Shakespeare's Philosophy: Discovering the Meaning Behind the Plays

by Colin McGinn

Book Overview

Shakespeare's plays are usually studied by literary scholars and historians and the books about him from those perspectives are legion. It is most unusual for a trained philosopher to give us his insight, as Colin McGinn does here, into six of Shakespeare's greatest plays-- A Midsummer Night's Dream , Hamlet , Othello , Macbeth , King Lear , and The Tempest . In his brilliant commentary, McGinn explores Shakespeare's philosophy of life and illustrates...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060856157
• ISBN13: 9780060856151
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Light reading for the bookish type

The writing is solid, and some of the analysis is sophisticated, particularly the chapter that attempts to answer the question of what makes a tragic hero so tragic. Despite the title of the book, the strongest discussion takes place when McGinn puts philosophy aside - references to Montaigne and other philosophers seem forced, tenuous, and unconvincing. Overall, this is a fun book to browse through, especially for folks who enjoy literary criticism.

Was there a Question?

I recommend this book, it contains many interesting insights. However, I think a more apt subtitle would have been: "Some Meaningful Discoveries" and a more apt title would have been "Philosophic Questions Raised in Some of Shakespeare's Better Known Plays". Within these boundaries, it's quite good. Of course, it doesn't add anything to Shakespeare, or not very much. And I'm not sure that comparisons to lesser lights like Hume, Wittgenstein, Freud and even Montaigne are very illuminating. When you recall your state at the end of a good production of King Lear or Hamlet, it's hard to think what needs to be added, except maybe explanations of archaic expressions, and that's pretty minor. With Shakespeare, all we ordinary mortals can do is to point out interesting things about the landscape and method, as Helen Vendler did in her wonderful book on the sonnets. Still, I think if you love Shakespeare, you'll like this book. It reminds you of those troubling questions and revelations your first experience of Shakespeare's plays evoked. The cultural world of our collective imagination is not going to be re-defined by Professor MeGinn's book. If this was all you had of Shakespeare, it wouldn't be much, but as an amplification of the experience you've already had, it's not bad. Some of his most insightful observations had nothing to do with the study of philosophy, for example, the uniqueness and authenticity of each major character. This would make an excellent topic for a book: how real these men and women are. Very few characters in literature have a life of their own the way Hamlet, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Othello and many others do. They are like historical figures, as definable and at the same time as mysterious as Lincoln or Charles II or Napoleon or Josephine are. I thought this was a very good observation.

excellent book

the first three quarters of the book are better than its ending, but mr. mcginn is a clean writer and makes what could be a pedantic subject easily accessible.

Narrow But Insightful

It's doubtful that anyone who has an enduring interest in Shakespeare and his plays would doubt that the Bard was of a philosophical bent. Certainly, one of the reasons Shakespeare has endured is that his characters speak deeply to the heart of what it means to be human. So, having the observations of an experienced philosopher on Shakespeare's work is quite appealing. Fortunately, Mr. McGinn doesn't disappoint. In fact, the book is much like one would expect from a serious philosopher. He opens with a chapter on the themes he is going to pursue, outlining his ideas and defining his terms. He follows with chapters on six major plays (Midsummer, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Lear and The Tempest). Then, he offers four chapters on general topics such as gender and ethics. Finally, he wraps things up with an examination of Shakespeare's genius. Overall, McGinn's analysis of the plays is quite insightful. The first few pages of his chapter on Hamlet made me think about the opening scene of the play (Bernardo & Francisco on the ramparts) in a new way. He has a powerful ability to take a single philosophical idea and dig deeply into a play. This can open up important new avenues of thought. Still, feeling the weight of McGinn's intelligence in his writing, a reader does have to be careful in thinking that he has cut down to the heart of the plays. Though enlightening, in some ways, McGinn's views are narrow because he has a particular purpose that reflect his own interests. For example, McGinn sees Montaigne's influence on Shakespeare very clearly and there can be no doubt Shakespeare read Montaigne and this impacted his work; however, McGinn's highlighting of Montaigne cannot help but put other influences into shadow. It is also true that to be completely convinced by the philosophical assertions McGinn has made it would be necessary to see how his work in useful in understanding the other thirty or so plays. He only talks about six in detail, remember, which leaves an awful lot of ground unplowed. It would be interesting to see McGinn's take on the rest of the canon. To a reader with some background in Shakespeare, McGinn's work is a valuable addition to the scholarship surrounding the Bard. And, despite its philosophical topics, you don't have to be a professional to read, enjoy and understand this book. It is definitely worth reading.

We Wake Asleep: We Sleep Awake/imagination informs perception

The author tackles a worthy subject and does it very well. The tragic fact that comes across is that the world does not always conform itself to our contingent strenghs & weaknesses. Shakespeare does indeed tell us how the world works. And having read him, the world then, is not as before. Desire for certain knowlege drives us and ignorance is a lot more prevalent than we know. The mind's concealment is essential to its nature. Shakespear's tragic characters are always coping with their ignorance- the inability to know what they need to know. These are some of the philsophies simply put that are arrived at through examintion of characters, plots, action, and Shakespeare's writing itself. And speaking of SELF- that is a crutial element of understanding Shakespeare's philosophy. He regards the self as interactive and theatrical- the mind subject to hidden & mysterious forces. The self can become divided and fragmented, losing its usual- but superficial- unity. The self is not always a harmonious whole, running on rational principles, but often a melange of conflicting forces, the source of which is unclear. We are as much victims of ourselves as we are of the world around us, with part of the psyche in rebellion against the rest. Also Shakespeare's plays involve themselves with CAUSATION- unruly, unpredictable, unintelliigible, blind, weird and even paradoxical. Sex also transforms. Social life is the acting of parts. Shakespeare's characters inhabit a harsh world, and tenderheartedness is unlikely to survive. In the end Shakespeare can be compared in his philosophy like a dissappointed lover- one who had great hopes for humanity, but found his hopes crushed. This is just a small taste of the author's very well done analysis: Shakespeare's Philosophy. In the end, the world does not behave as one would wish. Still the desire never dies. And ignorance remains too well fed.