
The Myth of Rome in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
Warren Chernaik(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 30. May 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
308 pages
978-1-107-65407-5 (ISBN)
Description
When Cleopatra expresses a desire to die 'after the high Roman fashion', acting in accordance with 'what's brave, what's noble', Shakespeare is suggesting that there are certain values that are characteristically Roman. The use of the terms 'Rome' and 'Roman' in Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra or Jonson's Sejanus often carry the implication that most people fail to live up to this ideal of conduct, that very few Romans are worthy of the name. In this book Chernaik demonstrates how, in these plays, Roman values are held up to critical scrutiny. The plays of Shakespeare, Jonson, Massinger and Chapman often present a much darker image of Rome, as exemplifying barbarism rather than civility. Through a comparative analysis of the Roman plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and including detailed discussion of the classical historians Livy, Tacitus and Plutarch, this study examines the uses of Roman history - 'the myth of Rome' - in Shakespeare's age.
Reviews / Votes
'... brilliant new readings ... Chernaik's readings of Shakespeare show how historicism and close reading work together ... On Massinger, Chernaik is dazzling in his textual and historical precision ...' N. Lukachev, Choice '... a rich comparative study that surveys Roman stories and motifs in many plays ... Chernaik suggests that as long as the English had questions about their own society, they would continue to write about, and debate, the meaning of Rome ...' Peter Parolin, Renaissance Quarterly 'Warren Chernaik's The Myth of Rome in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries truly lives up to the breadth of material suggested by the title. ... Chernaik places Shakespeare's plays and poems about Rome in full conversation with other contemporary works on the subject. ... [He] lends us, the readers, his incredible expertise, so that we too can glimpse the complexity of what Rome meant for an early modern audience.' Brian J. Harries, Shakespeare NewsletterMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Printed music items
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
449 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-107-65407-5 (9781107654075)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Warren Chernaik
The Myth of Rome in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
E-Book
05/2011
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€38.49
Available for download

Warren Chernaik
The Myth of Rome in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
Book
03/2011
Cambridge University Press
€87.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Warren Chernaik is Emeritus Professor of English, University of London and Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of English Studies. He is the author of The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's History Plays (2007), Sexual Freedom in Restoration Literature (1995) and The Poet's Time: Literature and Politics in the Work of Andrew Marvell (1983). He has co-edited a number of books on topics as diverse as detective fiction, changes in copyright law, and Andrew Marvell, and has published essays on seventeenth-century authors such as Milton, Herbert, Rochester and Behn, as well as on Shakespeare and on Restoration drama. He was the founding director of the University of London's Institute of English Studies.
Content
1. The Roman historians and the myth of Rome; 2. The wronged Lucretian and the early Republic; 3. Self-inflicted wounds; 4. 'Like a colossus': Julius Caesar; 5. Ben Jonson's Rome; 6. Oerflowing the measure: Antony and Cleopatra; 7. The city and the battlefield: Coriolanus; 8. Tyranny and empire; 9. Ancient Britons and Romans; Bibliography.