Shakespeare

Introduction Page
1. Shakespeare's London
   1. Social Classes
   2. Religion and Church
   3. Who Was Shakespeare?
   4. Economy
   5. Medicine
   6. Women
2. The Renaissance Stage
   1. The Evolution of Theater
   2. The Theater in Society
   3. The Globe and Its Neighbors
   4. Actors
   5. Companies
   6. Gender
   7. Scenery
   8. The Experience of Watching a Play
3. Politics and Power
   1. The Tudors and The Stuarts
   2. Queen Elizabeth I
   3. King James I
   4. Laws of the Day
   5. War and Peace
   6. Lineage and Succession
4. Reading Shakespeare
   1. Shakespearean Sources
   2. Mythological References
   3. Is This English?
   4. Glossing Language
   5. Literary Devices
   6. Shakespeare's Settings
   7. The Use of Nature
5. Romeo and Juliet: What's Going On?
   1. The Details
   2. Romeo
   3. Juliet
   4. Mercutio
   5. The Nurse
   6. Friar Lawrence
   7. Prince Escalus
   8. Montagues and Capulets
   9. Family Duty
6. Romeo and Juliet: Themes
   1. Providence, Fortune, and Fate
   2. Opposites and Disorder
   3. Courtly Love and Real Love
   4. Religious Power and State Power
   5. Conflict
7. Use of Language and Speeches
   1. Imagery and Symbols
   2. Allusions, Puns, and Wordplay
   3. Opening Scene
   4. Balcony Scene
   5. Mercutio's Queen Mab
   6. Death Scene
8. Romeo and Juliet in Performance and Study
   1. Elizabethan Performance
   2. Contemporary Performance
   3. Contemporary Film
   4. Critical Approaches
   5. Performance Workshop
   6. Directing Workshop
9. Hamlet: Structure and Background
   1. Hamlet: The Basics
   2. Structure of the Play
   3. Classical and Revenge Tragedy
   4. Hamlet as Tragic Hero
   5. All the World's a Stage
   6. Changing Political Orders
   7. Critical Approaches to Hamlet
10. Hamlet: Themes and Imagery
    1. Sanity and Madness
    2. He Who Hesitates ...
    3. Chastity
    4. Hamlet on the Couch: Freudian Interpretation
    5. Disease Metaphor
11. Hamlet: Character Studies
    1. Hamlet
    2. Claudius
    3. Gertrude
    4. Ophelia
    5. Polonius
    6. Horatio
    7. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
    8. The Ghost
    9. Fortinbras and Laertes
12. Hamlet: Critical Scenes and Speeches
    1. "O That This Too Solid Flesh"
    2. "O, What a Rogue and Peasant Slave Am I"
    3. "To Be, or Not To Be"
    4. "How All Occasions Do Inform Against Me"
    5. The "Mousetrap" Play
    6. The Gravedigger's Scene
    7. Elizabethan Hamlet Productions
    8. Contemporary Hamlet Productions
    9. Hamlet in Film