Week 2

Weekly prep

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Week 5
Week 6
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Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12

Reading

Primary text: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Also, the classical tale of Pyramus and Thisbe inspired many Renaissance works of art and literature -- and the play of the Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Read this translation of Ovid's original poem, and think about the network of parallels and contrasts it sets up within Shakespeare's play. You can download it here.

Secondary reading:

(1) Either this week or the next, do a bit of research on genre.
A very brief, basic, but useful introduction on this is to be found in Sean McEvoy's Shakespeare: The Basics (Routledge, 2006), in the chapter entitled 'What is Genre?', and the following chapter on comedy. You can even read these online, if you wish. Search the library catalogue for the book (second edition). The result page should have an option saying 'View this e-book online'. Enjoy!
Alternatively, the Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Comedy provides a more detailed and scholarly treatment of the topic. I would suggest that you dip into this book throughout the two weeks while we look at Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

(2) You can find additional reading suggestions in the reading list here.

Other prep

Meet up with your study-group before the tutorial, and think about the things that Shakespeare's play has in common with Ovid's story. What tensions and oppositions do they share? What makes one story move into the realm of tragedy, and the other into comedy? Come to think of it -- how 'comic' exactly is A Midsummer Night's Dream? Try to identify as many potential points of tragedy in the play as you can. The tutorial discussion will be based on these.