| Date | Readings | Events |
| Aug. 31 | Introduction: Chronology and Course Overview | |
| Sept. 2 | Richard II, act 1; War of the Roses; Who’s Who in Shakespeare’s History Plays; Tillyard, chap. 2, “Order,” pp. 9-17. | |
| Sept. 7 | Labor Day; no class | |
| Sept. 9 | Richard II, act 2; Froissart, pp. 430-42; and Hall (in Bullough, pp. 383-87); Kantorowicz, The King’s Two Bodies, pp. 7-9 and 24-41. | Quiz on Richard II, acts 1 and 2 and Tillyard and KantorowiczTudor Myth, King’s Two Bodies, Lordship and Vassalage, Elizabethan attitudes toward Knighthood |
| Sept. 14 | Richard II, acts 3-4; Froissart, pp. 442-62; and Holinshed, pp. 74-89. | Why is the deposition scene missing from the Elizabethan quartos? The Essex rebellion and the issue of censorship. |
| Sept 16 | Richard II, act 5; “An Homily Against Disobedience and Willful Rebellion,” pp. 174-79; Mervyn James, “At a Crossroads of the Political Culture: The Essex Revolt of 1601,” pp. 416-31. | |
| Sept 21 | No reading | Prof. Matz and Prof. Holt will meet with students today to discuss the paper due on Wednesday. |
| Sept. 23 | No reading | First essay is due today in classPlay in performance: selections from two filmed performances of Richard II. |
| Sept. 28 | Henry IV, Part 1, act 1; Holinshed, pp. 98-108; and Bullough, pp. 196-215. | Hero or Rebel? Prince Hal.Quiz on Henry IV, act 1, Holinshed and Bullough |
| Sept. 30 | Henry IV, Part 1, act 2; Greenblatt, pp. 40-47; and Bullough, pp. 219-21. | Historical-Invented Falstaff; Saturnalia and Lollards; Wales, Scotland, England: the creation of a national history |
| Oct. 5 | Henry IV, Part 1, act 3; and selections from Bullough, pp. 180-96. | |
| Oct. 7 | Midterm | |
| Oct 12 | No class–Fall Recess | |
| Oct. 13 | No reading | University MondayReflection: Performing rebellion. The play in new contexts, such as Orson Welles’s Chimes of Midnight (1966), BBC’s Henry IV (1979), Michael Bogdanov’s 1990 Wars of the Roses, Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991), and the television series, The Hollow Crown |
| Oct. 14 | Henry IV, Part 1, acts 4 – 5 | |
| Oct. 19 | Henry IV, Part 2, acts 1 and 2; Hall (in Bullough, pp. 286-88); Holinshed, pp. 109-118; Bullough, pp. 282-86. | Rumor and History: the issue of truthiness. Quiz, Henry IV, Part 2, act 1, Hall and Holinshed |
| Oct. 21 | Henry IV, Part 2, act 3; Holinshed (in Bullough, pp. 268-81) | Evolving notions of kingship. |
| Oct. 26 | Henry IV, Part 2, act 4; Greenblatt, “Invisible Bullets,” pp. 47-56 | |
| Oct. 28 | Henry IV, Part 2, act 5 | Who is the hero of Henry IV, Part 2? |
| Nov 4 | No reading | Prof. Hodges and Prof. Holt will meet with students today to discuss the paper due on Monday |
| Nov. 9 | Henry 5, act 1 | Second essay is due today in classQuiz, Henry 5, act 1 |
| Nov. 11 | Henry V, acts 2-3. | Unofficial history: common soldiers, diverse languages, and the experience of violence. |
| Nov. 16 | Henry V, act 4; Holinshed, pp.119-31; and “Famous Victories of Henry V” (Bullough, pp. 327-338) | |
| Nov. 18 | Henry V, act 5; and selections from Holinshed, pp.131-42; and “Famous Victories of Henry V” (in Bullough, pp. 338-343) | |
| Friday Nov. 20 | See Pericles at the Folger Theater — College Night | |
| Nov. 23 | Folger Performance of Pericles | |
| Nov. 25 | No class–Thanksgiving Recess | |
| Nov. 30 | Henry VIII, acts 1 and 2 | |
| Dec. 2 | Henry VIII, act 3 | |
| Dec. 7 | Henry VIII, acts 4-5 | |
| Dec. 9 | No reading | Wrap up; other topics? |
| Final Exam: Wed. 12/16 1:30 pm – 4:15 pm | ||