Topics in Drama: FYS: Shakespeare: The Godly and the Grotesque

While Shakespeare is celebrated for his realistic depictions of characters, events, and emotions, his work is filled with other-worldly elements, including sorcery, oracles, myths, and grotesque creatures. This course will explore Shakespeare's use of the fantastic, the unnatural, and the monstrous. Reading a wide selection of comedy, tragedy, and history, we will consider Shakespeare's often contradictory attitude to the supernatural: on one hand, a source of evil, villainy, and perversion, and, on the other, a symbol of the divine and a means of surpassing the humanly possible. We will look at how Shakespeare used monstrous imagery to reflect upon his own work and the nature of theatre itself, paying special attention to how the performance practices of his time impacted his portrayal of the fantastic. At the same time, we will supplement our readings by watching more contemporary performances of Shakespeare's works in order to consider the impact that innovations in theatrical technologies and practices has had on the depiction of the supernatural in these plays. Finally, we will consider how Shakespeare used the unnatural to probe the gender, politics, race, disability, and globalization of his own time and in so doing, we will discover how is work continues to impact our own engagement with these issues-and indeed, our conception of monstrosity itself. Plays and productions studied will include Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Richard III, The Winter's Tale, and Othello. Students with no prior knowledge of Shakespeare are welcome to enroll.
Course Attributes: FYS; BU Hum

Topics in Drama: FYS: Shakespeare: The Godly and the Grotesque

DRAMA 1104

Section 01