Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare

'This book rests on a lifetime’s thinking about history. It helps us see Shakespeare in “a more realistic light”.’
Times Literary Supplement

The seventeenth century saw the brief flowering of tragic drama across Western Europe. And in the plays of William Shakespeare, this form of drama found its greatest exponent. These Tragedies, Kiernan argues, represented the artistic expression of a new social and political consciousness which permeated every aspect of life in this period.

In this book, Kiernan sets out to rescue the Tragedies from the reductionist interpretations of mainstream literary criticism, by uncovering the wider historical context which shaped Shakespeare's writings.

Opening with an overview of contemporary England, the development of the theatre, and a portrait of Shakespeare as a writer, Kiernan goes on to provide an in-depth analysis of eight of his Tragedies – from Julius Caesar to Coriolanus – drawing out their contrasts and recurring themes, and exploring their attitudes to monarchy, war, religion, philosophy, and changing relations between men and women. Featuring a new introduction by Terry Eagleton, this is an invaluable resource for those looking for a new perspective on Shakespeare's writings.

• Introduction by Terry Eagleton
• Foreword
• Part I: Programmatic
• Part II: Introductory
  • 1. The Condition of England
  • 2. The Theatre
  • 3. Shakespeare and Tragedy
  • 4. The Tragic Road
  • 5. The Others
• Part III: The Plays
  • 1. Julius Caeser (1598-99)
  • 2. Hamlet (1600-01)
  • 3. Othello (1603-04)
  • 4. King Lear (1605-06)
  • 5. Macbeth (1606)
  • 6. Timon of Athens (1606-08)
  • 7. Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-08)
  • 8. Coriolanus (1608) 
• Part IV: Tragic Themes
  • 1. The Hero
  • 2. Villains and Revengers
  • 3. Man and Superman
  • 4. War
  • 5. Political Shadows
  • 6. Women and Men
  • 7. Religion and Philosophy
  • 8. Endings and Beginnings