Syllabus
In this course we will consider Shakespeare's early career as a playwright and his after-career as
literary icon. Both involved history and fantasy: the history plays contain much fiction and the
comedies not a little history, while Shakespeare's reception, quite as much as the plays, was
colored by the imaginative imperatives of the hour. If Shakespeare's characters come across as
larger-than-life, so does the Bard himself. The plays and criticism alike involve rhetorical
display, leading us to pay particular attention to wordplay and audiences.
The lectures will develop two threads useful for understanding Shakespeare, and literature
generally. The first is the concept of genre. The plays are not snapshots of Elizabethan
life and manners, but works of art in which characters and stories are shaped according to
elaborate sets of rules that Shakespeare would follow or subvert as he saw fit. Characters in
comedies behave differently than characters in tragedies not simply because of their personalities,
but because they appear in different kinds of story.
The second thread has to do with the history of literary criticism. For us, Shakespeare is a
cultural icon. This was not the case when the plays were written of course. We'll do a brief survey
of some classic works of literary criticism to indicate how Shakespeare came to be what he is today
by looking at what he was for seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth-century readers.
What I require of students is regular attendance (it counts), participation in discussions (it
helps), a 300-word email commentary for each play, a short formal essay, and final examination to
manifest your diligence in the former items. Evaluation will be as follows: attendance +
participation + commentary: 50%; 8-10 pp. research paper: 25%; exam: 25%. Missing more than 20% of
classes will hurt your grade; thoughtful questions and remarks in class and in the commentary will
enhance your grade. All work is expected to be your own; late assignments will be accepted only by
prior permission of the instructor.
Books: I've ordered the Norton Shakespeare for our primary text; if you already have a
college textbook edition you my use that. That set passed down from your grandparents may
be a handsome thing, but it is not what is needed for present purposes: Shakespeare can be passing
strange, and we need the benefit of a full set of glosses and an unexpurgated text ("family
Shakespeares" edit out the naughty jokes or let them go unglossed).
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor; all students are expected to
abide by the Virginia Tech Honor System.
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00, and by appointment. Come by to chat
about literature, your essays, future plans, whatever.
Schedule
25 August: Introduction
27 August: Richard II
1 September: Richard II
3 September: Richard II
8 September: Henry IV Part I
10 September: Henry IV Part I
15 September: Henry IV Part II
17 September: Henry IV Part II
22 September: Henry IV Part II
24 September: Basse, Jonson, Milton on Shakespeare
29 September: Henry V
1 October: Henry V
6 October: Henry V
8 October: Rowe and Pope on Shakespeare
13 October: Taming of the Shrew
15 October: Taming of the Shrew
20 October: Taming of the Shrew
22 October: Samuel Johnson on Shakespeare
27 October: As you like it
29 October: As you like it
3 November: As you like it
5 November: Coleridge and Hazlitt on Shakespeare
10 November: Merchant of Venice
12 November: Merchant of Venice
17 November: Merchant of Venice
19 November: Jameson on Shakespeare
Thanksgiving Break 21-29 November
1 December: Merry Wives of Windsor [paper due]
3 December: Merry Wives of Windsor
8 December: Merry Wives of Windsor
Final Examination: Thursday, Dec 17 1:05 PM
