The sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries witnessed an explosion in dramatic writing in England and the birth of the modern commercial theatre. Shakespeare is obviously the towering figure of this era but he was only one of the many playwrights producing innovative drama for a rapidly expanding market. This course introduces students to the drama and theatre of this period, placing emphasis on Shakespeare's contemporaries such as Kyd, Marlowe, Webster and Ford. We shall examine the diversity of dramatic writing in its theatrical and broader historical contexts, considering such topics as the representation of gender, sexuality and the family, class, kingship and national identity. We will also explore what it meant to be a dramatic author and a theatre-goer in this formative era in the history of literary culture.

1,000 word assignment (30%), 2,000 word essay (50%) and final Examination (20%).

Any two English courses. Students may count either Introduction to the Western Theatrical Tradition DRAM1006, or Introduction to Dramatic Form ENGL1002 as a prerequisite, if ENGL2012 is counted towards a major in Theatre Studies

Simon Barker and Hilary Hinds (eds.), The Routledge Anthology of Renaissance Drama