Undergraduate Course: Shakespeare and Marlowe (LLLG07072)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | THIS IS A FOR-CREDIT COURSE OFFERED BY THE OFFICE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING (OLL); ONLY STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH OLL SHOULD BE ENROLLED.
Shakespeare was hugely indebted to the transgressive genius of Christopher Marlowe. This course will study great plays by Marlowe and the responses and imitations produced by Shakespeare: Edward II and Richard II; The Jew of Malta and The Merchant of Venice; Tamburlaine and Henry V; and finally Dr Faustus and Macbeth. |
| Course description |
Week 1: Introduction to some of Shakespeare's sources; medieval origins of comedy and tragedy; where he found his plots and the influence of Montaigne and Machiavelli.
Weeks 2 & 3: Richard II (1596), Shakespeare's most controversial political play and its debt to Marlowe's Edward II (1593): an investigation of the origins of the history play as a means of commenting on contemporary politics.
Weeks 4,5 & 6: In The Merchant of Venice (1596-7) Shakespeare re-writes Marlowe's The Jew of Malta (1592) in the light of the persecution and trial of Elizabeth's Jewish doctor, Lopez.
Weeks 7 & 8: Themes of imperial conquest in Shakespeare's Henry V (1599) and Marlowe's Tamburlaine (1587).
Weeks 9 & 10: In Macbeth (1605-6) Shakespeare takes a new approach to Dr Faustus (1593) in a sophisticated exploration of the dangers of meddling with the forces of darkness.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
* demonstrate an understanding of Shakespeare in the context of his times
* discuss the way he reacted to contemporary politics
* show an awareness of the influences on Shakespeare and the uses he made of them
* share opinions of plays studied and develop academic argument in writing and orally.
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Reading List
Essential
Shakespeare, William. 2011. The Complete Works, London: Arden.
Marlowe Christopher. 2003. Complete Plays, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Recommended
Sanders, Wilbur. 1968. The Dramatist and the Received Idea: Studies in the plays of Shakespeare and Marlowe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Greenblatt, Stephen. 1980. Renaissance Self-Fashioning. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
* Discursive essay writing
* Discussion skills
* Analytical and logical skills.
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| Special Arrangements |
None |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Anya Clayworth
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Sabine Murdoch
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: |
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