The Life & Works of William Shakespeare

This program deals with the works of William Shakespeare as dramatic literature in the context of the theatrical milieu of his time, and with his poems. The course has been designed to:

• help you identify what is characteristic about Shakespeare’s writing.
• develop your understanding of the early modem theatre industry for which Shakespeare’s plays were written.
• help you locate the plays you study in their sociocultural contexts.
• help you explore a range of critical approaches to Shakespeare.
• develop your knowledge of dramatic forms and terminology (such as soliloquy, chorus, blank verse, couplet, stichomythia, feminine endings).

This study is organised around individual plays and topics. The following 10 plays are the ones from which six extracts will be drawn.