Hamlet with the skull; Cleopatra with the asp; King Lear with his Fool; Doctor Faustus with the Devil. These are some of the most famous and enduring dramatic images in the repertory of English and world drama, at the heart of plays that have fascinated, compelled and terrified audiences for centuries.
In this course we will read a selection of the most exciting of these plays written between 1590 and 1625, both by Shakespeare and by some of his contemporaries, in a period where tragedy was a powerful and intensely-watched form of drama (we will want to ask why this was). The course will consider both how these plays are complex pieces of writing and also how their theatricality is managed as experience on the stage.
Of particular interest will be the relations among different kinds of tragedy we can trace, including revenge tragedy, religious tragedy, domestic tragedy and political tragedy. Black comedy, camp and other ironic and satiric aspects of tragedy will also be examined, and parallels drawn with modern theatrical and film culture, where appropriate. Students will be encouraged to bring their own experience of plays and film versions to the discussion and to engage with contemporary issues through the experience of reading these plays.
Students will also give consideration to some of the way literary critical discussion has addressed these plays and the issues they raise.