Courses » ENGL 421: Tragedy and Film

Description: In this class, students will be introduced to the scholarly study of early modern and modern Anglo-American tragedy, and the ways in which these plays have been adapted and remediated for film. Often, when approaching the filmed representations of canonical tragedies, critics desire a fidelity to the original text. To what degree should the director adhere to the original text? Does the director have license to changes lines? The setting? Major points of the plot? When tragedies are filmed, directors comment on the play; each filming provides a reading and a representation of the play. This class will move students beyond commenting on the differences between the play text and its filmic representation by encouraging close reading skills. Films represent choices, and in this class we will spend some time deconstructing those choices and asking how the plays enable a plurality of readings.
Credits: 3.0