Through close textual analysis and performance engagements involving three sonnets and three diverse plays, Global Shakespeare brings students into deeper consideration and application of the language, social context and production of Shakespeare’s peerless writing. In this course, we forge links between Shakespeare’s plays and relevant, current theories in contemporary literary criticism, including postcolonial perspectives, gender identities, ecocriticism, and social inequalities.

In addition to textual analysis, our study of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and The Tempest includes theatre performance principles and experiences. We also explore adaptations of Shakespeare in other artistic forms (e.g. dance, costume, opera, visual art, film and music). Through this process, we consider the psychosocial, political and cultural factors that continually influence the act of interpretation.

The learning activities in Global Shakespeare require each student’s commitment to:

• reading plays and academic articles carefully, in their entirety, prior to class,

• participating actively in discussions and interactive engagements in class (i.e. designing, debating, acting, film-making),

• viewing and analyzing theatre and film adaptations from around the world,

• writing essays on Shakespeare’s plays, with the proper inclusion of textual references, citations from academic articles, and concepts from critical theory in relation to these literary works.

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Global Shakespeare will meet for two hours, once per week, on Monday afternoons, throughout the semester. In addition to lectures, the classes will involve collaborative, inactive projects, including discussing the plays in small groups, critiquing performances, debating issues within the plays, designing costumes, sets and background music, and making short films (based on the plays studied in this course). These short student films will be screened in a mini festival, called ‘Shakespeare Shorts’, near the end of the semester.

The learning outcomes for Global Shakespeare include:

• understanding the rhythmic and dramatic structures within Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays,

• analysing Shakespeare’s figurative language and theatrical structure,

• increasing knowledge of the social contexts in which the plays were written, performed, and subsequently interpreted and produced

• incorporating existing literary criticism, and appropriate textual references, into articulate essays,

• bringing Shakespeare’s work to life in a creative manner (e.g. short films, costumes, set designs, music).

1.Theatre Production Exercise & Critical Explanation on A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (outside class, individual) 25%

Working in teams, students will interpret a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (different scenes for each team) in the form of either: (1) costume design, (2) background music and sound design, or (3) set design. Each team will also submit an explanation of their interpretation. The word range is 900-1100, not including Bibliography.

2. Short Essay on Macbeth  (in class, individual) 35%

Students will compose a handwritten short essay on a question provided by Dr. Murray. Students will not have their notes for this writing task, but will have a scene from Macbeth as a reference. There is no specific word minimum or maximum, but students will write for approximately 60-70 minutes.

3. Short Film & Critical Explanation on The Tempest (outside class, small group) 25%
Working in groups of 3-4 people, students will make a short film (approx. 3-6 min.) based on The Tempest. This will be accompanied by an explanation, with citations, of approx. 1200-1400 words, not including Bibliography.

4. Critical Essay on The Tempest (outside class, individual) 25%
Students will compose a carefully-researched, accurately-cited essay on from a choice of questions provided by Dr. Murray. The word range is approximately 1200-1400, not including Bibliography.

5. Participation (in class, individual) 15%
Students’ final mark will be influenced by timely attendance and active participation in class discussions and activities. This mark is calculated throughout the semester.

In Global Shakespeare, we work with the Folger editions of Shakespeare’s works as our primary sources, as these editions are available online for free (without notation) at: https://www.folger.edu. You may purchase the Folger notated digital edition of each play or a hard copy of the plays. Although you may read other editions to help in understanding the plays, please note that there are significant variations between editions. The required secondary sources (i.e. academic research articles and book excerpts) will be provided for free via Moodle, but each student must also undertake additional individual research.

Primary sources:

• Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream from The Folger Shakespeare. Ed Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine. Washington DC: Folger Shakespeare Library, 2009.

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/a-midsummer-nights-dream/read/

• Shakespeare, William. Macbeth from The Folger Shakespeare. Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine, editors. Washington DC: Folger Shakespeare Library, 2013.

   https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/macbeth/#full-text 

• Shakespeare, William. The Tempest from The Folger Shakespeare. Ed Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine. Washington DC: Folger Shakespeare Library, 2015.

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-tempest/read/

Secondary sources (partial list):

• Marshall, Cynthia. The Shattering of the Self: Violence, Subjectivity and Early Modern Texts. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

• Loomba, Ania. Shakespeare, Race and Colonialism. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

• Gray, David. “’Command these elements to silence’: Ecocriticism and The Tempest.” Literature Compass, vol. 17, 2020, e12566, pp. 1-10.  https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12566