ENL 5227 Fall 2021 Bourus

This course will examine Shakespeare’s relationship to the transformative media of early modern England. Shakespeare was the most popular English author in the English printed book trade from 1592 to 1640, and his works have never been out of print since. He was also the most successful English playwright of the period, and in terms of revivals he is still the most popular playwright in English. What made Shakespeare’s writing so appealing to these two very different media? and how has it continued to appeal to evolving media structures? We will look at his relationships with individual printers, publishers, playing companies, theatrical infrastructure, and the bodies of performers. We will use contemporary media to compensate for the fact that Tallahassee does not possess any first editions of Shakespeare or any professional theatre company specializing in his plays: online digital facsimiles of early editions and recordings of theatrical performances (including photography, silent film, sound film, and evolving conventions for filming live performances). Works studied will include Shakespeare’s Sonnets, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and Henry V.