This syllabus was submitted to the Rhodes College Office of Academic Affairs by the course instructor.A discussion-based seminar on Shakespeare’s works, with special attention to the problem of genre, as well as some reflections on what counts as “major.” We begin by closely reading and memorizing selected sonnets. We then examine representative “Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies” from his earlier (Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, Richard III), middle (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry IV, Hamlet) and later periods (Henry V, Macbeth, Tempest), concluding with the generically mixed All is True. While we will concentrate our efforts primarily on the texts of the plays, along the way we will be exploring the greater ‘context’ of Shakespeare, from the sixteenth-century meaning of individual words to the continued impact of his works today. The course is designed to give you extensive practice in reading Shakespearean drama critically, and preparation for enjoying Shakespeare throughout your life.