Shakespeare s Rome Political Science 141 Classics 91/191 Tufts University Fall Semester 2014

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1 Shakespeare s Rome Political Science 141 Classics 91/191 Tufts University Fall Semester 2014 This course will study Shakespeare s poetry to examine a central question of political philosophy: how does the character of the regime affect the character of the individuals who compose it? In addition to considering Shakespeare s views on the reasons for Rome s greatness and on the causes of its decline, the course will examine ancient Rome as a model of civic participation, the demands of Roman virtue, the role of women in a martial regime, and the place of philosophy in the city. The study of Shakespeare s works on Rome, in conjunction with Shakespeare s classical sources, Plutarch and Livy, will lead to consideration of the question whether Shakespeare diverges from his classical sources to come to an independent judgment of Rome. Office Hours Vickie Sullivan Packard Hall 206 x72328 vickie.sullivan@tufts.edu Tuesday, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Department of Classics Thursday, 1-2:30 p.m., Packard Hall 206 Other times by appointment Required Books Livy, Early History of Rome Plutarch, Plutarch s Lives, vols. 1 & 2 Shakespeare, Rape of Lucrece Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra Shakespeare, Coriolanus Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Books on Overnight Reserve at Tisch Blits, The End of the Ancient Republic Bloom, Shakespeare s Politics Brower, Hero and Saint: Shakespeare and the Graeco-Roman Heroic Tradition Burrow, Shakespeare and Classical Antiquity Cantor, Shakespeare s Rome: Republic and Empire Charney, Shakespeare s Roman Plays Chernaik, The Myth of Rome in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries Donaldson, The Rapes of Lucretia: A Myth and its Transformations Fustel de Coulanges, The Ancient City: A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome Gelzer, Caesar: Politician and Statesman Huffman, Coriolanus in Context 1

2 Books on Overnight Reserve at Tisch (continued) Kahn, Roman Shakespeare: Warriors, Wounds, and Women Knight, The Imperial Theme: Further Interpretations of Shakespeare s Tragedies Including the Roman Plays MacCallum, Shakespeare s Roman Plays and Their Background Miles, Shakespeare and the Constant Romans Miola, Shakespeare s Rome Parker, Plato s Republic and Shakespeare s Rome Phillips, The State in Shakespeare s Greek and Roman Plays Platt, Rome and Romans According to Shakespeare Simmons, Shakespeare s Pagan World: The Roman Tragedies Spencer, William Shakespeare: The Roman Plays Traversi, Shakespeare: The Roman Plays Requirements When we begin studying each of the four selected works by Shakespeare, I will distribute paper topics for a five-page paper on that particular work. Students are required to write two such papers over the course of the semester and must write in response to one of the first two offerings (due either September 17 or October 1). Papers submitted after their due date will be penalized for each day they are over due. I will also distribute topics for the final paper. Proposals for the final paper are due on Monday, November 17 and the final paper itself on Monday, December 15. Again, late papers will be penalized, and no work will be accepted after the end of the semester. For any paper, students may elect to write on a topic different from the ones I have specified, provided that they consult with me prior to the time they begin writing in the case of a five-page paper, or prior to the due date for the proposal in the case of the final paper. An in-class writing assignment on Plutarch will be given on Monday October 29. Participation will be an integral part of the course. I value both the original insights of my students and of other scholars. When we build on the insights of others, ethical scholarship demands that we acknowledge them. If you have any questions about when and how to cite outside sources, please consult the pamphlet Academic Integrity for Graduate and Undergraduate Students. It is available on the web here: < >. Section IV, Use and Misuse of Sources: Avoiding Plagarism, is particularly instructive on this issue. If you have additional questions or concerns on these issues, please feel free to consult me. Final grades will be determined in the following manner: Attendance and participation 20% Two five-page papers 20% (each) In-class writing assignment 10% Final paper (10-15 pages) 30% 2

3 Learning Objectives This is a course in the subfield of Political Theory and Philosophy within the discipline of Political Science. Courses in this subfield deal with the study of the history of ancient and modern political philosophy and its influence in shaping and understanding the Western political tradition; they also debate and discuss concepts such as justice, liberty, sovereignty, citizenship, oppression, tyranny, revolution, war and empire, and the relationship between religion and politics. You will encounter many of these themes in this course. It is also a course in Classics in which you will engage with the history, influence, and interpretation of the ancient Roman accomplishment. DATE AND TOPIC ASSIGNMENT Introduction to the Course Wednesday, September 3 Rome s Beginnings Monday, September 8 Livy, Book I, pp (through 1.22). The Ouster of the Kings and the Beginning of the Republic Wednesday, September 10 Livy, Book I, pp (finish Book I). Augustine s commentary (to be distributed). (Livy unavailable in English until Livy s story of Lucretia available to Shakespeare in The Pallance of Pleasure by William Painter [1566].) Monday, September 15 Shakespeare s Rape of Lucrece (1594). Wednesday, September 17 Monday, September 22 Shakespeare s Rape of Lucrece, continued. Paper Due. Plutarch s Life of Coriolanus. Livy, Book II, pp ( ). (Plutarch available in English in North s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes [1579].) Wednesday, September 24 Shakespeare s Coriolanus (ca. 1608). 3

4 Monday, September 29 Wednesday, October 1 Coriolanus, continued. Coriolanus, continued. Paper Due. The Decline of the Republic Monday, October 6 Wednesday, October 8 Matthias Gelzer, Caesar: Politician and Statesman, chapters 1 & 2. Plutarch s Life of Julius Caesar. Wednesday, October 15 Plutarch s Life of Cato, pp , , , Monday, October 20 Wednesday, October 22 Plutarch s Life of Brutus. Plutarch s Life of Cicero. Monday, October 27 Plutarch s Life of Pompey, pp Wednesday October 29 In-class writing assignment. Monday, November 3 Shakespeare s Julius Caesar (1599). Wednesday, November 5 Monday, November 10 Wednesday, November 12 Paper due. The Beginning of Imperial Rule Monday, November 17 Wednesday, November 19 Monday, November 24 Monday, December 1 Wednesday, December 3 Plutarch s Life of Antony. Proposal for final paper due. Shakespeare s Antony and Cleopatra (ca. 1607). 4

5 Paper due. Monday, December 8 Monday, December 15 Conclusions Final Paper Due at noon Department of Political Science 5