All the World's a Stage: Struggle and Resolution in Drama and Film

Instructor:  Professor Leslie G. Cahoon
                 Department of Classics

In this Seminar, we shall explore a number of common human conflicts through reading (and informally performing) ancient and Renaissance plays and through seeing some major movies of the last twenty-five years. Some of these fictional struggles erupt into devastation and tragedy; others reach bittersweet resolutions or even happy endings. Through class discussions, and by writing analytical papers about these texts, we shall try to see what human qualities in drama and film tend to avert tragedy and bring pleasing resolution. We shall consider whether or not such qualities can help us in the real struggle of living our own lives.