Tag Archives: Othello

Which Literary Conman Is Trump?

By Robin Bates | Published: September 15, 2019

To understand Trump as conman, I compare him to the King and the Duke, Mac the Knife, Melville’s Confidence Man, Satan & Iago.

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Go High When Trump Goes Low?

By Robin Bates | Published: August 19, 2019

Tuesday Given that a recession would doom Donald Trump’s already shaky reelection chances, how will he behave if the economy suddenly tanks? On Nicole Wallace’s NBC program last week, the Rev. Al Sharpton said that Democrats must be prepared to deal with a man who has no boundaries and will do anything to win. Of […]

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Which Shakespeare Character Is Trump?

By Robin Bates | Published: January 2, 2019

Wednesday It’s satisfying to see national pundits take a page out of Better Living through Beowulf and turn to the classics to understand Donald Trump. Okay, so NeverTrumper conservative Bret Stephens has probably never read this blog, but we both recognize how literature deepens our understanding of the world, including American politics. I particularly appreciate […]

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Read to Resist: An Introduction

By Robin Bates | Published: November 29, 2018

Thursday I share today the introduction to my upcoming book, which is still in draft form and whose title I keep changing. Latest title: Read to Resist: Classic Lit Provides Tools for Battling Trump and Trumpism. I’m still not entirely satisfied with that and so will keep tinkering. In any event, here’s my first attempt […]

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An Incel Killer and an English Major

By Robin Bates | Published: November 16, 2018

Maura Binkley was an English major killed by an incel killer in a Tallahassee yoga studio. Her department chair turned to Shakespeare in his grief.

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Iago Trump Whispers Poison into Our Ears

By Robin Bates | Published: June 28, 2018

Of all Shakespeare characters, Trump, driven by racial resentment and thriving on chaos, may most resemble Iago.

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Even Iago Should Not Be Tortured

By Robin Bates | Published: July 27, 2017

Examining an upcoming trial by people who were tortured during the George W. Bush administration, Ariel Dorfman examines the face of Iago and the satisfaction we take at the tortures that await him.

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A Literary History of the Insult “Cuck”

By Robin Bates | Published: April 9, 2017

“Cuck” has become a favorite insult amongst alt-right types. In today’s post I trace literary references to cuckolds going back to Chaucer.

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In Defense of The Merchant of Venice

By Robin Bates | Published: October 18, 2016

Percy Shelley believes that great art transcends the prejudices of its time, even when it is cloaked in them. If he is right, then “Merchant of Venice” is less of a problem play than many people consider it.

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