AS 060.393 - Shakespeare and the People

Institution:

Johns Hopkins University

Subject:

Description:

Was Shakespeare socially conservative or radical? This course approaches this question by exploring how Shakespeare represents “the people” and “popular culture,” keeping in mind that the sphere below the aristocracy in the early modern period was complex. We will begin by considering early modern theatre as a form of popular culture and by investigating Shakespeare’s own representation of theatre, its audience, and its participants in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". From here, we will move on to consider topics such as how “the people” and their actions, including group action and rebellion, are figured; the role of comedy, inversion, and genre in such representations; and images of “the people” as participants and actors within the commonwealth. By the conclusion of the course, students will have gained knowledge of a range of critical, as well as imaginative, approaches to the issue of “the people” in Shakespeare and to the nature of Shakespeare’s political engagements. Readings will include "Richard II", "King Lear", "Coriolanus", and "The Tempest". Pre 1800 course.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.jhu.edu

Phone Number:

(410) 516-8000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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