Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most well-known play and one of the most staged, adapted, celebrated, and parodied texts in English literature. This class investigates the reason for the persistent presence of Hamlet in the English-speaking world and beyond. It begins with an analysis of the play in its historical context and its complex textual history before considering twentieth-century critical and artistic responses to the play, including Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1966), Margaret Atwood’s Gertrude Talks Back (1992), and Sulayman Al-Bassam’s Al-Hamlet Summit (2002), as well as various film versions.
In order to gain credit students must not have more than two unexcused absences and complete an in-class presentation as well as two written assignments (total length: 4,000 words). Please note that laptops and other digital devices are not allowed in class.
This class can be taken for Master modules 3 or 4. For the second written assignment you need to choose a topic appropriate to module for which the class will count. Please contact the instructor if you have questions about this.
- Enseignant·e: Niklas Fischer