WHO WAS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE?

O God, Horatio! what a wounded name,
Things standing thus unknown shall live behind me!
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain
To tell my story...
Hamlet, Act V Scene II

This course will focus on the dazzling “Shakespeare canon,” and what it can tell us about the author—a mysterious presence, some might say—and the tumultuous “crossroads” of history in which he lived and wrote. We will look at how the theatre suddenly evolved from private masques, primitive shows and mummery into profitable entertainment of the highest order. How on earth did these plays ever come to be written, and years later to be published? How might this exploration change our experience of Shakespeare? Why, in the 21st century, do these issues attract ever more scrutiny and attention? Whatever our conclusions, the course will take us on a fascinating romp through the Elizabethan era with its who’s who of characters, its rivalries, plots, high jinks, superstitions, gossip, perhaps foul murders, and some O! so surprising endings.

Readings will include Charles Beauclerk’s Shakespeare’s Lost Kingdom as the core book, Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, passages from other plays, readings and a screening of the new film Anonymous.

COURSE LENGTH: 12 weeks
DISCUSSION TEAM: Janet Boeckh, Charles Colby and another
FIRST SESSION: Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 3:45 pm