Cartesian theaters, Shakespearean minds : finding Descartes on the early modern stage / Nathan Pensky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pensky, Nathan, author.

Series:

Edinburgh critical studies in Shakespeare and philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Descartes, René, 1596-1650.

Descartes, René.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Shakespeare, William.

English drama--Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600--History and criticism--Theory, etc.

English drama.

Theater--History--16th century.

Theater.

Theater--History--17th century.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, [2026]

Summary:

Reassesses Cartesian subjectivity as an important critical lens for the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporariesA comprehensive discussion of the importance of late medieval philosophies on mind and human causality, and early modern Cartesian rationalism, as they apply to early modern dramaContextualizes early modern drama within these intellectual historiesDraws particular focus on theories of subjectivity and materialityMost scholars of early modern English literature consider Cartesian rationalism to be a poor theoretical lens. Though René Descartes figures as one of the most important philosophers in the early modern period, and in the history of philosophy itself, he has received scorn from literary scholars of the Renaissance who have become skeptical of "heroes of subjectivity." Cartesian Theaters, Shakespearean Minds challenges the commonplace dichotomy between Cartesian subjectivity and early modern material culture and reconsiders Descartes as a foundational figure in early modern literary studies. It corrects outdated readings by scholars that would position him as a champion of disembodied mind. Instead, Nathan Pensky argues that both Descartes and Shakespeare, as well as several of the latter's contemporaries, draw from overlapping philosophical histories, and that the mind-body problem as evident in early modern drama clearly anticipates Cartesian thought.

Contents:

Introduction : Exorcising the ghost in the machine

Devilish entertainment and divine thoughts in Doctor Faustus

Mind, intension, and wordplay in Endymion and Love’s Labour’s Lost

Hal as Cartesian anti-hero in Shakespeare’s Henriad

The phenomenology of revenge in The Spanish Tragedy

Imagining Descartes in Hamlet and Othello

Coda : Narrative at the intersection of being and seeming.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed April 3, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Pensky, Nathan. Cartesian theaters, Shakespearean minds.

ISBN:

9781399556972

1399556975

9781399556989

1399556983

9781399556996

1399556991

OCLC:

1573657684

Publisher Number:

CIPO000340800

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license