Fall 2025

Shakespeare and the Collective Voices

Dr. Marie Roche. PhD

Plays under discussion:
Coriolanus
Julius Caesar
Timon of Athens  

Course Description:

This seminar explores Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, and Timon of Athens through the lens of collective and individual expression. Together, we will examine the dynamic tension between speaking for, with, or against the collective—whether that collective is the Roman populace, the Senate, the military, or a circle of confidants. What happens when the voice of one confronts the voice of many? How does Shakespeare dramatize the interplay between public discourse and private will?

Our central inquiry examines the friction between the popular voice and the voice of power—between consensus and command, allegiance and betrayal, protest and persuasion. Coriolanus, the core text of our semester, offers a particularly charged case study in personal ambition clashing with collective will. Through close reading and active exploration, we will unpack its thematic density and consider how it resonates with contemporary questions of political voice, citizenship, and representation.

Alongside Coriolanus, we will study Julius Caesar, which dramatizes the volatile power of oratory and crowd manipulation, and Timon of Athens, a haunting portrayal of betrayal, disillusionment, and the corrosive dynamics of gift economies and false friendship. These plays deepen our understanding of how speech functions in moments of civic rupture, how collective action forms and fractures, and how the individual both shapes and is shaped by the crowd.

Designed for theater-makers, students, educators, and curious participants from all walks of life, this 12-week journey offers a collaborative space to explore Shakespeare’s political imagination—and our own.

📅 Dates: September 8, 2025, to December 1, 2025 (12 weeks) ~Potluck on December 8~

🕔 Schedule: Monday, 5:00 PM–6:30 PM

📍 Format: Hybrid (in-person & online)

💵 $250-$500 Sliding Scale

🏢Location:

Northampton Center for the Arts – Barn Door Gallery

33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA 01060

Website: nohoarts.org

Important Details:

• Please download the SLACK app to access reading materials and bringyour laptop.I am happy help set up SLACK during the first week of class.
• Extra readings will be posted on SLACK. Although not required, thesematerials will enhance our understanding of the context in which these plays were written.
• Windows download  Mac Download  Linux download

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 Shakespeare and the Collective Voices: Workshop Overview 

Co-taught with Sarah Corbyn Woolf and Marie Roche, PhD

This workshop, Shakespeare and the Collective Voices, explores the dynamic relationship between the personal voice and the collective voice, as well as the tension between the Popular Voice and the Voice of Power. Our central question is: what distinguishes speaking for, with, or against the Collective? Rooted in both theory and practice, the workshop examines how individual expression collaborates, communicates, and conflicts with group dynamics in the pursuit of power and change.

Coriolanus is an ideal example of personal ambition clashing with collective will, so it will be our core text. We will analyze the play itself and methods for performing it, including ensemble-building techniques (Jacques LeCoq), “freeing the natural voice,” (Linklater), and shared physicality (Bartenieff Fundamentals). Designed for both theater practitioners and curious participants from any background, this workshop is not only an exploration of Coriolanus and the collective voice but also an active exercise in group dynamics, collaborative conflict, and self-expression within community contexts.

📅 Dates: September 29th

🕔 Schedule: Monday, 5:00 PM–6:30 PM

📍 Format: Hybrid (in-person & online)

💵 Price: included in the semester registration

🏢Location:

Northampton Center for the Arts – Barn Door Gallery

33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA 01060

Website: nohoarts.org

Shakespeare in Translation: Coriolan en Français

Dr. Marie Roche

Prerequisite: Conversational college-level French is required. The class will be conducted entirely in French. A bilingual edition of Coriolanus, translated by Jean-Michel Déprats, will be provided to all participants.

Course Description:

This course invites students to engage deeply with Shakespeare’s Coriolanus through the lens of translation, exploring how language shapes meaning, emotion, and cultural resonance. By reading selected passages in both English and French, we will investigate how translation serves not just as a linguistic exercise but as an interpretive act that bridges—and sometimes widens—cultural and historical gaps.

Key questions will guide our discussions: How do we experience Shakespeare’s text when it’s no longer in its original language? What is gained or lost in translation—whether in terms of rhythm, wordplay, humor, or cultural nuance? How do translators navigate the challenge of rendering Elizabethan English into contemporary French while preserving Shakespeare’s poetic and rhetorical richness?

Students will participate in close readings, comparative analyses, and group discussions to unpack the choices made by translators like Jean-Michel Déprats. We will explore how translation affects tone, character, and meaning and consider the broader role of translation in disseminating Shakespeare’s works across time and cultures. This course is designed for students interested in literature, language, translation studies, and performance, offering a unique opportunity to experience Shakespeare’s enduring influence through the dynamic interplay of languages.

📅 Dates: October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (5 weeks)

⏰ Time: 3 PM–4:30 PM

📍 Format: Zoom

💵 $100-$200 Sliding Scale (Class free of charge for those who have registered for the semester)