Shakespeare's Culture of Violence [Hardcover]

In this book, Derek Cohen studies the relationship of Shakespearean drama to the Western culture of violence. He argues that violence is an inherent feature and form of patriarchy and that its production and control is one of the dominant motives of the political system. Shakespeare's plays supply examples of the way in which the patriarchy of his plays - and hence, perhaps, of modern Western culture - absorbs, naturalizes, and legitimizes violence in its attempts to maintain political control over its subjects.Introduction - The Containment of Monarchy: Richard II - The Legitimation of Violence in 1 Henry I - The Culture of Violence in 2 Henry IV - Monopolizing Violence: Henry V - The Rape of Lavinia - The Killing of Cordelia - The Murder of Desdemona - Conclusion: Macbeth - IndexDerek Cohen