Introductory description

This module will explore the drama of Shakespeare's contemporaries, paying particular attention to the playing conditions of the time which were affected both by the physical resources of the stage and the political context into which these works intervened. We will also take note of early modern literary criticism to discover how playwrights interacted with these ideas in their work. As we read some of the most famous plays of the period, we will develop an understanding of its major dramatic trends, the plays' significance in relation to Shakespeare and to their classical precursors and the ways in which they reflect the political, religious and social concerns of their time.
This module can be paired with EN352 Restoration Drama to make a coherent 30 CATS two-term option which will deal with English drama and its contexts 1574 to 1709

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1, Medieval England: Robert Green, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (c.1589)

Week 2, Central Asia: Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great Part 1 (pr. 1590)

Week 3, The Mediterranean: Christopher Marlowe, The Jew of Malta (1592)

Week 4, England: Anon., Arden of Feversham (1592)

Week 5, London: Thomas Dekker, The Shoemaker's Holiday (1599)

Week 6, Reading Week

Week 7, Ancient Judea: Elizabeth Cary, The Tragedy of Mariam (c. 1603-8)

Week 8, Italy: Thomas Middleton, The Revenger's Tragedy (1606)

Week 9, London: Francis Beaumont, The Knight of the Burning Pestle (1607)

Week 10, London: Ben Jonson, The Alchemist (1610)

The coursebook will be English Renaissance Drama: A Norton Anthology, eds Bevington, Engle, Maus and Rasmussen (New York and London, 2002)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the set plays in their political, religious and social contexts
• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the major dramatic trends of the period 1574-1642
• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of early modern literary and dramatic criticism in theory and practice

Subject specific skills

A detailed knowledge and understanding of the set plays in their political, religious and social contexts
A detailed knowledge and understanding of the major dramatic trends of the period 1574-1642
A detailed knowledge and understanding of early modern literary and dramatic criticism in theory and practice

Transferable skills

Use a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis
Effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms to specialist and non-specialist audiences and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively