What a Piece of Work Is Man: The Seven Great Tragedies of Shakespeare

by Harold Bloom

Shakespeare's tragedies are among the most famous and influential works of literature in the world, and them literature's most complex and memorable characters—Hamlet, Juliet, King Lear, Iago, Cleopatra—develop before our eyes. In this inspiring and enthusiastic course, eminent literary critic and Shakespeare scholar Harold Bloom explores in depth seven of the Bard's greatest tragedies, illuminating the works with his characteristic wit and passion, and sharing unique insights gained during a lifetime of reading, teaching, and writing about Shakespeare.

COURSE LECTURES

1. Romeo and Juliet
2. Julius Caesar
3. Hamlet: Part I
4. Hamlet: Part II
5. Hamlet: Part III
6. Othello: Part I
7. Othello: Part II
8. King Lear: Part I
9. King Lear: Part II
10. King Lear: Part III
11. Macbeth: Part I
12. Macbeth: Part II
13. Antony and Cleopatra: Part I
14. Antony and Cleopatra: Part II

Genres: Shakespeare

96 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world." After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books, including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.
Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "school of resentment" (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, and others). He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.