Shakespeare's Ideas More Things in Heaven and Earth [Hardcover]

An in-depth exploration, through his plays and poems, of the philosophy of Shakespeare as a great poet, a great dramatist and a great mind .

• Written by a leading Shakespearean scholar
• Discusses an array of topics, including sex and gender, politics and political theory, writing and acting, religious controversy and issues of faith, skepticism and misanthropy, and closure
• Explores Shakespeare as a great poet, a great dramatist and a great mind

Acknowledgements ix

1 A Natural Philosopher 1

2 Lust in Action
Shakespeare's Ideas on Sex and Gender 15

3 What is Honour?
Shakespeare's Ideas on Politics and Political Theory 42

4 Hold the Mirror Up to Nature
Shakespeare's Ideas on Writing and Acting 74

5 What Form of Prayer Can Serve My Turn?
Shakespeare’s Ideas on Religious Controversy and Issues of Faith 106

6 Is Man No More Than This?
Shakespeare's Ideas on Scepticism, Doubt, Stoicism, Pessimism, Misanthropy 143

7 Here Our Play Has Ending
Ideas of Closure in the Late Plays 177

8 Credo 213

Further Reading 218

Index 227

Bevington sees a development in how important Shakespeare felt certain topics were, and so the structure of the book is both chronological and thematic, beginning with the early romances and ending with the dark eschatology of the last plays. (English, December 2010)

A personal and passionate reading of the author, unwilling to look for conclusions where there are none. Humane, wise and almost infuriatingly jul£