The plays of Shakespeare : a thematic guide / Victor L. Cahn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cahn, Victor L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Outlines, syllabi, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (376 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Touching viewers and readers with his presentation of social, moral, and political issues, Shakespeare holds ageless and unequaled appeal primarily because of the universal themes at the heart of his dramatic works. Shakespeare scholar Victor Cahn takes a unique approach to exploring the plays by identifying and explicating the themes that recur throughout the canon. Written in lively language, each of the 35 essays explores a core theme or topic and discusses its implications in several key plays in which it figures prominently. This user-friendly guide not only allows readers to better understand the significance of concepts such as power, politics, marriage or money; the organization by theme also helps users to compare and contrast these important topics across relevant plays. Cahn draws vivid connections between related works of Shakespeare, but just as importantly, enlightens readers as to the pertinence of these themes in contemporary life. While this thematic guide examines all of Shakespeare's plays, particular attention is devoted to those works most often read by students; the tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Macbeth, the comedies including A Midsummer Night's Dream and Merchant of Venice, as well as the historical plays like Richard II, and the romantic works such as The Tempest. Students who wish to investigate a particular play in greater depth can refer to this book's title index to identify all citations of that work. This valuable literary resource serves myriad uses, enabling students to trace the thread of a theme, to compare its treatment in several plays, and to understand better a play, its characters, plot and language, by examining Shakespeare's central themes.

Contents:

Cover

THE PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE

Contents

Introduction

Acting

Appearance versus Reality

Clerics

Commoners

Cynicism

Divine Right

Fate

Fathers and Daughters

Fidelity

Fools

Forgiveness

Gender

Generations

Honor

Innocence

Intoxication

Justice

Language

Love and Romance

Machiavels

Madness

Male Friendship

Marriage

Money

Mortality

Nationalistic Pride and Prejudice

Nature

Order

Politics

Power

Reason versus Passion

Revenge

Supernatural Phenomena

The Tragic Flaw

War

Conclusion

Further Reading

BIOGRAPHIES

THEATRICAL AND INTELLECTUAL BACKGROUND

GENERAL STUDIES

THE TRAGEDIES

THE HISTORIES

THE COMEDIES

THE ROMANCES

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 347-348) and index.

ISBN:

9798400697357

9780313000294

0313000298

OCLC:

608179289