Shakespeare's Women: Hamlet, Macbeth and As You Like It
Choose a starting date
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 02 Oct 2025End Date: 16 Oct 2025Thu (Daytime): 10:30 - 12:30In PersonLocation: Keeley StreetDuration: 3 sessions (over -3 weeks)Course Code: HLT194Tutors: Sophie OxenhamFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
The course will explore the representation of three of Shakespeare’s female characters: Rosalind (As You Like It), Ophelia (Hamlet) and Lady Macbeth (Macbeth). We will consider their wit, madness and ambition, through discussion of Shakespeare’s language, the historical context, and the plays in performance.
What will we cover?
We will explore the following:
Rosalind in ‘As You Like It’: wit, comedy and the performance of gender.
Ophelia in ‘Hamlet’: madness and the cultural legacy of Ophelia.
Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’: ambition, sexuality and female agency.
We will pay close attention to Shakespeare’s language and its effects, and we will also consider how the historical context can inform our understanding of these characters. We will also compare some different performances to explore some of the ways in which these roles have been interpreted.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
By the end of this course you should be able to...
-Understand and define some of the ways in which Shakespeare’s language creates character and drama in these plays.
-Understand and define some of the ways in which historical context and performance can inform our reading of the female characters in these plays.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is open to all; you do not need to have prior knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays to participate.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
A variety of teaching methods will be used, including brief tutor-led slide presentations and readings of short extracts, and you will be invited to take part in group discussion. A digital handout of extracts will be provided shortly before the course starts and paper copies will be provided on the first day.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will need to buy or borrow your own copies of Macbeth, Hamlet and As You Like It to read the plays in full; the Arden Shakespeare (Third series) editions are recommended but you can use any edition as a handout of key extracts will be provided in class. Please bring a pen and paper for notetaking.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
The tutor will also be teaching HLT290 Shakespeare: King Lear and The Tempest. For other drama courses please look at our website at www.citylit.ac.uk/history, culture and writing/literature/drama.
Sophie has taught Literature, Performing Arts and Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities for over twenty years, working for the Open University, Leeds University, and a range of Adult Learning Institutions before joining City Lit. Previously she freelanced as a theatre and opera director in community theatre and at English National Opera. She has an MA in Nineteenth Century English and American Literature, and a PhD in Early Modern Life Writing. She brings both experience and enthusiasm to her work with adult audiences.
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.