Tyrant

Shakespeare on Politics

De: Stephen Greenblatt

Narrado por: Edoardo Ballerini

World-renowned Shakespeare scholar Stephen Greenblatt explores the playwright's insight into bad (and often mad) rulers.

As an aging, tenacious Elizabeth I clung to power, a talented playwright probed the social causes, the psychological roots, and the twisted consequences of tyranny. In exploring the psyche (and psychoses) of the likes of Richard III, Macbeth, Lear, Coriolanus, and the societies they rule over, Stephen Greenblatt illuminates the ways in which William Shakespeare delved into the lust for absolute power and the catastrophic consequences of its execution.

Cherished institutions seem fragile, political classes are in disarray, economic misery fuels populist anger, people knowingly accept being lied to, partisan rancor dominates, spectacular indecency rules - these aspects of a society in crisis fascinated Shakespeare and shaped some of his most memorable plays. With uncanny insight, he shone a spotlight on the infantile psychology and unquenchable narcissistic appetites of demagogues - and the cynicism and opportunism of the various enablers and hangers-on who surround them - and imagined how they might be stopped. As Greenblatt shows, Shakespeare's work, in this as in so many other ways, remains vitally relevant today.

©2018 Stephen Greenblatt (P)2018 Recorded Books

Worthwhile read.

Outstanding, interesting, and shows just how relevant Shakespeare still is and always will be. Take the time to read this one if you like both Shakespeare and the study of human behavior.

Scholarship and presentation

The authors Innovation and thoughtful insights into how politics mark a community make this book relevant for our day.

Timely essay on Shakespeare's tyrants

Greenblatt's scholarly elucidation of Shakespeare's tyrants implicitly comment on the spectacle of Trump. Masterful and thoroughly enjoyable.

Necessary reading for our troubled times

Brilliantly written, Greenblatt ties Shakespeare’s tyrants and their storylines to today’s current American political quagmire.

Brilliant book read brilliantly

Greenblatt has achieved a marvelous synthesis of the plays as commentary on our current political condition. Without naming any of the present offenders of our political order, he powerfully condemns them, while illuminating the deeper meaning of the plays. The audio presentation is equal to the brilliant text
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