In Othello and Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare once again explores the nature of love, how and why it might thrive or fail, and the effects of individuals and communitites on lovers. Each play presents the story of a couple, tragically doomed by fate and hate, who are ‘star-crossed’ and ‘who love not wisely but too well.’ In addition, these plays pose questions about loyalty, vengeance, and prejudice and about the ways in which forces external to lovers can act to thwart them.

Class will not meet January 12, February 9 or March 9.