Seminar Explores Shakespeare’s Plutarch

On March 25 – 27, Hillsdale College students gathered for a seminar at the Kirk Center on the topic: “If You Have Writ Your Annals True: Plutarchan Lives and Shakespearian Tragedies.” Students read aloud selections from the plays Coriolanus and Julius Caesar, as well as attended lectures and participated in discussions.

Indeed, Plutarch’s influence extended even beyond Shakespeare’s time to eighteenth-century America. As Russell Kirk noted, “Through his Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, Plutarch came to influence Americans’ thought more (with the possible exception of Cicero) than did any other classical writer.” Seminars such as this one convey through imaginative literature, drama, and history a deeper understanding of our common cultural heritage.

More From Our Highlights & News

What Do Students Say about the Center?

April was a busy month of programming at the Kirk Center. Of the four educational programs we held, two were four-day seminars for graduate and undergraduate students, while the other two were shorter programs for students from Calvin University and from St. Michael’s...

Hope College Students Consider “The Human Condition”

The Tocqueville Forum of Hope College enjoyed a wonderful seminar at the Kirk Center from October 24 to 26 considering “The Human Condition.” Seminar speakers included Kirk Center Senior Fellows Gleaves Whitney and Jeff Polet, Cara Rogers (Asst. Professor of History,...