Shakespeare Books

An Anatomy Of The Marprelate Controversy 1588-1596 is an amazing study by historian and biographer Elizabeth Appleton of a famous controversy in history concerning a Puritan writer who called himself Martin Marprelate. Marprelate used words to attack the episcopacy and the Anglican divines. Writing from a secret press and sparing no effort to criticize, Marprelate incited such uproar that he had to disappear; two writers took his place and continued to attack the Anglican bishops verbally. Then others entered the fray, creating a singularly spectacular war of words. An Anatomy Of The Marprelate Controversy 1588-1596 deftly recounts events of history, their interrelation with the classic works of Shakespeare, and the indelible imprint they left upon political events for future generations. An Anatomy Of The Marprelate Controversy 1588-1596 is a very highly recommended, meticulously presented, informed and informative scholarly analysis.

From the cover: Originally published in Germany in 1969. Ever since Columbus set foot on American soil ("invaded" is the correct term), and convinced he had reached India, called the native populations Indians, the origins of the aboriginal inhabitants have been hotly debated. There are few empires about which such contradictory ideas persist as those of the Inca and the Aztecs. Katz Begins his study of the ancient American civilizations - spanning the vast period from the first peoples, thirty-five to fifty thousand years ago, to the Spanish Conquest of 1517 - with a discussion of the sources of our knowledge. He describes the inhabitants, their agriculture - and the cultural sphere of Mesoamerica. Tracing the development of the civilizations of pre-Columbian America from village communities to prosperous city states, this is a fascinating account of how these civilizations culminated in the magnificent empires of the Aztecs and Inca.

When this book first appeared, Time Magazine greeted it as one of the most important books about Shakespeare ever published. It still is, but its great importance has been ignored for half a century. Here we have an examination of a book annotated in the handwriting of William Shakespeare of Stratford. The existence of this book and the conclusions that can be drawn from it are of such major importance as to trasnform the entire field of Shakespeare studies, particularly in light of the subsequent work of Charles Hamilton. I have discussed this matter in Chapter 22 of my book WHY AMERICA'S CHILDREN CAN'T THINK, as well as in my forthcoming book, THE SHAKESPEARE MYSTERIES. Meanwhile you should get a copy of this book if you can, study it carefully and think long and hard about its implications.

Malan's book is essentially three case studies (one on each of the disorders listed in the title). As usual, his writing is clear and he has an ability to turn complex psychodynamics into simple human issues.

With each section, Malan reviews current literature and discusses the therapeutic process as it applies to each case.

Of interest to anyone who has followed Malan's work over the years is that in some places in the book, he reports follow-up information on cases he originally described in 1979 in his "Individual Psychotherapy..." text.

My two reservations are as follows. Malan is writing in the UK, where the Tarasoff ruling holds much less sway than in North America. As a result, some of what Malan says about the legal/practice implications of managing homicide and suicide would not be considered standard practice "over here".

My second reservation has to do with the "murder" case. The patient has sexually motived homicidal fantasies, and throughout is managed on an outpatient basis. While this case works out, I would be very cautious about trying his methods of management with little clinical or forensic experience. Even with that experience, I am still left with some reservation about how that case worked itself out. (Should you read this case, I would be happy to discuss it and would be interested in hearing your views.)

In all, Malan remains one of the brightest stars in the applied psychoanalytic therapy field and fans of the extended case study will not be disappointed.

in this thoughtful work, the author (the former dean of the graduate faculty of the new school for social research & a political philosophy professor) examines the work of each of these seemingly unconnected men and their attempts to understand and present the human condition. this work transcends specialization and is an important piece in the study of the moderns break with the ancients. dr. white was the first ph.d.student of leo strauss in the usa. he is, as well, indebted to the thoughts of kurt riezler, with whom he also studied.

Antony used to be a rugged soldier and brilliant general, but what has he done lately? He has become Cleopatra's playboy who is entranced by her charms and sensuality. When it comes time to fight the battle to win the world, Antony finds himself weakened and confused by such a queen. She follows Antony into battle because she wants to play soldier, but then she becomes afraid and runs away as Antony foolishly follows her, which causes him and his navy to lose the battle. Some may say that the conclusions about Cleopatra are sexist, but others might say that they reveal timeless truths about how a woman can ruin a once-great man by taking away his power without really meaning to. Antony becomes so entranced by her that he kills himself after hearing that she has killed herself, even though previously he shuns her and calls her hateful names after she causes him to lose the battle. He loves her, but he hates her. Unfortunately, she has not really killed herself; she tells a lie to see how he will react to her "passing away". He overreacts and does not verify the message, which is always a good idea when dealing with such a woman. To prove her love and save her pride, she eventually kills herself to meet Antony in the afterlife and to prevent Caesar from turning her into a war trophy. Taking your life is presented as an act of courage in this play.

There is a subplot involving the advisor Enobarbus' broken loyalty to Antony and how Enobarbus regrets his choice to leave Antony. Enobarbus gives an eloquent and pathetic speech before dying over his guilt. There is also the strange situation in which the generals of opposing armies all meet for a party before a battle as if to say, "If I run a sword through you tomorrow, do not take it personally. The power plays of the game force me to do it."

This is a play full of fascinating characters who are themselves full of pride, avarice, lust, and lies. Octavian, the youngest of the triumvirate with Lepidus and Antony, proves out why he is Caesar with a cold efficiency that makes all tyrants proud. Antony, Herculean character though he claims to be, plays the fool for Cleopatra, and Cleopatra plays the role of Cleopatra with smoke and mirrors. Her famous suicide is actually her triumph and apotheosis of the character she created.

Poor Pompey refused to seize the reins of power through dishonorable murder, and yet receives the same from those he spared. And how many of the attendants to the principles themselves die in this play? We have poisonings, beatings, and death from shame.

This edition is quite fine as we expect from Arden. The notes are extremely helpful to understand the locations and context of this play with its wide-ranging locales and dozens of scenes that fly from place to place. Of course, the notes that help with the language and text emendations are wonderfully done. The longer notes are put in the back.

The first quarter of the book is an extended essay on various aspects of this play that ranges from its origin, performance issues and how they were handled over the centuries, and problems of the text. It is a wonderfully useful essay that added a lot to my enjoyment of reading the play.

This is part of the third Arden series of the Shakespeare plays and is very readable and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Many decades ago, there was an excellent and elegant reading of the complete text of on Decca/London labels with Richard Johnson and Mary Morris in the title roles. Then came the better-paced Shakespeare Recording Society with Anthony Quayle and Pamela Brown, recently reissued on cassettes by Harper Audio. And now we have the liveliest of them all as part of the Arkangel Complete Shakespeare Series, issued by Penguin Books this side of the Atlantic.

With the older set long out of print, the Arkangel certainly has the most appeal to modern listeners, giving as it does less a reading than the sounds of an actual production. The Antony of Ciaran Hinds does not quite come up to the poetical reading that is Quayle's, while Estelle Kohler's Queen of the Nile is a bit juicier than the more dryly delivered one of Brown. But both partners are really fabulous on their own terms and both performances are well worth having side by side in your collection.

The Arkangel set does make some strange use of regional accents. Perhaps they are strange only to American ears (viz., mine), but it continues to be a bit jarring to hear Scottish accents on Roman soldiers. On the other hand, the use of Cockney for the lower classes has become an accepted tradition on British recordings, so perhaps we can grow accustomed to anything, given enough time and understanding.

Teachers should take note, however, that classes will probably respond better to this new, more dramatized version despite a little loss in the grand old style of poetic declamation.

The Cambridge editions are well edited academic editions but what sets them apart is their relationship to theatrical performance. As a diretor or actor working on the play, these editions offer great background information into theatrical practice and past productions . Productions are discussed from the ancient past through the modern day. They are remarkably current and their essays on staging are unmatched by other editions.

John Jewel wrote his Apology in the mid 16th Century in support of the nascent Church of England. In it, he deftly expresses that the foundation for the Church of England as a separate entity from the Roman Catholic Religion is not a novelty but is found in the Scriptures, in the writings of the church Fathers and in the early Church and even Jewish tradition.

For Jewel, he and the Church of England were remaining faithful to the faith handed down from Jesus, the apostles and church Fathers. It was the Roman Catholics and not the Reformational Christians that had rebelled and turned from the true faith. Jewel and others saw themselves as returning to the ancient faith based on Scripture.

He makes this solid case in his Apology by rarely making a point without referencing Scripture or a Christian Father or both. In that sense, this book serves as a Biblical Study and church history lesson. He also is adamant in attacking the practices of the Roman Catholic leaders and doctrines of religion that he saw as anathema to the gospel. These include the exaltation of the Pope, private masses, masses said in Latin, purgatory, indulgences and attacks on Protestants. His criticisms are targeted and are not necessarily anti-Roman Catholic; in fact, Jewel pleads for a blessed Christian relationship between the Roman Catholics and Protestants rather than animosity.

The case is made for the Protestant church then and Christians at anytime to separate themselves from the established religion when it represents doctrines of man in conflict with the ancient faith received from Christ and the apostles.

Jewel pulls no punches and is at times antagonistic. The writing is stimulating and enjoyable, while it is always enlightening. I think that Anglicans today would especially appreciate this book.

The copy I read was edited by John Booty and included helpful references. I do not know if all versions will include them or not; either way, the original text is excellent.