Shakespeare's Tragic SkepticismReaders of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies have long noted the absence of readily explainable motivations for some of Shakespeare's greatest characters: why does Hamlet delay his revenge for so long? Why does King Lear choose to renounce his power? Why is Othello so vulnerable to Iago's malice? But while many critics have chosen to overlook these omissions or explain them away, Millicent Bell demonstrates that they are essential elements of Shakespeare's philosophy of doubt. Examining the major tragedies, Millicent Bell reveals the persistent strain of philosophical skepticism. Like his contemporary, Montaigne, Shakespeare repeatedly calls attention to the essential unknowability of our world. In a period of social, political, and religious upheaval, uncertainty hovered over matters great and small--the succession of the crown, the death of loved ones from plague, the failure of a harvest. Tumultuous social conditions raised ultimate questions for Shakespeare, Bell argues, and ultimately provoked in him a skepticism which casts shadows of existential doubt over his greatest masterpieces. |
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Page vii
... , Revenge ! 29 two Othello's Jealousy 80 three " Unaccommodated " Lear 138 four Macbeth's Deeds 191 epilogue The Roman Frame 241 Selected Bibliography 279 Preface Shakespeare's Tragic Skepticism has an ambitious aim . In.
... , Revenge ! 29 two Othello's Jealousy 80 three " Unaccommodated " Lear 138 four Macbeth's Deeds 191 epilogue The Roman Frame 241 Selected Bibliography 279 Preface Shakespeare's Tragic Skepticism has an ambitious aim . In.
Page xi
... Roman plays . Criticism has tended to overlook the apparent inconsistencies , gaps , and contradictions in Shakespeare's tragedies which I see not as faults of craft but as part of Shakespeare's poetic - dramatic ver- sion of reality ...
... Roman plays . Criticism has tended to overlook the apparent inconsistencies , gaps , and contradictions in Shakespeare's tragedies which I see not as faults of craft but as part of Shakespeare's poetic - dramatic ver- sion of reality ...
Page 11
... Roman Catholic again under Mary Tudor ; and Protestant again under Henry's third child , Elizabeth . It was also true that though religious faith was more in- tense than it had been for centuries , this faith had the daunting task of ...
... Roman Catholic again under Mary Tudor ; and Protestant again under Henry's third child , Elizabeth . It was also true that though religious faith was more in- tense than it had been for centuries , this faith had the daunting task of ...
Page 27
... Roman plays " that enclose these four in the sequence of Shakespeare's pro- duction to see what relation they bear to the great tragedies . When Hamlet was first presented in 1599 , Julius Caesar , written earlier in the year , was ...
... Roman plays " that enclose these four in the sequence of Shakespeare's pro- duction to see what relation they bear to the great tragedies . When Hamlet was first presented in 1599 , Julius Caesar , written earlier in the year , was ...
Page 28
... Roman his- tory and the contradictons of historical record that inspired Shake- speare . As in Plutarch , the relation of social power to self - definition seems already unresolvable in Julius Caesar and continues to be a difficult ...
... Roman his- tory and the contradictons of historical record that inspired Shake- speare . As in Plutarch , the relation of social power to self - definition seems already unresolvable in Julius Caesar and continues to be a difficult ...
Contents
Hamlet Revenge | 29 |
Othellos Jealousy | 80 |
Unaccommodated Lear | 138 |
Macbeths Deeds | 191 |
The Roman Frame | 241 |
Selected Bibliography | 279 |
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action actor ambiguous ambition Antony and Cleopatra Antony's appears asks audience Banquo blood Brabantio Brutus called Cassio cause character Claudius Cordelia crime daughters death deed denies Desdemona doubt dramatic Duncan Edgar Edmund Emilia expressed faith false father feel fideism Florio Folio Fool Fortinbras fourth act ghost Gloucester Goneril Hamlet hath hear Holinshed Horatio human Iago Iago's idea identity imagination jealousy Julius Caesar Kent killed King Lear Lady Macbeth Laertes lago Lear's Macduff Machiavellian madness Malcolm marriage meaning mind Montaigne Montaigne's motive murder nature never observed Ophelia Othello philosophic skepticism play's playwright plot Plutarch Polonius prophecy Quarto reference Regan reminds revenge Roderigo role Roman royal says scene seems selfhood sense sexual Shake Shakespeare Shakespeare's play skepticism social soliloquy someone speaks speare's stage story suggested tells theater theatrical things thou thought tion tragedy tragic trial true truth witchcraft witches word