This course provides an intensive survey of the dramatic works of renowned playwright William Shakespeare. Over the course of seven weeks, we will read and discuss six plays, spanning the four major Shakespearean genres: comedy, tragedy, history and romance. This course is designed to increase comprehension, foster appreciation, and spark insightful analyses of these plays. We will consider the social, historical, and theatrical contexts of the plays, as well as the ways in which Shakespeare’s own identity shaped his perspective.

While we will pay close attention to language, and spend time thinking through textual variance and editorial history, we will ground our approach in the performative nature of these plays. This will include viewing contemporary performances and adaptations. Throughout the course we will treat the texts as living documents, which both provide a window into the past and a lens through which to view our own complicated lives as humans. As such, we will actively grapple with broad questions of identity that the plays raise, including issues of gender, (dis)ability, class, sexuality, and race.