Tag Archives: William Shakespeare

Iago, White Supremacist

By Robin Bates | Published: March 30, 2020

To understand Iago’s motivations, think status anxiety–the fear of losing cultural and social dominance over “the Other.”

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Hand Washing and the Coronavirus

By Robin Bates | Published: March 3, 2020

The coronavirus is leading to a focus on hand washing, which brings Lady Macbeth to mind.

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Literature’s Unique Spiritual Insights

By Robin Bates | Published: February 15, 2020

An extended reflection upon the relationship between religion and literature.

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Support Trump or Your Head on a Pike

By Robin Bates | Published: February 6, 2020

To avoid having their heads hoisted on pikes, once moderate Republicans voted to acquit Trump. The pike reference comes from Shakespeare.

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How Trump Is Like and Unlike Claudius

By Robin Bates | Published: February 2, 2020

Unlike Claudius in “Hamlet,” who at least thinks he is accountable to God, Trump doesn’t think he should be accountable to anyone.

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The GOP, through the Looking Glass

By Robin Bates | Published: January 28, 2020

Cartoonist Tom Toles has a very smart Alice-through-the-Looking-Glass take on Trump and the GOP.

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Taming Americans through Gaslighting

By Robin Bates | Published: January 7, 2020

Increasingly we are being gaslighted by Donald Trump and his GOP followers. Carl Rosin identifies “Taming of the Shrew” as one of the great plays about gaslighting.

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Trump Love: I Lie with Him and He with Me

By Robin Bates | Published: December 16, 2019

Shakespeare Sonnets 138 and 147 describe Trump Love only too well.

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Is Old Age Becoming Overrated?

By Robin Bates | Published: November 26, 2019

A “New Yorker” article on aging turns to literature to debunk the notion that aging is a good thing.

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