ENL 3334 - Fall 2026 - Bates

Even the most defining literary works of their day do not exist within a vacuum, devoid of any influence of the past. In this introduction to Shakespeare at the college level, we will be looking into Medieval concepts and Medieval history that Shakespeare draws upon to better understand how he uses these concepts to comment upon his present. Students will study and discuss these representative Shakespearean works and their past and present contexts. This course will put special focus upon the history plays, but will also look into Shakespeare’s own adaption of Chaucer: Troilus and Cressida. Later performances and adaptations of Shakespeare will also be topics of study and discussion, looking at how modern adaptions adjusts Shakespeare’s work, and the medievalism that inspired him, to fit within contemporary contexts.