This course is the second part of a year-long, genre-based survey of Shakespeare's plays, and covers the tragedies and so-called romances that he produced during the latter part of his career--many of which are among the most profound creative works in the English language. We will read and discuss the plays in close detail but also consider their relation to the society and culture in which they were written and performed. We will also view and talk about excerpts from the plays as they have been interpreted on stage, television, and film. The plays will include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, A Winter's Tale, and The Tempest.