Having thrown off Rome’s yoke, England had its own Blessed Virgin Elizabeth. It was considered a glorious time to be an Englishman. People eagerly sought expression for their national pride in song, poetry and drama. Shakespeare and Marlowe were the leading English dramatists vying for the favour of London’s theatre audiences. We explore Shakespeare’s London and his times. And make our way through the cobbled streets to our wonderful Globe theatre.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• On Shakespeare, John Bell, Allen & Unwin, 2011
• Shakespeare Peter Ackroyd
• 1599, James Shapiro, Faber and Faber, 2005
• 1606, James Shapiro, Faber and Faber, 2015
• Contested Will, James Shapiro, Faber and Faber, 2010

COURSE OUTLINE

• Elizabethan London; Upstart Crow, Plague, Bad Timing; Venus and Adonis, Richard III; Sonnets, Earl of Southampton, Kemp’s jig; Elizabethan music, King John; Merchant of Venice, Coat of Arms
• New Place, Nash’s House - Stratford; Globe Theatre, Pop-up Globe; Henry V, Julius Caesar; Earl of Essex rebellion; Elizabeth’s Portraits, Hamlet rewrite, Othello
• Journeys around Shakespeare’s globe; Shakespeare in Italy
• Jacobean era; King James Bible; Gunpowder Plot; Macbeth; Union Jack, Virginia
• Hall’s Croft - Stratford; Blackfriar’s Theatre, Plague 1608; Tempest, Globe Theatre fire; First Folio
• A Shakespeare Walk; Southbank, St Mary Overie; The Globe Theatre

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Have a greater appreciation of have a greater understanding of Shakespeare’s life, work and travels.