Spotlight on James ShapiroLike this list

15 items

• The Playbook

  a Story of Theater, Democracy, and the Making of a Culture War

  Shapiro, James, 1955-

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  A brilliant and daring account of a culture war over the place of theater in American democracy in the 1930s, one that anticipates our current divide.

• Macbeth

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  One of the plays featured by Shapiro in "The Playbook" . In depicting a man who murders to become king, Macbeth teases us with huge questions. Is Macbeth tempted by fate, or by his or his wife’s ambition? Why does their success turn to ashes?

• It Can't Happen Here

  Lewis, Sinclair, 1885-1951

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  A play adaptation of this classic novel is featured by Shapiro in "The Playbook". A cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy, it is an alarming, eerily timeless look at how fascism could take hold in America.

• Shakespeare in a Divided America

  What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future

  Shapiro, James, 1955-

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  A timely exploration of what Shakespeare’s plays reveal about our divided land.

• Julius Caesar

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  One of the plays featured by Shapiro in "Shakespeare in A Divided America" . Shakespeare may have written Julius Caesar as the first of his plays to be performed at the Globe, in 1599. For it, he turned to a key event in Roman history: Caesar’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Year of Lear

  Shakespeare in 1606

  Shapiro, James, 1955-

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  Preeminent Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro, author of Shakespeare in a Divided America, shows how the tumultuous events in 1606 influenced three of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies written that year: King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra.

• The Tragedy of King Lear

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  One of the plays featured by Shapiro in "The Year of Lear". Shakespeare’s King Lear challenges us with the magnitude, intensity, and sheer duration of the pain that it represents. Its figures harden their hearts, engage in violence, or try to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shakespeare in America : An Anthology From the Revolution to Now

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  An anthology that traces how Shakespeare has shaped American history and culture—featuring pieces by Founding Fathers, Orson Welles, and other noteworthy figures.

• Othello

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  Featured in "Shakespeare in America", edited by James Shapiro. In Othello, William Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona that begins with elopement and mutual devotion and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Contested Will

  Who Wrote Shakespeare?

  Shapiro, James, 1955-

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  In this remarkable book, Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro, explains when and why so many people began to question whether Shakespeare wrote his plays.

• Hamlet

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  One of the plays featured by Shapiro in "Contested Will" .Hamlet is Shakespeare's most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599

  Shapiro, James, 1955-

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  What accounts for Shakespeare’s transformation from talented poet and playwright to one of the greatest writers who ever lived? In this gripping account, James Shapiro sets out to answer this question.

• As You Like It

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  Featured by Shapiro in "A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599" , "As You Like It" is the incredible story about love, rebellion, and generosity,

• Shakespeare and the Jews

  Shapiro, James, 1955-

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  James Shapiro's pathbreaking analysis of the portrayal of Jews in Elizabethan England challenged readers to recognize the significance of Jewish questions in Shakespeare's day.

• The Merchant of Venice

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

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  Featured by Shapiro in "Shakespeare and the Jews", To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father’s will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all.