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How the Classics Made Shakespeare

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Jonathan Bate explores the profound influence of classical literature on Shakespeare, challenging the notion that he had 'small Latin and less Greek.' Drawing on Shakespeare's education, the Roman-inspired culture of London, and deep readings of Ovid, Virgil, and Seneca, Bate reveals how classical texts shaped the playwright's work and style. This accessible and stylistically brilliant study offers groundbreaking insights into Shakespeare's development as a writer through the lens of ancient literary traditions.
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This book is ideal for readers interested in Shakespeare, classical literature, and literary criticism. It suits students, scholars, and anyone curious about the cultural and historical influences that shaped one of literature's greatest writers.

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"This book grew from the inaugural E. H. Gombrich Lectures in the Classical Tradition that I delivered in the autumn of 2013 at the Warburg Institute of the University of London, under the title, "Ancient Strength: Shakespeare and the Classical Tradition"--Preface, page ix.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Ben Jonson famously accused Shakespeare of having 'small Latin and less Greek.' But he was exaggerating. Shakespeare was steeped in the classics. Shaped by his grammar school education in Roman literature, history, and rhetoric, he moved to London, a city that modelled itself on ancient Rome.

He worked in a theatrical profession that had inherited the conventions and forms of classical drama, and he read deeply in Ovid, Virgil, and Seneca.

In a book that combines stylistic brilliance, accessibility, and extraordinary range, acclaimed literary critic and biographer Jonathan Bate, one of the world's leading authorities on Shakespeare, offers groundbreaking insights into how, perhaps more than any other influence, the classics made Shakespeare the writer he became.

How the Classics Made Shakespeare reveals the profound impact of Roman literature and thought in shaping Shakespeare's work and legacy.

Series: E. H. Gombrich Lecture Series

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  • How the Classics Made Shakespeare
    Ben Jonson famously accused Shakespeare of having 'small Latin and less Greek.' But he was exaggerating. Shakespeare was steeped in the classics. Shaped by his grammar school education in Roman literature, history, and rhetoric, he moved to London, a city that modelled itself on ancient Rome. He worked in a theatrical profession that had inherited the conventions and forms of...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise Bate's How the Classics Made Shakespeare for its elegant style, rich learning, and compelling scholarship. Jonathan Locke Hart highlights Bate's skill in discussing text and context, while Chris Tudor calls the book "enthralling" and "enlightening." Reviewers commend the work's clarity, vibrancy, and insightful commentary, noting it as a delightfully readable academic resource with illuminating observations on every page.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691210148

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 October 2020

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 18 b/w illus.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Jonathan Bate is Foundation Professor of Environmental Humanities at Arizona State University and Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University. His many books include Soul of the Age: A Biography of the Mind of William Shakespeare. He broadcasts regularly for the BBC, is the coeditor of The RSC Shakespeare: Complete Works, and wrote an acclaimed one-man play for Simon Callow, Being Shakespeare. Twitter @profbate

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