Online courses in Classical Latin
with George Sharpley
gdasharpley@gmail.com
NEXT COURSES START IN SEPTEMBER 2026
Weekly sessions are taught online, on Zoom.
Recordings of each session will be available for 3 weeks afterwards.
The courses starting in September are for people who already have some Latin. Check with me for more details.
A Beginners’ course is planned for January 2027.
Watch a video introduction to these courses, which includes a look at the influence of Latin on English.
Post-beginners Latin
10 Mondays, 6.30-7.45pm, starting 21st September 2026
We will be starting from Chapter 8 in The Complete Latin Course, with additional readings from poets and others.
Intermediate Plus Latin: Dido of Carthage
10 Wednesdays, 6.30-7.45pm, starting 23rd September 2026
The mythical Dido’s life was transformed by the arrival of Aeneas, a fugitive from Troy. Her story is sublimely told by the poet Virgil in his Aeneid.
Course details and fees for online courses
The course fee is currently £98 for the 10 weeks.
Enrollers will be sent relevant bank details for payment of the fee (£98 for the 10 weeks). You will also need to purchase the coursebook, although PDFs will be available for the first two weeks on request.
To enrol or get more information, contact George (gdasharpley@gmail.com).
Courses run for 10 weeks, starting in September and January.
Course teacher: George Sharpley
George is a former university teacher of Latin who has created a variety of learning materials and course-books. More recently he has been working on projects to bring the poetry of Virgil and Ovid to wider audiences. “I’ve worked in languages all my life, and Latin in particular. I am fascinated by the language and the culture around it. I am especially hooked on the poetry, which I try to share where I can. It’s ironic that a language which has not exactly been on many people’s lips these past two thousand years should stand out for the beauty of its voice.”
The Complete Latin Course
Buy a new copy of The Complete Latin Course, as changes and corrections have been made to the first print of the second edition. You can purchase it directly from the publisher, Routledge, HERE. Students are currently entitled to a discount. Contact the Latin Qvarter for details.
A PDF version of the first chapters of the book will be available for the first two weeks if you have not managed to secure a copy by the time the course starts.
Events
Dido
at the Roman Baths (16th May 2026)
Hot on the heels of the dramatic story of Cleopatra in April came another African queen. This time, the mythical Dido, whose struggle was sublimely told by the poet Virgil in his Aeneid. As well as the great poet, we heard the moving Lament in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, sung beautifully by one of our wonderful Latin readers (recorded I have to say).
The text of this course is to be read by the Intermediate Plus group starting in September 2026. See above.
“Loved the variety of materials/teaching methods – sound/written”
“A good mix of history, legend and text.”
“Very interesting and knowledgeable.”
“Inspiring!”
“Outstanding.”
Cleopatra
at the Roman Baths (25th April 2026)
A day spent on the dramatic story of Cleopatra.
News of Caesar’s murder in 44 BC must have come as a shock to Cleopatra. He was the father of her toddler son and their host in Rome where they had been staying for nearly two years. They left Rome for Alexandria almost immediately. With them went Cleopatra’s young brother Ptolemy XIV, another guest in Rome, and Cleopatra’s joint ruler. Soon after reaching Egypt, she had him murdered.
As aristocratic families go, the Ptolemies are in a class of their own. They clung on to power for centuries, skilfully employing incestuous marriages, divorces and close-family murders.
“Really fascinating.”
“George Sharpley is an excellent lecturer, he shares his information and perspectives and his enthusiasm is stimulating.”
“Thank you for such an excellent day course.”
“Excellent. Interesting throughout – a good mix or narrative, images and use of sources.”
“More than satisfactory. Excellent.”
“Really informative. A delight to attend.”
Women in the Aeneid
at the Roman Baths
At Bath’s historic Roman site, participants spent a day reading and discussing excerpts from Virgil’s great poem, in particular the stories of female characters like Dido and Camilla, who are at the heart of the tragedy, or tragedies. (15th February 2025)
“Excellent and inspiring”
“It was great to spend time with other people who shared my long standing love of the poem, and we were able to share so much knowledge.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed today, even though I probably didn’t understand more than 5% of the Latin.”
“George was excellent – non preachy – but very informative in a light and witty way. Thank you.”
“Excellent. Particularly the extra content on wider context. Thank you.”
“Lovely hearing the Latin read aloud, a real treat.”
The Song of Arms and a Man (performance)
“A brilliant dramatisation – warm, witty, bloody and cruel – and a sensational performance.” Prof. Tim Whitmarsh (at Cambridge)
“The Song of Arms and a Man was an enthralling and unique dramatisation of Virgil’s Aeneid … very easy to follow regardless of how much or little Latin each person knew … I cannot recommend this performance enough.” Safa Malik, The Virgil Society Newsletter, May 2023 (at King’s College, London
“ Phenomenal. Lots of our students were in the audience – thank you for inspiring them. I was spellbound.” Guildford High School (at Charterhouse)
The Latin Qvarter’s presentation of Virgil’s Aeneid is read by Emma Kirkby, Matthew Hargreaves, Ben Cartlidge and Maria Roddis. George Sharpley’s adaptation of a rarely heard masterpiece echoes the ancient culture of public performance of poetry, and is accompanied with live ancient music by aulos-player Callum Armstrong. The performance brings the thrilling epic alive, telling the story of Aeneas’ struggle to fulfil his destiny as founder of Rome – from his escape from the burning ruins of Troy to his asylum and heart-breaking affair with the Carthaginian queen Dido and then his reluctant war with the inhabitants of his fated homeland of Italy. Selections of Virgil’s epic verse are read in the original Latin interspersed with an English narration which tells the whole story of the poem. This innovative and acclaimed presentation was first performed in Gloucester in 2018, and since at Bristol, Oxford, Charterhouse, Cambridge, King’s College London, and is coming to University College London (10th November 2023)