studi shakespeariani
Program
Course
This course, oriented towards the requirements of those who are
seriously interested in Shakespeare, but who have not necessarily studied
his work in any depth in the past, is intended to supply the background
knowledge and the analytic skills necessary for an informed reading of the
playwright’s work. Lessons will be dedicated to the historical, cultural and
intellectual background of the Elizabethan Age, to what is known of
Shakespeare’s life, and to some of the philosophical and religious issues
that are relevant to Shakespeare’s drama. Selected works by
Shakespeare—including some of the sonnets, Romeo and Juliet,
The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, Hamlet and
Macbeth—will be analyzed intensively in class, particular attention
being paid to such issues as those of language, of personal identity, and of
knowledge.
Works by Shakespeare
Sonnets (a selection)
Romeo and Juliet
The Merchant of Venice
Julius Caesar
Hamlet
Macbeth
The Tempest
Required Reading
- David Lucking. 2007. The Shakespearean Name: Essays on
"Romeo and Juliet", "The Tempest", and Other
Plays.
Bern-Berlin-Bruxelles-Frankfurt/M-New York-Oxford-Wien: Peter
Lang.
- David
Lucking. 1997. Plays Upon
the
Word:
Shakespeare’s Drama of Language.
Lecce: Milella.
Recommended Reading
- Kermode, Frank. 2004. The Age of Shakespeare.
London: Phoenix.
Course
Description
The objective of this course is to equip students
to embark upon a reasonably informed
reading of Shakespeare's work even if they have no prior knowledge
of the author or of the period in which he was writing. The bulk of the course will consist in intensive analyses of
seven
works
belonging to different phases in Shakespeare's career
and representing the various poetic and dramatic modes in which he worked. As far as time
and vocal stamina permit, these works will be read and discussed in class,
hopefully with the active participation of the students. Relevant biographical
and background information will be supplied in order to promote a fuller
understanding of the texts under discussion, but will not be an object of
independent study. The
Arden Editions of Shakespeare's plays are particularly recommended for those
who are really serious about getting to grips with the texts, since they
contain authoritative introductions, useful supplementary material, and
extensive annotations. Other editions of the plays are however perfectly
acceptable, including those available at no cost on the Internet. If you
plan to quote Shakespeare in essays, etc., you may find it useful to have
simple text versions of the plays on hand so that you can transfer passages
directly into the document you are working on. In such cases, however, you
would be well advised to check this material
against
more authoritative versions before
submitting
your work. One of the best plain text versions currently available on the
Internet is The Complete
Moby(tm) Shakespeare, which can
be downloaded in a single zipped file by clicking
here.
Links
For
reasons that might be worth investigating in depth, there
seems to be a natural affinity between the Bard and the Web,
and the Internet-savvy student has a wealth of
Shakespeare-related material at his disposal. The problem in
trying to catalogue such resources is that it often seems
unwarrantably arbitrary to single out certain sites at the
expense of others, while some sites shift location with such
disconcerting frequency that it is difficult to keep track
of them. The student wishing to pursue the shade of
Shakespeare through the meanders of Cyberspace is therefore
referred to the following portal maintained by Terry A.
Gray, which is comprehensive in scope and updated on a
regular basis:
Those interested in
the Early Modern period of English Literature in general
might want to consult the following site maintained by
Anniina Jokinen:
For those wishing to
learn more about the age in which Shakespeare lived, the
following site is worth visiting:
