Shakespeare: Page to Stage to Screen and Everything in Between

3 units

Over 400 years after his death, Shakespeare's plays continue to rank among the most widely read and performed works in the English language. It is perhaps for this reason that Shakespeare's work has continued to shape subsequent theatrical and film productions. This course will examine the recent adaptations of Shakespeare's work that have originated on the Broadway stage and in Hollywood movie studios. We will look at the many alterations that were made to Shakespeare's original plays from shifted settings to changes to the characters' ages and vocations to the addition of music to modernized dialogue. We will consider how these modern adaptations link the early modern period with our own by examining how these theatrical and film productions build upon the plays' engagements with love and family as well as the social issues of race, gender, and social class. We will also draw a connection between these adaptations and Shakespeare's own creative practice of crafting his plays by revising earlier source materials. Most importantly, we think about how these adaptations simultaneously make Shakespeare's plays more accessible and current for a contemporary audience while also serving to certify the timelessness of these stories.