Class Platform: Paradise Campus

Day/Time: Friday, 11 AM - 12:45 PM, February 5 - April 16, *10 week class*

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Class Description: We first meet Mark Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Antony is a loyal friend to Caesar. As the play opens, Caesar is newly home from a successful campaign, with attendant parade and festivities. Conspirators plotting to murder Julius Caesar draw Brutus into their plot. After the murder, the well-respected Brutus soothes the angry citizens by telling them he joined the plot to protect Rome. Overruling plot leader Cassius, Brutus allows Mark Antony to speak and the tide turns. One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Julius Caesar is a political play that asks the question, “Is it right to kill someone for what he might do in the future?” In Antony and Cleopatra, an older Antony is part of the triumvirate ruling Rome. He is passionately in
love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Alas, he has an inconvenient wife in Rome. Worse, she is the sister of Octavius Caesar, second member of the triumvirate. Octavius is younger, stronger, and much more devious than Antony. Toss in Cleopatra, reveling in her first true love, and there is tragedy in the making—a tragedy not only of people, but cultures. Reports on Shakespeare’s life, the history of the two plays, the cast of characters, the plots, and Teaching Company DVDs will enhance our understanding and analysis of the plays.

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Instructor Biographies: Mary Pace retired from teaching elementary school in Quincy, MA, moved to Las Vegas, and has been an active participant in EXCELL and OLLI SINCE 1995. A Lifetime Member Award recipient, Pace has held every office on the then-Board of Directors and also served on the Steering Council. This is her 12th year leading Shakespeare classes. Despite now repeating some of the plays, there is always something new and exciting to learn about the world’s greatest playwright.