Shakespeare and Science

Catalog description

How is the stage like a laboratory? "What is the relationship between dramatic and scientific practice in the Renaissance? "This course will study Shakespearean drama alongside practices of anatomy, cartography, ethnography, mathematics, experimental science, and early forms of "life science." "We will focus on how Shakespeare negotiates the vexing relationship between art and nature and how his plays represent the body, the physical universe, and the cosmos. "Course readings will trace the development of concepts such as "fact," "science," "discovery," and "invention." "Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of Shakespeare"s plays as well as an understanding of the major developments in English scientific thought before the modern era. "Readings will include Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and The Tempest as well as selections from Ovid, Vesalius, Elyot, Crooke, Harriot, Galileo, and Bacon.