Shakespeare Against War: Pacifist Readings

Shakespeare's plays challenge appeals to heroism and revenge and reveal the brutal futility of war, drawing analogies with modern warfare and dealing with basic issues of war and peace.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2024
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Shakespearean drama, renowned for its powerful and evocative calls to war, often juxtaposes these calls with compelling appeals to peaceful alternatives conveyed through narrative structure, dramatic context, and poetic utterance. When examining Shakespeare's works within the context of pacifist thought, Robert White argues that Shakespeare consistently challenges appeals to heroism and revenge, revealing the brutal futility of war. Furthermore, White delves into Shakespeare's fascination with the mental states of military officers when their ingrained training is tested in love relationships. In his exploration, war permeates love, yielding problematic consequences, which are reflected in Shakespeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies alike. White challenges a critical orthodoxy that military engagement in war is an inevitable and necessary condition, drawing analogies with the experience of modern warfare to demonstrate the enduring relevance of Shakespeare's plays, which address fundamental issues of war and peace that remain pertinent in our contemporary world.

Shakespearean drama, renowned for its powerful and evocative calls to war, often juxtaposes these calls with compelling appeals to peaceful alternatives conveyed through narrative structure, dramatic context, and poetic utterance. When examining Shakespeare's works within the context of pacifist thought, Robert White argues that Shakespeare consistently challenges appeals to heroism and revenge, revealing the brutal futility of war. Furthermore, White delves into Shakespeare's fascination with the mental states of military officers when their ingrained training is tested in love relationships. In his exploration, war permeates love, yielding problematic consequences, which are reflected in Shakespeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies alike. White challenges a critical orthodoxy that military engagement in war is an inevitable and necessary condition, drawing analogies with the experience of modern warfare to demonstrate the enduring relevance of Shakespeare's plays, which address fundamental issues of war and peace that remain pertinent in our contemporary world.

Weight: 620g
Dimension: 161 x 241 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399516211