Tragedies: King Lear; Othello; Julius Caesar

Are there honest and virtuous people? The tragedies of William Shakespeare "King Lear," "Othello," and "Julius Caesar" show how easily both virtue and honor turn to nothing under the weight of fateful decisions and human imperfection. "King Lear" is a play about a monarch betrayed by his daughters, whose dominions crumble like his mind succumbing to the chaos of madness. "Othello" is a tragedy about a respected general who falls into intricately woven nets of deceit and allows fierce jealousy to drown out the arguments of heart and reason. "Julius Caesar" is a story about ambition and political intrigue, about how people make mistakes, and how power entices too many. Enjoy the elegant prose of Shakespeare in the original language while reading the greatest tragedies in the history of English literature.