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 xi
... Lear and the Gods ( 1966 ) buried the idea that King Lear was " optimistically Christian . " Nicholas Brooke , in his 1979 edition of King Lear , observed that in this play " all moral structures , whether of natural order Preface xi.
... Lear and the Gods ( 1966 ) buried the idea that King Lear was " optimistically Christian . " Nicholas Brooke , in his 1979 edition of King Lear , observed that in this play " all moral structures , whether of natural order Preface xi.
Page xii
... observed : " What is problematic in Hamlet is not accidental but rather lies at the cen- ter of [ Shakespeare's ] intention . . . . It is critical fideism [ or ] ... ' bardolatry ' to assume that every ' ambiguity ' we can find is a ...
... observed : " What is problematic in Hamlet is not accidental but rather lies at the cen- ter of [ Shakespeare's ] intention . . . . It is critical fideism [ or ] ... ' bardolatry ' to assume that every ' ambiguity ' we can find is a ...
Page 13
... observed sunspots before Galileo with a telescope perhaps devised by him- self , had a reputation for impiety though he always declared his religious faith . He had been the tutor of Sir Walter Raleigh — who sent him to Virginia , about ...
... observed sunspots before Galileo with a telescope perhaps devised by him- self , had a reputation for impiety though he always declared his religious faith . He had been the tutor of Sir Walter Raleigh — who sent him to Virginia , about ...
Page 23
... observation that the vastly in- ferior stories upon which each of these plays was based gave answers and explanations Shakespeare did not reach for ? Shakespeare , it would seem , liked to reduce rather than fortify the circumstances ...
... observation that the vastly in- ferior stories upon which each of these plays was based gave answers and explanations Shakespeare did not reach for ? Shakespeare , it would seem , liked to reduce rather than fortify the circumstances ...
Page 26
... observed recently that the instability of Shakespeare's texts seems to " release " his characters from our expectations of credibility and psychological consistency . The curious thing is that this very release seems to invite a skepti ...
... observed recently that the instability of Shakespeare's texts seems to " release " his characters from our expectations of credibility and psychological consistency . The curious thing is that this very release seems to invite a skepti ...
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