The core of this Academy is the intensive reading and discussion of selected plays of Shakespeare that bear on important political themes or problems, such as tyranny, legitimacy, and statesmanship. You will attempt to understand the beauty and power of Shakespeare through his characterization of the nature and fate of tyrants, the character of rulers and ruled, the nature of ambition, of courage, of honor, of friendship, and of love.

Since the author calls himself a poet and attempts a comprehensive understanding of the nature of human beings by considering fully their will, reason, and imagination, you will be pleased to discover the whole range of human possibilities within these tales. You will not read these plays out of moldy historical interest. You will read them because the questions they address are eternal, living, human questions. That is why the Poet seems to speak to each of us directly, regardless of who we are, what century we live in, and where we may be when we read him.

You will also attend evening workshops with the Artistic Director of the Ashbrook Classical Theatre Company, exploring the mechanics, history, and acting of Shakespeare’s works on the stage.

Plays may include: Julius Caesar, Macbeth, King Lear, and Richard II