Donald Trump’s characterization of late-term abortions as “ripping” harken back to a verb used in “Macbeth.” Most people, however, would argue that both Trump and Macduff are describing caesarians.
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Tag Archives: William Shakespeare
In Defense of The Merchant of Venice
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.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged anti-Semitism, Defence of Poetry, Merchant of Venice, Othello, Percy Shelley, Twelfth Night Comments closed
Bring the Liberal Arts to West Point
A military man argues that the military academies have been emphasizing the STEM disciplines while overlooking the traditional liberal arts. This is a mistake, he argues, and mentions the Agincourt speech in “Henry V.” Sir Philip Sidney, another warrior, would agree and would add Pindar’s Olympian odes.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Henry V, Liberal Arts, military academies, Olympics, Pindar. "Olympian Ode 1", STEM disciplines Comments closed
The Liberal Arts Will Not Die
Thursday My colleague Jeff Hammond, a national authority on Puritan poetry and a much lauded writer of reflective essays, recently gave a stirring defense of the liberal arts for our parents-alumni weekend. Jeff’s observations dovetail very nicely with Percy Shelley’s Defence of Poetry, which I happen to be teaching at the moment. Watching poetry getting […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Defence of Poetry, Henry V, Iliad, Jeffrey Hammond, Liberal Arts, Odyssey Comments closed
How Trump Echoes Marc Antony
A New York Times article argues that Trump is using rhetorical flourishes like those that Marc Antony uses to defeat Brutus in Shakespeare’s play. His key strategy is casting himself as authentic against the inauthenticity of politicians.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, Rhetoric Comments closed
Be Skeptical of Shakespeare’s Skeptics
Recent evidence further confirms what most Shakespeare scholars believe: that Shakespeare wrote the plays ascribed to him. The Bard’s social anxieties, however, may have communicated themselves to the skeptics, who play out their own anxieties as they attempt to tear him down.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Charlie Chaplin, Edward de Vere, Francis Bacon, Mark Twain, Shakespeare authorship debate, Walt Whitman Comments closed
Shakespeare Was Malvolio
Recent research shows how much of a social climber Shakespeare was. The knowledge gives us new insight into characters like Malvolio and Othello.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Christopher Marlowe, Comedy, Doctor Faustus, Jane Austen, social climbing, Twelfth Night Comments closed