Print this page To Be or Not to Be: Shakespeare and the Human Condition

More than four centuries after his death, Shakespeare remains one of history's most insightful observers of human behaviour. His characters struggle with ambition, identity, love, jealousy, power, guilt, justice and meaning in ways that still feel remarkably familiar today. Using ten of Shakespeare's greatest plays, this course explores some of the most enduring questions of the human condition. Through Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, The Tempest and others, we will examine who we are, why we want what we want, how our choices affect others, and whether we can ever truly know what is right and just.

DELIVERY MODE

Face to face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Identity: Who am I? Focus: Hamlet
• Identity: What do I want? Focus: Macbeth
• Identity: Why do I want it? Focus: Richard III
• Agency: How do I get it? Focus: The Taming of the Shrew
• Agency: What do I do to get it? Focus: The Merchant of Venice
• Impact: What do I get? Focus: Othello
• Impact: How are others affected? Focus: King Lear
• Morality: Was I justified? Focus: Julius Caesar
• Morality: Who judges? Focus: Much Ado About Nothing
• Morality: What does it all mean? Focus: The Tempest

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Analyse major themes of the human condition through selected Shakespearean plays, including identity, ambition, agency, morality and personal responsibility.
• Evaluate the motivations and actions of Shakespeare's characters as case studies in human behaviour, ethical decision-making and social relationships.
• Apply Shakespeare's insights to contemporary life by reflecting on enduring questions about personal identity, power, justice, consequence and meaning.