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Shakespeare and the Classics

This class investigates Shakespeare’s lifelong engagement with the literatures and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. The course gives careful attention to six plays—Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, and Cymbeline—as well as considering the larger role of classical antiquity in Shakespeare’s development and achievement as a poet and dramatist. How did Shakespeare adapt his sources to explore the most urgent social, political, and aesthetic questions of his own era? The class includes film screenings, tickets to a live performance of Timon of Athens at the Shakespeare Theater Company, and a visit to the rare books collection at Lauinger Library. This course (CLSS 206) was taught by Claire Catenaccio as a Doyle Seminar in spring 2020. Please refer to the current course catalog for an up-to-date description of the course.

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Claire Catenaccio

Department of Classics

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