King's College London

Ahead of our 2025 Undergraduate Summer School launching in June, we spoke to Emily about her module Shakespeare in London to learn a little more about the module and why London is ‘the ultimate Shakespearean playground’!

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Kings?

I’m a lecturer in early modern literature at King’s College London and the convener of the Shakespeare Studies MA, a unique collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe. I’ve had the privilege of teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students on a wide range of topics, from premodern race and gender, book history, and poetry to global performances and film adaptations of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. My own research examines the intersection between early modern literature, material culture, and warfare.

 

Tell us a little bit about your Summer School module, Shakespeare in London, and why students should come next summer to study it?

Shakespeare in London is a unique way to learn about Shakespeare and early modern London as it combines reading and watching plays with London-based activities, live performance, and discussions about the afterlives of Shakespeare in film, branding, and architecture. Students can revel in close-reading iconic soliloquies during lively seminars or discover new ways to connect with Shakespeare, pursuing their unique interests in creative presentations and essays at the end of the course.

 

What was your favourite memory of teaching the programme in 2024? 

Watching Michelle Terry as Richard III at the Globe! It was such a brilliantly funny and energetic performance that it fuelled hours of class discussions the next day.

 

How does teaching on summer programmes differ from your work on full-year undergraduate programmes here at King’s?

Summer Programmes let me step out of the classroom and into the heart of London — exploring its streets, theatres, galleries, and archives alongside the students. We pack so much into two weeks, and the energy is infectious. I also love the international mix of students. Hearing their unique perspectives on Shakespeare and his language makes every session a discovery.

 

What unique opportunities does the city of London offer to students studying Shakespeare?

London is the ultimate Shakespearean playground! From live performances at the Globe to handling Elizabethan books in city archives, and exploring early modern collections in museums, you’ll immerse yourself in the world Shakespeare lived and wrote in. Then we bring it all back to class, where your analysis takes on a whole new dimension thanks to these experiences.

 

What inspired you to specialize in Shakespearean literature?

I have loved Shakespeare since my teens — reading the old-fashioned but always captivating A.C. Bradley's Shakespearean Tragedy is perhaps the reason I studied English literature in the first place.

 

How many works of Shakespeare are featured in the module?

We delve into two Shakespeare plays and one by his friend/rival, Ben Jonson. Add in two film adaptations and a live performance at the Globe, and it’s a rich mix of text and performance.

 

And finally, what is your favourite work of Shakespeare and why?

It's a cliche, but it'll always be Hamlet. It's different every time I read it.

 

The ‘Shakespeare in London’ module will run from 14^th to 25^th July 2025 as part of our Undergraduate Summer School Programme here at King’s. Applications are now open, and the application deadline is 9^th May 2025. More information on our fees, entry requirements and residential package can be found on the Undergraduate Summer School homepage.