This course is available to both Queen’s and non-Queen’s students. Non-Queen’s students (including interest students, visiting students, and new online degree students) must first apply for admission. The following is presented for informational purposes only and is subject to change.

Instructor

Barry Thorne Learn more about the instructor...
E-mail: thorneb@queensu.ca

Course Description

This online English course is a study of Shakespeare's plays in relation to the social, intellectual, and political climate of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods and with reference to theatrical production.

Course Objectives/Topics Covered

The principal objective of this course is to help you gain confidence in reading and understanding Shakespeare's plays. Because Shakespeare's plays are written in a largely unfamiliar idiom and literary form, and because they are the product of specific historical circumstances, the course will give equal emphasis to the development of analytical skills and to acquiring a working knowledge of the social, political, and theatrical milieu in which Shakespeare wrote.

Structure of the Course

The course lessons are organized by individual plays in chronological order. In addition to twelve lessons covering twelve different plays, there is a general introduction outlining the history of Shakespeare criticism and explaining the approach that is followed in this course (see "Approaches to Studying Shakespeare"). For each of the twelve lessons, you are responsible for reading the play in the Norton Shakespeare, the introduction to it in that text, and any additional readings listed at the beginning of the lesson. You should also familiarize yourself with the contents of the General Introduction to the Norton Shakespeare (pp. 1-78) and the section on “The Shakespearean Stage” by Andrew Gurr (pp. 77-99). These pages are reprinted in each volume of the four-volume set. Individual lessons will direct you to specific sections of these readings, but you are responsible for reading through both of them at some point in the course.

There is also an excellent chronological table of events in Shakespeare's time beginning on page 1092 of each book in the four-volume set.

Plays to be Studied

• The Taming of the Shrew (1592)
• Richard III (1592-3)
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)   
• The Merchant of Venice (1596-7)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1598-9)
• Henry V (1599)
• Hamlet (1600)
• Twelfth Night (1601)
• Measure for Measure (1604)
• Othello (1604)
• Macbeth (1606)
• The Tempest (1611)

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More information:

• Computer Requirements and Internet Access
• Moodle, Our Online Learning Environment 
• Academic Integrity
• Evaluation
• Suggested Time Commitment
• Required Material