Barbara Burgess-Van Aken, SAGES teaching fellow, will offer a remote course through the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program. Titled “In Praise of Shakespeare’s Fools,” the course will be held Tuesdays, June 7-28, from noon-1:30 p.m. ET.
The Renaissance concept of folly and foolery has philosophical and ironic resonance in Shakespeare’s plays, regardless of their genre. Although the course will explore Shakespeare’s characterization of fools in a broad range of his plays, it will also discuss four works in-depth: Henry IV – Part 1, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That Ends Well, and King Lear.