Browse Hierarchy SUM502D: Global Shakespeare

How and why are Shakespeare¿s tragedies performed, filmed, read and taught from China to Chile, from Singapore to South Africa? What makes Shakespeare a ¿global¿ force? One of the reasons Shakespeare's work has resonated so strongly across the centuries, and with audience members from around the world, is that his plays display the vast panoply of human desires and emotions: from passionate love to bewildering fear, from staunch loyalty to basest envy, from the noblest instances of self-sacrifice to the desire to inflict unspeakable pain. As depicted by Shakespeare, these emotions are often shocking in their vividness, yet always recognizable as fundamental facets of human experience. This course focuses on four plays: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Othello, and Titus Andronicus, asking two main questions about each. 1) What did these plays mean to audiences in Shakespeare's time? That is, what and how would these plays have communicated to spectators at the Rose or the Globe? Emphasis here is on the play text, its historical context, and performance traditions. 2) What do these plays continue to mean in our time? Here we examine the rich incarnations of each of these plays throughout the world--Mexican and Malaysian Othellos, an African King Lear, Romeo and Juliet in Southeast Asia and Titus in Ireland. Emphasis shifts to modern performances, particularly cinematic adaptations. Emphasis is on the ways in which our contemporary world remains fascinated by the nexus of power and desire staged by Shakespeare. Where possible, the course will include opportunities to interact with and learn from Shakespearean film directors and theatre practitioners. Global Shakespeare is an interdisciplinary research approach, so students from any discipline who are interested in finding out more about Shakespeare¿s global reach are encouraged to apply for a place on this course. The course is assessed by coursework submission only.