While I was watching one of Sky Arts TV shows about Shakespeare, I was very much impressed by one of the contributors, a woman called Marjorie Garber. I liked the clear and friendly way she spoke. I looked for her on Twitter, thinking, it would be nice to follow her and pick up some bits and pieces of Shakespearian knowledge on the way. I didn’t find her on Twitter but, what I did find out was, she is a lecturer at Harvard University on Shakespeare and to my delight, she has up put an online course, free, on the latter plays of, William Shakespeare.

The first in the series is: Troilus and Cressida. So what we were instructed to do was, read the play from a good edition, such as Arden, Penguin or The Oxford, as long as it has notes and a commentary with it. Secondly, read the relevant chapter in her excellent book: Shakespeare After All. Then thirdly, listen to her online lecture. I purchased both books and settled down to study. We are supposed to do one play a week, that’s not going to happen with me, I’m already at the back of the class and I’m sure if I had enrolled properly I’d be way behind all the rest of the students, thankfully, I‘m only doing this for my own interest and not to gain a diploma. That would be very nice though.

This is a great play and I did read it fairly quickly, although one or two of the speeches were almost impenetrable, but I just pressed on and finished it. Then onto the chapter in the book. This book is a real find, she has written a whole chapter on every one of the plays and I think! it was the basis of her early lecturing career, before she actually wrote the book. After she published, Shakespeare After All, I think she changed her method of teaching. That is just a thumb nail sketch of her. You can find out more on her web site http://www.marjoriegarber.com Finally, on the road to Aberdeen in my truck, I listened to the lecture. Now, I am going to read it and listen to it all over again, I have to. One a week! Yeah right…

George.

Mon 6th of April