Shakespeare's Horror: An Exploration of the Bard's Macabre and Grim

Let’s talk about Shakespeare – which is to say let’s talk about love, hate, greed, revenge, murder, glory, power, and oh, yes, sex – you, know, the human condition. And what better way to explore our humanity than to study the monsters we create.

The first week, we will take quick glances at all of Shakespeare’s various demons, monsters, and witches and explore the Elizabethan mindset regarding this sort of spookery. Week Two we delve into his use of Ghosts. Weeks Three and Four focus on his famously horrific plays: Macbeth and Titus Andronicus.

The explorations in each week will include scene readings and historical context. At the end of this course, students will have a greater understanding of Shakespeare’s work – where is he simple, where is he complex, where is he wrong, where is he a product of his times, where is he timeless.