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SoSe 22: PS-Introduction to Cultural Studies: Hamlet: Text and Performance on Stage and Screen

Marie Catherine Menzel

Kommentar

This seminar will investigate 20th and 21st century film adaptations and theatre productions of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Starting from detailed knowledge of the play itself in its historical context, we will first theoretically consider the process of adaptation from text to performance in general, as well as some perspectives on the genre of Shakespearean adaptation. A selection of film adaptations and recorded stage performances of Hamlet since 1900 will then provide material for the critical analysis of specific performances and interpretations of characters, scenes, and themes. Additionally, we will consider the impact of certain performance traditions, such as the Freudian interpretation, or cross-gender casting.

Course Organisation:

Full credits (5 LP) for the course can be obtained on the basis of regular participation in class, contribution to mandatory class activities (e.g., student presentations, assignments), and the eventual submission of a research paper of ca. 2000 words.

Participants will be expected to attend film screenings in addition to the regular class sessions, or alternatively, to acquire access to and view specific films and productions themselves. Details for this will be decided and announced in class.

The pandemic situation remains volatile. At the time of writing of this description (28 January 2022), the department is planning to offer on-campus classes for the summer term.

Reading Material:

A fully annotated scholarly edition of the play Hamlet is essential: detailed footnotes on every page and extensive introductory material will provide a solid foundation for studying the early modern play’s transformation into modern film and stage performances. I highly recommend the Revised Arden Shakespeare Third Series Edition (ISBN: 9781472518385), or the previous version, if you happen to come across it (ISBN: 9781904271338). Any other scholarly annotated and introduced edition of the standard text is fine as well (New Cambridge Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library etc.). But make sure to avoid any ‘specialty’ editions, such as edited performance or student editions, First Quarto/Folio editions, as well as very old editions, as this might mean working with a significantly different text and/or scholarly perspective.

Other assigned reading will be made available via Blackboard.

Seminar Preparation:

By the beginning of term, participants should be familiar with the play and should have acquired some secondary knowledge regarding a few different aspects, e.g. historical context of early modern theatre, the play’s central themes and their historical significance, the play’s critical & performance history … The easiest way to do this is to simply study the entirety of your annotated edition, including the introduction and the footnotes.

Furthermore, it will of course be assumed that participants are familiar with the basic methodologies and perspectives of literary and cultural studies, which are taught in the “Introduction to Literary Studies” module and the companion lecture to this seminar, “Grundkurs: Introduction to Cultural Studies”. For self-study or review of these basics, I would recommend: An Introduction to the Study of English and American Literature (Vera and Ansgar Nünning, 2018), The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies (Chris Barker, 2004) and British Cultural Studies: An Introduction (Third Edition) (Graeme Turner, 2003).

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