Henry V, war criminal?: and other Shakespeare puzzles

J. A. Sutherland, Cedric Thomas Watts

Oxford University Press, 2000 - Literary Criticism - 220 pages

'Shakespeare loves loose ends; Shakespeare also loves red herrings.' Stephen Orgel Loose ends and red herrings are the stuff of detective fiction, and under the scrutiny of master sleuths John Sutherland and Cedric Watts Shakespeare's plays reveal themselves to be as full of mysteries as any Agatha Christie novel. Is it summer or winter in Elsinore? Do Bottom and Titania makelove? Does Lady Macbeth faint, or is she just pretending? How does a man putrefy within minutes of his death? Is Cleopatra a deadbeat Mum? And why doesn't Juliet ask 'O Romeo Montague, wherefore art thou Montague?' As Watts and Sutherland explore these and other puzzles Shakespeare's genuius becomes ever more apparent. Speculative, critical, good-humoured and provocative, their discussions shed light on apparent anachronisms, perfromance and stagecraft, linguistics, Star Trek and much else. Shrewd andentertaining, these essays add a new dimension to the pleasure of reading or watching Shakespeare. 'Few modern academics are doing quite so much as Professor Sutherland to connect the "common reader" with great books' Independent

What people are saying

Review: Henry V, War Criminal?: And Other Shakespeare Puzzles

User Review  - Kit Vane Tempest - Goodreads

An energetic discussion of the joys of deep reading and an exploration if questions in Shakespeare's works which leads into a celebration of the Bard. Witty, erudite and a reminder to read actively.

Review: Henry V, War Criminal?: And Other Shakespeare Puzzles

User Review  - David Sarkies - Goodreads

This book is a collection of essays that pertains to looking at some of the problems that arise from Shakespearian plays, though the conclusions of most of these essays tend to come down to the fact ...

Contents

• The watch on the centurions wrist: 7
• Desdemonas posthumous speeches: 31
• Poor Toms a yokel?: 46
• feint or faint?: 65
• REAL OR PRETEND in Does Cleopatra really care about: 72
• How much time did Richard waste?: 85
• Henry V war criminal?: 108
• What happens to Violas eunuch plan?: 126
• Never act with dogs and babies: 143
• Muddle or method?: 162
• Shakespeares feminist play?: 174
• Angelo guide to sanity?: 190
• Notes: 203

About the author

John Sutherland, Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature, University College, London. Cedric Watts, Professor of English, University of Sussex. Stephen Orgel, Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Humanities, Stanford University.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Henry V, war criminal?: and other Shakespeare puzzles; Oxford world愀 classics
• Authors: J. A. Sutherland, Cedric Thomas Watts
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2000
• ISBN: 0192838792, 9780192838797
• Length: 220 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / Shakespeare