Talks

The Merchant’s and Franklin’s Tales continues the central theme of marriage and divine providence. The stories reflect souls that know themselves well and those souls

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is given by a holy and intelligent priest. He has listened carefully to the other tales and now responds to them.

Dr. White’s introduction to this series sweeps a broad brush across a palette of major Catholic authors and poets, focusing on the three he considers

In this commentary, Dr. White expands his discussion of literature to include “art” in its broadest sense: painting, architecture, music, chant, drama, etc. In his

Here Dr. White instructs the listener on how to approach literature. He advises a reader of Dante to first gain some background knowledge about the

In this commentary, Dr. White describes Dante’s problems in writing The Purgatorio since he wrote it in the order in which it was to be

Dr. White continues his discussion of The Purgatorio with a description of the role art and music play in Dante’s vision of purgatory. And though

Dr. White refers to The Paradiso as the least often read part of The Divine Comedy. But it is here, according to White, that Dante outdoes himself in

In this conclusion of his series on Dante, Dr. White follows the poet as he moves upward through the spheres of heaven. Dante contrasts the

Sonnets were the most popular verse form of the Renaissance. If a poet wanted to prove himself, he wrote sonnets. It is a rigid form,

Sonnet 73 The time of year thou mayest in me behold is about the ageing or appearance of ageing of the poet. The feeling is

Hamlet is the most problematic of the many plays written by Shakespeare also, one of his most popular. Intense. The play was written at a

Act One sets the story for Hamlet. There is construction to this play. Hamlet is the son of the dead king by the same name.

The ghost of the dead King Hamlet: is he of heaven or hell? Is he leading young Hamlet to good or evil? This problem will

That an unknown spirit asks Hamlet to commit murder is evidence that this is an evil spirit. Hamlet himself is not sure, questions the ghost

The most famous speech in the play, perhaps in all of English literature, appears in Act Three. The question is about suicide. Hamlet’s pattern of

The link between Hamlet and Ophelia is central to understanding the play. Beginning, with his letters to her while studying at Wittenberg University, everything revolves

This final act sees action. It opens with the gravediggers talking about Ophelia and if she deserves a Christian burial due to the suspicion surrounding

This superb lecture by Dr. White opens with a discussion of the definition and nature of tragedy and what precisely separates it from comedy. The

Dr. White continues his discussion of Cordelia and Kent’s loyalty as the cause of their disobedience and shows that, since they love the king, they