The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall

The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall
ISBN-10
1541644859
ISBN-13
9781541644854
Series
The Hollow Crown
Category
Political Science
Pages
270
Language
English
Published
2023-10-24
Publisher
Basic Books
Author
Eliot A. Cohen

Description

What Shakespeare’s plays can teach us about modern-day politics William Shakespeare understood power: what it is, how it works, how it is gained, and how it is lost. In The Hollow Crown, Eliot A. Cohen reveals how the battling princes of Henry IV and scheming senators of Julius Caesar can teach us to better understand power and politics today. The White House, after all, is a court—with intrigue and conflict rivaling those on the Globe’s stage—as is an army, a business, or a university. And each court is full of driven characters, in all their ambition, cruelty, and humanity. Henry V’s inspiring speeches reframe John F. Kennedy’s appeal, Richard III’s wantonness illuminates Vladimir Putin’s brutality, and The Tempest’s grace offers a window into the presidency of George Washington. An original and incisive perspective, The Hollow Crown shows how Shakespeare’s works transform our understanding of the leaders who, for good or ill, make and rule our world.

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