Shakespeare and the Middle Ages
LecturesFaith Acker, Liam Daley
Though often spoken of as the greatest writing of the English Renaissance, Shakespeare’s plays are both shaped by and directly comment on medieval literature, history, and culture in profound ways which are frequently overlooked. “Shakespeare and the Middle Ages” examines significant Shakespearean plays in light of these medieval connections. The course examines Shakespeare’s Comedies in the context of their medieval literary sources, his History plays in light of Tudor views of the recent medieval past, and his Tragedies in the context of medieval beliefs and cosmologies which, if no longer wholly credited, continued to hover (like King Hamlet’s ghost) on the periphery of belief in early modern England.
- Lecture01 An Introduction to the Course01:27:4101:27:41
- Lecture02 Sir Orfeo and Sir Laufal01:27:5201:27:52
- Lecture03 A Midsummer Night's Dream 101:31:1101:31:11
- Lecture04 A Midsummer Night's Dream 201:17:0101:17:01
- Lecture05 The Knight's Tale01:05:4001:05:40
- Lecture06 The Knight's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream01:23:3101:23:31
- Lecture07 The Two Noble Kinsmen 101:13:1501:13:15
- Lecture08 The Two Noble Kinsmen 201:24:5201:24:52
- Lecture09 Richard II part I01:11:0801:11:08
- Lecture10 Richard II part II01:23:0201:23:02
- Lecture11 Henry IV part I01:30:1001:30:10
- Lecture12 Henry IV part II01:28:2401:28:24
- Lecture13 Henry V part I01:27:2101:27:21
- Lecture14 Henry V part II01:27:0501:27:05
- Lecture15 King Lear part I01:31:5701:31:57
- Lecture16 King Lear part II01:29:1601:29:15
- Lecture17 King Lear part III01:30:2401:30:24
- Lecture18 Medieval Drama01:41:5701:41:57
- Lecture19 Macbeth part I01:28:3101:28:31
- Lecture20 Macbeth part II01:31:5201:31:52
- Lecture21 Measure for Measure01:50:4101:50:41
- Lecture22 Hamlet part I01:16:5801:16:58
- Lecture23 Hamlet part II01:25:5201:25:52
- Lecture24 Review01:28:3701:28:37