Immortal Longings: Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra
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- Start Date: 06 May 2025End Date: 17 Jun 2025This course has startedTue (Daytime): 12:45 - 14:45In PersonLocation: Keeley StreetDuration: 6 sessions (over -7 weeks)Course Code: HLT121Tutors: Julian BirkettFull fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
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What is the course about?
In this in-college literature course we’ll be reading closely these two dramatic depictions of love, written over a decade apart, and discovering how Shakespeare’s language developed to encompass two such different but powerfully emotional worlds.
What will we cover?
We’ll compare Shakespeare’s treatment of love in other plays and in the sonnets, think about the chronology of Shakespeare’s writing and reflect on how the difference between our two plays mirrors the development of Shakespeare’s art – from beguiling passionate simplicity in Romeo and Juliet to a complex, contradictory and profound portrayal of love between the worldly Roman Antony and his Egyptian queen.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Recognise patterns in Shakespearean drama
-Feel comfortable with often complex Shakespearean verse
-Focus on key points when discussing a literary work
-Express your opinion clearly.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
No previous knowledge or experience of literature is necessary. However, learners will, ideally, need the following skills and attributes:
An enthusiasm for reading and discussing a range of texts in large and small groups.
A willingness and ability to do some reading and preparation outside the class. You will be expected to read the selected novel for each session.
An interest in, and ability to listen to, the responses of other students to the work discussed.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
In each session there will be a brief introduction by the tutor followed by an informal but focused discussion of the novel. Video clips from productions of the plays will be shown and background reading provided.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Students should buy or borrow:
Romeo and Juliet Penguin Classics
Antony and Cleopatra Penguin Classics.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other drama/literature courses at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Writing/literature/drama.
Julian Birkett is a teacher and writer specialising in modern literature. He previously worked in the Arts department at the BBC as a producer of series such as The Late Show, Modern Poets in their Own Words, The Victorians and The Culture Show. He has taught in London and at the University of Mumbai.He aims to create a friendly but thoughtful atmosphere in his City Lit classes and to provide a stimulating variety of activities from tutor input to discussion to group work and video clips.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.