ENG 255 - Studies in the Renaissance

Spring 2019 - Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama
In this seminar we will examine a selection of plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries within the historical and cultural context of early modern England. The playhouses of this period were vibrant spaces of entertainment, education, and controversy, where hot topics and concerns of the day were explored through the action onstage. As many as 3,000 people - from nearly every social class - would pack the Globe, the Curtain, and other Bankside theatres on a daily basis; the plays we will read this semester contain as broad a range of characters as did their original audiences. By engaging with a variety of dramatic genres (domestic tragedy, tales of revenge, city comedies, and more!), we will gain insights into early modern England while exploring issues that continue to pre-occupy us today: economic and class conditions; power; justice; moral and political corruption; anxieties about gender roles, expectations, and identity; family relationships; and of course the importance of having a good time. Playwrights will include Christopher Marlowe, John Webster, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Dekker, Francis Beaumont, and John Ford.

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

Anticipated Terms Offered: TBA