Global Shakespeare is a teaching and research initiative that aims to shape the future research agenda in Shakespeare studies across criticism, performance, history and media; from television to digital reproduction by offering a unique interdisciplinary approach. We are looking to enrol students from any discipline who are interested in joining us explore Shakespeare's place in our globalized world.

This level 5 15-credit module is available to Undergraduates and Associate Students at Queen Mary University. The semester-long course runs in both Semester 1 and Semester 2. Teaching is delivered in one two-hour long seminar per week. In Semester 1 of 2015/16, the class will take place at 12:00 - 14:00 on Tuesdays.

Course content

Love, Sex, and Violence in Global Adaptations of Shakespeare

How and why are Shakespeare’s tragedies performed, filmed, read and taught from China to Chile, from Singapore to South Africa? What makes Shakespeare a “global” force?

One of the reasons Shakespeare's work has resonated so strongly across the centuries, and with audience members from around the world, is that his plays display the vast panoply of human desires and emotions: from passionate love to bewildering fear, from staunch loyalty to basest envy, from the noblest instances of self-sacrifice to the desire to inflict unspeakable pain. As depicted by Shakespeare, these emotions are often shocking in their vividness, yet always recognizable as fundamental facets of human experience.

This course focuses on four plays: Titus Andronicus, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and King Lear, asking two main questions about each.

1. What did these plays mean to audiences in Shakespeare's time? That is, what and how would these plays have communicated to spectators at the Rose or the Globe theatres? Emphasis here is on the play text, its historical context, and performance traditions.
2. What do these plays continue to mean in our time? Here we examine the rich incarnations of each of these plays throughout the world--Mexican and Malaysian Othellos, a Japanese King Lear, Titus in Taiwan. Emphasis shifts to modern performances, particularly cinematic adaptations.

Where possible, the course will include opportunities to interact with and learn from Shakespearean film directors and theatre practitioners.  See below for a list of films we will be watching as part of this course.

Global Shakespeare is an interdisciplinary research approach, so students from any discipline who are interested in finding out more about Shakespeare’s global reach are encouraged to apply for a place on this course. The course is assessed by coursework submission only, in the form of three written assignments worth 10%, 30%, and 60% of the final grade.

Seminar topics:

Week 1: Titus and Tragedy

Week 2: Titus Andronicus in Shakespeare’s world

Week 3: Titus Andronicus in our world

Week 4: What is ‘Global Shakespeare’?

Week 5: Othello in Shakespeare’s world

Week 6: Othello in our world

Week 7: Reading Week

Week 8: Much Ado in Shakespeare’s world

Week 9: Much Ado in our world

Week 10: King Lear in Shakespeare’s world

Week 11: King Lear in our world

Week 12: Concluding seminar

 List of relevant films:

Titus Andronicus: cinematic adaptation Titus directed by Julie Taymor, and performance video of Titus 2.0 by Tang Shu-Wing Theatre Co.

Othello: Hollywood adaptation dir. Oliver Parker; Jarum Halus, dir. Mark Tan; Huapango, dir. Ivan Lipkies; Omkara, dir. Vishal Bhardwaj

Much Ado About Nothing: adaptations directed by Kenneth Branagh and Joss Whedon

King Lear: dir. Peter Brook; Ran, dir. Akira Kurosawa; The King is Alive, dir. Kristian Levring

All of these films will be available to students taking the course.

Readings:

Folger text of each Shakespeare play.

Secondary resources and academic articles will be made available via the QM Plus website, QMUL's online learning platform.

 

• GSH5001 will be taught on Tuesdays (12:00 - 14:00) in Semester 1, and Wednesdays (11:00 - 13:00) in Semester 2.
• You can check the QMUL semester dates here: there will be no session in Week 7 so that you can work on your assessment.
• We will study Titus Andronicus, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear.
  
• The course will be assessed by three written assignments.
• Questions? Want to study this module? Get in touch with rebecca dot fisher at warwick dot ac dot uk.