Shakespeare and the Classics demonstrates that the classics are of central importance in Shakespeare's plays and in the structure of his imagination. Written by an international team of Shakespeareans and classicists, this book investigates Shakespeare's classicism and shows how he used a variety of classical books to explore such crucial areas of human experience as love, politics, ethics, and history. The book focuses on Shakespeare's favourite classical authors, especially Ovid, Virgil, Seneca, Plautus and Terence, and, in translation only, Plutarch. Attention is also paid to the humanist background and to Shakespeare's knowledge of Greek literature and culture. The final section, from the perspective of reception, examines how Shakespeare's classicism was seen and used by later writers. This accessible book offers the most rounded and comprehensive treatment of Shakespeare's classicism currently available and will be a useful first port of call for students and others approaching the subject.

Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: Shakespeare and the Classics
Pages: 00334 (Encrypted PDF)
On Sale: 2004-08-12
SKU-13/ISBN: 9780521823456
Category: Literary Criticism : English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
Category: Drama : Shakespeare
Category: Literary Collections : General