Shakespeare’s Hamlet: The Ghost
- Free to audit
- Paid certificate
- Course certificate
- Beginner
- 4 weeks
Shakespeare's Hamlet: The Ghost, led by Stephen Greenblatt, takes a single figure, the Ghost of the dead King of Denmark who appears in the first act, and uses it to open up the whole play. The course introduces Hamlet's narrative sources and Shakespeare's dramatic craft, the religious convictions about the afterlife that shaped how audiences in Renaissance England would have understood a ghost, and how directorial and performance decisions change what the play means. You are invited to share your own theatrical interpretations and to think about how death, mourning and memory run through the play and through your own life.
It is self-paced, four weeks long at 3 to 5 hours per week, and rated introductory. Harvard lists the course as free to audit on edX, with a verified certificate available for $149.
What you’ll learn
- Appreciate Shakespeare's dramaturgy and language
- Place the Ghost in the religious and historical context of Renaissance England
- Compare theatrical and performance interpretations of the play
- Relate the play's themes of death, mourning and memory to your own reading
Who it’s for
Readers, theatre-goers and students who want a close reading of Hamlet with historical context; no prior study of Shakespeare is needed.
Source: Harvard Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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