Shakespeare in Film&Television

This module will engage with contemporary adaptation theory to examine the way that some of Shakespeare's comedies (The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing) have been adapted for the big and small screen. We will address different versions of a small number of comedies, considering the critical readings that underlie the adaptations, the responses to key interpretative controversies in each play, the way the comedies are made to resonate with the various concerns of modern audiences, and the (mis)understandings of Shakespeare that inform the film appropriations. Students will anchor their engagement with the film and television adaptations through readings of the plays in history and performance, analyse the ways the plays have been adapted for television and cinema screens, and imagine other possibilities for television or film adaptation.