According to the so-called Tudor Myth, Richard II was a bad king, but
his deposition led to decades of instability and bloodshed -- the period
known as the "War of the Roses". This calamity, according to the myht,
reached its low-point in the tyrant Richard III, who was duely defeated
by Henry Tudor in the Battle of Bosworth. After the battle, Henry became
Henry VII of England, the first Tudor on the throne.
Shakespeare wrote eight (!) plays about this tumultuous period of
English history, in this seminar we will read four of them (arguably,
the "best" and most important of them). We will examine questions of
kingship and power, and we will discuss to what extend Shakespeare
follows the Tudor Myth of legitimizing Tudor rule.
Texts:
Please get copies of Richard II, Henry IV pt. 1, Henry V and Richard III.
I will be using the most recent editions from the New Cambridge
Shakespeare series and it would help if we were all using the same
editions -- but if you already have other copies (particularly from the
Arden Shakespeare series) you can, of course, use those. It is highly
recommended that you use "good" scholarly editions (like Arden,
Cambridge, Oxford, Norton) that include extensive introductions and
notes.
Requirements:
I expect you to attend regularly and to participate in class discussion.
If you want credit, you will need to write a term paper (c. 15 p.
BA/Lehramt, c. 20 p. MA).
Suggested preparation:
You might consider watching the BBC series "The Hollow Crown", an adaptation of all eight plays. The library has both DVD-boxes.