OK. So I’ve begun my DH activities for the day. You can follow me at DH: Diane Jakacki. I’ll be tweeting throughout the extravaganza, but I’m already finding that I’m being more focused on getting things accomplished. Submitted my Fall ENGL1102 course description, and after the good feedback at RSA I’m going to expand the concept of student digital editions with a dialogic examination of the history plays, using the Queen’s Men’s The Famous Victories as a counterpoint to Shakespeare’s Henriad. This is going to be fun!
Shakespeare’s History vs. English History
As we read Shakespeare’s history plays, it’s easy to assume that he was documenting the **true** history of “this sceptred isle.” In fact, he was taking part in a comprehensive public relations campaign underwritten by Queen Elizabeth’s counselors to adjust that history to support a powerful political agenda. In this course we will read three of Shakespeare’s most famous and resonant history plays: Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V. We will examine the source materials he used in writing these plays and compare them with modern versions of medieval and early modern English history. For our major project will produce a collaborative edition of The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (one of the sources for Shakespeare’s plays) using wiki, blog, and visualization technologies. Through readings, discussions, and assignments we will determine how close Shakespeare came to the truth, and how much he adjusted that truth to suit the political climate.