Making Sense Of Shakespeare

He argues that Lear's "howl," for example, targets and rewards physical hearing, physical speaking, and their accompanying emotions as somatically connected to current or remembered sensations in mouth, throat, and lungs."--BOOK JACKET.

Etymologically speaking, the words “know” and “narrate” share a common ancestry.Making Sense in Shakespeare examines some of the ways in which this distant kinship comes into play in Shakespearean drama. The argument of the book is that at a time in European cultural history in which the problem of knowledge was a matter of intensifying philosophical concern, Shakespeare too was in his own way exploring the possibilities and shortcomings of the various interpretative models that can be applied to experience so as to make it intelligible. While modes of understanding based upon such notions as those of naturalistic causality or rational human agency are shown to be inadequate in Shakespeare's plays, his characters often impart form and significance to their experience through what are essentially narrative means, projecting stories onto events in order to make sense of them and to direct their activity accordingly. Narrative thus plays a crucial role in the construction of meaning in Shakespeare's plays, although at the same time, as the author emphasizes, his works are no less concerned to illustrate the perils inherent in the narrativizing strategies deployed by their protagonists which often render them self-defeating and even destructive in the end.

How can you appreciate Shakespeare when you have no idea what he’s saying?! If you’ve ever sat down with the Bard and found yourself scratching your head at words like Quondam, Younker, or Ebon then this bundled book is just for you! Inside you will find a comprehensive study guide, a biography about the life and times of Shakespeare, and a modern retelling (along with the original text) of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Each section of this book may also be purchased individually.

A genius and prophet whose timeless works encapsulate the human condition like no others. A writer who surpassed his contemporaries in vision, originality and literary mastery. Who wrote like an angel, putting it all so much better than anyone else. Is this Shakespeare? Well, sort of. But it doesn't really tell us the whole truth. So much of what we say about Shakespeare is either not true, or just not relevant, deflecting us from investigating the challenges of his inconsistencies and flaws. This electrifying new book thrives on revealing, not resolving, the ambiguities of Shakespeare's plays and their changing topicality. It introduces an intellectually, theatrically and ethically exciting writer who engages with intersectionality as much as with Ovid, with economics as much as poetry: who writes in strikingly modern ways about individual agency, privacy, politics, celebrity and sex. It takes us into a world of politicking and copy-catting, as we watch him emulating the blockbusters of Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd, the Spielberg and Tarantino of their day; flirting with and skirting round the cut-throat issues of succession politics, religious upheaval and technological change. The Shakespeare in this book poses awkward questions rather than offering bland answers, always implicating us in working out what it might mean. This is Shakespeare. And he needs your attention.

This book provides a bridge between Shakespeare Studies and classical social theory, opening up readings of Shakespeare to a new audience outside of literary studies and the humanities. Shakespeare has long been known as a 'great thinker' and this book reads his plays through the lens of an anthropologist, revealing new connections between Shakespeare's plays and the lives we now lead. Close readings of a selection of frequently studied plays - Hamlet, The Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar and King Lear - engage with the plays in detail while connecting them with some of the biggest questions we all ask ourselves, about love, friendship, ritual, language, human interactions and the world around us. The plays are examined through various social theories including performance theory, cognitive theory, semiotics, exchange theory and structuralism. The book concludes with a consideration of how "the new astronomy" of his day and developments in optics changed the very idea of "perspective," and shaped Shakespeare's approach to embedding social theory in his dramatic texts. This accessible and engaging book will appeal to those approaching Shakespeare from outside literary studies, but will also be valuable to literature students approaching Shakespeare for the first time, or looking for a new angle on the plays.

How can you appreciate Shakespeare when you have no idea what he’s saying?! If you’ve ever sat down with the Bard and found yourself scratching your head at words like Quondam, Younker, or Ebon then this bundled book is just for you! Inside you will find a comprehensive study guide, a biography about the life and times of Shakespeare, and a modern retelling (along with the original text) of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream. Each section of this book may also be purchased individually.

How can you appreciate Shakespeare when you have no idea what he’s saying?! If you’ve ever sat down with the Bard and found yourself scratching your head at words like Quondam, Younker, or Ebon then this bundled book is just for you! Inside you will find a comprehensive study guide, a biography about the life and times of Shakespeare, and a modern retelling (along with the original text) of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Each section of this book may also be purchased individually.

How can you appreciate Shakespeare when you have no idea what he’s saying?! If you’ve ever sat down with the Bard and found yourself scratching your head at words like Quondam, Younker, or Ebon then this bundled book is just for you! Inside you will find a comprehensive study guide, a biography about the life and times of Shakespeare, and a modern retelling (along with the original text) of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Each section of this book may also be purchased individually.