Shakespeare’s Comedy

Peter Medine

Spring 2024

In Session

Wednesdays

2 PM - 4 PM

January 24, 31, February 7, 14, 21, 28, March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, and 17, 2024

Course Format:

Hybrid

Location:

Main Campus

Tuition:

$335

Concentrating on five of Shakespeare’s comedies, this seminar will inquire into the ways in which Shakespeare’s development of comedy’s distinctive theme of romantic love enabled him to explore a range of issues. These include hetero- and homosexual love, parent-child relationships, as well as broader political concerns. Essential to the endeavor will be the analysis of character, language, and plot. The ultimate aim will be to deepen our sense of the richness and variety of comedy as Shakespeare wrote it. It was the dramatic form he turned to more often than any other.

Syllabus

Required Reading:

Any standard edition of the plays will do, provided the format includes act/scene division and numerical lineation, and unfamiliar words are glossed on the page. Individual plays in such series as the Signet or Pelican editions are available on-line through Amazon, AbeBooks.com, Thrift book, and the like. If you prefer a single-volume of Shakespeare's complete works, I recommend the Riverside edition (Houghton Mifflin ed. G. Blackmore Evans, 1974 (and subsequently)). This is the edition I use. Previously owned copies through the outlets mentioned above are often available at reasonable prices and are in more than adequate condition.

Meet Your Professor

Peter Medine

Professor Emeritus

Department of English

PETER E. MEDINE is Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, where he served in the English Department from 1969 to 2014. He has written, edited, or coedited seven books in Early Modern English studies. His most recent coedited book is Visionary Milton: Essays in Prophecy and Violence (2010). He is the recipient of several Humanities Seminars Superior Teaching Awards and the College of Humanities Award for Outreach Service.

Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award

ATTEND ON-CAMPUS OR ONLINE
— HYBRID COURSE FORMAT —

All classes will be delivered on-campus and online via live video streaming. Students will enroll in their preferred format during registration.

On-Campus classes will be held in the Rubel Room at the University of Arizona's Poetry Center (1508 E Helen St, Tucson, AZ 85721). Enrollment for in-person classes is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. All students enrolled to attend in person also have complete online access and may choose to attend one or all class sessions remotely if desired.

Online students may attend all classes via live video streaming and will be able to participate in all course Q&A sessions with the professor in real-time. A high-speed internet connection and a device capable of running Zoom are required to connect. Online access will be password protected and only available to enrolled students.

Class Recordings - All HSP classes are recorded and available for every enrolled student to watch for the duration of the course and one month after the last class session. This option is offered to aid students who cannot attend the live class times but desire to enroll and participate asynchronously. We hope this option also aids students who are traveling or have a necessary appointment that conflicts with a class session to stay connected and engaged with the course material.

Location

Poetry Center

Dorothy Rubel Room

1508 E Helen

Tucson, AZ 85721

United States

Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.

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