The course is designed for students interested in becoming familiar with Shakespeare's work through a study of five of his plays. Our focus will be on the structure and language of the plays, their performative qualities, dramatic form and genres, and their relations to the social and political tensions of Shakespeare's time. The course centers on close readings of the texts and is designed to develop facility in dealing critically with the issues raised by the plays. Some of our main thematic concerns will be the theatrical conditions at the turn of the seventeenth century, marriage, family, economics, gender relations, and monarchical power. We will pair the plays with various documents from the early modern age such as homilies, philosophical writings, political and medical treatises, anti-theatrical tracts, and an early modern blockbuster, The Spanish Tragedy, from Thomas Kyd, one of Shakespeare’s theatrical predecessors. As we attempt to understand Shakespeare historically, we will also try to place him in our own world in its global context. Assignments include: two 5 page papers, each to be substantially revised, five one page responses, a midterm and a final exam.

Required Textbooks (the plays will be read in the following order):
Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew (Bedford) ISBN-13: 978-0312108366
Shakespeare, William. Richard II (Arden, 3rd Ed) ISBN-13: 978-1903436332
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night (Bedford/ St. Martin’s) ISBN-13: 978-0312202194
Kyd, Thomas. The Spanish Tragedy (Revels) ISBN-13: 978-0719043444
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet (Bedford/St Martin’s). ISBN: 9780312055448
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth (Bedford/St. Martin’s) ISBN-13: 978-0312144548
A Course Pack