Shakespeare’s Mature Tragedies
In the space of only a few years at the height of his career, Shakespeare wrote four plays that are universally considered masterpieces of world literature. These are his four great tragedies Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. In this class, we will read—and watch—all four of them. (For perspective, we will also read a tragedy from the same period that was a total flop, Timon of Athens.) Chiefly we will ask ourselves what makes the four great works so “great.” Why do people all over the world still imitate, adapt, and admire them so fervently more than 400 years after their first appearance? Why, for that matter, are these most hallowed works of literature all tragedies? What is tragedy anyway and why do tragic stories seem to have such a unique and lasting hold on people’s imaginations?
Evaluation will be based on in-class participation, two projects, a short midterm, and a final exam. Credit for this course can apply toward the university’s A&H (Arts and Humanities) requirement and the pre-1700 historical distribution area in the English major.