The Pragmatics of Early Modern Politics: Power and Kingship in Shakespeares History Plays

Description

Early modern kings adopted a new style of government, Realpolitik, as spelled out in Machiavelli's writings. Tudor monarchs, well aware of their questionable right to the throne, posed as great dissimulators, similarly to the modern prince who "must learn from the fox and the lion". This book paints a portrait of a successful politician according to early modern standards. Kingship is no longer understood as a divinely ordained institution, but is defined as goal-oriented policy-making, relying on conscious acting and the theatrical display of power. The volume offers an intriguing discussion on kingship in pragmatic terms, as the strategic face-saving behaviour of Shakespeare's kings. It also demonstrates how an efficient or inefficient management of the king's political face could decide his success or failure as a monarch, and how the Renaissance world of Shakespeare's history plays is combined with modern theories of communication, politeness and face. Cover Title Page Copyright Page CONTENTS Acknowledgments General Introduction PART ONE: POWER, KINGSHIP AND HISTORY IN THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE Introduction Critical Approaches to Power, Kingship and History in the English Renaissance Chapter One Power, Politics and the Elizabethan World Picture in Early Modern England Chapter Two The Renaissance Idea of Kingship Chapter Three Shakespeare and the Question of History PART TWO: IS THIS KINGSHIP FOR REAL? BEING A KING, PLAYING A KING Introduction Shakespeare’s Kings on Stage, and Queen Elizabeth’s Role Play in Real Life Chapter Four “A Woeful Pageant Have We Here Beheld”: Actors on Stage in Richard III and Richard II Chapter Five “I Am Richard II, Know Ye Not That?”: Queen Elizabeth I and Her Political Role Playing PART THREE: POWER AND PRAGMATICS IN ACTION IN SHAKESPEARE’S HISTORIES Introduction Pragmatic Strategies of Performing Kingship in the History Plays Chapter Six The Theoretical Grounding of Politeness and Impoliteness Chapter Seven “Charismas in Conflict” in Their Struggle for Power Chapter Eight The Pragmatics of Politics and the Reformation of Prince Hal in 1 and 2 Henry IV and Henry V Conclusion Figures Bibliography Index