Shakespeare between Machiavelli and Hobbes

Dead Body Politics

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book Shakespeare between Machiavelli and Hobbes by Andrew Moore, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrew Moore ISBN: 9781498514088
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: August 29, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Andrew Moore
ISBN: 9781498514088
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: August 29, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

Shakespeare between Machiavelli and Hobbes explores Shakespeare’s political outlook by comparing some of the playwright’s best-known works to the works of Italian political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli and English social contract theorist Thomas Hobbes. By situating Shakespeare ‘between’ these two thinkers, the distinctly modern trajectory of the playwright’s work becomes visible. Throughout his career, Shakespeare interrogates the divine right of kings, absolute monarchy, and the metaphor of the body politic. Simultaneously he helps to lay the groundwork for modern politics through his dramatic explorations of consent, liberty, and political violence. We can thus understand Shakespeare’s corpus as a kind of eulogy: a funeral speech dedicated to outmoded and deficient theories of politics. We can also understand him as a revolutionary political thinker who, along with Machiavelli and Hobbes, reimagined the origins and ends of government. All three thinkers understood politics primarily as a response to our mortality. They depict politics as the art of managing and organizing human bodies—caring for their needs, making space for the satisfaction of desires, and protecting them from the threat of violent death. This book features new readings of Shakespeare’s plays that illuminate the playwright’s major political preoccupations and his investment in materialist politics.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Shakespeare between Machiavelli and Hobbes explores Shakespeare’s political outlook by comparing some of the playwright’s best-known works to the works of Italian political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli and English social contract theorist Thomas Hobbes. By situating Shakespeare ‘between’ these two thinkers, the distinctly modern trajectory of the playwright’s work becomes visible. Throughout his career, Shakespeare interrogates the divine right of kings, absolute monarchy, and the metaphor of the body politic. Simultaneously he helps to lay the groundwork for modern politics through his dramatic explorations of consent, liberty, and political violence. We can thus understand Shakespeare’s corpus as a kind of eulogy: a funeral speech dedicated to outmoded and deficient theories of politics. We can also understand him as a revolutionary political thinker who, along with Machiavelli and Hobbes, reimagined the origins and ends of government. All three thinkers understood politics primarily as a response to our mortality. They depict politics as the art of managing and organizing human bodies—caring for their needs, making space for the satisfaction of desires, and protecting them from the threat of violent death. This book features new readings of Shakespeare’s plays that illuminate the playwright’s major political preoccupations and his investment in materialist politics.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Unsustainable by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Visions of Solidarity by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Peace on Earth by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Environmental Justice and Activism in Indianapolis by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Moldova by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Communicator-in-Chief by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book The EU and the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict 1971–2013 by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Nordic Narratives of Nature and the Environment by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book A Free Society Reader by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Augustine and Kierkegaard by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Feminisms and Ruralities by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Postphenomenological Investigations by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Cosmos and the Rhetoric of Popular Science by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book The Arguments of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason by Andrew Moore
Cover of the book Politics and the Twitter Revolution by Andrew Moore
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy