The Critics Versus Shakspere

In this book, the author attempts to make sense of Shakespeare's critics and develop a view of Shakespeare's art. He analyses some of the major critical approaches to specific plays and inquires into the source of the range, variety, and contradictory nature of critical response.

A challenging critique of academic culture and its blindspots

This open-minded study interrogates the notion of Shakespeare's plays as flawless masterpieces.

Previous criticism has not adequately discussed oriental aspects of the content of Shakespearean drama. In addition to his portrayal of oriental figures (such as Cleopatra, Othello, and Shylock) and his use of literary genres and motifs that have roots in oriental tradition (such as that of the tragic romance in Romeo and Juliet, there are certain key elements in Shakespeare's thought and outlook that can only be properly understood within the larger contribution of the oriental legacy. This legacy has clear relevance not only to the exemplary fate of the lovers in Romeo and Juliet, but also to the destinies of such major Shakespearean heroes as Hamlet and Lear. Shakespeare, the Orient, and the Critics investigates the boundaries of oriental framework within works such as Hamlet, King Lear, and The Tempest. Stylistically, at the heart of Shakespeare's orientalism are two long-recognized features of his dramatic art: his predilection for reversing stereotypes and his sympathy and identification with the alien and the «other.» This can be most clearly seen in the love tragedies of Othello and Anthony and Cleopatra as well as the romantic comedy of The Merchant of Venice. Ultimately, the philosophic underpinning of such works is a special expression of Renaissance humanism that transcends the boundaries of class, race, and culture.

The Critics Versus Shakespeare is a great literary criticism volume about the critical reaction to the works of William Shakespeare. "Ben Jonson said that Shakspeare "wanted art"; the highest appellate court decided that "Lear" was a greater work than Euripides or Sophocles ever produced. Voltaire, the presiding Justice in the court of French criticism, decided that Shakspere was "votre bizarre sauvage;" the world has reversed his decision, and everywhere, except perhaps in France, the "Henriade" is neglected for "Hamlet."

The plays, theme or focus of this volume includes: HamletHenry VIIIA Midsummer's Night DreamThe Rape of Lucrece