Shakespeare'S Virtuous Theatre: Power, Capacity and the Good

Shakespeare's theatre is a powerful forum for shaping our capacity for virtue, opening up new political and ecological stakes. This collection of essays explores how Shakespearean drama enacts ancient virtues and conceptualises new ones, offering a framework for a socially, environmentally, and spiritually renewed literary criticism. Contributors balance historical depth and philosophical insight with close reading to contemplate the dynamic field of virtue as it ebbs and flows across time, among multiple wisdom traditions, and in the lives of Shakespeare's characters.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Shakespeare's theatre emerges as a potent platform for cultivating our capacity for virtue, offering a novel perspective on virtue ethics by forging connections between ancient philosophy, contemporary virtue ethics, and the rich tapestry of Shakespeare's plays and dramatic practice. By highlighting the embodied, performative, and deliberative dimensions of virtue, this collection of essays delves into the ways in which Shakespeare's drama enacts and conceptualizes ancient virtues, while also introducing new ones in intricate fictional scenarios that challenge the enduring value of these virtues. Contributors perceive virtues as a source of imaginative, affective, and intellectual nourishment, exploring how Shakespeare's art enhances our ability to pursue new avenues of goodness.

Examining Shakespeare's virtuous theatre across tragic, comic, and romance modes, as well as from ethical, theatrical, and political perspectives, this volume establishes virtue as a framework for a socially, environmentally, and spiritually renewed literary criticism. Contributors strike a balance between historical depth and philosophical insight, employing close reading techniques to unravel the dynamic field of virtue, which is characterized by its embodiment, responsiveness, vitality, and dynamism. As they contemplate the ebbs and flows of virtue across time, within various wisdom traditions, and within the intricate lives and troubled circumstances of Shakespeare's characters, contributors offer insightful interpretations that shed light on the enduring relevance and transformative power of virtue in our contemporary world.

Weight: 662g
Dimension: 240 x 160 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474499040