The Study of Lit: Drama

Plays acted onstage provide both entertainment and a forum for audiences and actors to question their relationship with the people and culture that surround them, as we are encouraged to understand and empathize with texts and characters brought to life through performance. In this course we will survey selected plays central to and representative of the development of major trends in dramatic literature. The principles of dramatic analysis--genre, character, plot, language, style, etc.--will be explored, as well as some of the economic, geographical, political, and intellectual factors that shaped the societies in which these plays were written and thus provide a context for the various plays and playwrights. Course readings will include plays such asAntigone,Pseudolus,Everyman,Doctor Faustus,A Midsummer Night's Dream,The Importance of Being Earnest,Ubu the King,Trifles,Waiting for Godot, and more.