Dr. Larry Allums
Rare is the poet who writes all the four kinds of poetry first designated by Aristotle: lyric, tragedy, comedy, and epic. One of those few is Shakespeare, whose tragedies, comedies, and lyric sonnets are well known. Less celebrated are his history plays, in which the material is epic and the protagonist more England than any historical figure. In fact, like any epic poet, Shakespeare often uses history to suit his own narrative purposes, and in his so-called "Second Tetralogy" of plays he spans the rule of three kings, depicts bloody battles, creates perhaps the greatest comic character of all time in Falstaff, and ushers us from the Middle Ages into our own modern world of Machiavellian realpolitik.
Four Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm: November 27-December 18
Tuition: Members $90, Nonmembers $105, Member Teachers $30
Plays (any edition): Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, and Henry V