Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Syllabus
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
This course explores the depiction of gender, race, and social class in Shakespeare’s plays, with a focus on how his works engage with and challenge the norms of early modern society. In this course, we will study two of Shakespeare’s comedies: Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew; as well as two of his tragedies: Romeo and Juliet and Othello in relation to the culture of early modern England. Through an in-depth study of these texts, students will examine the complexities of these social categories as portrayed in the plays and how they continue to resonate in contemporary literature and film. The provided syllabus outlines a ZTC course that allows students to consider how perspectives and questions posed by Shakespeare’s plays continue to inspire, confuse, and intrigue the modern-day mind.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
CUNY OER Funding
CUNY OER Initiative
Included in
English Language and Literature Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other Classics Commons
