ENGLISH 265
Shakespeare: Comedies and Tragicomedies
Description
A study of selected comedies and tragicomedies of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Works of Shakespeare may include the romantic comedies of his first decade and a half as a playwright, the so-called 'problem plays', the darker comedies of his middle years, and the tragicomedies of his final years, sometimes called 'romances'. The nature of comedy and its relationship to tragedy is also explored.
For full course information see the Digital Course Outline.
Digital Course Outlines for 2025 will be refreshed around November/December
Availability 2025
Not taught in 2025
Lecturer(s)
Lecturer(s) Dr Sophie Tomlinson
Reading/Texts
William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare, As You Like It
William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale
William Shakespeare, The Tempest
It is not essential that you acquire any specific editions (though I recommend either the Oxford World’s Classics or the Pelican editions) but you must bring a printed copy of each play to tutorials. Make sure that your edition offers a good set of annotations and an introduction.
Recommended Reading
- Matthew Bevis, Comedy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford)
- Andrew McRae, Renaissance Drama (Arnold)
- Andrew Gurr, The Shakespearean Stage 4th ed. (Cambridge)
- Sean McEvoy,Shakespeare: The Basics (Routledge)
- Russ McDonald, ed., The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents (Bedford/St Martins)
Assessment
Coursework + exam
Points
ENGLISH 265: 15 points
Prerequisites
30 points at Stage I in Drama or English
Restrictions
ENGLISH 310
