num_pages: 183
description: The revival of interests in classical theories on constitutional and political change in the Renaissance included commentators who harked back to the lessons that could be learnt from ancient Rome. In this study, Barbara Parker argues that the influence of Plato's political theories can be seen in Shakespeare's Roman plays. Each chapter examines in turn The Rape of Lucrece , Coriolanus , Julius Caesar , Antony and Cleopatra and Titus Andronicus , examining how these works replicated a process of constitutional decline as posited in Plato's Republic . Therefore, the dynastic wars of Renaissance England were equated with the collapse of the Roman Republic where monarchic collapse had, rather worryingly, led to civil war. ` Lucrece, Titus , and Caesar concern the unsettled succession, Coriolanus mirrors the parliamentary (and thus national) schism arising from James's contempt for the Commons' grievances, and Antony and Cleopatra reflects the dangers posed by James's absolutism and excess.'
language: English
title: Plato's Republic and Shakespeare's Rome: A Political Study of the Roman Works
titlecomplete: Plato's Republic and Shakespeare's Rome: A Political Study of the Roman Works
ratings_count: 3
publisher: UNKNO