Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Lovers & Fools: Shakespeare's comedies in performance
Instructor(s): Dennis Schebetta, Theater
Shakespeare wrote that the "course of true love never did run smooth”, but when the
waters are rough, comedy and confusion reign! Why do people fall in love and become
such fools in the process? This seminar explores the ideas of romance, humor, desire,
and identity through the lens of performance of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies. Students
explore how love and folly shape human behavior and what the Bard might be able to
illuminate for us now in our technologically-driven society. The course integrates
script analysis, literary analysis, theater performance, history, psychology, sociology
and gender studies to examine rom-com tropes, courtship rituals, mistaken identities,
emotional intelligence, and the comedic mechanisms that illuminate the human condition.
Assignments include in-class exercises, group presentations, reflective writing, performance
workshops, play and film analysis, and a final group project.
*No prior performance or theater experience is required for this course.
Course Offered: 2026