In this eight-week course, we examine how the familiar trope of jealousy allows Shakespearean drama to put pressure on the contradictions in the idea and practice of marriage. The biblical God is a jealous God, yet there is something wrong with human jealousy. In the context of Christian marriage, jealousy creates an imbalance between personal affection and the supposedly higher, corporate truth of Christ's love. The Elizabethan romantic comedies (adapting the conventions of Roman New Comedy, which Shakespeare studied as a young student) work by insisting on just the right pairing of future husband and wife. Within this comic insistence on personal love, jealousy hovers as a possibility for further exploration in tragedy.
Eric Song, Professor of English Literature, will be teaching Shakespearean Jealousy (and the Idea of Remarriage). Classes will be held on Wednesdays beginning February 11 for a total of 8 weeks. Class dates are: February 11, 18, 25, March 4, March 18, March 25, April 1 and April 8.
- Teacher: Eric Song
- Teacher: Hansjakob Werlen