Introductory description

William Shakespeare never went to Venice but the city fascinated him and served as the setting for two of his most powerful – and controversial – plays: The Merchant of Venice and Othello. This module gives students the unique opportunity to study both plays in contemporary Venice with staff and students from Monash and Ca'Foscari.

No prior knowledge or experience of Shakespeare or of English Literature is required. Students of all backgrounds and from all subjects will be welcome to bring their own questions to bear on the relevance and dynamics of these plays in the twenty-first century. We will value learning beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and take a multidisciplinary approach to these very rich texts.

Internationalism is also central to the syllabus: our core texts were written by an Englishman but based in the Venetian Republic, a locus of international trade and a byword for cosmopolitanism. In the four hundred years since, the plays have been translated into dozens of languages and been adapted for a range of national and regional audiences. Shakespeare is now a global phenomenon and it is entirely apt for students from the UK, Australia, Italy and elsewhere to come together to study him in one of the great global cities of early modern and contemporary Europe.

We will take a multidisciplinary approach and consider: the history of Venice and its reputation in early modern Europe; the theatrical culture of Shakespeare’s London; the literary precedents for depictions of Jewish and North African people before Shakespeare; the practices of Law and Finance in early modern England; the variety of film and stage interpretations of the texts; and the cultural afterlives of the plays’ protagonists, Shylock and Othello. Most of the in-person teaching will take place in Warwick’s Palazzo in Venice, but there will also be opportunities for site-specific and experiential learning as we visit parts of Venice referenced in the plays, including the Jewish Ghetto. Assessment will be flexible and student-led.

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.

Before Week 1: you will start to get acquainted with our two primary texts, The Merchant of Venice and Othello, through guided independent study.

Weeks 1 and 2 (in the UK): at the beginning of Week 1 you will submit a formative (unassessed) blog post that will inform our online seminar. In this seminar - and throughout the intensive - you will be encouraged to bring your own disciplinary knowledge and cultural experiences into the conversation. You will therefore not only acquire new knowledge but also help co-create a distinctive multi-focal group response to the plays.
At the end of Week 2 you will submit an assessed blog based on your thoughts and discoveries so far on the intensive.

Week 3: the intensive week in Venice will build on these discussions and focus on: workshopping key passages from the texts; site-specific explorations of places referenced in the plays; presentations based on short pieces of secondary reading or on the reputation of Shakespeare and/or the focus plays in the speaker’s national or regional context; group viewings of recent film and stage productions; one-to-one discussions with the convenor about assessment options and guidance; visits to place of contextual interest, such as the Jewish Ghetto and the Jewish Museum of Venice; guest lectures and walking tours of Venice with Professor Shaul Bassi (Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice).

Learning outcomes

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

• Demonstrate a good and informed working knowledge of two Shakespeare plays including the ability to discuss key passages;
• Demonstrate a clear grasp of the historical contexts in which the core texts were written;
• Demonstrate an ability to engage with sophisticated scholarly responses to the plays from one or more disciplinary perspectives;
• Exhibit a critically evaluative understanding of the potential of performance to engage and sometimes provoke audiences;
• Demonstrate an awareness of the long history and current controversies of racial and cultural stereotyping;
• Show an appreciation of the global phenomenon of Shakespeare and a nuanced understanding of how his plays can be used as springboards for critical and creative responses in the present
• * Demonstrate an awareness of Venice as an intercultural space in the past and the present

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Research element

The Presentation and Student Devised Assessment will require engagement with secondary sources. The SDA will also encourage students to embrace the idea of Practice-as-Research, using a creative response to some aspect of the module to explore their own research questions.

Interdisciplinary

The module is designed to use two theatrical texts to help students think across and beyond disciplines for the fullest possible opportunity to explore their own interests in relation to the module's themes. In addition to core knowledge from the disciplines of theatre history, literary studies, and performance studies, the module requires students to explore: early modern history (as it relates both to Shakespeare’s London and early modern Venice); subsequent histories of representation across a variety of media, including visual art, stage and screen reproduction, and advertising; the legal, political and financial contexts of both plays. It therefore invites students to make connections with other disciplinary areas covered in their main degree programme. Furthermore, the cross-disciplinary course cohort will provide contact and learning opportunities that will create rich and unexpected connections and perspectives.

International

As a module that pulls together staff and students from Warwick, Monash and Ca'Foscari, internationalism will be central to the cohort’s experience. It will be invaluable to learn from students how these two very controversial plays resonate in their own cultures. Internationalism is also central to the syllabus: our core texts were written by an Englishman but based in the Venetian Republic, a locus of international trade and a byword for cosmopolitanism. In the four hundred years since, the plays have been translated into dozens of languages and been adapted for a range of national and regional audiences. Shakespeare is now a global phenomenon and it is entirely apt to come together to study him in one of the great global cities of early modern and contemporary Europe.

Subject specific skills

• Understand the relationship between theatrical texts and their historical, cultural and legal original contexts;
• Place the study of Shakespeare within wider contexts of recent scholarship and performance;
• Be able to draw relevant analogies and connections between historically situated themes and
  ideas and contemporary cultural/political debates relating to race, ethnicity and gender.

Transferable skills

• Active participation in online discussions;
• Communicate clearly and effectively in in-person discussions and presentations;
• Work effectively with others in group tasks and in teams;
• Plan and manage time in projects;
• Develop strong analytical skills for close reading of a range of texts;
• Find, evaluate and use previous research at a level appropriate for an Intermediate year module;
• Use a range of tools and resources effectively in the preparation of essays or Student Devised Assessments;
• Communicate ideas effectively in writing and/or creative work