David E. Wellbery, "Hamlet and Faust: On the Anthropology of Tragedy" (Wells Memorial Lecture)

Event Overview:
The Larry Wells Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture series organized by the Department of German & Russian Studies. This year we will be hosting one of Binghamton University's most eminent alumni, Prof. David Wellbery (class of '69), who will speak about several important connections between two foundational works of literature: Shakespeare's ""Hamlet"" and Goethe's ""Faust.""

Lecture Description:
Throughout his adult life, Goethe held to the theory of tragedy expressed in his early essay in praise of Shakespeare. That theory is “anthropological” in the sense that it conceives the tragic process as the expression of a fundamental tension inherent in human experience. The lecture demonstrates how Goethe’s theoretical claim casts light on the dramatic process that unfolds across his Faust-drama. Moreover, since Goethe’s theory was initially developed with a view toward Shakespeare, the lecture also argues that certain structural features of the Faust-drama are adapted from Hamlet.

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