Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet and Othello

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Find parallels and similarities between these three plays of Shakespeare;
2. Investigate how Shakespeare presents characters searching for revenge;
3. Examine how moral codes are presented in the plays.

Content

In this course we will study three fascinating plays. These three plays all show figures who seek revenge, Shylock against his racist bully, Hamlet against his regicide uncle and Othello against the woman who he believes has betrayed him. All of them fail as ethical agents. Shylock does not win his right to legal murder, Hamlet breaks himself in his attempt to break his uncle and Othello descends into a murderous madness.

All of them are concerned with legality. Shylock believes his case is water-tight and legally impenetrable, Hamlet is less certain and seeks to cross-examine the validity of the ghost's injunction, Othello asserts he wants witnesses and proof. Their trust in the legal or quasi-legal moves they enact ends in their destruction.

Each of them is also an outsider to their society. Neither Shylock, nor Othello, is of the dominant ethnicity of Venice and each fatally misreads the culture. In Shylock's case he misjudges the power of racism, in Othello's he misjudges who the racist is. Hamlet wants to return to Wittenberg where he has avoided being part of Danish society. His outsidership leads him to ascribe ethical rightness to a ghost that admits it is undergoing terrifying punishment for profoundly criminal behaviour - and thereby he also ascribes ethical rightness to the previous regime he had so noticeably avoided.

They all want to solve their troubles through murder. Shylock fails, but Othello and Hamlet do murder and it reveals the ugliness of mind that thinks murder is a moral end. Othello's murder of his wife, Hamlet's of his two best friends and his lover's father, show the ease with which a belief in their rightness descends into self-righteousness.

These three plays are dense and demanding and in this course we will try to see their differences as well as their similarities in order to try and understand why Shakespeare ruminated on these topics.

Presentation of the course

The course will mix lecture with guided questions and class discussion.

Class sessions

1. The Merchant of Venice – Venetians
2. The Merchant of Venice – Outsiders
3. The Merchant of Venice – the denouement
4. Hamlet – Something rotten in the state of Denmark
5. Hamlet – Hamlet's moods and obsessions I
6. Hamlet – Hamlet's moods and obsessions II
7. Hamlet – the denouement
8. Othello – Venetian
9. Othello – Othello
10. Othello – the denouement

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. To appreciate Shakespeare's interest in the psychology of revenge
2. To see the way Shakespeare creates a social world 
3. To find similarities between these three different plays

Required reading

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (any edition)
William Shakespeare, Hamlet (any edition)
William Shakespeare, Othello (any edition)

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.