Acquire, develop, and demonstrate a detailed knowledge of Shakespeare''s plays in relation to the textual and theatrical practices of their original contexts as well as of their subsequent adaptation by editors and theatre and film directors.

Develop and engage with a more complex and advanced understanding of Shakespeare as dramatist, in terms of how his work has been received, edited, performed, and adapted from the time of their original composition, staging, and publication to the present.

Recognise and implement a broad range of approaches to text and performance, whether in terms of close reading and critical interpretation/analysis, editing, staging, or cinematic adaptation.

Work co-operatively and productively with others to produce a coherent team-work project (i.e. the editing task)

Primary Reading: Set Texts 

This module covers SIX Shakespeare plays, typically from the following selection, in relation to a wide range of other materials - from Shakespeare''s sources to early Quarto/Folio variants of the texts and subsequent editions and adaptations on the page or for the stage and screen. 

The texts we study (spending two weeks on each, where permissible) are:

Hamlet

Romeo and Juliet

Henry V

King Lear

Much Ado About Nothing

Coriolanus

Some In itial Background/Secondary Reading

Lecture -

The lectures aim: (a) to provide a wider context (literary, dramatic, historical) for a basic understanding of the plays and their concerns; and (b) to offer models of approach to particular aspects of Shakespeare''s language and style, dramatic interpretation, staging, editing, and adaptation.

Tutorial -

Tutorials provide group discussion, typically with a detailed focus on specific texts and issues (literary and critical, textual and contextual). These discussions require input, dialogue, and debate from all students involved. They are aimed at clarifying and developing a sophisticated understanding of each play within the framework of the module as a whole. They also provide important preparation, as well as help and guidance, for the module''s assessments.

Group Project -

The first assessment (a team-work editing task) requires that students work together in small groups of 3 or 4, while preparing this assessed piece. Some tutors may also ask students additionally to meet each week, for at least 30 mins, in order to discuss and debate independently that week''s text/topic, in advance of the tutorial discussion.

Workshop -

Workshops (of up to 2-hours) are oriented towards practical tasks and problem-solving, relating specifically to aspects of textual editing, performance, and stage/screen adaptation. They also provide important preparation, as well as help and guidance, for the module''s assessments.

Other -

Film Screenings: cinematic adaptations of all of the plays studied will be screened (one every fortnight), these screnings running parallel with the lectures, tutorials, and workshops.

Consultation Time: weekly ''drop-in'' availability during office hours, as advertised each semester, or by arrangement.