Two Elizabethan tragedies: Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and Shakespeare's Hamlet

Recognise the principal features of Elizabethan tragedyAnalyse though close reading the language of the playsCompare and contrast Shakespeare and Marlowe as Elizabethan dramatistsGrasp the structure and meaning of some of the most important soliloquies in the Elizabethan dram.

You will need copies of the Arden edition of Hamlet (the second quarto in the current Arden series) and of the New Mermaid edition of Doctor Faustus. Otherwise there are no costs.

Both plays will be read in full, with the tutor leading the discussion scene by scene and everybody given the opportunity to contribute. You will be expected to read in advance that portion of the play assigned to each session. Further reading, of critical and biographical texts, will be suggested as the course proceeds.