EdX

Shakespeare on the Page and in Performance: Young Love (edX)

Offered by Wellesley College, WellesleyX,
Shakespeare on the Page and in Performance: Young Love (edX)

Explore Shakespeare's plays of young love, Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to learn what makes them so compelling and magical. This literature and theater course will delve into two wonderful plays of young love, Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and try to bring alive what makes them so compelling and popular -- as both literature and drama.

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As we explore the genius of the plays on the page, we will also study the lives of the plays in performance, from Shakespeare's own theatre to the stages and screens across the globe today. To help us further, actors will occasionally join our effort to demonstrate ways of bringing the text alive as living theatre.

What you'll learn:

  • A new appreciation for Shakespeare's greatness and popularity, on the page and in performance across the globe.
  • How to combine literary and historical analysis with theatrical approaches to bring Shakespeare alive.
  • New ways of understanding Shakespeare's continuing relevance to us today as we explore recurring themes in plays that trace the arc of Shakespeare's career.
  • Analyze Shakespeare’s plays, Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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