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April is Poetry Month. We have a two in one program! Learn about Shakespeare's plays and also his wonderful contribution to poetry.
This lecture will explore William Shakespeare’s life and work in the dynamic theatrical world of Renaissance London. There will be an introduction to the Globe theater and Shakespeare’s company of players.The latter will help us to situate Shakespeare’s plays in the context of a theatrical marketplace where plays were seen and experienced long before they were read.
There will be an overview of the plays Shakespeare wrote for this playing company, that will illustrate how his style—and the trends of Renaissance play writing—shifted over the course of his career. Through closer studies of some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays—"Hamlet", "As You Like It", and "The Tempest"—the lecture will explore stage practices like clowning, cross-dressing, and special effects as well as Shakespeare’s engagement with current events and the influence of Shakespeare’s long legacy.
In honor of poetry month, the lecture will include some of Shakespeare’s sonnets as we uncover his lasting contributions to the sonnet form.
There will be a Q&A at the end of the lecture.
