Uploaded January 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"Why Shakespare?"
University of Chicago Humanities Day
October 15, 2016
Richard Strier, Frank L. Sulzberger Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Department of English Language and Literature
The answer to the title question probably seems laughably obvious. But what if we ask how we know this, how we are so sure of it? Let’s stipulate that Shakespeare is great. But what about the comparatives? How do we know that his plays are better than those of his contemporaries in the great period of early modern English theater? This lecture will try to address these questions in a serious way.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to humanities@uchicago.edu.
"Why Shakespare?"
University of Chicago Humanities Day
October 15, 2016
Richard Strier, Frank L. Sulzberger Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Department of English Language and Literature
The answer to the title question probably seems laughably obvious. But what if we ask how we know this, how we are so sure of it? Let’s stipulate that Shakespeare is great. But what about the comparatives? How do we know that his plays are better than those of his contemporaries in the great period of early modern English theater? This lecture will try to address these questions in a serious way.
If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to humanities@uchicago.edu.
