This lecture course is designed to introduce students to the often-demanding texts of Shakespeare's plays, their major genres (comedy, history, tragedy, and romance or tragicomedy), and the contexts in which they were produced. Shakespeare's career spanned a period of remarkable social, political, religious, and economic change, including the Protestant Reformation, the transition from feudalism to mercantile capitalism, early colonialism, global trade, and the rise of the first purpose-built, commercial theaters. Innovations in dramatic form and genre, which Shakespeare helped craft, sought to make sense of these momentous shifts for a diverse public theater. The lectures assume no prior knowledge of Shakespeare or his times and are designed to illuminate the texts of the plays by examining their cultural contexts. |