Overview
ENGL 325 is an introduction to the study of the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare, focusing on his later works (tragedies, tragicomedies, and romances). The course will begin with an introduction to the perceptions of revenge in the age of Shakespeare and the conventions of revenge drama, and then it will progress through six of Shakespeare’s later plays and a selection of his sonnets. In addition to thinking about these plays as literature, we will pay close attention to original staging techniques, and we will perform analyses of the plays in production throughout history and into the present (as live theatre, TV, and cinema). The plays you will study in ENGL 325 are Hamlet, Othello, Measure for Measure, The Sonnets (a select ion), King Lear, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest
Evaluation
To receive credit for ENGL 325, you must submit all assignments and write the final examination, and you must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final examination and a composite course grade of at least D (50 percent).
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 10% |
| Assignment 2 | 30% |
| Assignment 3 | 30% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Shakespeare: Later Plays and Poems. 3 rd ed., vol. 2, W. W. Norton, 2016.
Hamlet: Special Edition. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, 1996.
The Tempest. Directed by Julie Taymor. eOne Films Distribution, 2010.
Other Materials
The course materials also include an online Course Information, Study Guide, and AU Student Manual.