This course introduces and explores William Shakespeare’s classic comedy, Twelfth Night. Interviews with actors who appeared in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night, as well as lectures by scholars and theater professionals who work and teach at the University of Colorado Boulder, offer students insight into Shakespeare’s artistic vision and its applications. Exploring Shakespeare’s language, his characters, his humor and his world view, the lectures, interviews, and interactive learning experiences that make up this class will help students comprehend the power of Shakespearean comedy and the abiding appeal of Twelfth Night for its original audience and our contemporary moment. You'll explore the relationship between comedy and tragedy, the conflict inherent in desire, and the ways Shakespeare's words and works engaged his community, and yours.

This course strives to be of interest to multiple audiences, but we think it may particularly appeal to... * Shakespeare enthusiasts and the Shakespeare curious in all walks of life * Actors, theater practitioners, and teachers of Shakespeare everywhere * Secondary school and college students interested in expanding their studies of Shakespeare * Interested readers with little or no familiarity with Shakespeare