In the nineteenth century, a critic by the name of Edward Dowden categorized a handful of Shakespeare's plays as "romances." Written later in Shakespeare's career, these plays represent love, jealousy, and desire, but we should not think of them as precursors to Harlequin romances. Rather, Dowden's designation points to an earlier moment in literary history. Like Arthurian romances from the Middle Ages, Shakespeare's romances represent spectacular, even fantastical events, and though they threaten to end tragically, they conclude happily, usually due to divine or supernatural invention.

In this course we read four of Shakespeare's romances— Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, Pericles, and The Tempest — alongside five plays also written in the later part of his career: Twelfth Night, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, and Measure for Measure. Each set of plays invites exploration of how genre shapes our expectations and interpretations of drama. What do we "know" about a comedy or tragedy before we set foot inside the theater? Does literary innovation disappoint, frustrate, or satisfy our understanding and enjoyment of a play? When we read these plays in juxtaposition, we also see changes in Shakespeare's portrayal of race and sexuality; familial relationship; and modes of governance. Do these changes reflect developments in Shakespeare's thinking? Are they reactions to particular historical events or broad cultural shifts? Or is Shakespeare simply responding to the fickle tastes of his audience?

Students should expect to contribute regularly to class discussion, complete weekly quizzes, write three formal analyses, and participate in a group project and presentation.