Shakespear History

The Course

Shakespeare, some critics suggest, invented the history play. When he stopped writing it, people lost interest. Part of a much larger revision of historical thinking in the Renaissance, the history play asks its audiences, then and now, to reconsider history in terms of CAUSE, ANACHRONISM, and EVIDENCE. Of these three, questions of cause may be the most palpable. Is history shaped by Providence or human machination? Think you know the answer? Shakespeare didn't. Or if he did, he was more interested in helping us question our answers. In this course, we will read Shakespeare's greatest history plays, paying attention to the way they cue performance, derive from the work of historians, and call into question our own assumptions about justice. Phyllis Rackin gets at the radical nature of our project when she says, "Shakespeare's playhouse constituted an arena where cultural change was not simply represented but rehearsed and enacted. It was, in short, a place where history was made."

Audience

This course is designed for senior English majors. If you are not a major, be sure you are prepared to undertake scholarly work at this level.

Staying in Touch

I want to know how you are doing. Come talk, send me e-mail, faxes, etc. Check the class web site. If you have to miss a class, then get the assignment and have it ready on time. If something is happening in your life that interferes with your performance in class, then let me know. Do share phone numbers and e-mail addresses with a couple of your colleagues, so you can check on notes and missed information.

Policies

You are expected to come to every class and participate in readings, discussions, and activities. Missed daily work cannot be made up for any reason. Under this heading I group unannounced quizzes, brief writings, and presentations. At the end of the course, I will drop points equivalent to three absences. In order to be fully prepared for quizzes, you should read your assignments carefully, and review your notes before each class.. Late papers will lose 5 pts. for each day late. I will hold all extra credit papers until the final exam. All class assignments must be turned in to me by 10 December 2004 in order for you to pass this course.

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