The abuse of authority and power are central themes in many early modern English plays, particularly in tragedies. William Shakespeare was without a doubt a royalist, but his analysis of kingship is so severe and penetrating that it can look like sedition; and he was obsessively interested in the question of what happens when authority is wielded irresponsibly, and what power does to people - both to the ones who have it and the ones who don't have it. Are disobedience and resistance ever justified?
The dynamics of domination and submission were enacted not just on the public or national stage (e.g. in Coriolanus by Shakespeare) but also behind closed doors, in private, in the domestic sphere, where husbands tyrannise their wives and children (e.g. in A Yorkshire Tragedy by Shakespeare and/or Thomas Middleton). In addition to these two, we will read selected scenes from other plays and some non-fictional texts.
This class serves as an introduction to New Historicism and will embed the reading of these plays in New Historicist and Critical Materialist analyses of them, e.g. Stephen Greenblatt's Tyrants: Shakespeare on Power (2018).
Rhythmus | Tag | Uhrzeit | Format / Ort | Zeitraum | |
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wöchentlich | Fr | 14-16 | 07.10.2024-31.01.2025 | This class is part of the focus semester "Democracy". |
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23-ANG-AngVM1 Vertiefungsmodul 1: Britain | 1.2 British Literature: Genre, Periods, Authors | Studienleistung
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1.3 British Cultural Studies: Theories, Periods, Media | Studienleistung
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- | benotete Prüfungsleistung | Studieninformation | |
23-ANG-AngVM5 Vertiefungsmodul 5: Theories & Ideologies | VM 5.2 Literary Theory | Studienleistung
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Studieninformation |
VM 5.3 Cultural Theory | Studienleistung
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- | benotete Prüfungsleistung | Studieninformation | |
23-ANG-AngVM6 Vertiefungsmodul 6: Media, Arts & Communication | VM 6.1 Theoretical and Historical Contexts | Studienleistung
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Studieninformation |
23-ANG-Profil4 Profilmodul 4: Advanced British and American Studies | Profil4.1.Theories and Methods | Studienleistung
benotete Prüfungsleistung |
Studieninformation |
Profil4.2 British Literature and Culture OR American Literature and Culture | Studienleistung
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Profil4.3 British Literature and Culture OR American Literature and Culture | Studienleistung
benotete Prüfungsleistung |
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23-ANG-Profil4_G Profilmodul 4_G: Advanced British and American Studies | Profil4.1_G Theories and Methods | Studienleistung
benotete Prüfungsleistung |
Studieninformation |
Profil4.2_G British Literature and Culture OR American Literature and Culture | Studienleistung
benotete Prüfungsleistung |
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Profil4.3_G British Literature and Culture OR American Literature and Culture | Studienleistung
benotete Prüfungsleistung |
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23-ANG-Profil6 Profilmodul 6: Media, Communication and Creative Practices | Profil6.1 Media and Communication | Studienleistung
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Studieninformation |
Die verbindlichen Modulbeschreibungen enthalten weitere Informationen, auch zu den "Leistungen" und ihren Anforderungen. Sind mehrere "Leistungsformen" möglich, entscheiden die jeweiligen Lehrenden darüber.
If you are in the new BA (2022), you have to have passed the Language Proficiency Test (LPT), written and oral parts, to earn credit points in this class.