Theatre: Medieval to Renaissance (U02003)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-3-U02003

An investigation into the range of performance practices in Britain before the building of the playhouses in 1570s. The course will explore the civic street theatre of the towns (the mystery cycles); the moral and spiritual concerns of the drama that was performed in major households (morality plays); the political and topical uses of drama during the Reformation; and the unscripted theatres of spectacle, pageantry and disguising. It will address the social, religious and political contexts of these theatrical forms. It will conclude with an exploration of the changing dramatic forms that accompanied the building of the playhouses in the 1570s

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Passes in English or Scottish Literature 1 and English or Scottish or American Literature 2, with a mark of 50 or above at the first attempt in the second year course.

? Special Arrangements for Entry : Numbers are limited and students taking degrees not involving English or Scottish literature need the written approval of the head of English Literature

? Costs : Essential course texts.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

English Literature, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 1 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	14:00	15:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will become familiar with a range of different playtexts and non-scripted theatre of the period. They will understand the different ways in which mystery and morality drama emerged from and promoted medieval devotion, the social operation of drama within the urban and household communities of late medieval Britain, the political uses of drama in the early sixteenth century, and the cultural concenrs of the new commercial theatre. They will be equipped to explore the performance, staging, and sociological aspects of theatre in relation to playtexts.