Intermedial Shakespeare - Detailseite

This seminar explores Shakespeare’s works through the lens of intermediality and adaptation, with a focus on the tragedies Macbeth and Hamlet. After an introduction to key concepts in adaptation studies, we will read the plays alongside Joel Coen’s film The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet (2020), and Chloé Zhao’s recent screen adaptation (2025/2026), considering how each adapts, reimagines and updates Shakespeare across different media and historical contexts.

By reading drama, prose fiction, and film in dialogue, the seminar investigates how narratives, characters, and themes are transformed across different expressive forms. We will pay particular attention to the specific affordances of each work, while also exploring shared concerns such as love, ambition, grief, and the capacity of art to both respond to and transcend its historical moment.

Seminar participants are encouraged to acquire their own copies of Macbeth and Hamlet (preferably the Arden editions) and Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet.