David Lowenthal, Shakespeare and the Good Life: Ethics and Politics in Dramatic Form (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997)

Summary from the Publisher:

In this engaging and accessible book, distinguished scholar David Lowenthal demonstrates that each of Shakespeare’s plays examines certain fundamental issues of moral and political life. Lowenthal discusses some of the Bard’s best-known plays, and elicits the problem (and solution) occupying each one. Every component of a Shakespearean drama, argues Lowenthal, including plot, characters, and speeches, can be understood and explained as deriving from the particular issue that play examines. However, Shakespeare wanted to be known as a poet, not a philosopher. Lowenthal shows how and why Shakespeare achieved his goal, and in so doing he illuminates Shakespeare’s artistry in a unique and compelling way. Anyone who has marveled at the beauty and complexity of the plays of Shakespeare will be grateful for Lowenthal’s insightful exploration of their deeper meaning.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Shakespeare and the Critics
The Tempest
King Lear
Julius Caesar
The Merchant of Venice
Macbeth
Measure for Measure
A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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