Description
Book SynopsisExplores the challenges of maintaining bonds, living up to ideals, and fulfilling desire in Shakespeare's plays In Thinking About Shakespeare, Kay Stockholder reveals the rich inner lives of some of Shakespeare's most enigmatic characters and the ways in which their emotions and actions shape and are shaped by the social and political world around them. In addressing all genres in the Shakespeare canon, the authors explore the possibility of people being constant to each other in many different kinds of relationships: those of lovers, kings and subjects, friends, and business partners. While some bonds are irrevocably broken, many are reaffirmed. In all cases, the authors offer insight into what drives Shakespeare's characters to do what they do, what draws them together or pulls them apart, and the extent to which bonds can ever be eternal. Ultimately, the most durable bond may be between the playwright and the audience, whereby the playwright pleases and the audience approves. The
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vi
Introduction: True Minds vii
Amy Scott
1 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1
2 Romeo and Juliet 16
3 The Merchant of Venice 27
4 Richard II 43
5 The Henry IV Plays 58
6 Hamlet 74
7 Troilus and Cressida 94
8 Othello 113
9 Macbeth 127
10 King Lear 146
11 Antony and Cleopatra 164
12 The Tempest 184
Epilogue 206
Prospero and Shakespeare
Index
