Shakespeare 3301-LB2064-1ST
The course offers a comprehensive analysis of selected plays by William Shakespeare. The plays are discussed both with regard to the Elizabethan worldview and modern interpretative frameworks. In the current version of the course we shall focus in particular on Shakespeare's theatrical craftsmanship. We shall discuss the differences in the employment and interpretation of historical records, character designs and ideological dimension, and stage and film productions of Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The graduate has familiarity with:
- K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art
in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of English Renaissance
Studies
- K_W08 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
The graduate is able to:
- K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of
the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of
English Renaissance Studies
- K_U08 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
The graduate is ready to:
- K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
- K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult
experts when required
Assessment criteria
Oral contributions, final test (verification of outcomes: W, U, K)
Bibliography
Critical editions:
W. Shakespeare (2015) Macbeth ed. by Sandra Clark, Pamela Mason. The Arden Shakespeare. Third Series. Bloomsbury.
W. Shakespeare (2007 [1997]) Macbeth ed. by Albert Richard Braunmuller. The New Cambridge Shakespeare. CUP.
W. Shakespeare (1972 [1964]) The Merchant of Venice ed. by John Russel Brown. The Arden Shakespeare. Second Series. London: Methuen and Co.
W. Shakespeare (2010) The Merchant of Venice ed. by John Drakakis. The Arden Shakespeare. Third W. Shakespeare (2012 [1987]) The Merchant of Venice ed. by M. M. Mahood. The New Cambridge Shakespeare. CUP.
W. Shakespeare (2008 [1993]) The Merchant of Venice ed. by Jay L. Halio. Oxford Shakespeare Series. OUP.
W. Shakespeare (2011) The Tempest ed. by Virginia Mason Vaughan, Alden T. Vaughan. The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series (revised edition). London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
W. Shakespeare (1989 [1954]) The Tempest ed. by Frank Kermode. The Arden Shakespeare. Second Series. London: Routledge.
W. Shakespeare (2007 [2002]) The Tempest ed. by David Lindley. The New Cambridge Shakespeare. CUP.
Critical literature (selection):
Harold Bloom (1998) Shakespeare. The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books.
René Girard (2004). A Theater of Envy. St. Augustine’s Press.
Margreta de Grazia and Stanley Wells (eds.) (2010) The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare. CUP.
Stephen Greenblatt (2004) Will in the World. How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, New York: W. W. Norton and Co.
Frank Kermode (2001) Shakespeare’s Language. London: Penguin Books.
Bruce R. Smith (ed.) (2016) The Cambridge Guide to the Worlds of Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s World, 1500-1660. Volume I & II. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Paul Edmondson Stanley Wells (eds.) (2015) The Shakespeare Circle. An Alternative Biography. CUP.
Selected criticism on the plays shall be provided throughout the course.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: