The course examines literary texts—poems, plays and prose—of the English Renaissance that grapple with violence, scapegoats, and revenge. In particular, the course analyzes the various forms of violence (e.g. physical, verbal, social, institutional, psychological) that are registered in the selected literary texts as well as the ways in which they both structure and subvert the roles of victimizer and victim (including the scapegoat) in order to reflect as well as to question the basic political, moral, religious and social values of the era. The course also focuses on the role of revenge as a means of deconstructing—as well as reproducing—the power dynamics related to gender, social class, nationality, and religious dogma in Renaissance England.

Student assessment will result from class discussion, presentations, a short paper, and a final research paper of 3,500 words including bibliography.

Instructor: Vasiliki Markidou