Christian humanism in Shakespeare: a study in religion and literature
Introduction: Thinking of Shakespeare as a Christian -- Theological comedy in A midsummer night's dream -- Moral figures in The merchant of Venice -- The Henriad : a skeptical Christian writes history -- Free will in Hamlet? -- On not understanding King Lear's hidden God -- Conclusion: Sha...
| Résumé: | Introduction: Thinking of Shakespeare as a Christian -- Theological comedy in A midsummer night's dream -- Moral figures in The merchant of Venice -- The Henriad : a skeptical Christian writes history -- Free will in Hamlet? -- On not understanding King Lear's hidden God -- Conclusion: Shakespeare and the radical middle. "Oser reviews the rival cases for a Protestant Shakespeare and for a Catholic Shakespeare, but leaves the issue open, focusing, instead, on how Shakespeare exploits artistic resources that are specific to Christianity, including the classical-Christian rhetorical tradition. The scope of the book ranges from an introductory survey of the critical field as it now stands, to individual chapters on A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, the Henriad, Hamlet, and King Lear. Oser holds that mainstream literary criticism has created a false picture of Shakespeare by secularizing him and misconstruing the nature of his art. Through careful study of the plays, the author portrays Shakespeare as a friend to the enduring project of humanistic education"-- |
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| Description: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Description matérielle: | xiii, 285 Seiten |
| ISBN: | 978-0-8132-3510-3 |
