À propos de ce cours : This free course from the University of London explores critical thinking, and the interpretation of texts, through the Shakespeare authorship question. Using doubt about Shakespeare’s authorship as our playground, we will explore the key concept of authorship attribution, while developing skills in literary analysis, interpretation, and argument. Through forensic exploration of key texts, you will learn why Shakespeare’s authorship is questioned, and what evidence is cited on both sides of the debate. For those of you interested in exploring the works of Shakespeare from a new angle, or just wanting to hone your analytical thinking skills, this course offers an introduction to a fascinating area of interest. Those of you already interested in the Shakespeare authorship question will be encouraged to question your own assumptions in fruitful ways. Whether undertaken as a standalone course, or as preparation for the University of London BA in English, this course will be food for thought.
Les destinataires de ce cours : Shakespeare aficionados and novices alike will find something of interest in this course; likewise anyone interested in logical reasoning, literary history, and the use of evidence. It is pitched at a level suitable for foundation year undergraduates. Although it's structured as a 4 week course, you can do it at your own pace.
Créé par : University of London, Goldsmiths, University of London
Enseigné par : Ros Barber, Dr
English and Comparative Literature
| Niveau | Débutant |
| Engagement | 4 weeks of study, 3-4 hours/week. |
| Langue | English |
| Comment réussir | Réussissez tous les devoirs notés pour terminer le cours. |
| Notes des utilisateurs |
Programme de cours
SEMAINE 1
Understanding the Question
This week is a practical introduction to the Shakespeare authorship question, covering terms and concepts you will use and outlining the basic arguments for and against William Shakespeare’s authorship of the works attributed to him. You will learn a framework for understanding how a person’s perceptions (including your own) are shaped by pre-existing beliefs and assumptions and learn how this might impact your ability to interpret and assess literary and historical evidence. You will then be introduced to a key theory of the authorship question and to the first practical exercise in close-reading a relevant text.
20 vidéos, 4 lectures, 1 quiz pour s'exercer
- Reading: A 1.2 Terms of Reference
- Practice Quiz: A 1.3 Starting Point
- Vidéo: A 1.4 The role of belief in interpretation
- Vidéo: A 1.5 Interview with Kris De Meyer Part 1
- Vidéo: A 1.6 Interview with Kris De Meyer Part 2
- Vidéo: A 2.1 "Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare"
- Vidéo: A 2.2 The "man-shaped hole"
- Vidéo: A 2.3 Personal vs Impersonal Testimony
- Vidéo: A 2.4 Literary Paper Trails
- Reading: A 2.5 Absence of Evidence
- Vidéo: A 3.1 Shakspere as a broker
- Vidéo: A 3.2 The Shakespeare Apocrypha
- Vidéo: A 3.3 Was Shakspere a Playbroker?
- Vidéo: A 3.4 Thomas Heywood and 'The Author'
- Reading: A 3.6 Addendum
- Vidéo: A 4.1 Ben Jonson's poem 'On Poet-Ape' - An Introduction
- Vidéo: A 4.2 "On Poet-Ape" - Textual Analysis
- Vidéo: A 4.3 Shakespeare in the Parnassus Plays
- Reading: A 4.4 Is John Marston a strong contender for Poet-Ape?
- Vidéo: A 5.1 Interview with Professor William Leahy Part 1
- Vidéo: A 5.2 Interview with Alexander Waugh Part 1
- Vidéo: A 5.3 Interview with Sir Mark Rylance Part 1
- Vidéo: A 5.4 Interview with Sir Mark Rylance Part 2
- Vidéo: A 5.5 Module Summary
- Discussion Prompt: (Optional) A 5.6 Does the authorship question matter?
Noté: A 1.7 The effect of belief on interpretation
Noté: A 2.6 The main arguments
Noté: A 3.5 Broker theory
Noté: A 4.5 Analysis of 'On Poet-Ape'
SEMAINE 2
The Man and the Author
In this module we’ll look at questions of identity; chiefly at arguments that attempt to link William Shakspere the man to William Shakespeare the author – or to sever that link. The arguments surrounding “Hand D” in Sir Thomas More claim to establish a firm link between Shakspere and Shakespeare, and Shakespeare’s authorship of the “Hand D” pages is now being presented as fact, so it’s important to understand the evidence, arguments, and reasons for this attribution. You’ll look in detail at the non-Stratfordian argument that Shakespeare authorship doubt was first expressed within only four years after the first “Shakespeare” publication in the works of John Marston and Joseph Hall. You’ll consider some of the key Stratfordian and non-Stratfordian arguments related to William Shakspere’s coat of arms. And lastly, you’ll look critically at an important cornerstone of Shakespeare biography, Robert Greene’s reference to a plagiarising actor, the “upstart Crow”.
22 vidéos, 2 lectures
- Vidéo: B 1.2 Hand D - Handwriting Argument
- Vidéo: B 1.3 Hand D - Spelling Argument
- Vidéo: B 1.4 Hand D - Content Argument
- Vidéo: B 1.5 Hand D - Author or Scribe?
- Reading: B 1.6 For and Against "Hand D = Shakespeare"
- Vidéo: B 2.1 A Hidden Author?
- Vidéo: B 2.2 Marston and Hall - Labeo Part 1
- Vidéo: B 2.3 Marston and Hall - Labeo Part 2
- Vidéo: B 2.4 'Concealed Poets' and 'Our English Terence'
- Vidéo: B 2.5 Does Hyphenation Imply Anonymity?
- Vidéo: B 3.1 'Not Without Right' - Shakspere's Coat of Arms
- Vidéo: B 3.2 Coat of Arms - Insulso Sogliardo
- Vidéo: B 3.3 Coat of Arms - The Authorship Argument
- Vidéo: B 4.1 The Upstart Crow - Allusion or Illusion?
- Vidéo: B 4.2 Was Groats-worth Greene's?
- Vidéo: B 4.3 The Upstart Crow as Edward Alleyn
- Vidéo: B 4.4 Shake-scene and the 'Tiger's Heart'
- Reading: B 4.6 Addendum
- Vidéo: B 5.1 Interview with Sir Mark Rylance Part 3
- Vidéo: B 5.2 Interview with Gregory Thompson Part 1
- Vidéo: B 5.3 Interview with Professor William Leahy Part 2
- Vidéo: B 5.4 Interview with Professor William Leahy Part 3
- Vidéo: B 5.5 Module Summary
- Discussion Prompt: (Optional) B 5.6 A Different Poet-Ape?
Noté: B 1.7 Shakespeare and 'Hand D'
Noté: B 2.6 16th Century Authorship Doubt
Noté: B 3.4 Shakspere's Coat of Arms
Noté: B 4.5 The Upstart Crow
SEMAINE 3
The Evidence from Stratford-upon-Avon
In the module, you will look more deeply at the connection between Stratford-upon-Avon and Shakespeare, beginning with Shakespeare-related testimony from people who had a provable personal connection to Stratford-upon-Avon and Shakespeare: William Camden, Michael Drayton, Shakespeare's son-in-law, Dr John Hall, and Shakespeare’s daughters. You’ll consider the question of his daughters’ literacy, and whether has any bearing on the authorship question. You’ll look at what are claimed to be local Warwickshire references in the plays, which have been used to support the traditional authorship attribution. And finally, you’ll consider the monument erected to Shakespeare in Stratford’s Holy Trinity Church, arguments that it was altered in the 18th century, and the three texts engraved on that monument and the connected grave.
22 vidéos, 2 lectures
- Vidéo: C 1.2 Stratford-upon-Avon, Drayton and Dr Hall
- Vidéo: C 1.3 Stratford-upon-Avon's New Vicar
- Vidéo: C 1.4 Shakspere's Lodger
- Vidéo: C 2.1 Shakspere's Literacy
- Vidéo: C 2.2 Shakspere's Daughters' Literacy 1
- Vidéo: C 2.3 Shakspere's Daughters' Literacy 2
- Vidéo: C 2.4 Shakespeare's Education
- Reading: C 2.6 Addendum
- Reading: C 3.1 Shakespeare and Stratford - Bardolph and Fluellen
- Vidéo: C 3.2 Shakespeare and Stratford - Shrewish places
- Vidéo: C 3.3 Shakespeare and Stratford - The Shrew's Induction
- Vidéo: C 3.4 Shakespeare and Stratford - Dialect words
- Vidéo: C 4.1 The Stratford Monument - Introduction
- Vidéo: C 4.2 Stratford and the William Basse Elegy
- Vidéo: C 4.3 Was the Stratford Monument Altered?
- Vidéo: C 4.4 Analysis of the Monument Poem
- Vidéo: C 4.5 Analysis of the Latin Lines
- Vidéo: C 5.1 Interview with Alexander Waugh - Part 2
- Vidéo: C 5.2 Interview with Gregory Thompson Part 2
- Vidéo: C 5.3 Interview with Gregory Thompson Part 3
- Vidéo: C 5.4 Interview with Peter Dawkins Part 1
- Vidéo: C 5.5 Interview with Peter Dawkins Part 2
- Vidéo: C 5.6 Module Summary
- Discussion Prompt: (Optional) C 5.7 The Stratford-upon-Avon evidence
Noté: C 1.5 Stratford Connections
Noté: C 2.5 Literacy and Education
Noté: C 3.5 Warwickshire references in Shakespeare
Noté: C 4.6 The Stratford Monument
SEMAINE 4
The First Folio as Proof of Authorship
In this final module you’ll explore the key text supporting the traditional attribution of Shakespeare’s works: the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare’s works. You will learn why the First Folio is a critically important text for those interested in the Shakespeare authorship question, and you will study in detail – applying the textual analysis skills you have developed so far - the texts included in its preface..
19 vidéos, 1 lecture
- Vidéo: D 1.2 The First Folio Letters
- Vidéo: D 1.3 Ben Jonson's Discoveries
- Vidéo: D 1.4 The Preface Poets
- Vidéo: D 2.1 The Droeshout Portrait - Reception
- Vidéo: D 2.2 Was Droeshout the Younger Incompetent?
- Vidéo: D 2.3 The Droeshout Portrait from a Non-Stratfordian Perspective
- Vidéo: D 2.4 'Look Not on His Picture' - Analysis
- Vidéo: D 3.1 The Folio Link to the Stratford-on-Avon
- Vidéo: D 3.2 Thy Stratford Monument
- Vidéo: D 3.3 Sweet Swan of Avon!
- Vidéo: D 4.1 Jonson's Eulogy - Seeliest Ignorance
- Vidéo: D 4.2 Jonson's Eulogy - A Monument without A Tomb
- Vidéo: D 4.3 Interview with Alexander Waugh Part 3
- Reading: D 4.4 Was Ben Jonson accused of 'raping' Shakespeare?
- Vidéo: D 5.1 Interview with Alexander Waugh Part 4
- Vidéo: D 5.2 Interview with Sir Mark Rylance Part 4
- Vidéo: D 5.3 Interview with Sir Mark Rylance Part 5
- Vidéo: D 5.4 Interview with Professor William Leahy Part 4
- Vidéo: D 5.5 Module Summary
- Discussion Prompt: D 5.6 (Optional) Discuss the First Folio Preface
- Discussion Prompt: (Optional) D 5.7 General Authorship Question discussion
Noté: D 1.5 The First Folio Preface
Noté: D 2.5 The Droeshout Portrait
Noté: D 3.4 Stratford-upon-Avon and the First Folio
Noté: D 4.5 Ben Jonson and Shakespeare
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Créateurs
University of London
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Goldsmiths, University of London
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Notation et examens
knowledge is the power ,enjoyed this course .something totally different .
Lots of detailed info about the evidence for and against.
the issues are really interesting and well explained and supported and developed.
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JC
Brilliant, really interesting and very professional course about Shakespeare (and Shakspere). Thanks to Ros Barber, Goldsmith College and the University of London for offering it. I always wanted to base my PhD on this topic (PhD that I hope I can make some day) but after finishing this course I am even more interested. Thank you.