Macbeth

The Weird, the Imaginal, and the Time of the Possible

with J.F. Martel

6 live, online classes hosted on Zoom

Starts Tuesday, March 14 @ 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET

All sessions recorded and made available for later viewing

J.F. Martel, co-host of the Weird Studies Podcast and author of Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice, proposes a six-week delve into William Shakespeare’s weirdest tragedy. Reading the play as an act of prophecy, the course will attempt to locate, within the otherworld of Macbeth, the seed-crystal of modern enchantment.

Macbeth is more than the tragic story of a doomed Scottish lord. Written at the cusp of an era, it is Janus-faced, looking backward and forward in time, intuiting the imaginal shifting of worlds and divining the challenges and affordances of modernity. Macbeth is also more than a play about magic and the Weird. It is itself a creature of magic, a sorcerous working that prophesies as it creates, opening channels of possibility that would not exist without it.

Although this series is a continuation of J.F.’s previous Nura Learning courses on art, religion, and magic, it requires no familiarity with the ideas discussed in those courses. New students and alumni are welcome.

Course Format

The course consists of six weekly lectures presented live via Zoom. Following each lecture, there will be two optional “Office Hours” sessions devoted to student questions, clarifications, and open discussion.

All lectures and discussions will be recorded and made available on the course platform, for students from different time zones or those who prefer to participate at their own pace. 

Students are encouraged to read Macbeth (or watch one of its many screen adaptations) prior to the first lecture.

 

Class Outline

  • The course will begin on March 14th, 2023 and run for six weeks. The last lecture will be on April 18th.

  • Lectures will be held on Tuesdays at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time.

  • Office Hours will be held on Thursdays at 8 PM EST and on Sundays at 3 PM EST. Students can choose which Office Hours session to join based on time zone and/or personal schedule.

  • Lectures and group discussions will be 90 minutes long.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • participate in a close reading and “creative misreading” of Macbeth, in an attempt to make new discoveries

  • explore a host of other works (poetry, film, fiction, philosophy, etc.) to deepen their understanding of key themes and ideas

  • have the opportunity to exchange with the instructor and fellow students on a variety of topics touching on the subject matter of the play and related works 

  • join a community of seekers who believe in the prophetic power of art and the persistence of wonder in an age hungry for––and fearful of––genuine enchantment

Registration: $165

Alumni receive a $25 discount. Please send us a note if you would like to receive access to alumni registration.
Student rates:
Send us a note to receive a pay-what-you-can registration link: info (at) nuralearning (dot) com

 Thank you, and see you in class!

Already on the Nura Learning Mighty Network? Click here to register.