Shakespeare: Tragedies and Romances

(ENGL 16600)

This course traces Shakespeare’s poetic invention and theatrical intelligence from his earliest, highly popular efforts at tragedy (Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet) to his later-career highlights (Othello, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra). Having developed a working knowledge of Shakespeare’s tragic dramaturgy, we will turn our attention to some examples of Romance (The Winter's Tale and The Tempest), a curious genre that complicates and subverts tragedy's mood and form. Throughout, we will treat the plays as literary compositions, embodied expressions, and witnesses to the tumultuous time in which Shakespeare lived. Section attendance is required.