The Plays of Shakespeare: A Thematic GuideTouching 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. |
From inside the book
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... accept how marriage and reconciliation , comic forms of forgiveness , might occur under such cir- cumstances . Forgiveness does not conclude every play , however . At the end of Othello , for instance , the title character has been ...
... accept that every play will conclude with the death of at least one major character . What we find much harder to accept is that other characters , some quite peripheral to the main ac- tion , may also forfeit their lives : not because ...
... accept her innocence : There is no truth at all i ' th ' oracle . The sessions shall proceed ; this is mere ... accepting his son's passing as punishment for his own sins : " I have too much believ'd mine own suspicion " ( III , ii , 151 ) ...