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Unlike most academic books on Shakespeare, In The Theater of Love doesn't assume or require any familiarity with Elizabethan history, Renaissance philosophy, or literary theory. Instead, it has two very simple goals: first, make the plays understandable; second, indicate why the man and his works are exceptional and still worth reading. After all, Shakespeare was at the Globe to make money, so he wrote for the merchants, the apprentices and housewives of London, not just for the literary elite. Because he wanted all of them to appreciate their lives but also to see better ways to live it, he spoke about common experiences from a perspective they could understand, enjoy, but also learn from.Yes, he wasn't perfect, but he challenged them to look at themselves honestly, to laugh at their foolishness, to see their errors, and to accept what made them good and lovable. Each chapter begins with a brief plot summary to provide context for an explanation of what Shakespeare was saying and why he thought it was important. A consummate storyteller, he fearlessly confronts those inevitable but troubling questions raised by desire and love, good and evil, right living and judgment. Not only will you discover he's a journey worth taking but also why the great literature these plays represent still matters.
Shakespeare's major plays, the book argues, were forged on the anvil of desire. The scene on the front cover where the fairy queen Titania passionately woos the rustic, Bottom, now bearing a head magically transformed into an ass's, says much about Shakespeare's view of love and desire. A parody of Ovid's fables about gods imposing their carnal passions on hapless mortals, it dramatizes desire's power to transform deformity into irresistible beauty. Like Ovid, however, Shakespeare also recognized desire's other manifestation in the selfish brutality that ignored the helplessness of others. Out of this duality came troubling questions about desire, love, and the human intersection with the divine. Though the Elizabethans admired antiquity, England's Christian culture struggled to accommodate pagan acceptance of the erotic. Shakespeare was no exception. Though early works imitate Ovid, his view of love becomes surprisingly rich and complex as he confronts the moral dynamics of desire. Because of this clash of cultural values, he carefully delineates the nature of good and evil, demonstrating why the same passions that can degrade can also enrich. A close reading of the major plays becomes a journey into the heart of desire that will challenge contemporary media's often simplistic and decidedly secular conception of love. Once you witness these dramas of love and desire, you begin to appreciate why his work continues to intrigue and delight his many devoted followers.
