SHAKESPEARE: THE PLAY, THE WORD, AND THE BOOK

This course examines Shakespeare's development as a dramatist and poet, and covers a range of his plays and poems in detail. The course situates Shakespeare's work within the specific historical contexts of stage history and print culture, and examines the latest developments in Shakespeare criticism. Students explore the history of Shakespeare stage, consider the ways in which he re-worked his source material, examine the literary and performative contexts of the period, and look at how his texts appeared in both performance and in print. The course examines some of the problems involved in the transmission and editing of Shakespeare's texts, and the resulting implications for contemporary criticism and performance.