Shakespeare's promises
"Oaths, vows, contracts, and promises are among the most momentous actions human beings can perform, in art as well as life. Although virtually ignored by literary theorists, these obligations motivate plots, test characters, provide rhetorical occasions, structure ironies, and open thematic horizons. According to William Kerrigan, they had particular importance for Shakespeare. After a discussion of promises in philosophy, law, psychology, politics, language, and ordinary life, the author presents detailed studies of Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, and Othello, and concludes with a brief visit to the swearing scene in Hamlet."--Jacket
Print Book, English, 1999
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md., 1999
Criticism, interpretation, etc
xviii, 243 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
9780801861635, 9780801877438, 0801861632, 0801877431
40753270