The Biblical Covenant in Shakespeare

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Theatre, History & Criticism, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book The Biblical Covenant in Shakespeare by Mary Jo Kietzman, Springer International Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mary Jo Kietzman ISBN: 9783319718439
Publisher: Springer International Publishing Publication: February 9, 2018
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan Language: English
Author: Mary Jo Kietzman
ISBN: 9783319718439
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Publication: February 9, 2018
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: English

The theo-political idea of covenant—a sacred binding agreement—formalizes relationships and inaugurates politics in the Hebrew Bible, and it was the most significant revolutionary idea to come out of the Protestant Reformation. Central to sixteenth-century theology, covenant became the cornerstone of the seventeenth-century English Commonweath, evidenced by Parliament’s passage of the Protestation Oath in 1641 which was the “first national covenant against popery and arbitrary government,” followed by the Solemn League and Covenant in 1643. Although there are plenty of books on Shakespeare and religion and Shakespeare and the Bible, no recent critics have recognized how Shakespeare’s plays popularized and spread the covenant idea, making it available for the modern project. By seeding the plays with allusions to biblical covenant stories, Shakespeare not only lends ethical weight to secular lives but develops covenant as the core idea in a civil religion or a founding myth of the early-modern political community, writ small (family and friendship) and large (business and state). Playhouse relationships, especially those between actors and audiences, were also understood through the covenant model, which lent ethical shading to the convention of direct address. Revealing covenant as the biblical beating heart of Shakespeare’s drama, this book helps to explain how the plays provide a smooth transition into secular society based on the idea of social contract.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The theo-political idea of covenant—a sacred binding agreement—formalizes relationships and inaugurates politics in the Hebrew Bible, and it was the most significant revolutionary idea to come out of the Protestant Reformation. Central to sixteenth-century theology, covenant became the cornerstone of the seventeenth-century English Commonweath, evidenced by Parliament’s passage of the Protestation Oath in 1641 which was the “first national covenant against popery and arbitrary government,” followed by the Solemn League and Covenant in 1643. Although there are plenty of books on Shakespeare and religion and Shakespeare and the Bible, no recent critics have recognized how Shakespeare’s plays popularized and spread the covenant idea, making it available for the modern project. By seeding the plays with allusions to biblical covenant stories, Shakespeare not only lends ethical weight to secular lives but develops covenant as the core idea in a civil religion or a founding myth of the early-modern political community, writ small (family and friendship) and large (business and state). Playhouse relationships, especially those between actors and audiences, were also understood through the covenant model, which lent ethical shading to the convention of direct address. Revealing covenant as the biblical beating heart of Shakespeare’s drama, this book helps to explain how the plays provide a smooth transition into secular society based on the idea of social contract.

More books from Springer International Publishing

Cover of the book Lymphedema by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book The Value of Shame by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Precision Molecular Pathology of Uterine Cancer by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Science Gateways for Distributed Computing Infrastructures by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Winning at Litigation through Decision Analysis by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Internationalism, Imperialism and the Formation of the Contemporary World by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Advances in Physical Ergonomics & Human Factors by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Tunneling Dynamics in Open Ultracold Bosonic Systems by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Myopericardial Diseases by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Green Biocomposites by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Doing Care, Doing Citizenship by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Water Resources in Slovakia: Part II by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book A Cultural History of Rio de Janeiro after 1889 by Mary Jo Kietzman
Cover of the book Impulsivity by Mary Jo Kietzman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy