Overview

"This study argues that Shakespeare was as great a philosopher as he was a poet, and that his greatness as a poet derived even more from his power as a thinker than from his genius for linguistic expression. Accordingly, Leon Craig's interpretations of the plays - focusing primarily on ""Macbeth"" and ""King Lear"", but including extensive comments on ""Othello"", ""The Winter's Tale"", and ""Measure for Measure"" - are intended to demonstrate what can be gained from reading Shakespeare ""philosophically"". Shakespeare, Craig argues, had a persistent fascination with the relationship between politics and philosophy, and even more precisely, with the idea of a philosophical ruler. ""Macbeth"" and ""King Lear"" are given detailed exposition for the special light they cast on tensions between philosophy and politics, knowledge and power."

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9780802035714

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Reviews

'This is an excellent book, one of the best attempts I have seen to look at Shakespeare's plays in light of political philosophy. Indeed it suggests that Shakespeare had his own contribution to make to political philosophy. The book is at once thoughtful, insightful, provocative and eye-opening, and it should be of interest to anyone concerned with Shakespeare.' -- Paul Cantor Department of English, University of Virginia 'Craig has articulated a powerful theory that may serve as a guide for a great deal of subsequent interpretation of Shakespeare's plays, and in doing so, he has provided a touchstone by which many contemporary studies of the political importance and understanding of Shakespeare may be (and should be) judged.' -- Joseph Lane The Review of Politics

Author Information

Leon Harold Craig is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta.

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