Introduction

This course will study representative plays from each period of Shakespeare's career, including histories, tragedies, and comedies. Through close analysis of these plays both on the page and on the stage the course will aim to develop an appreciation of the richness of Shakespeare's theatrical art, in its powerful marriage of words and images. Attendance at productions of Shakespeare both in Stafford and in London, including at the newly built replica of the Globe in Southward, will be central to our study.