Shakespeare's Life, Work, and Characters

Overview

Join us for an exploration of Shakespeare! From a biographical history of the playwright and his time to a review of his notable’s “outsider” characters: the disturbing and uncanny “others” whose presence at the margins of society is both celebrated and contested. 

From lectures filmed on-location in Venice, London, and Stratford-upon-Avon to conversations with artists, academics, and librarians at Harvard, you will have unprecedented access to a range of resources for unlocking Shakespeare's classic plays. You will also be invited to share your own theatrical interpretations and to consider how the meaning of a work of art changes depending on the time, context, and culture.

What you will learn during the Shakespeare's Life, Work, and Characters programme in collaboration with Harvard University - HarvardX

• Foundational knowledge on the cultural significance of Shakespeare’s plays.
• How Shakespeare’s work was considered in his own time and in the present, in his own country and around the world.
• Appreciate Shakespearean dramaturgy and language.
• Identify historical contexts that illuminate Shakespeare’s artistic choices.
• Explore the implications of different theatrical and performance interpretations.