Shakespeare's Comedies: Identity and Illusion (U03868)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-3-U03868

This course explores the range of Shakespeare’s writing of comedy from the early romantic comedies, through the ‘mature’ and ‘problem’ comedies, to the tragicomic romances of the last plays. The course will consider early modern and recent ideas about comedy as a genre and mode, and trace the ongoing engagement of the plays with various interpenetrating thematic debates. An early interest in illusion leads to a focus on the shifting and unstable nature of perception, linked on the one hand to the effects of love and desire, and on the other to notions of the theatrical. These interests lead to a comic and comedic exploration of the nature and growth of the self, the problems of desire and of gendered identity, and the ways in which these may be addressed through the artifice of the comic form.

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 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? 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
Tutorial	Thursday	10:00	12:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will become familiar with the range and development of Shakespeare's writing of comedy. They will be equipped to demonstrate and evaluate how the plays use the comic form to engage with questions of identity and illusion, both verbally and theatrically, in relation to early modern and modern debates. They will enhance their sophisticated reading of Shakespeare's plays both as literary and as staged texts.