- Stages of History: Performing Gender and Authority on the Shakespearean Stage

Institution:

The Evergreen State College

Subject:

Description:

Faculty: Elizabeth Williamson (English literature), Nancy Taylor (English history) Major areas of study include English history, English Renaissance literature, literary theory, performance and film studies. Class Standing: Sophomores or above, transfer students welcome. Prerequisites: Eight credits in literature. Although written early in his career, the history plays demonstrate Shakespeare's highly developed talent for defining, and undermining, the structures of power that operated in his society. We will consider these plays as documents of "performance" in every sense of the word. On the one hand, the plays expose the ways in which the aristocracy performs its authority-as when Henry V, rallying his troops at Agincourt, promises to make every man his brother, knowing full well that the common foot soldiers will suffer the heaviest casualties and will return to their homes richer only in scars. They also demonstrate that gender itself is a performance, as in the case of the dangerously powerful women who figure prominently in Richard III and Henry VI. On the other hand, these scripts are unique theatrical performances based on existing historical narratives. Shakespeare was careful to depict only events that happened hundreds of years before his birth, but at the same time, his own act of reshaping the chronicles gave the actors a chance to comment upon existing conflicts and controversies. Similarly, theater companies in the 20th and 21st centuries have come to appreciate the searing political relevance of these plays-the histories consistently emphasize what Cornel West has called "the knife side of history," the blade that threatens to obliterate anyone who ends up on the wrong side of a conflict. The syllabus will include plays such as Richard II, Richard III, and Henry V, as well as film adaptations of these scripts by directors such as Welles, Olivier and Branagh. We will also question the generic category of "the history" by considering other Shakespearean texts such as King Lear or The Merchant of Venice. To help us sort out questions of genre and ideology, we will read the work of influential literary critics, but we will also learn to make our own informed decisions about Shakespeare's interpretations of history by reading primary documents, historical monographs and biographies. Most importantly, students will engage directly with the plays as scripts by performing short scenes every week. For us, as for the generations of Shakespearean actors who have reimagined and reinvented these plays, performance will serve as our most powerful tool for interpreting the text. Students will develop skills in critical thinking, literary and historical analysis, film studies, performance and writing. Total: 16 credits. Enrollment: 50 Special Expenses: Approximately $40 for theater tickets. Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in education, literary studies, history and theater studies.

Credits:

16.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.evergreen.edu

Phone Number:

(360) 867-6170

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Quarter

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