Exploring Shakespeare’s Tragedies: Othello (repeat)
February 1, 2025 @ 2:00 PM
Participatory Study Event – Led by Clare Smout (3 hours)
*** Please note this is a REPEAT session. ***
A tragedy of love, jealousy and intrigue, in which a highly respected black general, Othello, is deceived into believing his young white Venetian bride has been unfaithful to him. In agony, he kills both her and himself. The ‘motiveless malignancy’ of the villain, ‘honest Iago’, drives the tragedy, whose themes range from the power of words to manipulate and destroy to race relations in Venice and beyond. This session includes an introductory talk, group discussion of characters, themes and staging, and video clips showing a variety of interpretations. There will be a break midway for coffee and cake.
These events are suitable for those aged 18 and over.
These events are suitable for those aged 18 and over.
Clare Smout is a locally-based Shakespeare specialist. Clare spent 20 years in professional theatre, before moving sideways into academic research and teaching. She has taught Shakespeare to students of all ages, including lecturing at the University of Birmingham and as a guest tutor at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education.
This is part of a series of five sessions on Exploring Shakespeare’s Tragedies. These are stand-alone sessions. Come to as many or as few as you wish.
- Sat 26 October 2pm-5pm Introducing Elizabethan Tragedy + Titus Andronicus
- Sat 2 November 2pm-5pm Introducing Elizabethan Tragedy + Titus Andronicus (repeat)
- Sat 16 November 2pm-5pm Shakespeare’s Early Language + Romeo and Juliet
- Sat 23 November 2pm-5pm Shakespeare’s Early Language + Romeo and Juliet (repeat)
- Sat 11 January 2pm-5pm Exploring Othello
- Sat 1 February 2pm-5pm Exploring Othello (repeat)
- Sat 8 February 2pm-5pm Exploring Macbeth
- Sun 16 February 2pm-5pm Exploring Macbeth (repeat)
- Sat 8 March 10am-5pm Exploring King Lear
- Sat 29 March 10am-5pm Exploring King Lear (repeat)
Any questions, please contact Clare Smout via shakespeare.courses@smout.org