English 117 - Spring, 2013

Shakespeare

Class Information

Instructor: Bloom, Gina
Time: MWF 9:00-9:50
Location: 118 Olson

Description

In this course we will read some of Shakespeare's early histories and comedies, situating them in the Elizabethan theater in which they were originally performed. We will consider the plays in relation to four key areas of dramatic production: text, stage, actor, and audience. By attending to the theatrical conditions in which the plays were staged, we will be better positioned to explore the ways these dramas grapple with a range of historical and contemporary concerns, including: political power, social status, religious authority, gender difference, and individual agency.

Grading

Paper 1: 15%
Midterm exam: 20%
paper 2: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Quizzes: 20%
Section participation/attendance: 5%

Texts

The Taming of the Shrew, ed. Orgel
As You Like It , ed. Dolan
Henry IV, Part I , ed. McEachern
Richard II, ed. Dolan
Richard III, eds. Mowat and Werstein