THEATRE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

This third-year course aims to perfect the skills gained in the first two years of the BA course in Lingue, Civiltà e Scienze del Linguaggio (literary and cultural path) and to strengthen the students’ basic knowledge of the history of English literature and drama. It will focus on early modern tragedy, in its historical and cultural context, but it will also provide an overview of the history of English drama from the Middle Ages to Shakespeare. Students will also become familiar with early modern English and extend their knowledge of the English language.

The course will enrich the basic knowledge of the main literary artistic and cultural movements of the British Isles with an analysis of Shakespeare’s TITUS ANDRONICUS and OTHELLO and their context. By attending the course, students will enhance their skills in textual analysis and in relating dramatic texts to theatrical practice, as well as to their historical and cultural contexts. Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to identify and discuss the primary conventions of Medieval and Early Modern English drama and evaluate how staging, venue, and audience expectations influenced the representation of "evil."

Advanced skills in reading and understanding texts and lectures in English.

VILLAINS ON STAGE: FROM THE VICE TO OTHELLO’S IAGO
This module offers a specialized exploration of English drama through the evolution of its most compelling figures: the antagonists. By tracing the genealogy of the "Villain" from the allegorical Vice of medieval Morality Plays to the sophisticated, Machiavellian malevolence of Shakespeare’s Iago, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the structural and cultural shifts in early modern theatre and will appreciate how the "architecture of evil" changed as drama moved from public squares to professional playhouses. The course investigates the evolution of the villain from an allegorical archetype to a psychologically nuanced character; we will discuss how the villain functions not merely as a plot device, but as a lens through which to view early modern anxieties regarding religion, race, gender, and social hierarchy. Students will analyse the technical conventions of the period—including the use of soliloquy, Machiavellian tropes, and the "theatre of blood"—to understand how playwrights engaged their audiences in the darker side of the human condition. The course is taught in English and students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions.

All the articles and volumes indicated below (primary sources and criticism) are COMPULSORY and will be discussed during the final exam:

PRIMARY SOURCES
William Shakespeare, TITUS ANDRONICUS, edited by Jonathan Bate, Arden Third Series, Revised edition, Bloomsbury, 2018.
William Shakespeare, OTHELLO, edited by Michael Neill, Oxford University Press, 2006.
Excerpts from Marlowe’s JEW OF MALTA, and Shakespeare’s tragedies RICHARD III, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE and KING LEAR will be made available through Moodle.

CRITICISM :
Ronald Hayman, HOW TO READ A PLAY, revised ed., Grove Press, 1999
Margreta de Grazia and Stanley Wells (eds) THE NEW CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO SHAKESPEARE, CUP 2010 (chapters 1, 2, 3. 4, 5, 6, 9, 14)

Oral exam at the end of the course. The final oral exam (questions) will cover all issues included in the reading list of the course, as well as assigned reading, lectures, texts downloaded from the Moodle Platform. In the oral exam students will have to show that they can read and understand TITUS ANDRONICUS and OTHELLO and that they can relate the plays to their historical and cultural context. Levels of linguistic knowledge and of the ability to communicate will also be assessed.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The grading is determined by:
1. Knowledge and ability to discuss the topics covered in class lectures, the texts in the syllabus, and the materials uploaded on Moodle (range: 25 points)
4. Clarity, fluency and confidence in oral presentation (in English) (range: 5 points)
The maximum achievable score is 30/30. Honors (or distinction) may be awarded in case of excellent performance in both areas.

Lectures, class discussion.

Students are warmly invited to read TITUS ANDRONICUS and OTHELLO before the beginning of the course.