ESAA55 Shakespeare's Philosophy: Hamlet and the Tempest

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Petr Osolsobě, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Petr Osolsobě, Ph.D.
Department of Aesthetics – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Ing. Ivana Vašinová
Supplier department: Department of Aesthetics – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 12:00–13:40 C32
Prerequisites
Study literature, discussions and examination in English only. The course is a very good way to develop advanced academic reading abilities in classical literature. Students are invited to present their own opinions and to discuss.
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 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
G.B.Shaw once said that "Shakespeare has no conscience, no constructive ideas, no conscious religion, no philosophy to expound, and no intellectually coherent drama." In the course, we will argue for the opposite, that is: Shakespeare HAD his moral philosophy, and it CAN BE derivated from his works by many ways. He is, in fact, a proponent of the classical Aristotelian view of virtue and vice as moving forces in a human life.
Learning outcomes
Shakespeare's philosophy
Classical moral philosophy (Plato, Aristoteles, Cicero in Shakespeare
Influence of Boethius via Chaucer
Thomas Acquinas - hope, faith and charity;
end of the Middle-Ages; the comic and the tragic view of human life
Conversion, Forgiving, Re-conciliation.
Syllabus
  • Once in a fortnight. Fortnightly, on Oct. 1st, 8th, 22nd; Nov. 5th, 19th; Dec. 3rd. Every second week is a reading week - Hamlet, The Tempest, selected Sonnets. Shakespeare's Philosophy of Love and Grace Analysis of Good and Evil and its effects in 1) structure of human personality, 2) social structure, 3) metaphysical order
  • free will and the reality of sin, randomness of evil vs. necessity (according to Aristotle), evil as a deficiency of the good (Augustinian principle)
  • evil as a lack of co-ordination; transgression of the order of love
  • evil as mental illness, demonic possession, fear from the good,
  • catharsis, healing and recovery, the necessity of grace
  • Shakespeare plays in the analysis: Hamlet and The Tempest read in seminar together in original version.
Literature
  • William Shakespeare Macbeth (Variant.) : Shakespeare : Macbeth. info
  • William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Edited by Kathleen McLuskie. Horndon: Northcote House, 2009, viii, 154. ISBN 9780746312322. info
  • SHAKESPEARE, William. The tempest. Edited by Stephen Orgel. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987, x, 248. ISBN 0192814508. info
Teaching methods
Lecture, textual analysis, discussion, examination.All in English.
Assessment methods
Each student will choose an extract from a play to interpret and analyze. Colloquium willingly bestowed.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Information on completion of the course: Lectures, literature, discussions and examination in English.
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Lectures, literature, discussions and examination in English.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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