My next lecture series begins on January 18 (full schedule below) and its subjects will be the English Histories and the 2011 Stratford Season. The eleven plays to be covered are, with a couple of exceptions (Richard III, Twelfth Night, and perhaps The First Part of Henry IV), not among the most frequently performed or read of Shakespeare's works, which is a large part of the reason that I've chosen to focus on them. They deserve more attention, to put it simply. For example, although the history plays may seem removed from us in terms of time (the eight in this series are set during the fifteenth-century War of the Roses), they are nevertheless vital and immediate in terms of content. Their political sophistication is unsurpassed in literature, and the characters and families they contain are unforgettable. In fact, one of the great themes is the effects that political decisions have on families, and vice versa. I'll have plenty more to say about all of this in posts to come, and at the lectures, of course:

George Wall

Shakespeare Lectures

The English Histories & The 2011 Stratford Season

Richard II

Tuesday, January 18 at 11 am

Wednesday, January 19 at 7 pm

The Two Parts of Henry IV

Tuesday, February 1 at 11 am

Wednesday, February 2 at 7 pm

Henry V

Tuesday, February 15 at 11 am

Wednesday, February 16 at 7 pm

The Three Parts of Henry VI

Tuesday, March 1 at 11 am

Wednesday, March 2 at 7 pm

Richard III

Tuesday, March 15 at 11 am

Wednesday, March 16 at 7 pm

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Tuesday, March 29 at 11 am

Wednesday, March 30 at 7 pm

Twelfth Night

Tuesday, April 12 at 11 am

Wednesday, April 13 at 7 pm

Titus Andronicus

Tuesday, April 26 at 11 am

Wednesday, April 27 at 7 pm

The Atwater Library

1200 Atwater

Westmount, Quebec

(514) 935-7344

Admission: $20