The Insufficiency of Virtue
Macbeth and the Natural Order
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield
Published:22nd Aug '96
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The first scene-by-scene philosophical study of any Shakespeare play, this book demonstrates why Shakespeare's poetic writings still arouse and sustain serious inquiry and reflection. Using a combination of philosophical rigor, political insight, and textual thoroughness, Jan H. Blits delineates the competing forms of virtue within Macbeth—the courageous public virtue of warriors like Macbeth and the internal Christian virtue evoked by Duncan. This new interpretation of Macbeth explains crucial paradoxes overlooked by previous scholars and will serve as a model for future scholarship in the field.
Jan Blits writes as carefully as he reads. From the smallest ingredients of the witches' brew to the broadest political and moral questions, this thoughtful interpretation is a marvelous guide to Shakespeare's craft and thought. -- Mera J. Flaumenhaft, St. John's College, Annapolis
A most uncommon combination of meticulous detail and interpretative breadth, The Insufficiency of Virtue grasps the consequences of Shakespeare's meditation on natural virtue, fortune, necessity, monarchy, and Christianity in Macbeth. Because Blits takes nothing for granted, his masterfully detailed scrutiny of Macbeth enables readers to rediscover a play they may have thought they knew well. -- John Alvis, professor and director, American Studies Program, University of Dallas
This is an impressive book—elegantly written, thorough, and provocative. -- Michael Davis, Sarah Lawrence College
ISBN: 9780847682515
Dimensions: 228mm x 149mm x 14mm
Weight: 322g
296 pages