Shakespeare's Political Pageant Essays in Politics and Literature

by Alulis, Joseph; Alulis, Joseph; Bathory, Dennis; Cantor, Paul A.; Colmo, Christopher; Davis, Michael; Fuller, Timothy; Jensen, Pamela K.; Lowenthal, David; Spiekerman, Tim; Sullivan, Vickie; Tovey, Barbara; Zuckert, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780847682904
• ISBN10: 0847682900
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-08-30
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Literary works, through their very personal means of characterization, reveal the direct effect of politics on individuals in a way a political treatise cannot. The distinguished contributors to this volume share the belief that Shakespeare is the author who most effectively sets forth the multifarious pageant of politics. Shakespeare's rich canon presents monarchy and republic, tyrant and king, thinker and soldier, and Christian and pagan. The twelve essays in Shakespeare's Political Pageant discuss a broad range of Shakespeare's dramatic poetry from the perspective of the political theorist. This innovative book demonstrates the immense value of seeing Shakespeare's plays in the context of political philosophy. It will be an important source for students and scholars of both political science and literature.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
The New Medea: On Portia's Comic Triumph in The Merchant of Venice	p. 3
Fathers and Children: Matter, Mirth, and Melancholy in As You Like It	p. 37
Wisdom and the Law: Thoughts on the Political Philosophy of Measure for Measure	p. 61
The Portrait of Athens in A Midsummer Night's Dream	p. 77
Coming Home: The Political Settlement in Shakespeare's King John	p. 91
The Education of Hal: Henry IV, Parts One and Two	p. 103
Princes to Act: Henry V as the Machiavellian Prince of Appearance	p. 125
"This Is Venice": Politics in Shakespeare's Othello	p. 155
King Lear: The Tragic Disjunction of Wisdom and Power	p. 189
The Relation of Thought and Action in Macbeth	p. 209
Courage and Impotence in Macbeth	p. 219
"With Himself at War": Shakespeare's Roman Hero and the Republican Tradition	p. 237
Index	p. 263
About the Contributors	p. 275
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.