Late Plays by Shakespeare

Seminar - Late Plays by Shakespeare (Spring) - G. Fulton

This seminar focuses on three of Shakespeare’s last plays which were single-authored: Cymbeline; The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest. We will examine what comprises Shakespeare’s ‘late style’, and how these features differ between each play. We will consider the generic categorisation of these three plays, and how Shakespeare adapts tragicomic tropes and themes. After getting to grips with the basic constituents of Jacobean tragicomedy, students will examine, in detail, the deviations which Shakespeare makes from expected tragicomic plot arc, register, and character role. The seminar aim is to introduce students to Shakespeare’s style through the lens of genre, and to develop students' abilities to close read comparatively. Students should also gain a deeper understanding of Early Modern theatre.

William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, ed. by Valerie Wayne, Arden 3rd Series (London: Bloomsbury, 2017), ISBN 9781904271307;
William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, ed. by John Pitcher, Arden 3rd Series (London: Bloomsbury, Arden 3rd Series (London: Bloomsbury, 2014), ISBN 9781472539090;
William Shakespeare, The Tempest, ed. by Alden T. Vaughan and Virginia Mason Vaughan, Arden 3rd Series (London: Bloomsbury, 2011), ISBN 9781408133477.
Extracts from other relevant literature and critical material will be provided on Moodle.