Shakespeare's Politics

by Allan Bloom, Harry V. Jaffa

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Taking the classical view that the political shapes man's consciousness, Allan Bloom considers Shakespeare as a profoundly political Renaissance dramatist. He aims to recover Shakespeare's ideas and beliefs and to make his work once again a recognized source for the serious study of moral and political problems. In essays looking at Julius Caesar, Othello, and The Merchant of Venice, Bloom shows how Shakespeare presents a picture of man that does not assume privileged access for only show more literary criticism. With this claim, he argues that political philosophy offers a comprehensive framework within which the problems of the Shakespearean heroes can be viewed. In short, he argues that Shakespeare was an eminently political author. Also included is an essay by Harry V. Jaffa on the limits of politics in King Lear. "A very good book indeed . . . one which can be recommended to all who are interested in Shakespeare." —G. P. V. Akrigg "This series of essays reminded me of the scope and depth of Shakespeare's original vision. One is left with the impression that Shakespeare really had figured out the answers to some important questions many of us no longer even know to ask."-Peter A. Thiel, CEO, PayPal, Wall Street Journal Allan Bloom was the John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor on the Committee on Social Thought and the co-director of the John M. Olin Center for Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy at the University of Chicago. Harry V. Jaffa is professor emeritus at Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate School. show less

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17+ Works 5,665 Members
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Harry V. Jaffa is the Henry Salvatori Professor of Political Philosophy Emeritus at Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate University, a Distinguished Fellow of the Claremont Institute, and the author of ten books. He lives in Claremont, California. (Bowker Author Biography)

Common Knowledge

People/Characters
William Shakespeare

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, Literature Studies and Criticism, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
822.33Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesEnglish drama1558-1625 Elizabethan periodWilliam Shakespeare
LCC
PR3017 .B55Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish LiteratureEnglish renaissance (1500-1640)
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Statistics

Members
112
Popularity
288,856
Rating
½ (4.60)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
3
ASINs
1