Shakespeare’s Political Imagination argues that to better
understand Shakespeare’s plays it is essential to look at the
historicism of setting: how the places and societies depicted in
the plays were understood in the period when they were written.
This book offers us new readings of neglected critical moments in
key plays, such as Malcolm’s final speech in Macbeth and the
Duke’s inaction in The Merchant of Venice, by investigating early
modern views about each setting and demonstrating how the plays
navigate between those contemporary perspectives. Divided into
three parts, this book explores Shakespeare’s historicist use of
medieval Britain and Scotland in King John and Macbeth; ancient
Rome in Julius Caesar and Coriolanus; and Renaissance Europe
through Venice and Vienna in The Merchant of Venice, Othello and
Measure for Measure. Philip Goldfarb Styrt argues that settings are
a powerful component in Shakespeare’s worlds that not only
function as physical locations, but are a mechanism through which
he communicates the political and social orders of the plays.
Reading the plays in light of these social and political contexts
reveals Shakespeare’s dramatic method: how he used competing
cultural narratives about other cultures to situate the action of
his plays. These fresh insights encourage us to move away from
overly localized or universalized readings of the plays and
re-discover hidden moments and meanings that have long been
obscured.
General
Imprint: |
The Arden Shakespeare
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
December 2021 |
Authors: |
Philip Goldfarb Styrt
|
Dimensions: |
216 x 138mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
232 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-350-17397-2 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-350-17397-5 |
Barcode: |
9781350173972 |
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