Description and Objectives

The Heights School

11th and 12th Grade English

Fall 2025

Instructor: Patrick Miggins, B.A., M. Ed.

Email: pmiggins@heights.edu

Phone: (301)365-0227 (ext. 123)

ENG 424 Shakespeare’s Tragedies

Overview:

The Course on William Shakespeare’s Tragedies will feature a deep dive into the rich thought and imaginative genius of the world’s greatest playwright.  This study will not only delve into Shakespeare’s exemplary tragic plays themselves, but will explore critical essays from leading Shakespeare professors and current experts, where traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence. 

 

We begin our study of tragedy with Romeo and Juliet, perhaps the most famous love story ever written, and a powerful cautionary tale warning against the dangers of unbridled erotic passion.  

 

Our second consideration will be an examination of Othello’s tragic arc, and the unfortunate fate of Othello, who succumbed to rationalism while being hoodwinked by an egocentric nemesis.  

 

Next we will examine Hamlet and King Lear, Shakespeare’s most powerful tragedies which depict the hubris and downfall of kings and their kingly households.  Arguably Shakespeare’s finest and most important play, Hamlet is also one of the most misunderstood masterpieces of world literature.  Hamlet explores what it means “to be”, as well as if everything is as it seems to be.  One of the most popular of Shakespeare’s plays, King Lear is also one of the most thought-provoking. The play turns on the practical ramifications of the words of Christ that we should render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s.  

For good measure, we will round off our study of tragic theory by studying its inverse, comedy!  As a finale, we will revel in the tragi-comedy that is The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s redemptive, pastoral romance that was the product of his later and most mature imagination. 

Textbooks

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Othello, by William Shakespeare

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

King Lear, by William Shakespeare

The Winter’s Tale, by William Shakespeare

Course Requirements

Students should expect daily notes and classroom discussion, daily reading assignments, weekly quizzes and frequent writing assignments of various length, spanning from the reflective essay and poem analysis, to the in-class essay, and then to the traditional typed composition paper.  In addition, once a quarter, students will be required to memorize and to recite a poem, typically a sonnet, for a grade.

There will be a comprehensive mid-semester examination, which will contain the rudiments of genre theory. 

Writing assignments will be completed in class or at home and will typically take place each week.

In-class writing assignments will usually be open-book.

Take-home writing assignments must be typed and cite the text(s) according to MLA format.

Late papers will be accepted, but with a penalty of a letter grade drop for every class period the assignment is late.      

Class participation is required whether it takes the form of effective insights or the asking of probing questions.  At the end of each grading period, class participation will play a role in improving, maintaining, or decreasing the student’s grade for the quarter.

Successful Students

Successful students will respect the subject matter and be dedicated to daily effort both in class and at home.  A good student respects the space this class brings to bear on his sense of honor, knowing that he owes his teacher and his peers thoughtful effort and a mature demeanor, mindful that he will be learning alongside and among his peers and his instructor.

A volunteer representative will serve as a “manager of mirth” to help the instructor schedule gatherings of literary levity, festivity, and refreshment that supersede day-to-day classroom enjoyment.