ENGL 1107 - Shakespeare

This course will look closely at four Shakespeare plays, one each from the major genres of tragedy, comedy, history, and romance. The plays to be studied will vary from year to year depending on participating staff members. Topics covered will include character, form, spectacle, theme, sources, the original conditions of production, and the reproduction of Shakespeare's plays in a contemporary context. Students will be introduced to a range of critical approaches to Shakespeare's plays, and be encouraged to reflect on questions of canonicity, cultural value and authority, and the politics of production and reproduction. Film and TV adaptations of the plays may be used to enhance discussion and reflection. The course is suitable for students with little or no prior knowledge of Shakespeare and also for those wishing to become more familiar with the playwright's work. It may be studied as a 'one off' course or for the sound basis it will provide for studying some of the advanced courses offered by the Discipline of English, such as Renaissance Writing and Adaptation. The course will run in odd numbered years beginning in 2009, replacing Landmarks in English Literature in those years.