Step into the ethical dilemmas of Shakespearean theater, where extreme choices and impossible circumstances become a vivid, immersive experience. Professor Jim Kearney explores how plays invite audiences to consider what it feels like to avenge a father’s death, banish a daughter, forgive the unforgivable, or commit murder—all through the lens of early modern literature’s dramatic and rhetorical techniques. Drawing on his new book Shakespearean Ethics in Extremity, Kearney treats the stage as a laboratory for ethical experience, revealing how the Bard and his contemporaries crafted moments that challenge our understanding of right, wrong, and human emotion. The 45-minute talk will be followed by a Q&A session for deeper discussion.
Advance registration is recommended as space is limited. This event may be photographed or recorded.