Literature
Reading Shakespeare: A Winter's Tale - five Acts, five Weeks
An introductory literature course examining Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale through discussion, close reading, extracts and short film clips.
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Upcoming classes
1 class
About this course
The course examines Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale through its background, structure, characters, themes and relationship to other plays by Shakespeare. Participants will consider how the play develops across its five acts, using selected scenes and speeches as the basis for close reading and analysis. Teaching combines tutor explanation with whole-class and small-group discussion, question-and-answer sessions, and short film clips. Attention is given to Shakespeare’s language and to the ways characters and ideas emerge in particular passages.
What you'll learn
- Identify important background information about The Winter’s Tale.
- Outline the main characters and the events affecting them.
- Analyse how selected scenes present characters and themes.
- Discuss Shakespeare’s use of language in chosen scenes and speeches.
- Relate aspects of The Winter’s Tale to other Shakespeare plays.
Is this course right for you?
This introductory course is intended for learners who want to read and discuss Shakespeare in a group setting. Participation includes whole-class and small-group discussion, with an emphasis on listening to and responding respectfully to differing interpretations rather than demonstrating a particular level of prior skill.
- Requires willingness to contribute to discussions in larger and smaller groups.
- Involves considering interpretations that may differ from one's own.
- A copy of The Winter’s Tale may be useful for the course.
Before you go
- There are no extra costs beyond buying a copy of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
- Extracts discussed in class will be provided.