HIST 328A From Shakespeare to Sheridan: The Irish in the Theatre, 1600-1775
This course examines how plays staged in London and Dublin between 1600 and 1775 represented Ireland, its history, and inhabitants. The students will read the most important dramatic literature concerning Ireland written during this period, including the works of: William Shakespeare, Roger Boyle, Thomas Shadwell, William Congreve, George Farquhar, Oliver Goldsmith, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan. In addition to reading and discussing the plays, the students will tour the city and learn firsthand how Dublin's streets, walls, castles, churches, and greens served as a backdrop for a social drama in which the kingdom's subjects performed as different characters. We will visit Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christchurch and St. Patrick's Cathedral, Archbishop Marsh's Library, the Old Parliament Building, the Royal Hospital, and the Georgian homes along Merrion and Fitzwilliam Squares. We will also tour the city's theatres and attend at least two performances. We will visit the building that housed John Ogilby's Smock Alley Theatre and examine the theatre's original foundation. This was the most important playhouse in Ireland between 1662 and 1787. This course is offered through CUA's Irish Summer Institute.
Cross Listed Courses
DR 576, ENG 305, HIST 328A, HIST 653A