ENGL 364 - Shakespere
". . . you would pluck out the heart of my mystery . . . "
Texts:
Evans and Others, The Riverside Shakespeare
Goals of the Course:
- To read a number of plays, some in depth and others rapidly
- To participate a little in the "playing" of Shakespeare's roles
- To understand the language of Shakespeare's speakers
- To recognize the distinguishing features of comedy, tragedy, and historical drama
- To learn something of the relationship between Shakespeare and his age, the Renaissance
- To gain a sense of the fascinating variety of approaches--critical and artistic--to Shakespeare's work
- To come to love Shakespeare
Course Outline:
Prologue
- "Who's there?"
- Shakespeare in Love
I. The Prince and Shakespeare: Face or Mask?
"The expectation and rose of the fair state,
- The glass of fashion and the mold of form.
- The observ'd of all observers . . ."
- Hamlet
- General Introduction, Riverside, Selected pages
- Other Selected Readings
II. Lover, Knave, and Fool: Shakespeare as Comedian / Philosopher
"As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on--"
- Much Ado About Nothing (Film)
III. The Crown and Shakespeare's Politics: Burden or Power?
"The time is out of joint--O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"
- Henry IV: Part I
IV. The King: Tragic Hero or Knave?
"Why, what a king is this!"
- Richard III
- Macbeth
- Epilogue (December 7-14)
- "Good night, sweet prince,
- And flights of angels sing thee to they rest!"
- Return to Hamlet
- Creative Projects and Celebration
Ground Rules of the Course:
The readings in this course will consist primarily of Shakespeare's plays, but we will also consider some background material in handouts and The Riverside Shakespeare. Written assignments will include two interpretive essays of 3-5 pages each, with approaches to be assigned. There will be a mid-term test, a final examination--and occasional short quizzes or other writing. We will conclude the course with a creative project to be developed with a group.
You are expected to attend class regularly. (More than two absences during the semester may affect your grade.) Your writing will be graded on how you put it, as well as on what you say. You must take the hour test (either on October 19 or 26) and the final examination scheduled for December 14. Creative group or individual projects will be presented at the end of the course; imaginative approaches are welcomed. You must turn in your written assignments on time unless you have asked ahead for an extension. And you must always, always bring your text to class--although its weight is extraordinary!
Grading will be based on tests, on papers and other written work, and on class participation and performance. Your work will be finally judged in about five categories carrying these weights:
- Essay papers 2 parts
- Class test 1 part
- Creative project 1 part
- Final exam 2 parts
- Class work 2 parts
Possible Background Readings:
From time to time, appropriate readings in critical and/or background material may be suggested, or you may want to follow up on some material yourself. The following studies provide a general background to Shakespeare's life and art:
Barber, C.L., and Richard P. Wheeler. The Whole Journey:
Shakespeare's Power of Development. (1986).
Bate, Jonathan. The Genius of Shakespeare (1998).
Berman, Ronald S. A Reader's Guide to Shakespeare's Plays (1965).
Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998).
Clemen, Wolfgang. The Development of Shakespeare's Imagery (1951).
Eagleton, Terry. William Shakespeare (1986).
Fiedler, Leslie. The Stranger in Shakespeare (1973).
Fraser, Russell. Shakespeare: The Later Years (1992).
French, Marilyn. Shakespeare's Division of Experience (1981).
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism (1951). A Natural Perspective (1969).
Garber, Marjorie. Dream in Shakespeare (1974).
Greer, Germaine. Shakespeare (1986).
Novy, Marianne L. Love's Argument: Gender Relations in Shakespeare (1984).
Schoenbaum. Samuel. Shakespeare: A Documentary Life (1975).
Spurgeon, Caroline. Shakespeare's Imagery and What it Tells Us (1935, repr. 1965).
Yates, Frances. Shakespeare's Last Plays (1975). The Theatre of the World (1969).
The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age (1979).
"Our revels now are ended."
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