He was not of an age, but for all time!
– Ben Jonson
Lecture Series 1: Ancient vs. Modern Regimes
This course focuses on Shakespeare’s understanding of the ancient Roman regime, and its alternatives in what for him was the modern Christian world. [Read More]
Plays covered: Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry V, Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth
Lecture Series 2: The Politics of Genre
The organizing principle of the second set of lectures is genre: English history, comedy, tragedy, and the peculiar form of Shakespeare’s last plays, whether called tragicomedy or romance. [Read More]
Plays covered: Richard II, Henry IV Part One, Henry IV Part Two, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Tempest
Seminar: Shakespeare’s Rome
Shakespeare’s Roman plays are a sustained effort to understand what he and his contemporaries regarded as the most successful political community in antiquity and perhaps all of human history. [Read More]
Plays covered: Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra
Introduction
This website features two series of lectures and a seminar given by Professor Paul Cantor on Shakespeare and politics. There are many ways to approach Shakespeare’s plays… [Read More]
Featured Video
What can Shakespeare teach us about politics? Paul Cantor explains.