English 213 (Introduction to Shakespeare)

William Oram

MWF 9:00-9:50

 

   This course introduces students to the characteristic methods and concerns of Shakespeare's plays and the culture in which he wrote. It is particularly aimed at students who are not majoring in English, but who are interested in Shakespeare and who have had at least one college-level English course. (English majors are welcome, though it will not count toward the major author requirement.)

 

I'm particularly concerned with the ways in which Shakespeare embodies his meaning on the Elizabethan stage, through words, action and visual spectacle. The plays we read will be chosen from among Richard III, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice , King Lear, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and The Winter's Tale. These represent the various genres in which Shakespeare wrote-comedies, tragedies, a history and a romance-and the class will consider the kinds of issues that these different genres tend to focus on and the questions they explore. It will also consider the mixing of genres, and especially the use of comedy in serious plays and the treatment of melodramatic and painful moments in comic ones. In addition, many of these plays include outsiders, like Shylock the Jew in The Merchant of Venice or Othello in the play of that name, and we'll think about what Shakespeare makes of them.

 

As may be evident, I have chosen some of these plays because they have interesting film-versions, and I'll probably show (optional) films of some of the plays, possibly two in the case of King Lear .

 

It's my present plan to lecture on Monday and Wednesday and on Friday to split the class, if necessary, into two discussion groups meeting at 9:00 and at 10:00 . This may change, depending on the number of students who sign up for the course.

 

While this will not be a writing-intensive course, I think that writing is a useful way of coming to know any writer. I'm not yet sure-and won't be until I know how many people sign up-how much formal writing there will be, but there's likely to be a series of one-page ungraded reaction papers and some combination of formal essays and exams.