Seminar No. 3.2.

Title: Shakespeare’s Illyrias: Heterotopies, Identities, (Counter)histories.

Leaders:

Mladen Engelsfeld (University of Zagreb, Croatia)
Martin Procházka (Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic)

Participants:

Ann Blake (La Trobe University)
Marcus Cheng Chye Tan (The National University of Singapore)
Sara Hanna (New Mexico Highlands University)
John J. Joughin (University Central Lancashire)
Yoshiko Kawachi (Kyorin University)
Robert Matijasic (University of Pula) for
Bruna Kuntic-Makvic (University of Zagreb)
Peter Milward (Tokyo)
Zdenek Stríbrny (Charles University)

Abstract.

The seminar will discuss ‘other spaces’ in several Shakespeare's plays vaguely located in the Mediterranean (Twelfth
Night, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest) and in related plays situated elsewhere (As You Like It, Measure for
Measure, etc.). It will distinguish between Illyrias (and Shakespeare's Illyrias) as geographical and historical loci and as
themes disclosing a specific status of human existence and theatre action. While the former topic opens up a field for a
more traditional research focusing on the ancient, medieval and Renaissance topography and history of the regions in
question (Croatia including Dalmatia / Albania), their relations to Bohemia (the legendary founder of the Czech nation was
called "Illyriae Dux") and their possible knowledge in England of Shakespeare's time, the latter topic provides
opportunities to discuss Shakespeare's plays in relation to diverse notions of the pastoral and utopia and to novel and
other non-dramatic genres.