William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Comedy, Conflict, and Community

This course introduces and explores William Shakespeare’s classic comedy Twelfth Night. Interviews with actors from the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night, as well as lectures from scholars and theater professionals working and teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder, offer students insight into Shakespeare’s artistic vision and its application. By exploring Shakespeare’s language, his characters, his humor, and his worldview, the lectures, interviews, and interactive activities that comprise this course will help students understand the power of Shakespearean comedy and the enduring appeal of Twelfth Night for its original audience and for today. You’ll explore the relationship between comedy and tragedy, the conflict inherent in desire, and how Shakespeare’s words and works have engaged his society and you. This course aims to be of interest to a variety of audiences, but we think the following people might particularly enjoy it: * Shakespeare enthusiasts and curious Shakespeare scholars from all walks of life * Actors, theatre practitioners, and Shakespeare teachers * High school and college students interested in expanding their study of Shakespeare * Interested readers with little or no knowledge of Shakespeare