The flexible structure of this course allows study in a wide variety of ways, on a full or part time basis. Modules are available to study through a variety of routes that may include:
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A two-week summer school at the Shakespeare Institute.
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Three long weekends at the Shakespeare Institute at approximately monthly intervals.
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One day a week throughout a semester at the Shakespeare Institute (ten days).
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Distance-learning option via online WebCt.
Full time study is onsite in Stratford-upon-Avon and part time students can choose to study the whole programme either on site, via online distance learning or a combination of the two. You are also encouraged to visit the theatre and cinema to benefit from the excitement of Shakespeare's plays in performance.
All assessment is by coursework. Optional modules are assessed by one 4,000 word essay and core modules are assessed by one 4,000 word essay or 2–3 shorter writing assignments.
Programme content
You will study these core modules:
Shakespeare's Theatre
There are three components of this module. The first is a close reading of text that will lead to a consideration of the theatrical function and distinctive qualities of Shakespeare's language. The second is a study of Elizabethan and early Jacobean stages and performance; and the third is an extension of the historical perspective, including Shakespeare's medieval inheritance, that will inform inquiry into the contemporary and continuing theatrical life. Plays studied include some or all of Hamlet, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, Richard II, Titus Andronicus, Henry V, Cymbeline and The Tempest.
Research Skills
This module provides you with essential research skills training applicable in the fields of Shakespeare studies, with a particular emphasis on performance studies. You will actively assess the different kinds of evidence and methods used in these fields and critically evaluate the epistemological assumptions that underline them.
You will then complete four of these modules:
Shakespeare's Craftsmanship
This module focuses on the construction of Shakespeare's plays and considers the manipulation of source material and genre, the structuring of the dramatic narrative and the use of language for dramatic function and effect. Plays studied include Romeo and Juliet, Measure for Measure, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and The Winter's Tale.
Shakespeare's Legacy
This module considers the adaptation and appropriation of Shakespeare’s plays, persona, and possessions from the seventeenth century to the present day. It pays special attention to how changes in theatre practice, aesthetic tastes, politics, and commercial markets have shaped the history of Shakespeare’s ‘afterlife’. Plays studied include some or all of King Lear, The Tempest, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Measure for Measure.
Shakespeare’s Text
The module will develop a critical awareness of the textual foundations of Shakespeare's plays. Topics covered include: the relationship between a modern edition of a play and the earliest printed texts, the nature of the printing process that first made the plays available to readers of books, the characteristics of Shakespeare's dramatic composition, the treatment of the text in the theatre (including censorship, revision and adaptation), and Shakespeare as a collaborator. Plays studied include some or all of Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, Sir Thomas More, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, King Lear, Measure for Measure, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Timon of Athens.
History of Acting and Directing Shakespeare
This module will consider trends of acting and directing Shakespeare from the Restoration to the present day, and will exploit the Stratford archives to undertake studies of individual actors and directors from the eighteenth century onwards. Subjects of study might include Colley Cibber, David Garrick, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, Laurence Olivier, Peter Brook, John Barton and Sam Mendes. There will be opportunities to analyse and interpret primary evidence and to consider the cultural context(s) of performance. Plays studied include some or all of Richard III, Hamlet, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. (Please note: this module is currently in development for distance learning.)
Shakespeare and Creative Practice
This module will provide you with experiential knowledge that will inform the way you interrogate and interpret performance evidence in a variety of media. Through a series of practical workshops and performance assignments, you will explore different systematic approaches to performing the language of Shakespeare: the first approach is rooted in the verse and text work of John Barton, Peter Hall, and Giles Block; the second approach explores the legacy of Stanislavski in the Shakespearean work of 20th/21st century practitioners in Europe and the United States; the third approach brings the devising techniques of prominent physical theatre practitioners to a creative examination of Shakespeare’s text.
The module is assessed by 2 performance assignments and a 2,000 word research paper. (Please note: because of the nature of this module it cannot be delivered via distance learning. If you are studying distance learning you are encouraged to take it onsite during a summer school.)
Demonic Shakespeare
This module will provide you with an opportunity to study one of the great Shakespearean themes. It will involve intensive close reading of a number of central Shakespeare plays: Richard III, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth and The Tempest, as well as certain sonnets. It will contextualise this in relation to early modern literature and culture but also in relation to a remarkable continental tradition which links Shakespeare, early modernity and the demonic with the genesis of modern literature and experience. It will address critical questions and problems associated with the representation of evil and the demonic in art and especially theatre. And it will ask why the demonic theme flourishes so prominently at the centre of the Western canon.
You will also complete a 12,000 word dissertation to achieve MA.
Delivery
The programme allows access to the unique Shakespearian resources of the Shakespeare Institute Library|, the Library of the Shakespeare Centre that curates the archives of the RSC, and the Royal Shakespeare Company|. Many of its modules are also available via distance learning, meaning that you can study online from anywhere in the world. Study materials for this programme are enhanced by the close ties that the Shakespeare Institute has with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the archives associated with both of these institutions. Distance learning modules will combine print, audio, and video teaching methods in order to give students a varied and enriching educational experience.