Shakespeare's Philosophy: Discovering the Meaning Behind the Plays
By Colin McGinn
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Shakespeare's plays are usually studied by literary scholars and historians and the books about him from those perspectives are legion. It is most unusual for a trained philosopher to give us his insight, as Colin McGinn does here, into six of Shakespeare's greatest plays––A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, and The Tempest.
In his brilliant commentary, McGinn explores Shakespeare's philosophy of life and illustrates how he was influenced, for example, by the essays of Montaigne that were translated into English while Shakespeare was writing. In addition to chapters on the great plays, there are also essays on Shakespeare and gender and his plays from the aspects of psychology, ethics, and tragedy.
As McGinn says about Shakespeare, "There is not a sentimental bone in his body. He has the curiosity of a scientist, the judgement of a philosopher, and the soul of a poet." McGinn relates the ideas in the plays to the later philosophers such as David Hume and the modern commentaries of critics such as Harold Bloom. The book is an exhilarating reading experience, especially at a time when a new audience has opened up for the greatest writer in English.
Colin McGinn
Colin McGinn was educated at Oxford University. The author of sixteen previous books, including The Making of a Philosopher, he has written for the London Review of Books, The New Republic, the New York Times Book Review, and other publications. He has taught philosophy at University College of London, Oxford, and Rutgers University, and is a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of Miami.
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Reviews for Shakespeare's Philosophy
23 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This is okay ( mostly wrong , but okay ) , and Shakespeare remains just as inexplicable as ever.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Readers who have both a familiarity with Shakespeare's major plays and an interest in philosophy will probably enjoy this short book. Following an introduction in which the author discusses general themes there are essays on six plays: The Tempest, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the last of which I am soon to see performed at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Perhaps the book should be subtitled "Discovering the meaning behind some of the plays". The essays on specific plays are complemented by four essays on general topics such as gender, ethics, and psychology. McGinn has a lucid style that makes this book easy to comprehend. While the focus is primarily on the philosophical aspects of the plays the book also provides a useful commentary to provide background for anyone reading the plays. It is enhanced by useful notes and an index that allows referential reading. I have added it to my small library of Shakespearean commentary that stands beside the complete plays.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not particularly rewarding, unfortunately. McGinn, a widely published philosopher of mind, has decided to consider Shakespeare entirely from the perspective of philosophy. Not surprisingly, he finds himself taking his plow into a field that desperately needs to lie fallow for a good long while. Millicent Bell is only the latest to work this soil in her Shakespeare's Tragic Skepticism, and McGinn is good enough to acknowledge her influence on his readings. Each of the plays McGinn considers is taken to illustrate one of philosophy's classical problems -- e.g. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (the nature of reality), "Hamlet" (the illusion of personal identify), "Othello" (the problem of other minds), etc. Sadly, aside from a paucity of original insight, McGinn's analyses wind up contradicting themselves -- cf. his essays on "MacBeth" and "Hamlet" are founded on two opposite views of the integrity of the human personality. Shakespeare is, of course, a fascintating writer. But there is just nothing new or noteworthy that can be said about him any more.