Always considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, King Lear has attracted additional attention recently through the publication of James Shapiro’s The Year of ‘Lear’ (2015). Unlike the other great tragedies, which deal with heroes in the prime of life, Lear offers profound insights into the challenges of old age. In addition, the play explores the intersection of family dynamics and national politics. During the five sessions of the course, participants will delve into the play’s major themes and historical context while developing strategies for comprehending Shakespeare’s language, poetic style, and use of multiple plots. By the end of the course, participants will have developed the confidence and skills necessary to interpret other plays and poems by Shakespeare and his contemporaries as well as poetry and drama from other literary periods. The instructional approach will be an eclectic blend of discussion, close readings of key passages, group work, and some lecture supplemented with video clips from film and televised versions of the play. Readings for the course will be an annotated edition of King Lear, The Year of ‘Lear’, and a few excerpts from scholarly studies of the play.