Shakespeare & Webster's Melancholics - Hamlet & Bosola's views on humankind

We think of Elizabeth I as presiding over a Golden Age and rightly so, at least for its flourishing arts. This was the era that brought us Shakespeare, Marlowe, Webster and many other brilliant playwrights. And yet, as the Elizabethan Age draws to a close, we see portrayed in the theatre a range of melancholics—moody, pensive men and women whose dark thoughts sometimes pushed them into madness. What was it about the time that saw the rise of such malcontent characters as Richard III, Iago and Hamlet? What resonated with the audience members then, and why do those characters resonate now?

In this study, we will look at the most famous melancholic of the age—Hamlet—and consider him alongside another great melancholic, the tormented court spy Bosola, brought to life in Shakespeare’s younger contemporary John Webster’s revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi. We will compare the two characters’ perceptions of humankind through a close reading of one monologue from each play. The monologues themselves share intriguing similarities: Hamlet cries, “What a piece of work is a man!” while Bosola queries, “What thing is in this outward form of man / To be beloved?” By the end of the session we will have a better sense of the rich nuances of both playwrights’ languages and a fuller understanding of what drove the melancholics in their plays to experience life in such darkness.

Please note: You are not required to be familiar with either play to enjoy this session, though of course any knowledge you bring about either play or characters therein will be most welcome.

STUDY DETAILS:

• Single session study on Zoom led by Julie Sutherland
• Sunday 15 October 2023, 1.00-3.00 pm (UK)
• Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi are available in a variety of individual and collected editions from booksellers. Copies of the monologues will be provided to participants in advance.
• £30 including introductory notes and materials.