The pragmatics of early modern politics : power and kingship in Shakespeare's history plays / Urszula Kizelbach.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kizelbach, Urszula, author.

Series:

Costerus New Series 206.

Costerus New Series ; 206

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain--Politics and government--1485-1603.

Great Britain.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Criticism and interpretation.

Shakespeare, William.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (291 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam, Netherlands ; New York : Rodopi, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Early modern kings adopted a new style of government, Realpolitik , as spelled out in Machiavelli’s writings. Tudor monarchs, well aware of their questionable right to the throne, posed as great dissimulators, similarly to the modern prince who “must learn from the fox and the lion”. This book paints a portrait of a successful politician according to early modern standards. Kingship is no longer understood as a divinely ordained institution, but is defined as goal-oriented policy-making, relying on conscious acting and the theatrical display of power. The volume offers an intriguing discussion on kingship in pragmatic terms, as the strategic face-saving behaviour of Shakespeare’s kings. It also demonstrates how an efficient or inefficient management of the king’s political face could decide his success or failure as a monarch, and how the Renaissance world of Shakespeare’s history plays is combined with modern theories of communication, politeness and face.

Contents:

Preliminary Material

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

CRITICAL APPROACHES TO POWER, KINGSHIP AND HISTORY IN THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

POWER, POLITICS AND THE ELIZABETHAN WORLD PICTURE IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND

THE RENAISSANCE IDEA OF KINGSHIP

SHAKESPEARE AND THE QUESTION OF HISTORY

INTRODUCTION: SHAKESPEARE’S KINGS ON STAGE, AND QUEEN ELIZABETH’S ROLE PLAY IN REAL LIFE

“A WOEFUL PAGEANT HAVE WE HERE BEHELD”: ACTORS ON STAGE IN RICHARD III AND RICHARD II

“I AM RICHARD II, KNOW YE NOT THAT?”: QUEEN ELIZABETH I AND HER POLITICAL ROLE PLAYING

INTRODUCTION: PRAGMATIC STRATEGIES OF PERFORMING KINGSHIP IN THE HISTORY PLAYS

THE THEORETICAL GROUNDING OF POLITENESS AND IMPOLITENESS

“CHARISMAS IN CONFLICT” IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR POWER

THE PRAGMATICS OF POLITICS AND THE REFORMATION OF PRINCE HAL IN 1 AND 2 HENRY IV AND HENRY V

CONCLUSION

FIGURES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Appeared earlier in the COSTERUS NS series.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed December 19, 2014).

ISBN:

94-012-1166-3

OCLC:

897069634

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789401211666 DOI