Shakespeare and the Political Way
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:10th Sep '20
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Studies of Shakespeare and politics often ask the question whether his dramas are on the side of aristocratic or monarchical sovereign authority, or are on the side of those who resist; whether he endorses a standard view of male and patriarchal authority, or whether his cross-dressing heroines put him among feminist thinkers. Scholars also show that Shakespeare's representations of rule, revolt, and arguments about laws and constitutions draw on and allude to stories and real events that were contemporaneous for him, as well as historical ones. Building on scholarship about Shakespeare and politics, this book argues that Shakespeare's representations and stagings of political power, sovereignty, resistance, and controversy are more complex. The merits of political life, as opposed to life governed by monetary exchange, religious truth, supernatural power, military heroism, or interpersonal love, are rehearsed in the plots. And the clashing and contradictory meanings of politics -- its association with free truthful speech but also with dishonest hypocrisy, with open action and argument as much as occult behind the scenes manoevring -- are dramatized by him, to show that although violence, lies, and authoritarianism do often win out in the world there is another kind of politics, and a political way that we would do well to follow when we can. The book offers original readings of the characters and plots of Shakespeare's dramas in order to illustrate the subtlety of his pictures of political power, how it works, and what is wrong and right with it.
This illuminating book analyzes the full range of human relationships, divisions, and conflicts represented by Shakespeare through the lens of political theory. By exploring the problems that animate the plays, Frazer reveals not only that dramatic action is fundamentally political, but also that the meaning of politics is by its nature contested. * András Kiséry, Associate Professor of English, CCNY *
This is a timely, important book for students, audiences, makers and professors of Shakespeare. It reminds us that Shakespeare's plays survive because they show us how we should and shouldn't operate: not just as individuals, but as families, as communities, as nations. * Dr Deana Rankin, Senior Lecturer in Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature, Royal Holloway, University of London *
This illuminating book analyzes the full range of human relationships, divisions, and conflicts represented by Shakespeare through the lens of political theory. By exploring the problems that animate the plays, Frazer reveals not only that dramatic action is fundamentally political, but also that the meaning of politics is by its nature contested. * András Kiséry, Associate Professor of English, CCNY *
Elizabeth Frazer's wide-ranging and accessible study offers an engaging analysis of the "politic" contexts of Shakespearean drama.Insightfully situating Shakespearean texts in relation to ongoing histories of political life, Shakespeare and the Political Way appeals to readers across disciplines, in Shakespeare studies as well as intellectual history and political theory. * Mark Netzloff, Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee *
This is a book that illuminates both what we - now - mean by politics and what Shakespeare was telling us about the strengths and weaknesses of 'the political way'. It's a great read for theatre-goers and students of politics alike, and an especiallygood read for those of us who are both. * Anne Phillips, Graham Wallas Professor of Political Science, LSE *
ISBN: 9780198848615
Dimensions: 235mm x 163mm x 20mm
Weight: 568g
288 pages