Watch How to Read and Understand Shakespeare

The Great Courses has created an exceptional course titled, How to Read and Understand Shakespeare. This is an all-inclusive course which takes viewers on a journey through some of Shakespeare's most renowned works with a focus on reading, understanding, and delving deep into the texts themselves.

The show is introduced by Professor Marc C. Conner, a renowned scholar and the provost at Washington and Lee University. He sets out the basics of what students will be learning in the course, including how to approach Shakespeare's works, how to understand the context of his writing, and how to appreciate his language and language style-speak a different language.

The course is formatted into 24 lectures that each explore a different play by Shakespeare, including famous ones like Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello, and Hamlet. However, there are also some that may be lesser-known, but equally important works like The Winter's Tale, Love's Labour's Lost, and The Tempest. Each lecture is approximately 30 minutes long, and within each one, Professor Conner thoroughly examines each work, with its political, historical, and social contexts analyzed to provide a deeper understanding of the complexity of Shakespeare's plays.

What sets this course apart from others is that it's designed for everyone from beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced learners. The course is intended to be for everyone, regardless of their academic background or literary knowledge level. The lectures are comprehensive and it's designed to elevate the intellectual capacity and analytical skills of the viewer, allowing them to appreciate Shakespeare in a profound way they may have never experienced before.

Professor Conner's passion for Shakespeare is contagious, he ensures that the material is presented in a comprehensible and easy-to-digest way. He brings the plays to life by quoting and performing some of the best-known lines, explains the meaning behind some of the most obscure words, and brings the historical context of the plays to life by comparing them with real-world history.

The show also features close readings of particular passages and lines within the plays, letting students get inside the mind of Shakespeare himself. The professor uses his exceptional literary background to examine various themes, such as power, politics, love, honor, jealousy, and the human condition. He also explores how Shakespeare used theatrical elements to create emotions, evoke depth, and increase drama in his plays.

Throughout the course, Professor Conner uses illustrations, images, paintings, and historical references to give depth to his analysis of the plays. Additionally, he explores different types of language styles, such as wit, irony, and metaphor, and how they are commonly used in Shakespeare's works. He also shares insights on the different ways the language has evolved over time, allowing us to understand how words and phrases have changed from the Elizabethan era to present-day.

The lecture series not only dives into the plays, but also talks about the creation of Shakespeare himself. The professor provides an insightful overview of Shakespeare's life, his influences, and how he came to be known as one of the greatest playwrights in history. In the final episodes, the course ties all of this together, providing viewers with a comprehensive understanding of how Shakespeare was a master storyteller and how his writing managed to capture the humanity in everyone.

Overall, How to Read and Understand Shakespeare is an exceptional course that will leave viewers fulfilled, enriched and with a new found understanding and appreciation of one of the greatest writers of all time. The depth and breadth of this course are unmatched and it's recommended for anyone interested in literature, drama, or history, and is suitable for beginners, intermediates, and advanced learners in literary studies.

How to Read and Understand Shakespeare is a series that ran for 1 seasons (24 episodes) between March 8, 2013 and on The Great Courses