Course Description:
Shakespeare’s cultural impact on early modern theater is undeniable and that impact continues to be felt not only in England and America but globally, with dramatic performances and film/media adaptations of his works occurring in locations as far flung as Yemen, India, and Japan. At the same time, the study of Shakespeare’s works is undergoing a profound transformation as new methods of analysis—especially the insights of queer theory, critical race studies, and trans studies—overhaul our understanding of this writer and his plays. That his works endure is one of the rationales for this course: what also made his texts distinctive theatrically and thematically in his own era? What makes Shakespeare’s works resonate in our times?
To answer these questions, we will examine a selection of his published works that cover the two major genres in which he wrote: comedy and tragedy. We will read the comedy As You Like It, and the tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra, along with two plays who classification as either comedies or tragedies has shifted over time: The Tempest and Cymbeline. By focusing on two plays that are hard to classify in terms of genre, we can reflect critically on the question of its significance. Finally, we also will read a range of his sonnets, a popular poetic form that Shakespeare adapted for his own interests, with one of our assignments focused on this form.
Along the way, we will reflect upon how new methods of analysis are shifting our interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. How do the insights of trans studies alter our understanding of ‘cross-dressing’ in As You Like It? What relationship does sexuality have to race in Antony and Cleopatra? How do plays like The Tempest and Cymbeline think through gender and/or racial conflicts? To this end, we will read selected critical examinations of the plays and poems we read, using these sources to build a vocabulary that will enrich our engagements Shakespeare’s works.
Book List:
Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. Juliet Dusinberre, ed. Arden Shakespeare: 2006.
Shakespeare, William. Antony and Cleopatra. John Wilders, ed. Arden Shakespeare: 1995.
Shakespeare, William. Cymbeline. Valerie Wayne, ed. Arden Shakespeare: 2017.
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Virginia Mason Vaughan and Alden T. Vaughan, eds. Arden Shakespeare: 2011.
I will provide selected sonnets as a PDF. I also will provide you with any films or radio recordings that are a part of the class.
Student Learning Outcomes:
In this course, students will:
- Practice reading literary texts critically and appreciate how genre shapes content
- Improve their skills at presenting research orally
- Grasp the history of the theatre in early modern England and its importance as a cultural and political institution
- Gain an understanding of methods of analysis grounded in trans studies, queer theory, and critical race studies, as they appear in the study of Shakespeare’s plays
- Improve their skills in incorporating and documenting secondary scholarship when crafting an argumentative essay
Methods of Assessment:
Final Paper (2000 words) 30%
Response Paper (700 words) 15%
Blog Responses (5 x 50 words at a minimum) 10%
Research Presentation 15%
Sonnet Project 20%
Participation 10%