On this course, students will study the works of Shakespeare by exploring Freytag's Pyramid of dramatic structure, which was derived from the works of Aristotle.
Have you ever wondered how Shakespeare does it? How his stories feel so universal and how, hundreds of years on, he still manages to have us on the edge of our seats craving to know what will happen? Using 'Macbeth' and 'Romeo & Juliet' as examples, this course dissects the main structural elements in Shakespeare’s work. You will explore Freytag’s Pyramid of dramatic structure and learn how this formula was derived from the work of Aristotle. By the end of this course, students will have a more in-depth understanding of the concepts that underpin the structure of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Course Content
8 LESSONS
8 HOURS Total Length
Lesson 1
Introduction: Freytag's Pyramid
60 minutes
Lesson 2
Act One: Preparing Impending Struggle
60 minutes
Lesson 3
Act Two: Making the Moves That Precede Battle
60 minutes
Lesson 4
Act Three: The Midpoint, Opposing Forces Make Their Chief Assault
60 minutes
Lesson 5
Act Four: Counterattack and Crisis
60 minutes
Lesson 6
Act Five: How the Fifth Act Topples the Hero
60 minutes
Lesson 7
Contextualising Shakespeare's Work
60 minutes
Lesson 8
Putting It All Together
60 minutes
Key Skills
English Literature
Textual Analysis
Essay Writing
Educator
Maxim P
Humanities Specialist
Maxim has over 500 hours of experience teaching privately, including 350 hours of A-level experience and 150 university-level one-to-one hours. He has also given mock interviews and tutorials to over 50 Oxbridge applicants over the last three years, and in 2020, three of the students gained offers from Oxbridge.
