Shakespeare's Moral Compass (Edinburgh Critical Studies in Shakespeare and Philosophy) (Hardcover)
Overturns orthodox thinking about morality in Shakespeare's plays by updating our understanding of the human mind
This ground-breaking study fearlessly combines latest research in evolutionary psychology, historical scholarship and philosophy to answer a question that has eluded critics for centuries: what is Shakespeare's moral vision? At a political and cultural moment in which many of us are taking stock and looking for meaning, and in which moral outrage and polarisation seem endemic, this book radically reimagines how we might approach great works of literature to find some answers.
Key Features
- Provocatively outlines how we might read literature for ethical content
- Brings latest research on morality from evolutionary psychology and sociology to bear on the study of Shakespeare's plays
- Comprehensive coverage of moral philosophy in Shakespeare's time and place, including the impact of the Renaissance, the Reformation and the rise of capitalism
- Plots 'Shakespeare's moral compass' on six foundations (Authority, Loyalty, Fairness, Sanctity, Care, Liberty) with a chapter on each
Neema Parvini is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Surrey. His previous books include Shakespeare's History Plays (EUP, 2012), Shakespeare and Contemporary Theory (Bloomsbury, 2012), Shakespeare and Cognition (Palgrave, 2015) and Shakespeare and New Historicist Theory (Bloomsbury, 2017).