ENGL 190Y - Venetian Shakespeare

Semester Hours: 3

Like so many of his contemporaries, William Shakespeare was both fascinated and disturbed by the existence of Venice. The city’s diverse population, its cosmopolitan economy and its status as a republic offered not only a challenge to the more homogeneous world of late 16th- and early 17th-century England but also provided an alternative to rule by kings, queens and princes. In this course we will explore Shakespeare’s two plays dealing with marginal, if tolerated members of Venetian society: the Jew in The Merchant of Venice (a comedy, and yes it is a comedy, although a bitter and bleak one) and the Moor or African in Othello (a tragedy). In our examination of these texts we will try to uncover exactly what it is about Venice that so haunts Shakespeare’s imagination. In addition, we will visit those sites dramatized in the plays such as the Ghetto and the Doge’s Palace to see what they help us to understand about the city’s power.

Hofstra in Venice
January 2-26

“She is the Shakespeare of cities–unchallenged, incomparable, and beyond envy.”
–John Addington Symonds

The city of Venice, whose allure, beauty and mystery have been incessantly described, photographed and filmed, is the uncompromising setting for this three-week, interdisciplinary program offered in January 2008 by Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.

Join us as we celebrate this city’s artistic and historical richness and explore her timeless myths and paradoxes.

All courses meet in the morning, Monday through Thursday. Class work and discussion will be supplemented by visits to artistic and historical sites. Students from Hofstra and other universities are encouraged to apply.

The registration fee of $2,415 covers tuition and fees for one three-credit course. The program fee of $3,450 covers round-trip airfare, transfers, hotel accommodations, continental breakfasts, evening meals (Monday through Thursday), and cultural tours within Venice. Class space is limited. Therefore, a $200 nonrefundable deposit will ensure a place in the program and must accompany the completed application form. The program fee quoted above is subject to change. Tuition and fees are subject to change. There will be no refunds after December 3, 2007.

Program highlights include:

Two afternoons a week devoted to cultural tours around Venice.
Three free weekends to enjoy travel to other cities such as Florence, Rome, Milan and Bologna.
Day excursion to Verona.
Day boating excursion to the outer islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello.
Exclusive hotel accommodations at the San Giorgio and Mercurio hotels.
Evening dining (Monday through Thursday) at Taverna San Trovaso, a popular Venetian restaurant.

For further information or to receive an application form for the Hofstra in Venice 2008 Program, please contact: Professor Maria Luisa Fixell, Director, Hofstra in Venice Program, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, 300 Calkins Hall, 107 Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York 11549-1070: Phone: (516) 463-4765; Fax: (516) 463-2310.

** Major or minor credit in English; may count as DRAM 116 for drama majors.

January 2008 Offering:
10106: TBA; Alter/Fixell; Hofstra in Venice

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