| CODE | ENG3035 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Shakespeare in Context | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | English | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit examines Shakespeare's plays set in ancient Rome in relation to the broader literary, political and intellectual context of the 16th and 17th centuries, focusing on Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. The lectures discuss the background of the three major Roman plays, including their sources and Shakespeare's treatment of history. How did Shakespeare adapt his sources and how do his plays reflect the values and concerns of the Elizabethan age? The lectures also examine the ways in which the Roman plays explore the notion of power at the turn of the 17th century. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to introduce students to Shakespeare's major Roman plays and their context. The aims for students are: - To understand how the Roman plays were influenced by the literary, political, intellectual, social and historical contexts within which Shakespeare lived and worked; - To understand the principal sources of Shakespeare's Roman plays; - To read and discuss Julius Caesar, Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra, as well as some important critical studies on these works; - To demonstrate an understanding of the works and material covered during the study-unit through the successful completion of an examination. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: Students will gain knowledge and critical insights into Shakespeare's Roman plays Julius Caesar, Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra, and their sources. Students will understand the importance of these plays in Shakespeare's oeuvre as a whole, as well as the way in which they reflect the concerns, values and attitudes of the Elizabethan age. 2. Skills: Students will be able to discuss and critique Shakespeare's Roman plays in the context of the Elizabethan age, and describe their main sources. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings The following plays are for detailed study: Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus. Further reading: - Catherine Belsey, The Subject of Tragedy: Identity and Difference in Renaissance Drama (Methuen, London: 1985). - Alexander Leggatt, Shakespeare's Political Drama: the History Plays and the Roman Plays (Routledge: London, 1988). - Stephen Greenblatt, Renaissance Self-Fashioning: from More to Shakespeare (University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London: 1980; 2005). - M.W. MacCallum, Shakespeare's Roman Plays and their Background (Macmillan, London: 1910; 1967). - Irving Ribner, "Political Issues in "Julius Caesar”", in The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Jan 1957), pp. 10-22. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Petra Caruana Dingli |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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