ליבה שייקספיר

In following core course on Shakespeare’s major tragedies will be governed by a single question: How did Shakespeare conceive of the human subject in relation to the tragic? Asked another way, what is the abiding subject of Shakespeare’s theatrical preoccupation with the generic conventions of tragedy? Given that Shakespeare’s understanding of generic definitions evolved within popular Elizabethan conventions, and were very loose at best, to what extent can we even talk of tragedy, classically defined, on the Shakespearean stage? In this seminar we will explore the development of Shakespeare’s interest in tragic theatre, which culminated in some of the most powerfully poetic tragedies of the suffering human subject in world literature. By submitting the so-called four ‘high’, or ‘human’ tragedies of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth to close rhetorical, poetic and philosophical analysis, we will attempt to understand the particular tragic mode of poetic subjectivity which Shakespeare explores in these plays, and its wider philosophical and existential implications for any human subject watching and reading these plays, then as now.

Primary texts: We will focus primarily on the four tragedies of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, but students participating in the course will find it beneficial to read/watch/or otherwise be familiar with in advance also, at the very least, with Titus Andronicus, Richard II, and Romeo and Juliet. Participation in the course will require the use of fully-annotated single-play editions. The best single play editions are those of the Arden Shakespeare, but it is also possible to use either the Oxford Shakespeare (Norton), or Cambridge. For Hamlet, please use only the Oxford World’s Classic edition (based on the Folio). Further details on texts and editions will be provided in class and on the course website.

Requirements: Attendance, a midterm exam   (worth 30% of grade), a final take-home exam (70% grade).