'This book rests on a lifetime's thinking about history. It helps us see
Shakespeare in "a more realistic light".'
Times Literary Supplement
Although Shakespeare is rightly celebrated for the continued relevancy
of his plays and poetry today, we too often lose sight of the wider
historical context which shaped his work. In Shakespeare: Poet and
Citizen, Victor Kiernan shows that Shakespeare was profoundly sensitive
to the great social and political upheavals of his age. Shakespeare's
life coincided with the first challenges to the institution of monarchy,
as well as far-reaching transformations in the social hierarchy.
By placing the plays within this context of an emerging modernity,
Kiernan upends our perception of Shakespeare's writings. He shows that
these social transformations, and especially the changing roles of
women, are crucial to our understanding of the Comedies, in which the
confusion of identity, disguise, and cross-dressing play a central role,
while the Histories similarly reflect the demise of feudal allegiances
and the development of the modern state.
Featuring a new introduction by Michael Wood, Shakespeare: Poet and
Citizen provides a rich resource for both students of literature and
for the general reader looking for new insight into the life of our
greatest dramatist.
