Professor Raphael Shargel channels his passion for teaching and expertise as a Shakespearean scholar into this illuminative study of the Immortal Bard’s ten great comedies. Shakespeare’s genius is as readily apparent in these comedies as in his timeless tragedies. Often marked by internal and external conflicts, young lovers struggling for union, mistaken identities, and intertwining plots, Shakespeare’s comedies to this day reveal the master’s unparalleled insight into the human condition. With a fresh take on some of Shakespeare’s most cherished and widely seen works, Professor Shargel provides an invaluable understanding of these exquisite comedies.
Course Syllabus
Lecture 1 Shakespeare, Comedy, and Shakespearean Comedy: The Comedy of Errors and Love’s Labor’s Lost Lecture 2 The Taming of the Shrew Lecture 3 The Two Gentlemen of Verona Lecture 4 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part I Lecture 5 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part II Lecture 6 The Merchant of Venice, Part I Lecture 7 The Merchant of Venice, Part II Lecture 8 Much Ado About Nothing, Part I Lecture 9 Much Ado About Nothing, Part II Lecture 10 As You Like It Lecture 11 Twelfth Night, Part I Lecture 12 Twelfth Night, Part II Lecture 13 Measure for Measure Lecture 14 The Music of Shakespeare’s Comedies: Shakespearean Verse and Song