Shakespeare and the Other
Instructor LeRoy Percy Department of English
Plays in which non-European characters figure prominently will be the focus of study and discussion in an exploration of Shakespeare’s dramatization of issues that today we call multicultural or multiethnic. What are the distinctive features of these plays? What theatrical contexts can we identify for the conflicts in which these characters become involved? In what ways does the significance of these conflicts extend beyond the theater into a larger social world? To what extent does it make sense to stage these plays from contemporary points of view? These are the kinds of questions that will frame study, discussion and written assignments. Course work will emphasize close reading of plays and research into the cultural environment of the Elizabethan and Jacobean theaters. We will also consider a number of recent critical approaches to the plays, such as psychoanalytical and new historical, as well as assess adaptations into current popular cultural forms.
