ENG 4333 Summer 2019 Bourus

This class is designed to increase your enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare through close readings of the plays in relation to performance of the plays, their social and historical settings, and the development of the plays as dramatic performances on stage and on film. We can cover only a few of Shakespeare’s forty-three plays, but we will examine the broad spectrum across which Shakespeare wrote for a popular audience: comedy, romance, history, and tragedy. In taking this approach, we will necessarily also examine William Shakespeare, the man, and the cultural milieu of the Early Modern period in which he wrote. Because Shakespeare wrote his plays for performance, we will watch some films and film clips. Just before the class start, you might want to see the free outdoor production of Macbeth (May 10-13, Cascades Park). Required Textbook: The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works: Modern Critical Edition (paperback). This will also give you free access to the Oxford online edition. There are many editions of Shakespeare, but you must buy this text and bring it to class.