Shakespeare Against War

Pacifist Readings

By: Robert White

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Hardcover | 31 May 2024

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Hardcover
304 Pages

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23.4 x 15.6 x 2.4

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Whilst Shakespearean drama provides eloquent calls to war, more often than not these are undercut or outweighed by compelling appeals to peaceful alternatives conveyed through narrative structure, dramatic context and poetic utterance.

Placing Shakespeare's works in the history of pacifist thought, Robert White argues that Shakespeare's plays consistently challenge appeals to heroism and revenge and reveal the brutal futility of war. White also examines Shakespeare's interest in the mental states of military officers when their ingrained training is tested in love relationships. In imagery and themes, war infiltrates love, with problematical consequences, reflected in Shakespeare's comedies, histories and tragedies alike. Challenging a critical orthodoxy that military engagement in war is an inevitable and necessary condition, White draws analogies with the experience of modern warfare, showing the continuing relevance of Shakespeare's plays which deal with basic issues of war and peace that are still evident.

Industry Reviews

In a world where the humanities are under attack, Robert White's Shakespeare Against War is a reminder of the crucial importance of literary studies: ranging generously across the playwright's work, it invites us, as denizens of a burning planet whose leaders seem committed to endless war, to re-read Shakespeare as a fierce interrogator of militaristic values.--Michael Neill, University of Auckland

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