Comedies, (U. Delaware Press, 1986)

Paris, B.J., Character as a Subversive Force in The History & Roman Plays, (Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1991)

Salinger, L., Shakespeare & The Traditions of Comedy, (CUP, 1974)

Sinfield, A., Faultlines: Cultural Materialism & The Politics of Dissident Reading, (Clarendon, 1992)

Tillyard, E.M.W., The Elizabethan World Picture, (Penguin, 1943)
Shakespeare’s History Plays, (Penguin, 1944)

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