ENG 253 - Advanced Studies in Shakespeare

In this seminar we will explore a variety of Shakespeare’s plays within the contexts of family relationships and the popular analogical framing of the home as “a little commonwealth,” representing the state in miniature. Through our readings and classroom discussions, we will examine early modern ideas (and attendant anxieties) about gender roles, domestic violence, obedience, treason, and a putatively natural order in which the husband and father functioned as the sovereign of his household realm, with wife, children, and servants as subjects. In doing so, we will employ various critical perspectives (historical, feminist, post-colonial) to put these centuries-old texts in conversation with the concerns and issues of our own historical moment.  Fulfills the D-1 requirement for English majors. 

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: One 100-level English literature course (ENG 100-199) or permission of instructor.

 

Course Designation/Attribute: VE, WE, DI

Anticipated Terms Offered: Periodically