Shakespeare's Freedom

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book Shakespeare's Freedom by Stephen Greenblatt, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stephen Greenblatt ISBN: 9780226306681
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: November 15, 2010
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Stephen Greenblatt
ISBN: 9780226306681
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: November 15, 2010
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

Shakespeare lived in a world of absolutes—of claims for the absolute authority of scripture, monarch, and God, and the authority of fathers over wives and children, the old over the young, and the gentle over the baseborn. With the elegance and verve for which he is well known, Stephen Greenblatt, author of the best-selling Will in the World, shows that Shakespeare was strikingly averse to such absolutes and constantly probed the possibility of freedom from them. Again and again, Shakespeare confounds the designs and pretensions of kings, generals, and churchmen. His aversion to absolutes even leads him to probe the exalted and seemingly limitless passions of his lovers.

Greenblatt explores this rich theme by addressing four of Shakespeare’s preoccupations across all the genres in which he worked. He first considers the idea of beauty in Shakespeare’s works, specifically his challenge to the cult of featureless perfection and his interest in distinguishing marks. He then turns to Shakespeare’s interest in murderous hatred, most famously embodied in Shylock but seen also in the character Bernardine in Measure for Measure. Next Greenblatt considers the idea of Shakespearean authority—that is, Shakespeare’s deep sense of the ethical ambiguity of power, including his own. Ultimately, Greenblatt takes up Shakespearean autonomy, in particular the freedom of artists, guided by distinctive forms of perception, to live by their own laws and to claim that their creations are singularly unconstrained.

A book that could only have been written by Stephen Greenblatt, Shakespeare’s Freedom is a wholly original and eloquent meditation by the most acclaimed and influential Shakespearean of our time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Shakespeare lived in a world of absolutes—of claims for the absolute authority of scripture, monarch, and God, and the authority of fathers over wives and children, the old over the young, and the gentle over the baseborn. With the elegance and verve for which he is well known, Stephen Greenblatt, author of the best-selling Will in the World, shows that Shakespeare was strikingly averse to such absolutes and constantly probed the possibility of freedom from them. Again and again, Shakespeare confounds the designs and pretensions of kings, generals, and churchmen. His aversion to absolutes even leads him to probe the exalted and seemingly limitless passions of his lovers.

Greenblatt explores this rich theme by addressing four of Shakespeare’s preoccupations across all the genres in which he worked. He first considers the idea of beauty in Shakespeare’s works, specifically his challenge to the cult of featureless perfection and his interest in distinguishing marks. He then turns to Shakespeare’s interest in murderous hatred, most famously embodied in Shylock but seen also in the character Bernardine in Measure for Measure. Next Greenblatt considers the idea of Shakespearean authority—that is, Shakespeare’s deep sense of the ethical ambiguity of power, including his own. Ultimately, Greenblatt takes up Shakespearean autonomy, in particular the freedom of artists, guided by distinctive forms of perception, to live by their own laws and to claim that their creations are singularly unconstrained.

A book that could only have been written by Stephen Greenblatt, Shakespeare’s Freedom is a wholly original and eloquent meditation by the most acclaimed and influential Shakespearean of our time.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Blowin' Up by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book The Design and Implementation of US Climate Policy by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Philosophy, Writing, and the Character of Thought by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book The Complete Tragedies, Volume 1 by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book The Man Who Thought He Was Napoleon by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Who Governs? by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Beethoven for a Later Age by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Treasuring the Gaze by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Metaphor and Musical Thought by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Jane Austen's Cults and Cultures by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Crime and Justice, Volume 47 by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Building for the Arts by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book Writing Science in Plain English by Stephen Greenblatt
Cover of the book How Life Began by Stephen Greenblatt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy