ESH280

Renaissance Drama

Level 5 (30 credits)

Renaissance Drama offers an in-depth look at arguably the most exciting and innovative period of English drama. Studying a range of plays from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, we will investigate the preoccupations of early modern dramatists as they wrote about their city and country and about native citizens and exotic strangers; and as they developed the language and technical resources of the theatre. We will consider performance spaces from the outdoor amphitheatres like Shakespeare's Globe, to intimate indoor theatres, the royal court, and even the private home. You will read texts that engage with the explosion of commercial theatre, with geopolitical issues, with the civic life of London, and with questions of race, gender, and social class.

Preparing for this Module and Approximate Costs

There is no required advance preparation for this module, but you might wish to look at an excellent guide: Peter Womack, English Renaissance  Drama (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006).

Specific editions of primary texts up to the value of approximately £40 (Note that these costs can often be reduced by purchasing items second-hand or borrowing them from the Library).

 
Why take
Renaissance Drama
?

  • Find out what was being written for, and performed on, the Renaissance stage that was NOT by Shakespeare!
  • Consider a range of performance spaces, from the outdoor amphitheatres like Shakespeare's Globe, to intimate indoor theatres, the royal court, and even the private home.
  • Read texts that engage with the explosion of commercial theatre, with geopolitical issues, with the civic life of London, and with questions of race, gender, and social class
Learning Context Lecture + Workshop + Seminar
Semester Two
Assessment
  1. Written Assignment 1 (2000 words), 35%
  2. Written Assignment 2 (3000 words), 55%
  3. Participation, 10%
Mode of reassessment Standard
Contact