Tyrant: Shakespeare On Power | 
so-so★★★☆☆
Greenblatt knows Shakespeare and Shakespeare knew the human condition; both are amply demonstrated here. But somehow, I was still left wanting. Perhaps it was the lack of clear connections between textual observations or between what the author had read in Shakespeare and witnessed in the real world, especially during the first Trump administration. It's not weak, but it could have been stronger.
p. 76 'Earlier in [Richard III], the Lieutenant of the Tower... receives a written directive that he turn over his prisoner... to the two thuggish-looking characters.... [He] knows perfectly well that his prisoner has not received a trial, fair or otherwise, but, handing the keys to the murderers, he asks no questions and offers no protest.... By multiple acts of this kind, taken by respectable people..., tyranny is enabled.'
Started
📖 Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
'Why would anyone, [Shakespeare] asked himself, be drawn to a leader manifestly unsuited to govern, someone dangerously impulsive or viciously conniving or indifferent to the truth?'
1.) tagged book
2.) White Oleander - Janet Fitch
3.) The Golden Notebook - Woodstock NY
4.) Harry Potter - PoA probably the most
5.) Breakfast at Tiffany‘s
6.) A lot 😬
7.) Uhm, I kind of like the Goblin Bazaar - In an Absent Dream
8.) Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
9.) Read my shelves more
10.) my couch
11.) Little House on the Prairie
12 — whoever wants to do this, you‘re tagged!
so-soThe book has too much foreshadowing of current US politics (read Trump is a tyrant in the making) using Shakespeare‘ tyrants and too much pop-psychoanalysis of those characters, but not enough Shakespeare,which is ironic . Not deep enough for my taste but not horrible either
I‘m in a non fiction mood and this seems like a great read right now
I know I‘m not going to be able to do the full #24in48, but I‘m building an ambitious stack anyways just to see what I can get through!
(Other People‘s Houses by Abbi Waxman is on the Kindle)
pickBiblio File #podcast #interview with Stephen Greenblatt on Tyrant
http://thebibliofile.ca/stephen-greenblatt-on-his-book-tyrant-shakespeare-on-pol...
Biblio File podcast interview with Stephen Greenblatt on Tryrant
http://thebibliofile.ca/stephen-greenblatt-on-his-book-tyrant-shakespeare-on-pol...
@batsy @GingerAntics I just bought this book and since we‘re on a Shakespearian streak I though it might interest you :) if you‘ve already read it I would love to know what you think!
2018 year end round up part 2: Honorable Mentions Part 1
Tyrant by Stephan Greenblatt
Calypso by David Sedaris
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
The Feral Detective by Jonathon Letham
pickI was basically a big, ol‘ eyeballs emoji reading this. A rather slim book about how Shakespeare walked a fine line depicting tyranny in an era when openly criticizing the government/ruler could get you killed. Some interesting textual analysis. I couldn‘t read it at night though - it was a little too anxiety-inducing before bed.
pickOk- what would Shakespeare have to say about US politics today? Well, he said it already in plays like Henry VI, Richard III, King Lear, Hamlet, MacBeth, etc. this shortish 5 hour audiobook provides a fascinating contextual reading of Shakespeare on Tyrants and the politics of his time- and ours. Recommended!4⭐️
My next commute read- Shakespeare‘s Politics
pickI recommend this book to readers who seek a criticism of Trump with a heavy dose of Shakespeare and Medieval English history. A familiarity with medieval monarchs and Shakespeare is presumed and preferred. Greenblatt never utters Trump by name but his criticism is cutting and comes from an “oblique angle.” This angle is one Greenblatt argues Shakespeare used himself to reveal tyrannies of his day (freedom of speech did not exist in his time). ⭐️
pickTYRANT reminded me of the necessity and immediacy of great literature in the world, particularly at this moment in time. Greenblatt‘s work in this book deserves to survive the Trump regime—I think it could serve as a useful text to gain insight into the messages literature gives us from those writers writing from a place of limited speech. Well-written and engaging.
Very appropriate!
#currentread is a fascinating study on tyrants as observed by Shakespeare. It is sooo relevant in current times in US.
pickGreat combination of literary examination and historical background with relevance to current issues.
"In ordinary times, when a public figure is caught in a lie, or simply reveals blatant ignorance of the truth, his standing is diminished. But these are not ordinary times."
pickComing out next Tuesday: calling all English majors, this is YOUR anti-trump book. Greenblatt writes a fascinating book exploring what Shakespeare‘s has to say about tyrants in his plays. He is not subtle about the comparisons between Shakespeare‘s villains and the current resident of the white hoist. Really readable and interesting.
