This course will consider three of Shakespeare’s later plays: Pericles, Prince of Tyre; Cymbeline and The Winter’s Tale, which are generally classified as romances or fantasy plays and are less familiar to modern audiences than the great tragedies and popular comedies. Extremely complex (and often improbable) plots feature tyrannical kings, wicked queens and stepmothers, jealous lovers, over- sexed villains, supernatural beings, fantastic monsters, heroic princes and long-suffering princesses. In short, these plays are fairy tales for adults. The class will include scene-by-scene discussions of each plot, analysis of the personalities and motives of the characters, consideration of the sources of each play, and finally Shakespeare’s use of language to advance the plot and depict individual characters.