In Shakespeare's great romantic comedies, a happy ending is always in store – but not necessarily for everyone. So who wins and who loses, and why? In this course, we will see how laughter and wishful fulfilment can go hand in hand with profound attention to some of the harsher truths of life.
On the face of it, romantic comedy is a celebration of youth, love, laughter, poetic justice, and happy endings – and it seems there could be nothing wrong in that. But then reality creeps in, to remind us that youth can be selfish and thoughtless; that love can be obsessive, oppressive, or self-destructive; that laughter can be mindless or cruel; that what goes by the name of justice can be fraudulent, selfrighteous, or vindictive; and that happy endings can be hollow, or a matter of perspective. We will look closely at how two of Shakespeare’s plays draw heavily on these generic elements of romantic comedy to give audiences what they came for, while at the same time subjecting those elements to various kinds of irony and scepticism that raise deep questions about their real significance.
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the sense that the comic world is a charmed space, in which all will magically come right in the end, is taken literally. But far from being all sweetness and light, the play raises profound questions about whom that magic serves, what its limits are, and on what terms it offers a happy ending. In The Merchant of Venice, magic gives way to fortune as the comic force guiding the romantic heroes towards their charmed destiny. But questions about the nature of this fortune, and attention to those who are excluded from its charmed circle, are pressed on us to such an extent that at times it seems comedy has reached its limits and will tip into tragedy.
In asking who wins and who loses in Shakespeare’s comedies, we will give close attention to the following opposing pairs (amongst others) whose perspectives the various plays bring into focus: men and women, young and old, high-born and upstarts, insiders and outsiders. We will ask how these oppositions intersect, and whether a common thread runs through them.
The course will involve extensive close reading of the set texts, so students must bring copies of the plays to every class (including the first), and should also become as familiar as possible with them in advance.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- To identify the generic elements in Shakespeare’s romantic comedies
- To consider how two of Shakespeare’s plays exploit and interrogate these generic elements
- To appreciate the distinctive vision of each play, including the ways in which they push the limits of the comic form, and to consider whether in the end they both deserve to be called ‘comedies’ without qualification
Classes
1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
3. The Merchant of Venice
4. The Merchant of Venice
5. The Merchant of Venice
Required reading
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Cambridge University Press, 2018.
You should read the two plays before the course begins, and bring a copy of the relevant play to each lecture (see lecture schedule above). Using the specified editions is advised; using other editions may make it more difficult to join in class discussions, as line numbering will differ in places.
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two 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.
c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
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 £65 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 within a week of your courses finishing.