Shakespeare and Social Theory

This book provides a bridge between Shakespeare studies and classical social theory, opening up readings of Shakespeare to a new audience outside of literary studies and the humanities. Shakespeare has long been known as a great thinker and this book reads his plays through the lens of an anthropologist, revealing new connections between Shakespeares plays and the lives we now lead. Close readings of a selection of frequently studied playsHamlet, The Winters Tale, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Julius Caesar, and King Learengage with the texts in detail while connecting them with some of the biggest questions we all ask ourselves, about love, friendship, ritual, language, human interactions, and the world around us. The plays are examined through various social theories including performance theory, cognitive theory, semiotics, exchange theory, and structuralism. The book concludes with a consideration of how the new astronomy of his day and developments in optics changed the very idea of perspective, and shaped Shakespeares approach to embedding social theory in his dramatic texts. This accessible and engaging book will appeal to those approaching Shakespeare from outside literary studies but will also be valuable to literature students approaching Shakespeare for the first time, or looking for a new angle on the plays.