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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A Thematic Guide Victor L. Cahn. Nature In Shakespeare's time , as well as in our own , " nature " has several im- plications . We may invoke the phrase " human nature " when we speak of the physical and psychological properties that ...
... nature that makes these hard hearts ? ( III , vi , 76–78 ) He questions the core of his faith . How can nature , in whose benign qualities he has always believed , create monstrous children who commit such evil against their father ...
... nature , 258-60 ; and order , 269 ; and supernatural phenomena , 320-22 ; and tragic flaw , 330 Macbeth , Lady : and fate , 67 , 69 ; and gender roles , 107–9 , 110 ; and mar- riage , 223 , 224 ; and mortality , 243 ; and nature , 259 ...