Hauptinhalt

Topinformationen

Christopher Marlowe

Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar

Ort: 41/215

Zeiten: Fr. 10:00 - 12:00 (wöchentlich)

Beschreibung: This is a V1-LITERARY STUDIES course. (Prerequisite for participation: finished B1 module)

The Early Modern era was a turbulent time, characterized by religious troubles and political insecurities. As medieval structures broke away, playwrights experimented with new means of making sense of the world and the human condition. Christopher Marlowe was the most prominent dramatist of his day, though today we often find him overshadowed by his contemporary William Shakespeare. Marlowe wrote for a very short time only, from 1586 to his untimely death in 1593. In these few years he produced poetry and a number of translations, but most importantly seven outstandingly successful tragedies. In Dido, Queen of Carthage Marlowe dramatizes Greek and Roman mythology (a part of Virgil’s Aeneid, to be precise), his Doctor Faustus is a stage adaptation of the medieval German Faustbuch, and Tamburlaine Parts I&II and Edward II bring to the stage the biographies of (in)famous historical rulers. His other two tragedies address religious others, Catholics and Jews, drawing on the anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic discourses of Early Modern England.
In this seminar, we will explore a selection of Marlowe’s plays, intersecting them with the discourses that shaped Marlowe’s England. This class requires extensive reading before the term commences. Make sure to have read the following plays by Christopher Marlowe before the term starts:
- Dido, Queen of Carthage
- Tamburlaine the Great, Part I
- Doctor Faustus
- Edward the Second
- The Massacre at Paris

As editions of Renaissance dramatic texts differ considerably, it is important that you all buy the same versions of the plays. Please buy the following edition:
- Marlowe, Christopher. The Complete Plays. Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN 978-0140436334.

Some additional reading might be assigned for certain sessions and will be made available either on Stud.IP or in the university library. Check Stud-IP on a regular basis to be aware of updates, announcements, and changes.

Students will be required to
• read and discuss a number of plays by Renaissance playwright Christopher Marlowe, as well as theoretical and historical texts
• join an expert group on one of the plays and, in this group, to prepare and give an introductory session on the play
• participate actively and regularly, both in the sessions and in the course Wiki
• write a term paper (details on requirements will be announced in the first session)