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ENGLISH 220: SHAKESPEARE Summer 2018

Instructor: Professor Liza Blake | liza.blake@utoronto.ca Office Hours and Location: [TBD] Class Time and Location: Monday-Thursday, 8:45am-12pm; location TBD

Course Description In this course we will read the works of William Shakespeare, with a particular emphasis on reading his plays not just as works of literature, but as scripts designed to be mobilized in performance. We will examine issues of textual and theatrical inheritance, embodiment, feminism, the relationship between individuals and societies, identity, and performance. Classes will frame plays historically and culturally, thinking about the plays in relation to the time and place where they were created; but discussions will also focus, in particular, on what it means to realize plays in performance, and how to analyze the contemporary performances we will see as a part of the class. The course will also include trips to London and Stratford-upon-Avon, to see performances of Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe Theater (in London) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (in Stratford), as well as to visit key sites for understanding Shakespeare’s life and the theatrical scene in Elizabethan London. Visits to London will include: the outdoor and indoor theaters at the Globe; National Portrait Gallery; National Gallery; British Library; British Museum; and walking tour of South Bank. We will also take a trip to Bath, where we will learn about the ancient Roman occupation of Britain and think about the role that Rome plays in Shakespeare’s works. Required Texts Once the Globe theater announces its schedule in January I will finalize the reading list; I will likely recommend the Oxford standalone editions of Shakespeare’s plays. I will send out ISBNs to the class in advance, so that you can buy cheap used copies online.

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Course Requirements

The graded course requirements are as follows; details on each assignment are given below.

Modern Situation Translations (2, worth 5% each) 10% Theater Review (3, worth 5% each) 15% Scene Performance 10% Essay 15% Final exam 25% Attendance and Participation 25% Modern Situation Translation – (2 worth 5% each) – 10% A 2-3 page double-spaced “translation” or adaptation of one of the Shakespearean plays we are studying to a modern theatrical setting. For each of these translations, you will write a mock proposal to stage a Shakespearean play in a new time and location. You will be expected to include such details as: why this play needs to be performed now; how you plan to adapt it to a modern audience; whether you will modernize the language or not; and, most importantly, what non-early-modern (or, in the case of the classical plays, what non-classical) period and location you will choose to set the play in.

Theater Review – (3 worth 5% each) – 15% A 2-page double-spaced review that analyzes concrete performance details about each of the three plays we will be seeing (two in London, one in Stratford), and makes an argument about the larger goals of the production. You will receive detailed instructions on how to write these analyses. Scene Performance – 10% You will be put into groups and asked to perform a selected scene from a play we are reading. I will provide a set of guidelines for these performances. Each performance will conclude with a set of questions that will initiate and guide a portion of class discussion. You will not have to memorize lines, but you will be graded on other aspects of your performances. You will each be asked to submit a 2-page paper at the end of your performance, analyzing your performance choices and how they impacted the meaning of the performances.

Essay – 15% A 5-6 page paper in which you will develop a critical argument on a topic of your choice, which must be preapproved by me in office hours. You must clearly state your argument and support it with textual evidence. We will use class time to discuss the selection of appropriate topics, the crafting of a clear and effective thesis statement, and other writing skills. Final Exam – 25% A cumulative exam that will ask you to define key terms, answer questions about passages, and perform close readings. Class Participation – 25% Participation in class, particularly in your discussion sections, is a large component of your grade and is extremely important. Your participation grade evaluates your abilities as a classmate and member of a discussion group, and your grade will depend on what role you play in the community of the classroom. Be conscious of your classmates: staying silent makes a robust conversation difficult, as does dominating discussion. If you are nervous about speaking in a group setting, I can work with you to strategize on ways to prepare and find ways to insert your voice into a conversation.

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Course Schedule Class will meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 8:45am to 12pm. Aug. 6 Titus Andronicus Intro to (close) reading Shakespeare; Shakespearean London overview Aug. 7 Titus Andronicus How to watch productions; how to write theater reviews Aug. 8 1st field trip to London: National Portrait Gallery led tour (Tudor and Stuart

England); National Gallery self-led exploration; show (play TBD) at Globe Theater Aug. 9 Titus Andronicus

Modern Situation Translation #1 due Aug. 13 [Play TBD depending on Globe schedule] Theater Review #1 due Aug. 14 [Play TBD depending on Globe schedule]

Aug. 15 2nd field trip to London: British Library led tour; British Museum self-led tour; exploration of South Bank; show (play TBD) at Globe Theater / Sam Wanamaker indoor theater

Aug. 16 Much Ado About Nothing

Modern Situation Translation #2 due Aug. 20 Much Ado About Nothing Theater Review #2 due Aug. 21 Macbeth

Aug 22 Field trip to Stratford-upon-Avon; visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace; exploration of town; show (Macbeth) at Royal Shakespeare Theater

Aug. 23 Macbeth Paper due

Aug. 27 Coriolanus Theater review #3 due

Aug. 28 Coriolanus Aug 29 Field trip to Bath; discussion of Roman v. medieval Britain; tour of Roman Baths;

exploration of Bath Abbey and town (which also includes the Jane Austen Centre)

Aug. 30 Final Exam