{"product_id":"thinking-through-shakespeare-9780691154107","title":"Thinking Through Shakespeare","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow Shakespeare's exploration of central human questions--about identity, politics, religion and right and wrong--explains his lasting power, popularity and relevance\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson famously argued that Shakespeare is enduringly popular because he \"is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life.\" Johnson's view largely prevailed until the late twentieth century, when it was challenged by a growing scepticism about the existence of a general human nature. In \u003ci\u003eThinking Through Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e, eminent literary critic David Womersley pushes back against this change by exploring how Shakespeare's plays think through--and invite us to think through--deep human questions of lasting importance. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThinking Through Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e explores four perennial human problems: personal identity, the distinction between civilization and barbarism, the relation between political power and religious authority and the tension between means and ends. It examines the history of these problems, from antiquity to today, and traces how Shakespeare engages with them in the great tragedies--\u003ci\u003eOthello\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHamlet\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/i\u003e--but also in his other plays. Without arguing that human nature is universal or unchanging, or that Shakespeare has some special access to timeless wisdom, the book makes the case that his drama is powerful because it serves as a forensic tool, probing rival perspectives on questions that have preoccupied many people in many societies over many centuries. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy revealing in new ways how Shakespeare's plays are animated and driven by central human problems, and why he should again be viewed as the great poet of human nature, \u003ci\u003eThinking Through Shakespeare \u003c\/i\u003eopens up a richer understanding and appreciation of his work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Womersley\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/10\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691154107\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Womersley\u003c\/b\u003e is the Thomas Warton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford. His books include \u003ci\u003eDivinity and State\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGibbon and the \"Watchmen of the Holy City\" \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Transformation of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also the editor of many books, including the Penguin Classics editions of Gibbons's \u003ci\u003eDecline and Fall of the Roman Empire, \u003c\/i\u003eBoswell's \u003ci\u003eLife of Samuel Johnson\u003c\/i\u003e and David Hume's complete essays. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Historical Society.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"David Womersley \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47733907456157,"sku":"9780691154107","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_a5a166b0-212a-451c-9138-16a9451024d6.jpg?v=1773738472","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/thinking-through-shakespeare-9780691154107","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}