DISB012 Elizabethan Theatre

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/5. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Šárka Havlíčková Kysová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Šárka Havlíčková Kysová, Ph.D.
Department of Theatre Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. Šárka Havlíčková Kysová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Theatre Studies – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 23 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course is dealing with English Renaissance Theatre as a significant milestone in the history of English theatre and culture. Discussing the works of playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, we are looking at the development of English drama and theatre in the period (c. 1560s - c. 1640s), the issue of contemporary dramatic genres and techniques, and the historical, cultural and intellectual contexts in which early modern English drama was written, staged, as well as perceived by its original audiences.

The course is held in Czech.
Learning outcomes

At the end of the course student will be able to:
- explain historical, cultural and social context of early modern English drama;
- demonstrate knowledge of the most important playwrights and their works;
- independently interpret these dramas;
- describe Elizabethan staging practise.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction: On English Early-Modern Drama
  • 2. Christopher Marlowe: Doctor Faustus (A- and B-texts)
  • 3. - 4. Thomas Kyd: The Spanish Tragedy; William Shakespeare: Hamlet (Q1 and F versions); Saxo Grammaticus: Amleth from Gesta Danorum
  • 5. Christopher Marlowe: The Jew of Malta; William Shakespeare: A Merchant of Venice; Ser Fiorentino Giovanni's story Ansaldo from Il Pecorone; Anon.: Gernutus, the Jew of Venice
  • 6. William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet; A Midsummer Night's Dream
  • 7. Anon.: Arden of Feversham; Anon.: A Yorkshire Tragedy
  • 8. John Webster: The Duchess of Malfi
  • 9. John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont: A King and No King
  • 10. John Ford: 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore
  • 11. Christopher Marlowe: Edward II; William Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI
  • 12. Ben Johnson: Vopolne; The Alchemist
Literature
    required literature
  • HORNÁT, Jaroslav. Alžbětínské drama. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1986. Učební texty vysokých škol.
    recommended literature
  • Alžbětinské divadlo. Edited by Jaroslav Hornát - Milan Lukeš, Translated by Alois Bejblík. Vyd. 1. Praha: Odeon, 1978, 358 s. URL info
  • Alžbětinské divadlo. Edited by Alois Bejblík - Jaroslav Hornát - Milan Lukeš, Translated by Franti. Vyd. 1. Praha: Odeon, 1980, 487 s. URL info
  • Alžbětinské divadlo. Edited by Jaroslav Hornát - Milan Lukeš, Translated by Alois Bejblík. Vyd. 1. Praha: Odeon, 1985, 478 s. URL info
  • KRAJNÍK, Filip and Aneta MITRENGOVÁ. Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus in Three Czech Translations. In Jitka Zehnalová a kol. Interchange between Languages and Cultures : The Quest for Quality. Olomouc: Palacký University Olomouc, 2016, p. 151-176. ISBN 978-80-244-5107-7. Kompletní elektronická verze sborníku. info
  • KRAJNÍK, Filip. „Nejstarší nejvíc nes’“ : Stáří Shakespearova krále Leara v českých obrozeneckých překladech (“The oldest hath borne most” : The Old Age of Shakespeare’s King Lear in Czech Translations from the 18th and 19th Centuries). Slavica Wratislaviensia. Wroclaw: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, 2016, CLXIII, No 1, p. 449-462. ISSN 0137-1150. info
  • KRAJNÍK, Filip. "V svém loži mrtev" : spící oběti a váhaví vrazi v alzbětinských historiích ("Dead in his bed" : Sleeping Victims and Hesitant Murderers in Elizabethan Histories). Divadelní revue. Praha: Institut umění - Divadelní ústav, 2016, vol. 27, No 1, p. 7-23. ISSN 0862-5409. info
Teaching methods
discussions, individual reading, text analysis
Assessment methods
compulsory attendance (max. 2 absences), active participation, oral exam. Pass-fail line is 70%.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
General note: v případě přesáhnutí kapacity mají při zápisu přednost studenti programu Divadelní studia.
Teacher's information
http://divadlo.phil.muni.cz/
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/DISB012