Shakespeare in Text & Performance

HTA 400/CRN 32597

Brian Jennings M/W 9AM - noon

bjennings@hartford.edu Hillyer 415
Office Hours by appt.

Syllabus Spring 2017

REQUIRED TEXTS:

The Arden Shakespeare Julius Caesar, Third Series, David Daniell, ed; Bloomsbury
Publishing, 1998.

The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare, Margreta de Grazia and Stanley Wells, ed.
Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Any good critical edition of the following plays (such as Arden, Riverside, Folger,etc…):

Henry IV, Part 1

As You Like It
Hamlet
Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
The Tempest

Additional required reading will be posted or linked on Blackboard (BB).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare -1599, James Shapiro; Harper Perennial, 2005.

Shakespeare and the Invention of the Human, Harold Bloom; Riverhead Books, 1998.

OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES:

The course is designed to introduce students to the plays of William Shakespeare and the times in
which they were written. Students will read and discuss representative plays from the major critical
genres of Shakespeare’s writing, as well as relevant contemporary criticism to establish the historical,
theatrical and literary context of his work. The course will focus on a detailed reading of Julius Caesar
and Shakespeare’s “Roman plays,” in order to provide students with dramaturgical context for their
production of the play. We will emphasize moving Shakespeare’s text from the written to the spoken
word, and on exploring how the text can provide guidance for performance choices.

The course will be conducted as a seminar. Students will be expected to come to class having
completed extensive reading in the course material and be able to contribute to the discussion of its
context. Each student will be responsible for leading one class session on a given play, its
historical/dramatic context and critical response. Additionally, each student will submit an in-depth
final paper related to the course material.
 HTA 400: Shakespeare in Text and Performance

EXPECTATIONS & EVALUATION:

Attendance & Participation (30%): Barring extreme circumstances students are expected to attend
and actively participate in all class sessions. Any absence should be communicated to the instructor at
the email address provided above prior to the class meeting. A portion of each student’s final grade will
reflect the percentage of classes that she has attended.

Critical Essays (30%/40%): Each student will be responsible for completing two critical essays on a
topic relevant to the course material. The requirements and possible topics will be developed during the
course. An evaluation rubric will be made available on Blackboard. Due dates are noted on the Course
Calendar.

All University policies regarding Academic Honesty and Civility will be enforced.

Course Schedule Spring 2018

Subject to Change: Check Blackboard for updates.

Page Numbers refer to the required texts in the selected editions

Electronic files are posted or linked on Blackboard.
Plays may be read in your preferred edition.

All reading should be completed BEFORE the listed class meeting.

Mon 3/26 London Debrief & Intro to Julius Caesar

Read: Julius Caesar (1599)
Read: “The Traces of Shakespeare’s Life,” Cambridge Companion pp.1-14

Weds 3/28 Critical Issues: Caesar

Read: “Shakespeare’s Classical Plays,” Cambridge Companion pp.153-168
Read: “Shakespeare and the Thought of his Age,” .pdf file

Mon 4/2 Uneasy Lies the Head….

Read: Henry IV, Part One (1596-7)
Read: “The Theatre of Shakespeare’s London,” Cambridge Companion pp.45-60
Read: “Shakespeare and the Theatrical Conventions of his Time,” .pdf file

Weds 4/4 Read: “Shakespeare’s English History Plays,” Cambridge Companion pp.137-153
Read: “Shakespeare, religion and politics,” Cambridge Companion pp.185-200

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 HTA 400: Shakespeare in Text and Performance

Mon 4/9 A Fool in the Forest…

Read: As You Like It (1599-1600)
Read: “Shakespeare’s Comedies,” Cambridge Companion pp.105-121

Weds 4/11 Read: “Shakespeare the Poet,” Cambridge Companion pp.91-104

Read: “Shakespeare, sexuality and gender,” Cambridge Companion pp.217-232

Mon 4/16 To Kill a King

Read Hamlet (1600-1)
Read “Shakespeare’s Tragedies,” Cambridge Companion pp.121-136

Weds 4/18 Read “Treason and Resistance,” .pdf file.

ESSAY #1 DUE: MONDAY 4/23 9:00 AM (EST)

1500 words

Mon 4/23 The Pillar of the World Transformed

Read Antony and Cleopatra (1606)

Weds 4/25 Read, “Shakespeare and the Stuart Court,” .pdf file
Read, “Sex and Favor in the Court,” .pdf file

Mon 4/30 Action is Eloquence

Read Coriolanus (1608)

Weds 5/2 Read, “The Military and Court Aristocracies,” .pdf file

Mon 5/7 I’ll be Wise Hereafter…

Read The Tempest (1611)
Read: “Shakespeare’s Tragicomedies,” Cambridge Companion pp.169-184

Final Paper: Due Friday 5/11 – 11:59 PM (EST)

2500 words

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