Chapter 1 Society
Introduction: The Elizabeth Era: a Golden Age
The Renaissance
Sixteenth-century people
Politics and religion
Or a not-so-Golden Age…
Chapter 2 Theatre
Introduction: Elizabethan theatre
Who was Shakespeare?
Aristotelian tragedy and Shakespeare
Shakespeare on theatre
Some of Shakespeare’s contemporaries
Shakespeare FAQs
Chapter 3 Poetry
Shakespeare the poet
Some poetry ground rules
Shakespeare’s narrative poems:
Venus and Adonis
Lucrece
The Phoenix and the Turtle
A Lover’s Complaint
The sonnets
Chapter 4 History
The histories – a complete list
Introduction: About the histories
Richard III
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry V
Chapter 5 Comedy
The comedies – a complete list
Introduction: About the comedies
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Twelfth Night
The Tempest
Chapter 6 Tragedy
The tragedies – a complete list
Introduction: About the tragedies
Romeo and Juliet
Macbeth
Hamlet
Chapter 7 Legacy
The scoreboard
The burning question – why study Shakespeare?
A follow-up burning question - why is Shakespeare still taught in schools?
What is the secret to Shakespeare’s longevity?
The magic – and business – of theatre
Original practices
Was he a genius?
Did Shakespeare do the right thing by women?
Autobiography?
Authorship
Is there anything left to learn about Shakespeare?
You have a choice – choose wisely
