Courses
Reality, Mortality, & Madness: Psychological Perspectives on Hamlet
Shakespeare's 'Dark Prince' and his relevance to audiences for over 400 years.
Hamlet is arguably Shakespeare's most psychological play. Using the text and filmed versions of the play we will examine the personalities of the chameleon Hamlet and the other main characters, and we will consider themes of truth, deception, shifting realities, normalcy, and madness. We will examine relationships between Hamlet and Ophelia, Gertrude and Hamlet, and the complex relationships of fathers and sons, as well as Hamlet's well-known soliloquy "To be, or not to be"—a meditation on mortality—for its relevance to our own lives.
Instructor: Steve Bank
Dates: Tuesdays – September 8, 15, 22, and 29
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $95
-
Required Readings
Cliffs Complete: Shakespeare’s Hamlet Definitions of early modern words, the political and artistic culture of Elizabethan England, and commentary about the play and principal characters. Well worth the investment of $11.95.
View recommended readingsHamlet-The Sequel A modern twist on Shakespeare’s Hamlet by Steve Bank. $12.95 Amazon, $7.95 Kindle edition.
Modern Hamlets and Their Soliloquies by Mary Maher.
Hamlet: Poem Unlimited by Harold Bloom