ENGLISH 265

Shakespeare: Comedies and Tragicomedies


Please note: this is archived course information from 2023 for ENGLISH 265.

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 for English 265

Digital Course Outlines are refreshed in November for the following year. Digital Course Outlines for courses to be offered for the first time may be published slightly later.

Availability 2023

Semester 2

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 English or Drama, or approval of Academic Head or nominee

Restrictions

ENGLISH 310