In this S/DG, we will spend two sessions per play, exploring and discussing seven of Shakespeares popular tragedies. For the first week of the pair, we will read and discuss the play. All of these plays address very discussable topics issues including gender, power, morality and family relationships. The plays are in chronological order, so we can also see how Shakespeare's craft develops from 1595 to 1606. During that time, Spain and England are at war, Queen Elisabeth dies, King James ascends to the throne, and the Gunpowder Plot is discovered. The history is reflected in the plays.
In the second week, we will watch a selected movie version of that play, focusing on the screen attributes. The films were produced between the years of 1985 (a highly acclaimed Japanese version of King Lear) and 2021 (a riveting Macbeth staring Denzel Washington). each of the films has a 4+ star rating. Needless to say, the plays are superb.
1. Richard III - the play
2. Richard III film (1995)
3. Romeo and Juliet - the play
4. West Side Story (2021)
5. Julius Caesar - the play
6. Mean Girls (2004)
7. Hamlet - the play
8. The Lion King (1994) or North by North West (presenter's choice)
9. Othello - the play
10. "O" (2001)
11. King Lear - the play
12. Ran (1985)
13. Macbeth - the play
14. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
The tragedies are best bought separately in editions by Cambridge, Arden or Oxford. Most of the films listed are available on Amazon Prime. Richard III is on Screen Pix and Macbeth is on Apple TV+. Both of these channels have 7 day free trial periods.