Adult Summer Courses
- General English and Culture Programme
- Business English
- Legal English
- General English and Oxford
- Introduction to Shakespeare
- Jane Austen: Her Novels, Life and Times
- Writers of the Great War
- Creative Writing - Fiction
- Stately Homes and Country Gardens
- Interface Between Religion, Science and Philosophy
- Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Shakespeare
This course will start from the assumption that Shakespeare is a poet and dramatist whose work is exciting and vibrant for us today. We'll approach Shakespeare from a variety of directions: personal, literary-critical, historical, and political, engaging with great themes of Shakespeare's drama and verse through reading some of his best works.
About the Course
| Course Length | 2 weeks | |
| Dates/Location |
29th July - 11th August Corpus Christi College
12th - 24th August Corpus Christi College
25th-11th August Corpus Christi College
28th July - 10th August 2013 |
|
| Accommodation |
All students will be staying in Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford If you would prefer to organise your own accommodation, please contact admin@oxford-royale.co.uk |
|
| Fees | 3,395 GBP | |
| Prerequisites | Only suitable for native/near-native English speakers | |
| Participants | Open access. Students attend from all over the world | |
| Further Information | For further information on the college, the staff and the all inclusive activities and excursions click here | |
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Course Details
The course will have at its heart the study of three plays which will be seen on trips to Stratford and The Globe in London. “Hamlet” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies whilst “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a hilarious romantic comedy and “The Tempest”, one of Shakespeare’s final plays,explores the world of a magician on an enchanted island.
In addition to these three plays from different periods of Shakespeare’s career we will also make connections with other plays including “Measure for Measure” which combines elements of comedy and tragedy. We will look briefly at Shakespeare’s life and the period in which he lived and wrote.
There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and a range of print and online resources will beused in the teaching of the course.
By the end of two weeks with Shakespeare everyone will have been able to shape their own personal response to this major figure in world literature.
Course Timetable
| Topics | |
| Week 1 | |
| Day 1 |
Introduction to the course. Shakespeare’s life and times Overview of Shakespeare’s poetry and drama Preparatory work on Shakespeare’s tragedy – “Hamlet”. “Hamlet” is one of the most quoted plays in the English language and through reading, discussion and watching the play on day 2 we will explore why this play continues to fascinate audiences. |
| Day 2 |
Trip to see “Hamlet” at Stratford |
| Day 3 |
Shakespeare’s Tragedies. Using “Hamlet” as a starting point we will explore the nature of Shakespearean tragedy with reference to “King Lear” a play about fathers and daughters and what it means to be a ruler. |
| Day 4 |
Shakespeare’s Tragedies. We will deepen our understanding of Shakespearean tragedy by looking at extracts from “Othello” and considering major themes such as love, jealousy and the nature of evil. |
| Day 5 |
Conclusion of work on tragedy. Shakespeare as a writer of sonnets. Some of Shakespeare’s sonnets are amongst the most famous poems in the English Language. We will look at two of the best loved of the 154 sonnets he wrote, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” and “Let me not to the marriage of true minds”. |
| Week 2 | |
| Day 1 |
Shakespeare’s comedies. Preparation for the trip to The Globe An introduction to the classic, extremely popular Shakespearean comedy, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. An introduction to “The Tempest”, which is full of magic and the supernatural and one of Shakespeare’s final plays. |
| Day 2 |
Trip to see “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest” at The Globe in London |
| Day 3 |
Shakespeare’s “Problem Play” – “Measure for Measure”. We will take a look at this remarkable play which combines elements of comedy and tragedy and which has points of connection with both the tragedies and the comedies we will have studied earlier in the course. The central character is faced with a painful dilemma – what is she prepared to do to save a brother’s life? |
| Day 4 |
Shakespeare in performance. In this session we will consider some of the ways different directors have chosen to interpret and present Shakespeare’ plays from traditional Elizabethan costumed productions to modern stagings that relocate the plays to a whole host of different periods and settings. We will consider the roles that actors and directors fulfil in taking plays from the page to the stage in ways that keep Shakespeare alive and relevant for audiences. |
| Day 5 |
Directing a scene from Shakespeare – this is a chance to explore different ways in which a short, dramatic scene from Shakespeare could be presented. The scene will be chosen during the course to reflect the interests and size of the group. Reflection. A chance to share what Shakespeare now means to participants in the group. |
**Please note** While every effort is made to give participants an accurate description of the course content and structure, they should note that details of course content and structure may change as a result of tutor availability, interests, and expertise. In addition, participants should note that tutors will make efforts, where practicable, to address, and include material relating to, students' specific interests and requests where these are notified beforehand.
Further Information about the Summer School
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