William Shakespeare, Nature Poet (Pre-1800)

In this course we will explore the works of William Shakespeare through an ecocritical lens, paying particular attention to the representation of the natural world in a sampling of the plays and poems. Topics will include the European culture of early modern natural history and natural philosophy, the boundary between humans and beasts, the transformative power of the forest, the alterity of the sea, the dialectic of pastoral and georgic, the malleability of gender, and the complexity of sexual identities. Readings will include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest, and several of the sonnets and narrative poems. 3 hrs. lect.