Religious Controversy in Early Modern Drama (BA5 Spring 2023)

This seminar focuses on three fascinating sixteenth- and seventeenth-century plays (“Sir Thomas More” by Anthony Munday, Henry Chettle, William Shakespeare et al., “King Henry VIII”, by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, and “The Cardinal”, by James Shirley) to examine the representation of religious controversy in Early Modern drama. These plays are particularly useful for investigating the role of theatre in debating polemical ideas, due to their inclusion of contemporary historical events and figures. We will assess how religious controversy is presented in these plays through their structure and plot, language, thematic focus, and dramaturgy. By the end of the seminar, students should also have an awareness of how the rise of commercial drama under Queen Elizabeth I affected staging plays with controversial religious content. The seminar hopes to explore how Early Modern drama creates a uniquely rich space for discussing sensitive, controversial aspects of religious debate.

Course books: “Sir Thomas More”, The Arden Shakespeare, ed. John Jowett, ISBN 9781904271482. “Henry VIII”, The Arden Shakespeare, ed. Gordon McMullan, ISBN: 9781903436257. Extracts from other relevant literature and critical material will be provided on Moodle.